5/10/24: Baby wombat, plastic-eating discovery, flame retardants

Planet Health

🍄 SCIENTIFIC SPORES: Scientists have created a self-degrading plastic by incorporating bacteria spores into thermoplastic polyurethane strips (same material used to create footwear, floor mats, cushions, and memory foam). The spores break down the plastic in compost, and potentially benefit plants. This could significantly reduce plastic waste, and the authors say their next steps are "to broaden the scope of biodegradable materials we can make with this technology.”

⚡️ RENEWABLES ERA: Analysts at Ember released a new data report this week, declaring that renewables reached 30% of global electricity in 2023, driven by solar and wind. This is expected to cause a decline in fossil fuel use for power generation, with 2023 likely being the peak year for emissions. Perhaps this is the "new era" of falling fossil generation and continued growth in renewable energy. What do you think?

🦅 TURBINE DESIGN: Wildlife-friendly wind farms concern conservationists, with wind turbines threatening many species of birds, especially migrating vultures. By understanding that birds see mostly sideways, and by incorporating high-visibility markers on wind farm cables (painted with black and white stripes, for example), collisions are reduced. This helps bird populations and the environment, as vultures play a crucial role in cleaning up carcasses.

Human Health

🚗 NEW CAR-CINOGENS: Do newer cars contain carcinogens? According to new information, the cabin air of cars from 2015 or newer may be polluted with flame retardants, linked to hormone disruption, cancer-related death, and neurological issues. Exposure risk rises in summer heat, so researchers suggest opening windows and airing out the car before driving, and parking in the shade or using sun visors to minimize heat buildup. Click here for more tips on reducing exposure.

🧠 MEMORY BOOK: Don't worry if you routinely forget where you put your keys. Researchers and authors of a new book called The Psychology of Memory say memory is more like a "Wiki page" than a recorder. Forgetting is totally normal and memory can be improved with techniques like "retrieval practice" and using "schema." Learn what that is, and how memory retrieval works for real-life situations like remembering names, or in court.

🙆🏼‍♂️ CRACKING YOUR BACK: Self-adjusting and cracking your back or neck might feel good, but these professionals say it can injure you instead of assisting you. It doesn't fix the tightness, and can cause strain or even fractures. Instead, Virginia Spine Institute's neurosurgeon says to "commit to a daily stretching routine, and engage in core muscle exercises to strengthen the muscles supporting the spine," or to see a licensed chiropractor if you're experiencing chronic discomfort.

Creature Feature

🐨 BABY WOMBAT: An adorable Australian marsupial, the wombat is most closely related to the koala and can run insanely fast at nearly 25 miles per hour, and it has— get ready for this— cube-shaped poo! I fell in love with this particular baby wombat when I saw this video of him toddling around!

Nutrition 101

🦪 ZINC: It's one of the most abundant trace minerals in our bodies, and absolutely essential for wound healing, tissue repair, immune function, and vision health. Zinc is present in foods like oysters, crab, chicken, dairy, and eggs, as well as chickpeas. Learn more about zinc here.

Last poll’s results

Is music a big part of your life?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes! 🎶 (86.4%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Not significant. (13.6%)