Gleanings of the Week Ending August 23, 2025

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.

The strange-but-true origin story of the humble potato - Scientists have known that potatoes are most closely related to two groups of plants — the tomatoes and a cluster of three species called Etuberosum. Certain genes suggested that potatoes were more closely related to tomatoes, while other genes gave the impression that potatoes and Etuberosum had the closer relationship. The interbreeding event occurred some 9 million years ago, which happened to be excellent timing for the potato. This is when the Andes were forming and lots of cold and dry high elevation habitat was appearing.

Pompeii’s Secret Second Life Revealed by Latest Archaeological Finds - Shortly after Pompeii was buried in up to 20 feet of ash and pumice, people returned, some to sift opportunistically through the ruble, and others to try and restart their lives as best they could. The redevelopment had Rome’s backing. By the 5th century, life in the ruined city grew even more strained following the structural damage dealt by resurgent seismic activity, including a second eruption of Vesuvius in 472 C.E. Within 150 years, Roman life at Pompeii appears to have ended. This time for good.

Why lung cancer is a 'hidden epidemic' in this part of the world - There are almost no nerve endings in the lungs, so in the early stages, the most common symptom of lung cancer is no symptom at all. And when symptoms do appear, they are often quite generic — chest pain, coughing up blood, and difficulty breathing. So, doctors in sub-Saharan Africa often misdiagnose lung cancer patients as having tuberculosis, given the high burden in the region. Patients would go through the whole treatment regimen for tuberculosis and not really be investigated for lung cancer. Those lost six to nine months of possible treatment can be deadly, since 55% of people with lung cancer die within a year.

Should we all be taking vitamin supplements? - Evidence is starting to grow that popping a daily multivitamin could be beneficial for health, particularly for older adults. "Mega-dosing", or taking quantities of vitamins higher than the recommended daily allowance, is not recommended.

The Amazon Rainforest Approaches a Point of No Return - Under increasing threats from rampant deforestation and climate change, portions of the Amazon now emit more carbon to the atmosphere than they absorb. The southern Amazon has become hotter and drier, with less soil moisture, lowered water tables, and a higher-than-normal rate of tree mortality. Scientists now believe the Amazon could reach its tipping point — when it loses its natural ability to regenerate and will become permanently degraded — as soon as 2050. The impacts will reverberate globally.

The Many Types of Fluids That Flow in Yellowstone - Yellowstone is no doubt one of the most dynamic places on Earth. The many types of fluids that flow between the mantle and the atmosphere generate explosive volcanic and geyser eruptions, create lava flows, bubbling mud pots, and very rare sulfur flows, and they span nearly the full range of possible material viscosities.

New, Implanted Device Could Offer a Long-Elusive, Drug-Free Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis - In late July, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved an implant that uses electrical signals to control inflammation by tapping into the vagus nerve—a pair of nerves that connect the brain with important internal organs. The move marks the first time an electrical therapy has been approved for the treatment of any autoimmune disease.

Midwestern butterfly count: Big data yields bad news and clues – A study of 4.3 million observations in the U.S. Midwest from 1992–2023 to characterize changes in butterfly biodiversity. The results: 59 of the 136 species declined in abundance over the study. Both common and rare butterflies are waning.

104 Grams of Protein For $1.50? - How much ribeye steak is needed to reach 104 grams of protein? It would be about 19 ounces of ribeye steak, which costs $12–20 per pound, and premium cuts can cost more. The ribeye would cost about $14 on the low end or a bit over $20 on the high for the non-premium cuts. The black-eyed peas are only $1.50.

Historic Artifacts from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper Saved by Conservancy – The Price Tower has been in the news over the past few years…controversy and renovations promised never done. Some objects from the building were sold in a breach of the easement on the building…and now they have been purchased by the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy to avoid their being dispersed; the plan is for them to be returned to the building after renovation. The post includes pictures!

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 18, 2025

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.

A looming 'demographic cliff': Fewer college students and ultimately fewer graduates – Universities are already experiencing declining enrollment. In the first half of last year, more than one college a week announced that it would close….and the projection is that the pace of college closings could accelerate. This does not bode well for the US economy.

Charging Ahead: Key Geographical Clusters for Electric Trucks – The realistic sequence looks like: The west coast of the US up to British Columbia and New York to Virginia will be the first wave of green charging corridors for trucks. Virginia to Florida and then Texas to California with be the second wave.  I am bummed that Missouri (where I live) is not positioning itself to be in the second tier which would facilitate a complete cross county route.

Severe Cold Spells May Persist Because of Warming, Not in Spite of It – Evidently, we have a weaker, more meandering jet stream that allows frigid air to reach further south because the Arctic is heating up and there is not as much difference between the Arctic and warmer air to the south.

A Quarry Worker Felt Strange Bumps While Digging. They Turned Out to Be the Largest Dinosaur Trackway in the U.K. – I remember going to see the dinosaur tracks at Glen Rose, Texas. Somehow the huge tracks make it easier to internalize how big these animals were!

U.S. Surgeon General offers 'parting prescription' to heal America's division – Thought provoking.

Seven key climate and nature moments to look out for in 2025 - Big moments in 2025 that could shift the dial on climate and nature….while extreme weather continues.

Who built Europe’s first cities? Clues about the urban revolution emerge - Around 6,000 years ago, a group known as the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture developed egalitarian settlements north of the Black Sea and created the region’s earliest urban centers. Then, after two millennia, they vanished. Cucuteni–Trypillia has always stood out as something of an anomaly, because its settlements seemed to have been egalitarian societies that were devoid of social hierarchies. Their distinctive pottery was discovered almost simultaneously in two locations in the late nineteenth century: Romania (where the culture was named after a site in Cucuteni) and Ukraine (where the same culture was named Trypillia, also after a community where artefacts were found). The group made pots, hunted and gathered, farmed, raised cattle and lived in settlements where all the houses were the same size. People ate legumes and cereals grown on the rich soils of Ukraine, which were well manured by cattle. Livestock animals were also eaten, although isotope analysis of rare human remains shows that meat made up only roughly 10% of people’s diets. Despite the organized urban design of Cucuteni–Trypillia megasites, there were no palaces, no grand temples, no signs of centralized administration and no rich or poor houses.

Looking Back on Geological Activity in Yellowstone During 2024 - Hydrothermal explosion in Norris Geyser Basin in April, July explosion of Black Diamond Pool at Biscuit Basin, Economic Geyser(in Upper Geyser Basin) experienced a series of eruptions for the first time since 1999, Abyss Pool began to heat up and overflow/its color changed from dark and somewhat murky to a deep blue as the summer progressed, Steamboat Geyser continued to be active although with many fewer eruptions than in previous years…but the year was seismically calm!

Citizen science reveals that Jupiter's colorful clouds are not made of ammonia ice - The abundance of ammonia and cloud-top pressure in Jupiter's atmosphere can be mapped using commercially available telescopes and a few specially colored filters and the instrumentation/analysis showed that the clouds reside too deeply within Jupiter's warm atmosphere to be consistent with the clouds being ammonia ice.

Photographer Highlights the Importance of Monarch Butterfly Conservation Through Stunning Images – Photographs from Jaime Rojo. The monarch butterfly isn’t just a pretty sight—it’s an essential pollinator that keeps our planet healthy. But in the last 40 years, their population has dropped by a staggering 90%, leaving them on the brink of extinction.

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 26, 2023

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.

Two Baby Condors at Pinnacles National Park Are Healthy, ‘Adorable Fluffballs’ – Avian flu killed at least 20 California Condors in Arizona and Utah last spring…so the health of these birds is great news. So far, their lead levels (often a problem if their parents bring them carrion with bullet fragments) are low. They will make their first flights in October or November.

Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument – Protecting the land around Grand Canyon National Park.

Nearly Two-Thirds of All Species Live in the Ground, Scientists Estimate - Soils are richer in life than coral reefs or rainforest canopies, providing a home to nearly two-thirds of all species. The study is the first to tally the total number of soil dwellers, large and small, finding that more than twice as many species live in the ground as was previously thought: 59 percent of all species depend on soil for their survival, including 90 percent of fungi, 86 percent of plants, and 40 percent of bacteria.

Incredible Winners of Light Microscopy Awards Show Artistry of Scientific Imaging – The beauty of microscopic life….

Research Sheds Light on Steamboat Geyser’s Eruptions, Past and Present – They discovered that the strength of shaking decreased as snow depth increased. The ability of snow to absorb sound makes a difference!

Stunning Fields of Sunflowers Are Blanketing North Dakota – The states farmers grew 625,000 acres of sunflowers this year…and they bloom throughout August. Maybe one year we’ll make the trek to see them; I haven’t been to North Dakota before.

Exceptional Winners of the 2023 Nature inFocus Photography Awards – Beautiful…and educational. My favorite image is the ant with aphids (“A Sappy Alliance”).

What Pots Say—and Don’t Say—About People – “What can such a well-traveled artifact tell us about the people who left it in the ground? Its culture of origin may be less important than how it fit into life where it was found.”

Microplastics found in human heart tissues, both before and after surgical procedures - Everywhere scientists look for microplastics, they've found them -- food, water, air and some parts of the human body….even in the heart. But it still is not known how/if the microplastics impact the cardiovascular system.

Microalgae vs. Mercury - In the search for ways to fight methylmercury in global waterways, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovered that some forms of phytoplankton are good at degrading the potent neurotoxin.