A Mass Extinction Is Taking Place in the Human Gut- WIRED

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A Mass Extinction Is Taking Place in the Human Gut | WIRED 1/4/23

Link to the article 

The bacteria, fungus, and other microflora and fauna in our digestive system play an important part in our ability to digest food as well as our mood, intellectual functioning, and other aspects of our individual functioning.

As our diets have changed, many of these organisms have stopped living in the bodies of more industrialized humans.  A plan has emerged to save samples of diverse gut biomes in the hope of saving these possibly life saving organisms. Find out more in the article.

As the Colorado River Shrinks, Washington Prepares to Spread the Pain- NY Times

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The article discusses the need for voluntary cut backs and agreements by states to water usage and that cut will need to be mandated by the federal government is an agreement can’t be made.

The Bureau of Reclamation, an office within the Interior Department that manages the river system, has sought to offset that water loss by getting states to reduce their consumption. In 2003, it pushed California, which had been exceeding its annual allotment, the largest in the basin, to abide by that limit. In 2007, and again in 2019, the department negotiated still deeper reductions among the states.

It wasn’t enough. Last summer, the water level in Lake Mead sank to 1,040 feet above sea level, its lowest ever.

If the water level falls below 950 feet, the Hoover Dam will no longer able to generate hydroelectric power. At 895 feet, no water would be able to pass the dam at all — a condition called “deadpool.”

In June, the commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, Camille C. Touton, gave the states 60 days to come up with a plan to reduce their use of Colorado River water by two to four million acre-feet — about 20 to 40 percent of the river’s entire flow.

Ms. Touton stressed that she preferred that the states develop a solution. But if they did not, she said, the bureau would act.

“It is in our authorities to act unilaterally to protect the system,” Ms. Touton told lawmakers. “And we will protect the system.”

The 60-day deadline came and went. The states produced no plan for the cuts the bureau demanded. And the bureau didn’t present a plan of its own.

The Truth About Fat- NOVA- Video

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Youtube Link– NOVA- The Truth about Fat

Scientists are learning more about fat and how it affects our bodies and endocrine system.  Some of what we are learning is different that what we thought was true.

Do we control our fat, or does it control us? For generations, overweight individuals have been stigmatized and cast as lazy. But scientists are coming to understand fat as a fascinating and dynamic organ—one whose size has more to do with biological processes than personal choices. Through real-life stories of hunter-gatherers, sumo wrestlers, and supermodels, NOVA explores the complex functions of fat and the role it plays in controlling hunger, hormones, and even reproduction.

 

iNaturalist Website – Citizen Science (Record your observations of species)

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iNaturalist is a worldwide citizen science app that helps biologist, ecologists, and others to evaluate species and their success in different environments.

Seek is another option for mobile devices. Seek helps you to identify the species that you find and gamifies your discoveries with badges, challenges, and more. Both apps are available in Google Play and the  Apple App Store.

If you have limited access to a cell phone with a camera, here’s the link to join on your computer: https://www.inaturalist.org/

Take your nature knowledge up a notch with Seek! Use the power of image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you. Earn badges for seeing different types of birds, amphibians, plants, and fungi and participate in monthly observation challenges.

  • Get outside and point the Seek Camera at living things.
  • Identify wildlife, plants, and fungi and learn about the organisms all around you
  • Earn badges for observing different types of species and participating in challenge

NC City Nature Challenge  WNC is a participating region. 2022’s session runs from April 29-May 2. 

Killed by a pill bought on social media: the counterfeit drugs poisoning US teens- The Guardian

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Pills and tablets bought either from online sites, ex. Discord, Instagram, etc. or from others that procured them from unreliable sources can have very high levels of fentenyl.  These pills typically have been pressed to look just like authentic medications, but deliver a deadly does of fentenyl in a single pill.

“…no group has seen a faster rise than youth under 24, according to a Guardian analysis of 2020 federal data. Among this age group, accidental drug deaths increased by 50% in a single year – taking 7,337 young lives in 2020. Experts say a large portion of this increase is due to the vast quantities of fentanyl streaming into the US.

In California, where fentanyl deaths were rare just five years ago, a young person under 24 is now dying every 12 hours, according to a Guardian analysis of state data through June 2021. That’s a 1,000% increase over 2018, according to data from the California department of public health’s drug overdose dashboard.

Fentanyl, a cheap, synthetic opioid up to 100 times more potent than heroin, is not only getting mixed with traditional street drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, federal authorities say – it is being pressed into millions of pills that look exactly like traditional pharmaceuticals.

But the potency of counterfeit pills can vary dramatically. Federal agents seized nearly 10m counterfeit pills in the first three quarters of 2021 – more than the previous two years combined. And tests conducted on the pills showed that two out of five of the counterfeits contained enough fentanyl to kill, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).”

Link to the article- The Guardian- 12/23/2021