(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Overnight News Digest - Science Saturday Jan. 20, 2023 [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']

Date: 2023-01-21

Welcome to the Overnight News Digest, Saturday Science with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, Rise above the swamp and jeremybloom. Alumni editors include (but not limited to): Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw.

Some science articles tonight include:

Much less costly Alzheimer’s treatment

California flooding reveals unexpected solution to droughts

Centuries-old sunken ship found in perfect condition in Norway

Global Warming is about to accelerate

Genes from mother shape the baby’s biome

Intestinal tissues absorb more fat after dieting

Citizen science project

Big Think

by Ross Pomeroy

Duolingo is probably a better Alzheimer’s treatment than the newest breakthrough drug

And it’s much less expensive. A phase 3 clinical trial focusing on people diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease showed that the drug lecanemab slowed declines in memory and thinking by 27% over 18 months.

Studies suggest that being bilingual could delay the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms by five years on average, making free language-learning apps like Duolingo a superior alternative to pricey new medications.

Importantly, the studies show that proficiency with a second language matters more than when it was learned, meaning that learning a new language at any age likely protects against Alzheimer's symptoms.

Inverse

by Andrew Fisher

CALIFORNIA FLOODING REVEALS AN UNEXPECTED SOLUTION TO ENDLESS DROUGHTS

CALIFORNIA HAS SEEN so much rain over the past few weeks that farm fields are inundated, and normally dry creeks and drainage ditches have become torrents of water racing toward the ocean. Yet, most of the state remains in severe drought. All that runoff in the middle of a drought begs the question — why can’t more rainwater be collected and stored for the long, dry spring and summer when it’s needed? As a hydrogeologist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, I’m interested in what can be done to collect runoff from storms like this on a large scale. There are two primary sources of large-scale water storage that could help make a dent in the drought: holding that water behind dams and putting it in the ground. WHY ISN’T CALIFORNIA CAPTURING MORE RUNOFF NOW? When California gets storms like the atmospheric rivers that hit in December 2022 and January 2023, water managers around the state probably shake their heads and ask why they can’t hold on to more of that water. The reality is, it’s a complicated issue.

My Modern Met

by Regina Sienra

Centuries-Old Ship in Perfect Condition Is Found at the Bottom of Norway’s Largest Lake

While the Earth's surface has been thoroughly mapped, some of the largest bodies of water still hold myriad mysteries, as mapping them is a whole endeavor that can't be done with regular technology like satellites. One of those secrets was unveiled recently when a group of researchers from the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) set out to map lake Mjøsa, the largest lake in Norway, which covers more than 140 square miles (360 square km). On the last day of their two-week study, they spotted a centuries-old shipwreck in seemingly perfect condition. The vessel sits at a depth of 1,350 feet (411 meters) and was found by the autonomous underwater vehicle Hugin. With the help of sonar imagery, researchers determined that it measures 33 feet (10 meters) long and 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) wide. Although further inspection is needed to determine exactly how old the ship is, given its design and construction techniques, it's estimated that it dates back between the 1300s and 1800s.

Axios

by Andrew Freedman

Global warming is about to accelerate

Believe it or not, average global surface temperatures have actually been relatively cool over the last three years — but that's about to change. Why it matters: Temperatures are expected to jump this year — and 2024 could set a new global record. The big picture: A rare "triple dip" La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean kept temperatures in check in 2022, with the year ranking fifth-warmest since instrument records began. La Niña events are characterized by cooler-than-average waters in the equatorial tropical Pacific, and tend to put a lid on global temperatures.

But 2022 still wound up as the fifth warmest year on record according to NASA and the Copernicus Climate Change Service. And if the phenomena dissipates, as forecasts increasingly indicate, global temperatures would likely jump this year and even more so next year.

If an El Niño event — characterized by milder than average ocean temperatures — sets in across the tropical Pacific, 2023 could even meet or come close to hitting a record high.

Quanta Magazine

by Kristina Armitage

Mobile Genes From the Mother Shape the Baby’s Microbiome

A mother gives her baby her all: love, hugs, kisses … and a sturdy army of bacteria. These simple cells, which journey from mother to baby at birth and in the months of intimate contact that follow, form the first seeds of the child’s microbiome — the evolving community of symbiotic microorganisms tied to the body’s healthy functioning. Researchers at the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University recently conducted the first large-scale survey of how the microbiomes of a mother and her infant coevolve during the first year of life. Their new study, published in Cell in December found that these maternal contributions aren’t limited to complete cells. Small snippets of DNA called mobile genetic elements hop from the mother’s bacteria to the baby’s bacteria, even months after birth. This manner of transfer, which has never been seen before in the cultivation of an infant’s microbiome, could play a crucial role in promoting growth and development. Understanding how a child’s microbiome evolves could explain why some children are predisposed to certain diseases more than others, said Victoria Carr, a principal bioinformatician at the Wellcome Sanger Institute who was not part of the study.

Science Alert

by David Nield

Bacteria Inside You May Explain Why Weight Piles on After Dieting

Restricting our food intake can result in a range of health benefits, including reducing the risk of obesity. But when the dieting stops, the weight often piles back on, and a new study in mice may have identified why. Scientists from the Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and the Chinese Academy of Sciences think they may have identified the bacteria responsible for the change in metabolism. In trials involving mice being put through 10 different dieting protocols, species of Lactobacillus and their metabolites were shown to increase in the guts of the animals once their fasting ended and they were reintroduced to a less restricted diet. That microbiome change, the researchers discovered, assisted the intestinal tissues in absorbing more fat. It's likely that the same process happens in the guts of humans, and periods of intermittent fasting or controlling calorie intake encourages the gut to increase its ability to extract fat from our diet, making it more likely for weight to be regained.

Here is your citizen science opportunity:

Zooniverse

We're kicking off 2023 with the launch of an exciting new camera trap project, Island Critter Cam. While some islands offer geographic isolation to their flora and fauna, that's not the case for the Islands of North America's Lake Erie. Human introduction, geological phenomena, and freezing winters all permit the crossing of species from the mainland. In spite of this, unique and rare animals can still be found on the Islands. Researchers from the Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center need your help cataloguing this diversity - read on to learn how you can lend a hand.

Island Critter Cam

Get a glimpse of Island wildlife! The Island Critter Cam needs your help to identify the animals on Middle Bass Island, a small Island in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. These images were taken of ground-dwelling species like small mammals and reptiles. You may even spot one of the unique species only found on the Islands of Lake Erie! Your participation in the Island Critter Cam project will help the Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center update species records for the Islands of Lake Erie and develop educational tools related to the conservation of these species. We are excited to see what you find living the Island life!

This is an open thread where everyone is welcome, especially night owls and early birds, to share and discuss the science news of the day. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/21/2148006/-Overnight-News-Digest-Science-Saturday-Jan-20-2023

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.