Ditch the almond milk: why everything you know about sustainable eating is probably wrong In food and drink, we all want to do the right thing. We want to shop and eat sustainably. But, sometimes, it is easier said than done. Abusive relationships: Why it's so hard for women to 'just leave' “And so I stayed.” In a widely read blog post, Jennifer Willoughby wrote this phrase after each of the many reasons she gave for enduring what she described as her abusive marriage to former White House aide Rob Porter. Willoughby’s reasons are consistent with those that hundreds of abused women report to researchers. These are women often caught in a web made from isolating, confidence-crushing abuse and by realistic fears of greater harm should they leave. They also can feel caught when they meet indifference from others or, worse, insults that add to their injuries. I am a social work scholar whose research focuses on the problems of dating and domestic violence.
Mitochondria mutation mystery solved: Random sorting helps get rid of duds You probably know about the 23 pairs of chromosomes safely stowed in your cells’ nuclei. That’s where the vast majority of your genes can be found. But there are 37 special genes — a very tiny fraction of the human genome — located in mitochondria, the structures inside your cells that breathe and produce energy. Repeated copying of mitochondrial DNA introduces errors; if not kept in check, these mutations can give rise to incurable diseases like Leigh syndrome and Leber’s optic neuropathy. Worldwide, more than 1 in 10,000 people are affected by disorders resulting from mitochondrial genome defects.
Quantum Dots Synthesized From Tea Leaves Could Be The Future Of Nanomedicine We now have a clean, cheap way of manufacturing quantum dots, an advanced, microscopic tool that scientists are learning how to use to enhance everything from solar panels to cancer treatments. All they needed was green tea leaf extract, along with a couple other chemicals. But let’s back up, because that’s a lot to take in. Quantum dots are a kind of nanoparticle that span from two to five nanometers. Eating Healthy Is Good for Your Brain The more fruits, vegetables and fish respondents say they eat, the better they rate their brain health and overall health. Sixty-three percent of the adults surveyed say they eat a healthy diet up to three or four days a week. Those who eat seafood in a typical week, but not red meat, report better brain health and higher average mental well-being scores than individuals who have red meat but not seafood. The survey results are in line with new recommendations by AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), which conclude that a plant-based diet rich in fruits and vegetables is associated with better brain health and that eating fish and other seafood seems to improve cognitive function.
The rise of Donald Glover: how he captured America Try, if you can, to watch This Is America, the new music video from Childish Gambino, while keeping your eyes off the man in the camera’s gaze. It’s not easy. You may have to watch it twice, maybe three times, probably more. In the clip, Childish Gambino is a dancing, running, alternately homicidal and joyous streak of shirtless charisma. Your eyes want to follow him, soak him in. Doctors Warn Climate Change Threatens Public Health Growing up in southwestern Pennsylvania, Patrice Tomcik had never heard of Lyme disease — an infectious, flu-like illness transmitted by ticks. But in the last few years, five of her friends have caught it, she's had to have her dog vaccinated and she regularly finds herself pulling ticks off her children. It can be disconcerting, she said, having to worry about an illness that she had never been exposed to in the past. "It's getting warmer, so the season for ticks is lasting longer," said Tomcik, a field consultant with Moms Clean Air Force. "There are so many more of them, and they just don't die off.
Meet the People Planting Trees After Canada's Lumber Harvest Luc Forsyth can’t decide which memories best illustrate the glorious hardship of his six seasons as a tree planter in Canada. Maybe it was his first day, when his crew leader told him to “deal with it” after hours of work in new boots had shredded his feet. Maybe it was years later, when his hands were so stiff after seemingly endless days of cold rain that he urinated on them in a desperate attempt to defrost himself. Or perhaps it was the many raucous nights in the nearest logging town, shooting pool and doing laundry with the rest of the planting crew, a group of strangers bonded by adversity. (Here are five ways people are using trees to save the world.)