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Overnight News Digest: Wednesday, April 2nd [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-04-02

The crew of the Overnight News Digest consists of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, jeremybloom, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, doomandgloom, FarWestGirl, Besame, and jck. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Rise above the swamp, 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.

OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos since 2007, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.

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From SciTechDaily:

Is Your Diet Drink Making You Hungrier? New Research Explains Why

A new USC study reveals that sucralose, a popular artificial sweetener, may trick the brain by triggering hunger-related activity in the hypothalamus without delivering the expected calories. Unlike sugar, sucralose fails to activate hormones that promote fullness and alters how brain regions involved in motivation and sensory processing communicate. The effects were strongest in people with obesity and were more pronounced in women. These findings raise questions about how calorie-free sweeteners might influence long-term eating habits, and even brain development in children. ***

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From Phys.org:

No evidence quit smoking treatments increase risk of major birth defects

Pregnant women can be reassured that quit-smoking medicines such as nicotine patches and varenicline do not increase the risk of major birth defects in babies, according to new research from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center (NDARC), UNSW Sydney. The real-world data, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, suggest there is no evidence that infants exposed to these medicines had higher rates of major congenital malformations. "Considering the devastating consequences of smoking on both mother and baby, our results should reassure pregnant women who need help quitting smoking," said Dr. Duong Tran, an NDARC Research Fellow and first author of the study. "These findings are also helpful for health care providers when discussing the benefits and risks of smoking cessation therapies with patients and better support women to make informed choices about quitting during pregnancy." ***

From SciTechDaily:

99% Effective: First Hormone-Free Male Birth Control Pill Enters Human Trials

YCT-529, a hormone-free male birth control pill, has shown high effectiveness in animals and is now in human trials, marking a breakthrough in male contraception. While the FDA has approved more than 20 types of contraceptives, only two options currently exist for men: condoms and vasectomies. Although about 25% of women who use contraception rely on the oral birth control pill, there is no equivalent pill available for men. However, research from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, published in Communications Medicine, has paved the way for the first hormone-free male birth control pill to reach clinical trials. This new drug, YCT-529, is an innovative, hormone-free, orally administered contraceptive designed for men. Developed in partnership with Columbia University and YourChoice Therapeutics, YCT-529 prevents pregnancy by inhibiting sperm production. ***

From SciTechDaily:

Researchers Warn: Chewing Gum Could Be Adding Thousands of Microplastics to Your Body

Chewing gum can release thousands of microplastics into saliva. Scientists say more research is needed but suggest chewing fewer pieces to reduce exposure. Plastic is everywhere, and many everyday products, such as cutting boards, clothes, and cleaning sponges, can expose people to tiny micrometer-wide particles called microplastics. Now, chewing gum may also be added to the list. In a pilot study, researchers found that chewing gum can release hundreds to thousands of microplastics per piece into saliva, potentially leading to ingestion. The researchers recently presented their findings at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ***

From SciTechDaily:

Ancient Magic Meets Modern Science: Researchers Unravel Secrets of Egypt’s Blue Lotus

Few plants are more celebrated in Egyptian mythology than the blue lotus, a stunning water lily featured in some of archaeology’s most significant discoveries. Researchers found its petals covering the body of King Tut when they opened his tomb in 1922, and its flowers often appear on ancient papyrus scrolls. Scholars have long hypothesized that the lilies, when soaked in wine, released psychedelic properties used in hallucination- and sex-fueled rituals dating back some 3,000 years. Perhaps, then, it’s not surprising that a plant resembling the blue lotus is now marketed online as a soothing flower, one that can be smoked in a vape or infused in tea. There’s just one problem, according to Liam McEvoy: the blue lotus used in ancient Egypt and the water lily advertised online are completely different plants. ***

From The Guardian:

Average person will be 40% poorer if world warms by 4C, new research shows

Economic models have systematically underestimated how global heating will affect people’s wealth, according to a new study that finds 4C warming will make the average person 40% poorer – an almost four-fold increase on some estimates. The study by Australian scientists suggests average per person GDP across the globe will be reduced by 16% even if warming is kept to 2C above pre-industrial levels. This is a much greater reduction than previous estimates, which found the reduction would be 1.4%. Scientists now estimate global temperatures will rise by 2.1C even if countries hit short-term and long-term climate targets. [...] Dr Timothy Neal, of the University of New South Wales’s Institute for climate risk and response and the lead author of the study, said the new research had looked at the likely impact of global heating of 4C – seen by many climate experts as catastrophic for the planet – finding it would make the average person 40% poorer. This compared with about 11% poorer when using the models without enhancements. ***

From The Independent:

US national arrested for entering prohibited tribal area in Andaman islands

A 24-year-old American national has been detained in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands for entering a prohibited tribal reserve area, police said on Wednesday. Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, whose father is from Ukraine, arrived in the capital Port Blair on 27 March and was arrested three days later on Sunday after he was reported to have taken a boat to the restricted part of the island. Andaman and Nicobar, a former British penal colony, is a group of 572 islands located more than 1,200km (700miles) from mainland India. The Indian government strictly monitors access to some remote parts of the federal territory, which are home to five known indigenous tribes, some of whom are hostile to outsiders. These tribes, including the Sentinelese, Jarwa, Onge, Shompens, and Great Andamanese, are among the world’s last remaining isolated communities. ***

Why he wanted to visit islands whose inhabitants shower strangers with stone-tipped arrows was not reported. He was lucky to be arrested instead of shot.

From The Guardian:

US banks predict climate goals will fail – but air conditioning firms will thrive

The world is on track for disastrous global heating – but this will create profits for some air conditioning companies, according to forecasts by leading Wall Street financial institutions. Recent reports by Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase and the Institute of International Finance all make clear the finance sector considers the Paris climate agreement limiting global temperatures, signed a decade ago by nearly 200 nations, is effectively dead and investors should plan accordingly. “We now expect a 3C world,” states a March analysis by Morgan Stanley. This level of global heating above preindustrial times is well beyond the 2C limit agreed to by governments and would lead to catastrophic heatwaves, floods, economic strife and other upheavals. ***

Well, that is it for today. Sorry the last story is such a downer. At least there was some good news.

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