10/18/24: 🪸Coral Reef Resilience, Green Cities, and Fungal Intelligence

Happy Friday my friend,

An absolutely stunning display of the Northern Lights dazzled viewers across the northern hemisphere last week. Click here to see some of the best photos captured of the electromagnetic event!

ECL TRIVIA: What is the largest terrestrial ecosystem on Earth? (Answer below)

🌎 Planet Health

🌊 HEAT-RESISTANT CORAL: Can coral reefs become more resilient to marine “heat waves?” Scientists who’ve started the first successful selective breeding program say there’s a “possibility of improving adult coral offsprings’ heat tolerance, even in just one generation,” but it’s not a “silver bullet.” Read about the study’s initial results, and scientists’ lingering challenges and questions here.

🚌 BOSTON BUS STOPS: The “largest single installation of green roofs on bus shelters in the nation” is beginning in Boston. 30 new bus shelters will receive roofs designed for stormwater retention, and planted with drought-resistant greenery to attract butterflies and birds. Planned for one of the busiest bus lines in the Boston area with more than 50% of its riders classified as low-income, learn how this initiative hopes to help those disproportionately affected by urban heat effects.

🍄 COGNITIVE FUNGI: Despite lacking brains, fungi can make complex decisions and exhibit intelligent behavior. Check out the groundbreaking study’s photos which show how mycelial networks, similar to neural networks in animals, can process information, communicate, and adapt to their environment. “You’d be surprised at just how much fungi are capable of. They have memories, they learn, and they can make decisions,” says one of the researchers.

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🧑‍⚕️ Human Health

💰 ROUNDUP PAYOUT: A Pennsylvania jury has dealt a significant blow to Bayer, awarding $78M to a man who alleged that his cancer was caused by using the company's Roundup weedkiller. Though the EPA declares there’s “no risks of concern to human health,” glyphosate is the primary herbicide in Roundup linked to a myriad of health risks, with recent studies linking glyphosate to fertility issues, gut dysbiosis, and cancer.

🚶‍♀️ 40 MINUTES LESS: Did you know 80-90% of adults in the US will experience back pain at some point? Science proves sitting for just 40 minutes less per day can reduce worsening back pain. “Over six months, participants who, on average, increased their moderate to vigorous activity by 20 minutes a day and decreased their sedentary behavior by 40 minutes a day saw less increase in back pain than the control group who continued their sedentary behavior,” the article reports.

🥣 WE’RE MAINSTREAM: Our battle cries to Kellogg’s to remove artificial dyes from their cereal (associated with ADHD in children) reverberate even louder, finally cracking into many mainstream outlets. Among a long list of popular news websites, a piece aired on the TV show Good Morning America, which you can watch HERE (if you look very closely you’ll see me). Surprisingly, they took our side and admitted it was common sense that these petroleum-based chemicals should not be in cereal. We will not give up and let these companies continue to choose profit over people.

Creature Feature

🐭 KANGAROO x VELOCIRAPTOR: There’s 33 species of the jerboa, this large-eared speed-hopping mini kangaroo! A nocturnal desert dweller, this fast, tiny rodent has legs like a predatory ancient velociraptor and is adorably odd— in all the best ways.

Nutrition 101

🐟 OMEGA-3 OIL: Omega-3 oil, crucial for heart and brain health, can be found in abundance in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines, as well as walnuts, hemp seeds, and flax seeds. The fatty acids are essential to consume through food for improving cholesterol levels, and preventing cognitive decline. Bookmark these 20 powerhouse recipes that focus on rich sources of omega-3s!

💬 Poll

⬅️ Last poll’s results

Have you ever used Red Light Therapy?

🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️ Yes 🚨 (46%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Not yet! (54%)

To a healing future,

— Rob