Gleanings of the Week Ending September 02, 2015

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

New blood test for colon cancer improves colonoscopy screening results - It would be great to have a blood test for initial screening rather than a colonoscopy. Eventually it might happen. I have another 6 years before my next one is due….and hoping the blood test becomes the recommendation before then!

Dos and Don’ts to preserve your brainpower - No surprises in the article…suggestion like “Don’t feast on junk food” are common sense but hard to follow 100% of the time in the modern world. That probably says something about cultural aspects that are wearing down the brainpower of the overall population.

The alien within: Fetal cells influence maternal health during pregnancy (and long after) - The interaction between fetus and mother is two way…and complex. Research is just beginning to explain the mechanisms.

How to choose a Black-eye Susan - It’s the state flower of Maryland and grows well in my garden. I’m going to have more of it next year both in pots and in the front flower beds!

Mexico City’s Ambitious Elevated Park - Creating green space in the middle of a city is a challenge. This example is in the planning stages but it references successful projects in other cities around the world that have tried a similar approach….elevation over traffic or canals.

A Guide to Different Types of Fat - A good review of the nomenclature of fats.

DIY: Compost Bin - You don’t have to be an expert to make your own compost bin!

The Stunning Ways Driftwood Builds Landscapes - From National Geographic.

Take a Virtual Tour of Mount Vernon - I’ve been to Mount Vernon many times - still enjoyed the virtual tour!

The metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a monarch butterfly - A short video showing how the Monarch caterpillar forms its chrysalis…and emerges a butterfly.

Gleanings of the Week Ending March 14, 2015

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Karnak: Excavation yields 38 artifacts - New techniques and new finds at Karnak.

71% of Investors Are Interested In Sustainable Investing - It’s positive news that more people are voting for sustainability via their investments.

New Study Pinpoints Where Ocean Acidification Will Hit Hardest - Not only hardest…but earliest. The ocean does not acidify uniformly. Estuaries with excess nutrients will acidify more rapidly. Not a good new message for the Chesapeake Bay’s shell fish industry.

Boosting older adults' vision through training - The core of the message from the research was positive but it was frustrating that the next steps were all about more research. If the initial research finding holds - then why is there not already a strategy activity to think through how vision training could be delivered to larger numbers of people at low cost.

By separating nature from economics, we have walked blindly into tragedy - We live in complex world…making decisions based on simplifying assumptions that ignore the environment or economic or social aspects are perilous.

New research into materials for tooth fillings - The composite that is most common right now is problematic because it requires adhesive to bond to the tooth, needs to be illuminated with a lamp to harden, and needs to be replaced more frequently. A new material - glass ionomer cement - may be the filling material of the future.

Widely Used Antibiotics Affect Mitochondria - The environmental accumulation of tetraclines might be harming us in ways that are just now being studied. Scary.

Epoch-defining study pinpoints when humans came to dominate planet Earth - Two dates jump out: 1610 with the irreversible exchange of species between new and old worlds and 1964 associated with the fallout from nuclear weapons testing. Either way - humans have driven Earth into a new epoch…the Anthropocene.

Fun Parks to Visit in the Top 10 Cities for Wildlife - Staycation fodder. There are interesting parks in most areas of the country. These 10 are clearly the tip of the iceberg!

Did Neanderthals make jewelry 130,000 years go? Eagle claws provide clues - From a site in present day Croatia dating from 130,000 years ago.