3/29/24: Plant communication discovery, the stinkbird, sitting impact

Planet Health

🌱 PLANT COMMUNICATION: In a revolutionary advancement, Japanese scientists have captured this real-time video footage of healthy plants receiving distress signals from neighboring plants experiencing mechanical damage or insect attack. “We have finally unveiled the intricate story of when, where, and how plants respond to airborne ‘warning messages’ from their threatened neighbors,” says molecular biologist Masatsugu Toyota, who was part of the groundbreaking research.

🌴 DOMINICAN REFORESTATION: In the Dominican Republic, the NGO Plan Yaque has been sending teams to farms one by one, working to convince landowners that reforesting their farms is beneficial for them. Today they’re working in 16% of the territory, achieving restoration in one-fifth of Dominican Republic degraded lands over the last decade, improving ecosystems, addressing misused lands, and boosting economic growth. According to Plan Yaque, "this is the second largest land recovery in Latin America, after Haiti."

🍎 BIO-BASED MATERIALS: Clothes made from shrimp shells, old cotton, and apple mush might be the eco-conscious materials of the future. Have you heard of "brewed protein" fibers? It’s a type of semi-natural substance inspired by the silk of spiders, "similar to cashmere through lab-grown and plant-based fibers which undergo a microbial fermentation— or brewing— process." Which non-plastic solution for materials sounds most appealing to you?

Human Health

🌸 AUTHENTICALLY YOU: Can nature make you feel more like yourself? Research spanning 12 studies recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology confirmed nature's pivotal role in enhancing psychological well-being by fostering authenticity and self-esteem, aligning with the biophilia hypothesis. This connection highlights nature's influence on life satisfaction, meaning, and reduced anxiety and stress, and it's another scientifically-backed reason to get outside daily and soak in the power of nature!

🧠 DRAWING A BLANK: Ever wondered why your mind goes blank? Scientists still don't know exactly why this happens, but new research uncovered this week describes "significant reductions in brain activity were observed in the occipital, frontal, parietal, and thalamic regions— areas traditionally associated with processing sensory information and higher-order cognitive functions." The results of this ongoing brain research may help researchers understand the complexity of human consciousness and thought patterns.

🪑 STAND UP: Reduce the time you sit down by 30 minutes daily, and you may see a measurable reduction in your blood pressure, according to scientists who've published a new study in JAMA Network Open on the effects of reducing sitting time for older adults 60 to 89 years of age, with a BMI of 30 to 50. According to this article, "older adults typically sit between 65% and 80% of the time they are awake, and sitting is associated with health risks such as heart disease and diabetes," especially for overweight individuals.

Creature Feature

🦜 BABY DINO BIRD: This bizarre-looking bird — the hoatzin, or scientific name: Opisthocomus hoazin— is nicknamed the "stinkbird" due to its pungent odor, caused by its unique fermentation and digestion process. A mysterious throwback to the late Jurassic age, hoatzin chicks have claws on two of their wing fingers, which they use to climb branches in the Amazon rainforest like baby dinosaurs!

Nutrition 101

🍊VITAMIN C: Perhaps the #1 vitamin for supporting your immune system, improving skin health, and boosting antioxidant cell protection is vitamin C. Foods highest in C include citrus fruits like oranges, strawberries, and kiwi, as well as bell peppers and broccoli. To ensure a daily boost of this critical vitamin, I take Micelle Liposomal Vitamin C, which assists your body in absorbing up to 800% more of the power of Vitamin C than traditional chalky pills.

Last poll’s results

Do you eat "plant-based meat"?

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ I do. 👍 (27.5%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Not for me. 👎 (72.5%)