Homo erectus adapted to harsh deserts 1.2 million years ago, study finds

JAN. 16, 2025, by Springer

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-homo-erectus-harsh-million-years.html

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain



Homo erectus was able to adapt to and survive in desert-like environments at least 1.2 million years ago, according to a paper published in Communications Earth & Environment. The findings suggest that behavioral adaptations included returning repeatedly over thousands of years to specific rivers and ponds for fresh water, and the development of specialized tools.

The authors propose that this capability to adapt may have led to the expansion of H. erectus' geographic range.

There has been significant debate over when early hominins acquired the adaptability to survive in extreme environments, such as deserts or rainforests. Previous research has frequently concluded that only Homo sapiens were able to adapt to such environments.

Julio Mercader, Paul Durkin, and colleagues collected archaeological, geological, and paleoclimatic data at Engaji Nanyori in Oldupai Gorge, Tanzania—a key early hominin archaeological site.

The authors report that between approximately 1.2 million and 1 million years ago, semi-desert conditions persisted in the area with characteristic plant life evident.

The archaeological data suggests that groups of H. erectus in the area adapted to the conditions over the period by repeatedly returning to live in locations with freshwater availability such as ponds, and developing specialized stone tools such as scrapers and notched tools (known as denticulates), which the authors suggest were probably used to increase the efficiency of butchery.

The authors suggest that, together, these findings demonstrate that H. erectus had a much greater adaptability to survive in extreme environments than was previously thought.

They conclude that their results contradict previous hypotheses that only H. sapiens could adapt to extreme ecosystems, and that H. erectus may have been a generalist species able to survive in a variety of landscapes in Africa and Eurasia.

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Snakes in potted olive trees 'tip of the iceberg' of ornamental plant trade hazards, say researchers

JAN. 16, 2025, by U. of Cambridge

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-snakes-potted-olive-trees-iceberg.html

Ornamental olive trees imported for sale in the UK can be over 100 years old, with many hiding places among their gnarly bark and the soil they're transported in. This is incredibly risky in terms of importing pests.

 Credit: Silviu Petrovan/ University of Cambridge

Continental European snakes, geckos and Italian wall lizards are making their way to northern Europe undetected among imports of ornamental olive trees destined for gardens and green spaces.

These hitchhiking intruders can become invasive pests that cause extensive damage to the natural environment—as has happened in previously snake-free islands of the Mediterranean like Majorca.

They're also a red flag for a bigger problem: the range of potentially serious agricultural and environmental pests being unwittingly imported to Britain and mainland Europe on ornamental plants and cut flowers, simply because they are difficult to detect in high-volume, fast-moving shipments of plants.

In a study published in the journal Bioscience, researchers say that despite regulations and border checks, imported cut flowers and pot plants present a growing risk because the sheer volume of trade makes it difficult to monitor and control. Insects, fungi, reptiles, spiders and various agricultural pests are being transported live across the world on ornamental plants destined to brighten up our homes and gardens.

The multi-billion dollar global market for ornamental plants is growing fast and geographically expanding, and improved standards are urgently needed, they say.

Plant seeds are being accidentally introduced into Europe in the soil of imported pot plants like this bonsai tree. In a few weeks with only light, water and nutrients, lots of other plant species appeared in the pots. 

Credit: Johan van Valkenburg

The changing climate means that disease-carrying insects like mosquitoes, which decades ago would have arrived in northern Europe and died from the cold, might now survive. It is also enabling some ornamental plants themselves to become invasive pests as growing conditions change.

"Ornamental olive trees for sale in the UK can be over 100 years old, with many hiding places among their gnarly bark and the soil they're transported in. This is incredibly risky in terms of importing pests," said Professor William Sutherland in the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology, who was involved in the study.

He added, "Adult snakes and lizards are just the tip of the iceberg. If they're getting through, what's the chance of us spotting small insects and fungi—the things that really cause the problems? It's inconceivable that officials can thoroughly check an import of a million roses from Kenya, for example."

"The sheer volume of cut flowers and ornamental plants being traded at speed around the world makes it extremely difficult to intercept all the pests and diseases they carry. Even with the best of intentions, unwanted hitchhikers are getting through customs import checks all the time," said Dr. Silviu Petrovan, a researcher in the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology and a senior author of the paper.

Suppliers do not always operate within the law. Orchids and cacti are among the high-value plants sometimes illegally stripped from tropical habitats and included in shipments. Regulations to prevent the trade in protected wild plants are challenging to enforce on a large scale.

"Even with a global trade in cultivated ornamental plants, there is still a market for rare species taken from the wild, and this can lead to rapid species declines, as well as increased risks that wild pests and plant diseases may enter the supply chain," said Dr. Amy Hinsley, a researcher at the Oxford Martin Program on Wildlife Trade at the University of Oxford, who was involved in the study.

European tree frogs are often accidentally imported with flowers coming into the Netherlands. The sheer volume of cut flowers and ornamental plants being traded at speed around the world makes it extremely difficult to intercept all the pests and diseases they carry. 

Credit: University of Cambridge



Petrovan, a frog specialist, became interested in the topic when he was asked to identify a live frog found in roses in a florists' shop in Sheffield. At first he thought it was a prank, because he didn't recognize it as any European species. When he realized it was a tree-frog that must have arrived with the cut roses from Colombia via Ecuador, he was stunned.

"Finding a South American tree-frog in a Sheffield florist was extraordinary. It made me realize that if you can get this type of fragile small vertebrate arriving alive in a flower shipment without being noticed at customs, just how hard it must be to detect very small agricultural insect pests or their eggs," said Petrovan.

With no comprehensive international database on the types and numbers of pests found on imported ornamental plants, it is difficult to fully assess the extent of the problem. To gain a snapshot, the team analyzed records of pests found in ornamental plants at customs in The Netherlands over 2017–2018, and reported to DEFRA in the UK over 2021–2023. In both cases, over 80% of the pests intercepted were insects.

Despite regulations and border checks, imported cut flowers and pot plants present a growing risk because the sheer volume of trade makes it difficult to monitor and control. Insects, fungi, reptiles, spiders and various agricultural pests are being transported live across the world on ornamental plants. 

Credit: Naaldwijk Rijksoverheid

The researchers say these adult lizards are just the tip of the iceberg. If they're getting through customs import checks, what's the chance of small insects and fungi—the things that really cause the problems—being spotted? 

Credit: Felix Verschoor Ravon

Beyond the pests

The study highlights many other concerning environmental and health issues connected with the global ornamental plant trade, particularly in the countries growing the plants. 

These include:

environment-harming microplastics and agrochemicals entering the soil and water systems from the growing process;

health-harming pesticide residues affecting cut flower handlers;

the huge volumes of water required to grow flowers that might otherwise be used to grow food—the floriculture industry in Kenya, for example, is responsible for up to 98% of the water drawn from major lakes like Lake Naivasha. Concerns have also been raised about the ability of supplier nations to cater for their own agricultural needs;

the carbon footprint of chilling and transporting cut flowers between continents—estimated to be as high as 3kg of CO2 per flower;

large quantities of plants being taken from the wild, including critically endangered species of cacti, succulents and orchids.

But an industry that employs so many people is not all bad: the ornamental plant trade is important for economies worldwide and supports many people and their families in rural areas. In 2022, the export value of cut flowers and foliage was US$10 billion, and for live plants and bulbs was $13 billion.

"We absolutely don't want to encourage knee-jerk reactions that might be well-meaning, but actually cause more problems than they solve," said Petrovan.

He added, "We need to push to make the industry more sustainable through things like certifications and better regulation, and to work with those involved in the trade to better understand the risks and how to mitigate them."

Alice Hughes, a researcher at the University of Hong Kong who was also involved in the research, said, "We need to be responsible consumers. While certification standards are being developed, buying plants rather than cut flowers can reduce many of the risks that stem from importing cut flowers. They last much longer and also reduce the emission costs."

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Research using non-toxic bacteria to fight high-mortality cancers prepares for clinical trials

JAN. 16, 2025, by P. Shillington, U. of Massachusetts Amherst

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-toxic-bacteria-high-mortality-cancers.html

Invasion and delivery: Aspirin triggers BacID (turquoise) to express flagella (turquoise lines), invade into cancer cells (dotted outline) and deliver the therapy intracellularly (green). 

Credit: University of Massachusetts Amherst

A University of Massachusetts Amherst-Ernest Pharmaceuticals team of scientists has made "exciting," patient-friendly advances in developing a non-toxic bacterial therapy, BacID, to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly into tumors. This emerging technology holds promise for very safe and more effective treatment of cancers with high mortality rates, including liver, ovarian and metastatic breast cancer.

Clinical trials with participating cancer patients are estimated to begin in 2027. "This is exciting because we now have all the critical pieces for getting an effective bacterial treatment for cancer," says Neil Forbes, senior author of the research published recently in the journal Molecular Therapy and professor of chemical engineering at UMass Amherst.

"What we're trying to do is unlock the potential to treat late-stage cancers," adds lead author Vishnu Raman, who earned his Ph.D. in the Forbes Lab at the UMass Amherst Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS). "Bacteria naturally home to tumors, and because this treatment is so targeted, it can treat some cancers without the harsh side effects you'd see with other systematically delivered therapies, like chemotherapy."

The new findings are the culmination of more than a decade of research by Raman, chief scientific officer of Ernest Pharmaceuticals, an IALS startup co-founded by Raman, Forbes and co-author Nele Van Dessel, a bioengineer who developed the bacterial delivery system as a post-doctoral researcher in the Forbes Lab.

The team has been fine-tuning the development of non-toxic, genetically engineered strains of Salmonella to target tumors and then control the release of cancer-fighting drugs inside cancer cells. In addition to sparing healthy tissue from damage, this cancer treatment platform is able to deliver orders of magnitude more therapy than the administered dose because the simple-to-manufacture bacteria grow exponentially in tumors.

"We were focusing on how to make this strain really safe and user friendly," Raman says. "The genetic engineering steps we took made this strain at least 100 times safer than anything that's been tried in the past."

In this third-generation delivery strain, Raman figured out a way to control when the bacteria, after it has been intravenously injected, invades the cancer cells and delivers the therapy. This greatly improved the ability to target the tumors with higher concentrations of the drug therapy, while also making the treatment much safer.

Metastatic Delivery: BacID (green, with arrow) seeks and colonizes a metastatic breast cancer nodule—the size of the width of a single strand of hair—in the lung (blue). 

Credit: University of Massachusetts Amherst



"In the first-generation strain, we were basically relying on the bacteria's own brain to go find the tumor and deliver the therapy. But we couldn't control exactly when that was happening so there were risks associated with invading healthy cells, as well as pre-mature clearance of the bacteria before they colonize tumors, and we wanted to mitigate both risks," Raman says.

Early on in the research, the scientists discovered that it was the bacterial flagella—part of the cell that aids in movement—that enables the bacteria to invade cancer cells. So they engineered a genetic circuit in the bacteria that turns on the production of flagella with a simple, over-the-counter dose of aspirin. Without the turn-on switch provided by salicylic acid, the active metabolic product in the blood after a person takes an aspirin, the bacteria remain dormant in the tumor.

"One core part of this technology is the controlled activation of flagella," Raman explains. "And the other core part is once the bacteria go inside cancer cells, we engineered them with a suicide circuit. So they rupture on their own and deliver the therapy inside the cancer cell."

In pre-clinical research with mouse models, the bacteria is injected intravenously. "It goes everywhere, but then the immune system rapidly clears the attenuated bacteria from healthy organ tissue within two days. The bacteria continue to grow exponentially only within tumors during that time. On the third day, we give an over-the-counter dose of aspirin to trigger the bacteria to invade the cancer cells and then deliver the therapy," Raman says.

"We wanted to make it as simple as possible," he adds. "So the patient could get the infusion and three days later, at home, they just take an oral dose of aspirin."

The team is now focused on setting up the process to receive regulatory approval to begin clinical trials.

"We have seen a lot of growth in the area of microbial-based cancer treatment," Raman says, "and we are proud to be at the forefront of this field."

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Bird flu kills 20 million chickens in US, driving egg prices sky-high

JAN. 14, 2025, by I. Edwards

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-bird-flu-million-chickens-egg.html

A deadly bird flu outbreak has wreaked havoc on U.S. chicken farms, claiming the lives of over 20 million egg-laying chickens last quarter, marking the worst impact on America's egg supply since the outbreak began in 2022.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data shows the staggering toll included chickens culled to contain the virus, too. This, in turn, has contributed to record-high egg prices across all production types, including conventional, cage-free, and certified organic systems, a USDA report published on Jan. 10 shows.

The federal government has spent $1.25 billion compensating farmers for chickens lost to bird flu since the outbreak began, aiming to encourage farmers to report infections and help stop the virus from spreading, a news release from CBS News states.
Why bird flu cases are high now

Bird flu cases surge during winter as migrating wild birds carry the virus south—cooler weather helping it spread.

This winter, the virus has spread beyond poultry, spilling into dairy herds. Hundreds of infected herds have been linked to contaminated raw milk, which spreads through farmers' clothing, equipment, and other animals shared between farms.

California has been hit especially hard, prompting the state to declare a state of emergency.

While the outbreak has devastated poultry populations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has only reported 66 human cases of bird flu in the U.S. since the virus emerged, with most infections being mild and occurring in farm workers with close contact to infected animals.

However, one tragic fatal case was recently reported in Louisiana, linked to the D1.1 strain of the virus that has been spreading in wild birds.

Despite this, researchers believe the strain responsible for the many human infections has mutated to be less severe in humans compared to other strains circulating in the wild.

And vaccines?

The USDA announced plans to stockpile a new poultry vaccine targeting the D1.1 strain of the virus. However, officials say widespread vaccination is unlikely due to concerns it could hide symptoms, potentially disrupting international poultry exports.

The virus has already spread to humans and pets through contaminated products. In two separate incidents, raw pet food made from infected animals was linked to the deaths of cats in California and Oregon.

"All recent detections of H5N1 [bird flu] in cats had these things in common: the infected cats ate wild birds, unpasteurized milk, raw poultry, and/or raw poultry pet food," a Food and Drug Administration spokesperson told CBS News.

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Case study of Uvalde school shooting links persistent news coverage to adolescent depression and PTSD

JAN. 15, 2025, by A. Kupec, U. of Massachusetts Amherst

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-case-uvalde-school-links-persistent.html

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain



Persistent news coverage of school shootings can take a significant toll on teenagers' mental health, according to a new study co-authored by a University of Massachusetts Amherst media violence researcher. The study, published in the Journal of Children and Media, also reveals that cognitive coping strategies may inadvertently exacerbate stress rather than alleviate it.

The research examined the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, as a case study, surveying 942 U.S. adolescents aged 13 to 17 to analyze the relationship between general news exposure and mental health, finding that adolescents who consumed more news reported higher rates of depression.

Erica Scharrer, professor of communication at UMass Amherst, Nicole Martins of Indiana University Bloomington and Karyn Riddle of the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that ongoing exposure to coverage of the Uvalde shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed, was strongly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, such as heightened anxiety, fear and trouble concentrating.

Contrary to expectations, the study shows that cognitive coping strategies—such as reassuring oneself of personal safety—exacerbated PTSD symptoms.

"We were so sad to learn this. It went exactly against what we had hypothesized," Scharrer says. "We found the more that the young people in our sample engaged with those cognitive coping techniques, the more likely they were to have a PTSD-related response to hearing about the Robb Elementary School shooting."

She says the findings signal that traditional coping strategies may reflect or intensify existing distress rather than mitigate it.

"Even the act of having to tell yourself that this is unlikely to happen to you, suggests that you're thinking about it," Scharrer explains.

Using qualitative responses, the research also exposes specific aspects of the Uvalde shooting coverage that teenagers found most disturbing.

Many respondents cited the young age of the victims as particularly upsetting. Others noted that the possibility of a similar tragedy occurring in their own schools produced heightened anxiety. Participants also expressed fear and anger regarding the delayed intervention by law enforcement personnel.

One respondent noted, "The idea that children could fall prey to such senseless violence was horrifying." Another added, "This could happen at my school, and that scares me a lot."

The researchers call for a reevaluation of how school shootings are covered in the media, noting that sensationalized reporting and graphic imagery may amplify distress among young viewers. They urge news outlets to prioritize responsible, fact-based reporting to avoid exacerbating trauma.

Scharrer acknowledges that the findings present a challenge for parents seeking to help their children process omnipresent headlines about school shootings.

"It's quite smart to let your young person guide the way by saying, 'I am here if you want to talk about it,' instead of you guiding them," she advises. "There's other research showing that sometimes even well-intentioned parents and caregivers who bring up tragedies in the news with their kids can exacerbate the negative emotional response."

The research also encourages mental health professionals to incorporate questions about news consumption into screenings for depression and PTSD, particularly for adolescents in communities affected by violence.

More than 378,000 young people have experienced gun violence at school since the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. In 2022 alone, the U.S. averaged nearly one school shooting per week.

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New Study Reveals Early Fasting Melts Away Abdominal Fat

BY U. OF GRANADA, JAN. 16, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/new-study-reveals-early-fasting-melts-away-abdominal-fat/

Intermittent fasting, especially early fasting, helps with weight loss and improves heart health by reducing abdominal fat and regulating glucose. This safe method could be effective for managing obesity.

A research team led by the University of Granada (UGR), the Public University of Navarra (UPNA), and the CIBER has demonstrated that intermittent fasting—limiting eating hours and extending daily fasting periods—is an effective strategy for weight loss and improving cardiovascular health in individuals with obesity.

Published in the renowned journal Nature Medicine, the study shows that finishing the last meal before 5 p.m. and skipping dinner is a safe and effective approach to reducing subcutaneous abdominal fat, the layer of fat beneath the skin. This method is particularly beneficial after periods of overeating, such as during the holiday season.

In Spain, overweight and obesity affect 70% of men and 50% of women. These conditions are closely linked to metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes and significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and certain cancers. This widespread weight gain not only diminishes quality of life but also poses a serious burden on the public health system. Ongoing scientific research is focused on developing effective and practical strategies to address this growing health crisis, now officially recognized as a disease.

Calorie-restriction diets help weight loss and improve cardiovascular health. However, they are not easy to maintain in the long term and often lead to most people eventually dropping out of treatment and thus regaining lost weight, or even gaining more than their starting weight.

Faced with the difficulties of maintaining adherence to traditional calorie restriction, new nutritional strategies are emerging. One of these is intermittent fasting, which consists of alternating periods of eating with periods of fasting ranging from hours to days. One type of intermittent fasting that has gained popularity in recent years is that which reduces the number of hours of intake and extends the hours of fasting each day. This is known as time-restricted eating.

Normally, in Spain, people have their first breakfast at 7-8 a.m. and dinner at 21-22 p.m., so they have a 12-14 hour window of intake. In this type of intermittent fasting, the intake window is reduced from 12-14 hours to 6-8 hours, and people fast for 16-18 hours. This nutritional strategy helps to maintain a daily cycle of eating and fasting, which stabilises our body’s biological rhythms. We know that eating irregularly or at night disrupts these rhythms and increases the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.

The research group PROFITH CTS-977 of the Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Sciences and the Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS) led by Dr. Jonatan Ruiz, in collaboration with ibs.Granada, the University Hospital Clínico San Cecilio and the University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves of Granada, as well as the research group led by Dr. Idoia Labayen of the University of Granada, in collaboration with Dr. Idoia Labayen of the University of Granada and the University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves of Granada. Idoia Labayen from the Public University of Navarra and the University Hospital of Navarra, together with the CIBER on Obesity (CIBEROBN) and the CIBER on Frailty and Healthy Ageing (CIBERFES) have investigated the effects of a 12-week intervention with three different fasting strategies: early fasting (intake sale: approximately 9:00-17:00), late fasting (approximately 14:00-22:00), and self-selected fasting, where people could select the time slot in which they wanted to eat, and did so on average between 12 am and 8 pm.

Study with 197 participants

In addition, all people participating in the study also received the standard treatment, which consisted of a nutrition education program on the Mediterranean diet and healthy lifestyles. In this randomized, controlled, multicentre trial, conducted in Granada (southern Spain) and Pamplona (northern Spain) and one of the largest to date, a total of 197 people (50% women) aged 30-60 years participated. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: treatment as usual (49 participants), early fasting (49 participants), late fasting (52 participants), or self-selected fasting (47 participants).

This study was part of the doctoral thesis of Manuel Dote-Montero, who is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the prestigious National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in the United States.

Manuel Dote-Montero, together with Antonio Clavero Jimeno, a predoctoral researcher at the UGR, and Elisa Merchán Ramírez, a postdoctoral researcher at the UGR, led this study in Granada, and indicate that it is unclear whether the timing of the intake window – early, late or self-selected – may have a different effect on weight loss, visceral fat (i.e. fat surrounding organs in the abdominal area) or overall cardiovascular health in people who are overweight or obese.

The results of the study, published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, reveal that intermittent fasting showed no additional benefits over a nutrition education program in reducing visceral fat. However, the fasting groups, regardless of the timing of intake, achieved greater weight loss, on average 3-4 kg, compared to the usual treatment group who continued with their intake window of at least 12 hours. Notably, the early fasting group reduced abdominal subcutaneous fat, i.e. the fat just under the skin, to a greater extent.

The study also assessed fasting and 24-hour glucose levels using a continuous glucose monitor worn by participants for 14 days before and at the end of the intervention. The results show that the early fasting group significantly improved fasting glucose levels and overnight glucose compared to the other groups.

Regulating glucose

These findings suggest that early fasting may be especially beneficial in optimizing glucose regulation, which may help prevent diabetes and improve metabolic health. By not eating at night allows the body more time to digest and process nutrients, better regulation of blood glucose is facilitated, thus reducing the risk of developing sugar problems and other metabolic disorders, says Dr. Labayen, principal investigator of the study in Pamplona and member of CIBEROBN together with Dr. Jonatan Ruiz and Dr. Manuel Muñoz (CIBERFES).

The researchers stress that all the fasting groups had a high adherence rate and no serious adverse events were recorded. Intermittent fasting is therefore presented as a safe and promising strategy for managing body weight and improving cardiovascular health in people who are overweight or obese. This information could be crucial for improving the efficacy of nutritional interventions in such populations.

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Many household cleaners don't protect against norovirus, report says

Jan. 15, 2025, by M. Ogunbayo

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-household-cleaners-dont-norovirus.html

Credit: CC0 Public Domain



The U.S. has seen a slow surge of norovirus, the country's leading cause of foodborne illness, with the Center of Disease Control advising caution and higher levels of cleanliness. However, norovirus can defeat most household cleaners, according to a National Institute of Food and Agriculture report.

"While convenient, the majority of disinfectant wipes on the market are not completely effective at killing norovirus," NIFA said. "This is also true for the majority of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, which should not be used instead of washing hands."

According to a CDC statement, "the number of reported norovirus outbreaks have exceeded the numbers that we've seen recently and in the years before the pandemic.

Norovirus, unlike many viruses Americans have grown accustomed to protecting against, "can live on surfaces for a long time," Sanjay Gupta reported to CNN.

Norovirus can also survive at temperatures all the way up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

With this information, norovirus can feel like an undefeatable superbug. Certain cleaning methods, however, can ensure your home is clean from norovirus before or after someone is infected.

What types of cleaning products disinfect from norovirus?

Many of the cleaning products that purport to work on any virus or bacteria often miss norovirus.

That is because of its tough protein protectant coat, which is harder to penetrate, Gupta told CNN. The flu virus, and other similar viruses, have a fatty outer layer.

"They may say they are 99% effective, but norovirus is often in that 1%," Gupta told CNN.

Products with bleach are generally a safe bet for norovirus. If you don't feel comfortable using bleach on countertops, any disinfectant with hydrogen peroxide will also work.

How should you clean when someone has norovirus?

When someone has norovirus, it is important to first clean any vomit or stool from surfaces before you clean anything else, according to NIFA. Solutions using bleach can become less potent when exposed to this organic matter.

Mix together a solution with ¾ of a cup of bleach per gallon of water, Sanjay Gupta recommended to CNN.

Next, apply the solution to hard surfaces and let it sit for five minutes before wiping off.

If norovirus has been exposed to a carpeted surface of your home, it is important to realize that norovirus can survive high levels of heat.

Sanjay Gupta told CNN that to disinfect a carpet from norovirus, people should use a steam cleaner for at least five minutes, at 175 degrees or higher.

NIFA also recommends throwing out any food that may have been contaminated by the virus or was touched by a sick person. Any soiled laundry should be washed in hot water, with detergent, at the longest cycle length possible.

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Archaeologists reveal 8,000-year-old bone powder cooking practice in ancient China

JAN. 15, 2025, **FEATURE**, by S. Oster , Phys.org

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-archaeologists-reveal-year-bone-powder.html

Three pottery Ding-tripods from the Xielaozhuang site. Arrows indicate where crusts had formed. 

Credit: Wei et al. 2024

A new study by archaeologist Xingtao Wei and his colleagues, published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, provides insights into some of the earliest forms of humans processing bones into powder for cooking, dating back nearly 8,000 years (6,085 and 6,369 BC).

The finding was made at the Xielaozhuang (XLZ) site in the Henan province of North China. The site belonged to the Peiligang culture (ca. 9,000–7,000 BP), which was one of North China's most significant Neolithic cultures. It was known for being among the earliest producers of fermented beverages, creators of the oldest tonal flutes, basic textile weavers and sewers, and possibly one of the earliest users of the Chinese script.

In 2017 and 2018, the site was excavated, revealing a settlement, a cemetery and three pottery Ding-tripods (鼎) with food-crust remains. Ding-tripods were a type of pottery vessel that stood on three legs. Initially made of ceramics, these would eventually be cast in bronze.

Based on both typologies and later confirmed via Accelerator Mass Spectrometry dating, it was determined that these Ding tripods were made between 6,085 and 6,369 BC.

The initial investigation by the researchers was motivated by the desire to study alcohol-making temperatures at XLZ, says Dr. Tianxing Cui, one of the researchers involved in the study. "At first, our real research's goal was about the temperature of alcohol-making in prehistory. [While] using the SEM, the bone-powder was found."

Using a multidisciplinary approach that combined Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and starch analysis, the researchers were able to analyze the chemical, mineral, and microscopic composition of the crust-residue.

More specifically, the research team found certain compounds and minerals, including hydroxyapatite, magnesium whitlockite, phosphate (PO43-), and carbonate (CO32-) groups, as well as key elements, including carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, all of which are typical components found in bone.

However, the analysis also provided unique challenges, particularly in relation to the identification of ancient plant remains, explains Dr. Cui. "The analytical challenge was the multiple-discipline method, especially starch-granule analysis. Our team did not know how to recognize the species of the starch granules. But, finally, we did it."

They concluded that bone powder was likely ground up and cooked together with various wild plants, including acorns and Job's tears.

This was particularly interesting because, despite agriculture having been developed in China around 10,000 years ago, the Peiligang culture made limited use of cultivated crops and animals, including foxtail millet, common millet, rice, and pigs. In fact, no domesticated crops were found in the crust-residue at XLZ, and from previous zooarchaeological analyses, it was known that domesticated animals, such as pigs, only made up around 10% of all remains.

The researchers speculate that bone powder processing at XLZ represented an important survival strategy during the transition from hunting-gathering to farming. It has long been hypothesized that various Paleolithic societies used bone grease extraction methods to extract extra fat (grease) and nutrients from otherwise inedible resources.

However, prior to the advent of pottery, direct evidence of this method was scarce due to the organic nature of the vessels likely used in the process (wood and animal skins).

The discovery at XLZ provides some of the earliest evidence of this practice, with bones having been ground into an incredibly fine powder. Unlike the bone fragments found at previous sites, the XLZ powder is particularly fine, suggesting a more refined process of bone powder production likely facilitated by sandstone rollers (also found at XLZ).

Experimental studies have found that the finer the bone powder, the more calcium is released. These powders would then be added to boiling water, allowing for the extraction of grease. AT XLZ, this mixture was then likely added to various plant foods, creating a highly nutritious food supplement.

"This type of Ding is very widespread, but the residues are very rare," notes Dr. Cui. "Now we have got a sample from the same period at the Cishan site. But we do not know whether the analysis results are the same with this paper."

This research contributes to a growing body of evidence showing how early Neolithic societies developed sophisticated subsistence strategies during the transition from hunter-gatherer to farm-based societies.

It shows that while farming was emerging, certain communities like those at XLZ continued to rely heavily on wild resources. The use of bone powder residue, however, provided the necessary nutrients and supplementary minerals needed to maintain an increasingly sedentary lifestyle during this critical transition phase.

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Literal Brainwashing: How Deep Sleep Clears Your Mind

BY CELL PRESS, JAN. 14, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/literal-brainwashing-how-deep-sleep-clears-your-mind/

Norepinephrine-mediated slow vasomotion drives glymphatic clearance during sleep. 

Credit: Nadia Alzoubi and Natalie Hauglund, edited



Deep sleep doesn’t just rejuvenate your body — it clears your mind by flushing out waste that builds up during waking hours.

Scientists discovered that norepinephrine, released in rhythmic waves during deep sleep, drives the brain’s glymphatic system, which pumps cerebrospinal fluid to clear toxins. However, sleep aids like zolpidem may disrupt this process, reducing the brain’s cleaning efficiency.
Understanding the Brain’s Waste Removal System

Getting a good night’s sleep does more than leave you feeling refreshed — it actively clears your brain. New research, published on January 8 in the journal Cell, reveals that deep sleep helps flush out waste that builds up in the brain during waking hours. This natural cleansing process is vital for maintaining brain health. The study also highlights how sleep aids might interfere with this “brainwashing” mechanism, potentially impacting long-term cognitive function.

The brain relies on a built-in waste removal system called the glymphatic system, which circulates fluid throughout the brain and spinal cord to eliminate waste. This system helps clear away toxic proteins that can accumulate and form sticky plaques, a hallmark of neurological disorders. However, the mechanisms driving this system had remained unclear — until now.

The Role of Norepinephrine in Brain Cleaning

Researchers in Denmark discovered that a molecule called norepinephrine plays a crucial role in this process, at least in mice. During deep sleep, the brainstem releases tiny waves of norepinephrine roughly every 50 seconds. These waves cause blood vessels in the brain to contract, creating slow, rhythmic pulsations that propel surrounding fluid to carry away waste effectively.

“It’s like turning on the dishwasher before you go to bed and waking up with a clean brain,” says senior author Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester and University of Copenhagen, Denmark. “We’re essentially asking what drives this process and trying to define restorative sleep based on glymphatic clearance.”

How Norepinephrine Drives Fluid Flow

To find clues, Nedergaard and her team looked into what happens in mice when the brain sleeps. Specifically, they focused on the relationship between norepinephrine and blood flow during deep slumber. They found that norepinephrine waves correlate to variations in brain blood volume, suggesting norepinephrine triggers a rhythmic pulsation in the blood vessels.

Blood Vessels as Brain Fluid Pumps

The team then compared the changes in blood volume to brain fluid flow. They found that the brain fluid flow fluctuates in correspondence to blood volume changes, suggesting that the vessels act as pumps to propel the surrounding brain fluid to flush out waste.

“You can view norepinephrine as this conductor of an orchestra,” says lead author Natalie Hauglund of the University of Copenhagen and the University of Oxford, UK. “There’s a harmony in the constriction and dilation of the arteries, which then drives the cerebrospinal fluid through the brain to remove the waste products.”

Does All Sleep Promote Brain Health?

Hauglund then had another question — is all sleep created equal? To find out, the researchers gave mice zolpidem, a common drug to aid sleep. They found that the norepinephrine waves during deep sleep was 50% lower in zolpidem-treated mice than in naturally sleeping mice. Although the zolpidem-treated mice fell asleep faster, fluid transport into the brain dropped more than 30%. The findings suggest that the sleeping aid may disrupt the norepinephrine-driven waste clearance during sleep.

“More and more people are using sleep medication, and it’s really important to know if that’s healthy sleep,” says Hauglund. “If people aren’t getting the full benefits of sleep, they should be aware of that so they can make informed decisions.”

Human Implications of Sleep Research

The team says that the findings likely apply to humans, who also have a glymphatic system, although this needs further testing. Researchers have observed similar norepinephrine waves, blood flow patterns, and brain fluid flux in humans. Their findings may offer insights into how poor sleep may contribute to neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.

“Now we know norepinephrine is driving the cleaning of the brain, we may figure out how to get people a long and restorative sleep,” says Nedergaard.

For more on this study, see How Zolpidem May Damage Your Brain’s Cleanup System.

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8.7-Million-Year-Old Skull Just Discovered in Turkey Rewrites History!

Jan 12, 2025, By Discovery Future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMbYLHOZWw0

A groundbreaking discovery in Turkey is challenging the long-held belief that humans and great apes evolved exclusively in Africa. Meet Anadoluvius turkae, an 8.7-million-year-old fossil that has sparked a bold hypothesis: the evolutionary lineage leading to humans—known as hominines—may have originated in Europe before migrating to Africa.

Unearthed from the Çorakyerler fossil site in northern Turkey, this remarkably well-preserved partial cranium sheds new light on our evolutionary past. Scientists believe that Anadoluvius lived in dry forest environments alongside animals like giraffes, zebras, and lion-like predators, many of which later migrated to Africa.

The implications are profound. If true, this discovery suggests that hominines evolved and diversified in Europe for over five million years before spreading to the eastern Mediterranean and eventually moving into Africa. This challenges the traditional "Out of Africa" narrative and rekindles debates about where our earliest ancestors first emerged.

Join us as we explore the fascinating story of Anadoluvius turkae, delve into the broader context of primate evolution, and examine the shifting environments that may have driven these migrations. What does this mean for our understanding of human origins? And what mysteries still await beneath the earth?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMbYLHOZWw0

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Diamond continues to shine: New properties discovered in diamond semiconductors

JAN. 14, 2025, by Case Western Reserve U.

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-diamond-properties-semiconductors.html

Metal nanoparticles in glass create the colors in stained glass when light hits them and generates plasmons. 

Credit: John Luty

Diamond, often celebrated for its unmatched hardness and transparency, has emerged as an exceptional material for high-power electronics and next-generation quantum optics. Diamond can be engineered to be as electrically conductive as a metal, by introducing impurities such as the element boron.

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have now discovered another interesting property in diamonds with added boron, known as boron-doped diamonds.

Their findings could pave the way for new types of biomedical and quantum optical devices—faster, more efficient, and capable of processing information in ways that classical technologies cannot. Their results are published in Nature Communications.

The researchers found that boron-doped diamonds exhibit plasmons—waves of electrons that move when light hits them—allowing electric fields to be controlled and enhanced on a nanometer scale. This is important for advanced biosensors, nanoscale optical devices, and for improving solar cells and quantum devices.

Previously, boron-doped diamonds were known to conduct electricity and become superconductors, but not to have plasmonic properties. Unlike metals or even other doped semiconductors, boron-doped diamonds remain optically clear.

"Diamond continues to shine," said Giuseppe Strangi, professor of physics at Case Western Reserve, "both literally and as a beacon for scientific and technological innovation. As we step further into the era of quantum computing and communication, discoveries like this bring us closer to harnessing the full potential of materials at their most fundamental level."

"Understanding how doping affects the optical response of semiconductors like diamond changes our understanding of these materials," said Mohan Sankaran, professor of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering at Illinois Grainger College of Engineering.

The stunning blue color of the famous Hope Diamond comes from trace amounts of boron in the crystal. 

Credit: Julian Fong



Plasmonic materials, which affect light at the nanoscale, have captivated humans for centuries, even before their scientific principles were understood. The vibrant colors in medieval stained-glass windows result from metal nanoparticles embedded in the glass.

When light passes through, these particles generate plasmons that produce specific colors. Gold nanoparticles appear ruby red, while silver nanoparticles display a vibrant yellow. This ancient art highlights the interaction between light and matter, inspiring modern advancements in nanotechnology and optics.

Diamonds, composed of transparent crystals of the element carbon, can be synthesized with small amounts of boron, adjacent to carbon on the periodic table. Boron contains one less electron than carbon, allowing it to accept electrons. Boron essentially opens up a periodic electronic "hole" in the material that has the effect of increasing the ability of the material to conduct current. The boron-doped diamond lattice remains transparent, with a blue hue. (The famous Hope Diamond is blue because it contains small amounts of boron).

Because of its other unique properties—it's also chemically inert and biologically compatible—boron-doped diamond could potentially be used in contexts that other materials could not, such as for medical imaging or high-sensitivity biochips or molecular sensors..

Diamonds synthesized at low pressure were pioneered at Case Western Reserve (then Case Institute of Technology) in 1968 by faculty member John Angus, who died in 2023. Angus was also the first to report on the electrical conductivity of diamond doped with boron..

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Increased AI use linked to eroding critical thinking skills

JAN. 13, 2025, **REPORT**, by J. Jackson , Phys.org

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-ai-linked-eroding-critical-skills.html

Feature importance in random forest regression. 

Credit: Societies (2025). DOI: 10.3390/soc15010006

A study by Michael Gerlich at SBS Swiss Business School has found that increased reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) tools is linked to diminished critical thinking abilities. It points to cognitive offloading as a primary driver of the decline.

AI's influence is growing fast. A quick search of AI-related science stories reveals how fundamental a tool it has become. Thousands of AI-assisted, AI-supported and AI-driven analyses and decision-making tools help scientists improve their research.

AI has also become more integrated into daily activities, from virtual assistants to complex information and decision support. Increased usage is beginning to influence how people think, especially impactful among younger people, who are avid users of the technology in their personal lives.

An attractive aspect of AI tools is cognitive offloading, where individuals rely on the tools to reduce mental effort. As the technology is both very new and rapidly being adopted in unforeseeable ways, questions arise about its potential long-term impacts on cognitive functions like memory, attention, and problem-solving under prolonged periods or volume of cognitive offloading taking place.

In the study "AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking," published in Societies, Gerlich investigates whether AI tool usage correlates with critical thinking scores and explores how cognitive offloading mediates this relationship.

A mix of quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews was used with 666 participants in the United Kingdom. They were distributed across three age groups (17–25, 26–45, 46 and older) and had varying educational backgrounds.

Quantitative data collection involved a 23-item questionnaire measuring AI tool usage, cognitive offloading tendencies, and critical thinking skills, utilizing scales like the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment (HCTA). ANOVA, correlation, multiple regression, and random forest regression analyses provided statistical insights. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 50 participants underwent thematic analysis for contextual depth.

Statistical analyses demonstrated a significant negative correlation between AI tool usage and critical thinking scores (r = -0.68, p < 0.001). Frequent AI users exhibited diminished ability to critically evaluate information and engage in reflective problem-solving.

Cognitive offloading was strongly correlated with AI tool usage (r = +0.72) and inversely related to critical thinking (r = -0.75). Mediation analysis revealed that cognitive offloading partially explains the negative relationship between AI reliance and critical thinking performance.

Younger participants (17–25) showed higher dependence on AI tools and lower critical thinking scores compared to older age groups. Advanced educational attainment correlated positively with critical thinking skills, suggesting that education mitigates some cognitive impacts of AI reliance.

Random forest regression (R2 = 0.37) and multiple regression analyses highlighted diminishing returns on critical thinking with increasing AI usage, emphasizing a threshold beyond which cognitive engagement significantly declines.

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Major Ozone Loss Event, Schumann Resonance | S0 News Jan.13.2025

by Ben Davidson, suspicious0bservers, Jan.13, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jouu1tNmL8

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The Traitors: How trustworthy is a Welsh accent? A sociolinguist explains

JAN. 12, 2025, by M. Durham, ..The Conversation

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-traitors-trustworthy-welsh-accent-sociolinguist.html

Credit: Lisa Fotios from Pexels

One of the more unexpected plot twists on the latest series of the BBC's "The Traitors" was contestant Charlotte revealing that despite being from London, she was putting on a Welsh accent to seem more trustworthy to her fellow contestants.

Leaving aside the fact that, if she gets found out, faking her origins will hardly inspire confidence among her peers, has Charlotte stumbled upon a reasonable strategy? Are Welsh accents genuinely perceived as trustworthy?

Before getting into the details of how people view Welsh accents, it's important to underline that our attitudes to accents in general—whether positive or negative, widespread or personal—are merely perceptions.

No accent is intrinsically smarter, friendlier, or more trustworthy than any other. No accent is inherently dishonest or unintelligent either. When we judge someone by their accent, we are engaging in a form of stereotyping.

As a sociolinguist, I've been researching the accents and dialects of English spoken in Wales for more than a decade. In one study, I examined several thousand tweets featuring the words "Welsh" and "accent" to explore what people were saying about the Welsh accent and their attitudes towards it.

I found that most people tweeting viewed the Welsh accent very favorably, often commenting on its friendliness and attractiveness. Only a few said anything negative about it. While none of the tweets explicitly mentioned trustworthiness, research on language attitudes frequently finds that traits like friendliness, honesty and kindness are strongly linked.

In that respect, Charlotte's strategy could be a good one. But Welsh accents are not unique in having these positive associations. Surveys and studies consistently find that Yorkshire (or broadly northern English) accents, Scottish accents and Irish accents also score highly for attractiveness and trustworthiness.

In contrast, received pronunciation, also known as the "King's English" and commonly called "posh English," scores highly for intelligence, education and wealth, but tends to be viewed as less friendly. Accents linked to industrial and working-class cities often rank lower for positive traits.

But this perception is shifting as more regional accents gain prominence in films, television and other media. For example, Peaky Blinders has notably improved perceptions of the Birmingham accent.

With the various London accents, such as cockney, multicultural London English and estuary English, attitudes to each of them differ.

Returning to Wales, my results also showed that although there are many distinct Welsh accents (not to mention the variety within the Welsh language itself), most people outside of Wales are primarily familiar with accents from the south Wales valleys or Barry. Other Welsh accents are less widely recognized.

'Gavin and Stacey'

This is partly due to media representation. You can't discuss Welsh accents in the UK without mentioning the BBC sitcom "Gavin and Stacey." In many ways, the show, which aired from 2007 to 2010 (with Christmas specials in 2019 and 2024), solidified the idea of what certain Welsh accents sound like for people outside of Wales.

Many of the tweets I studied referenced the show directly, with phrases like "What's occurring?" (often uttered by the character Nessa in a Barry accent) frequently appearing.

The association of Welsh accents with positive traits extends beyond television and social media, as linguistic attitudes can have economic effects as well. Several companies, including Starling Bank and Veezu, the transport booking app, have based their call centers in Wales to tap into the friendly associations with the accent.

Together, this evidence confirms that perceptions of the Welsh accent are broadly positive in the UK and that people are likely to associate the accent with friendliness and trustworthiness.

Does this mean Charlotte's strategy in "The Traitors" is a winning one? Yes and no. While the positive connotations of having a Welsh accent might give her an advantage, it's not her natural accent. And some fans of the program have accused Charlotte of "appropriation."

In a game where contestants are constantly on the lookout for signs of deceit, maintaining a fake accent is a risky move. Our language is deeply tied to our identity and emotional state. In moments of stress or high stakes, it's challenging to maintain an unnatural way of speaking. If Charlotte slips back into her native London accent under pressure, it could raise suspicions and ultimately undermine her strategy.

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