By Ben Davidson, a long time ytube poster of the Sun's activity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWvHkzSuTrA
The Life of Earth
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Sunday, 31 August 2025
Scientists turned to a red onion to improve solar cells — and it could make solar power more sustainable
By R. Kelly published Aug. 30, 2025
Red onion dye could be the missing ingredient required to bolster ultraviolet (UV) protection for solar cells, scientists say.
Solar cells are typically coated with a petroleum-based film to protect them from UV-induced degradation. These films include oil-based materials such as polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
In the quest to drive the adoption of film made from more sustainable, biologically-based materials, nanocellulose has emerged as a frontrunner. Nanocellulose is derived from plant-based materials and is produced by breaking down cellulose into nanoscale fibers.
The researchers behind the new study found that combining nanocellulose with a dye made from red onion skin extract provided "very effective UV protection." The team published its findings Feb. 24 in the journal ACS Applied Optical Materials.
The study noted that a protective film made from this material eliminated 99.9% of UV radiation, up to a wavelength of 400 nanometers. Notably, the filter also outperformed a commercial PET-based UV filter currently available on the market.
This represents a "promising option in applications where the protective material should be bio-based," Rustem Nizamov, a doctoral researcher at the University of Turku in Finland, said in a statement.
Vital trade-offs
In the study, researchers compared the durability of four protective films made from cellulose nanofibers. These were variously treated with ed onion extract, lignin — a polymer found in the walls of some plant cells — and iron ions.
While all of these provided adequate protection against UV radiation, the red onion dye option emerged as the most effective.
Solar cells face a critical trade-off, with UV radiation below 400 nm proving harmful, the study noted. However, the transmission of visible light — wavelengths between 700 and 1,200 nm — is crucial in enabling the cell to turn radiation into electricity.
With this in mind, the development of a material that both protects the solar cell and facilitates energy absorption is key. Lignin, for example, has a dark brown color, which "limits its use in transparent films," according to the statement.
"The transmittance of these lignin-containing films is typically 50% between 400 and 600 nm and at most 85% above 600 nm," the researchers added.
In comparison, the nanocellulose film treated with red onion dye exceeded 80% light transmission at longer wavelengths (between 650 and 1,100 nm) and maintained performance across an extended testing period.
This testing period assessed the durability and performance of the filters by placing them under artificial light for 1,000 hours — the equivalent of roughly a year of sunlight in a Central European climate. Nizamov noted that this examination period "emphasised the importance" of long-term testing for UV filters."The UV protection and light transmittance of the other bio-based filters changed significantly over time," he said. "For example, the films treated with iron ions had good initial transmittance which reduced after aging."
Nizamov said that the study has wide-reaching implications for a range of solar cells, particularly perovskite and organic photovoltaics, as well as in other industries where the use of a bio-based filter is necessary.
This could include food packaging, for example, where biodegradable solar cells could be used as power sources for sensors in sterile environments.
Researchers used red onion dye to protect solar cells from damaging ultraviolet light.
(Image credit: Javier Zayas Photography via Getty Images)
Solar cells often degrade due to ultraviolet exposure, but scientists achieved 99.9% protection. How? The answer lies in this vegetable.
Solar cells are typically coated with a petroleum-based film to protect them from UV-induced degradation. These films include oil-based materials such as polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
In the quest to drive the adoption of film made from more sustainable, biologically-based materials, nanocellulose has emerged as a frontrunner. Nanocellulose is derived from plant-based materials and is produced by breaking down cellulose into nanoscale fibers.
The researchers behind the new study found that combining nanocellulose with a dye made from red onion skin extract provided "very effective UV protection." The team published its findings Feb. 24 in the journal ACS Applied Optical Materials.
The study noted that a protective film made from this material eliminated 99.9% of UV radiation, up to a wavelength of 400 nanometers. Notably, the filter also outperformed a commercial PET-based UV filter currently available on the market.
This represents a "promising option in applications where the protective material should be bio-based," Rustem Nizamov, a doctoral researcher at the University of Turku in Finland, said in a statement.
Vital trade-offs
In the study, researchers compared the durability of four protective films made from cellulose nanofibers. These were variously treated with ed onion extract, lignin — a polymer found in the walls of some plant cells — and iron ions.
While all of these provided adequate protection against UV radiation, the red onion dye option emerged as the most effective.
Solar cells face a critical trade-off, with UV radiation below 400 nm proving harmful, the study noted. However, the transmission of visible light — wavelengths between 700 and 1,200 nm — is crucial in enabling the cell to turn radiation into electricity.
With this in mind, the development of a material that both protects the solar cell and facilitates energy absorption is key. Lignin, for example, has a dark brown color, which "limits its use in transparent films," according to the statement.
"The transmittance of these lignin-containing films is typically 50% between 400 and 600 nm and at most 85% above 600 nm," the researchers added.
In comparison, the nanocellulose film treated with red onion dye exceeded 80% light transmission at longer wavelengths (between 650 and 1,100 nm) and maintained performance across an extended testing period.
This testing period assessed the durability and performance of the filters by placing them under artificial light for 1,000 hours — the equivalent of roughly a year of sunlight in a Central European climate. Nizamov noted that this examination period "emphasised the importance" of long-term testing for UV filters."The UV protection and light transmittance of the other bio-based filters changed significantly over time," he said. "For example, the films treated with iron ions had good initial transmittance which reduced after aging."
Nizamov said that the study has wide-reaching implications for a range of solar cells, particularly perovskite and organic photovoltaics, as well as in other industries where the use of a bio-based filter is necessary.
This could include food packaging, for example, where biodegradable solar cells could be used as power sources for sensors in sterile environments.
The Life of Earth
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Scientists Identify How Young Blood Reverses Aging in Human Skin Cells
14 August 2025, By D. NIELD
The idea of taking blood from the young to rejuvenate the elderly is getting an increasing amount of attention from scientists, and a new study has shown how some of the youthful properties of our skin can be restored with this kind of blood swap.
A special 3D human skin model was set up in the lab by researchers, who then tested the effects of young blood serum on the skin cells. By itself, the serum had no effect, but when bone marrow cells were added to the experiment, anti-aging signals were detected in the skin.
It appears that the young blood serum interacts with the bone marrow cells in specific ways to roll back time in skin cells. The study was led by scientists from Beiersdorf AG, a skin care company in Germany, who say their findings have huge potential in helping us understand anti-aging mechanisms.
"The skin, as our largest organ, is a valuable tissue to investigate aging, as first signs of aging are mostly visible, and it reflects the overall human health," write the researchers in their published paper.
The researchers measured DNA methylation and cell proliferation to estimate the biological age of the skin tissue, when treated with either young or aged human serum and bone marrow cells. Sure enough, the young serum seemed to reduce the biological age of the skin.
Other biomarkers of more youthful skin included increased metabolic activity and cell division.
Further analysis identified 55 different proteins that were being produced by the bone marrow in response to the young blood, seven of which are known to be linked to processes important to youthful skin, like cell renewal and collagen production.
These proteins could be key to understanding the effects of the young blood and bone marrow, though there's plenty of work to do yet. Researchers need to get this tested in living humans, not just isolated cells in the lab.
"We identified several proteins that might be responsible factors to rejuvenate the skin in our system," write the researchers.
"Future studies are needed to further validate our identified proteins in the context of systemic skin rejuvenation and aging."
The concept of blood having the power to extend life and restore youth has been around for centuries, inspiring the first vampire tales, but there's an increasing amount of evidence that it could have actual scientific potential.
Multiple studies have shown that some of the wear and tear that comes with getting older may not be a one-way street: we might be able to reprogram the body in various ways that slow down aging or even reverse it.
With the global population getting older and older, we're living longer than ever before, on average – and our bodies aren't necessarily built to stay in good shape for that long. What research like this does is point towards strategies for staying healthier later into life, keeping illness and disease at bay for longer.
"Aging is a complex process that significantly contributes to age-related diseases and poses significant challenges for effective interventions, with few holistic anti-aging approaches successfully reversing its signs," write the researchers.
(Jonathan Knowles/Stone/Getty Images)
The idea of taking blood from the young to rejuvenate the elderly is getting an increasing amount of attention from scientists, and a new study has shown how some of the youthful properties of our skin can be restored with this kind of blood swap.
A special 3D human skin model was set up in the lab by researchers, who then tested the effects of young blood serum on the skin cells. By itself, the serum had no effect, but when bone marrow cells were added to the experiment, anti-aging signals were detected in the skin.
It appears that the young blood serum interacts with the bone marrow cells in specific ways to roll back time in skin cells. The study was led by scientists from Beiersdorf AG, a skin care company in Germany, who say their findings have huge potential in helping us understand anti-aging mechanisms.
"The skin, as our largest organ, is a valuable tissue to investigate aging, as first signs of aging are mostly visible, and it reflects the overall human health," write the researchers in their published paper.
The researchers measured DNA methylation and cell proliferation to estimate the biological age of the skin tissue, when treated with either young or aged human serum and bone marrow cells. Sure enough, the young serum seemed to reduce the biological age of the skin.
Other biomarkers of more youthful skin included increased metabolic activity and cell division.
The researchers looked for changes to protein levels in response to the new blood.
(Ritter et al., Aging, 2025)
Further analysis identified 55 different proteins that were being produced by the bone marrow in response to the young blood, seven of which are known to be linked to processes important to youthful skin, like cell renewal and collagen production.
These proteins could be key to understanding the effects of the young blood and bone marrow, though there's plenty of work to do yet. Researchers need to get this tested in living humans, not just isolated cells in the lab.
"We identified several proteins that might be responsible factors to rejuvenate the skin in our system," write the researchers.
"Future studies are needed to further validate our identified proteins in the context of systemic skin rejuvenation and aging."
The concept of blood having the power to extend life and restore youth has been around for centuries, inspiring the first vampire tales, but there's an increasing amount of evidence that it could have actual scientific potential.
Multiple studies have shown that some of the wear and tear that comes with getting older may not be a one-way street: we might be able to reprogram the body in various ways that slow down aging or even reverse it.
With the global population getting older and older, we're living longer than ever before, on average – and our bodies aren't necessarily built to stay in good shape for that long. What research like this does is point towards strategies for staying healthier later into life, keeping illness and disease at bay for longer.
"Aging is a complex process that significantly contributes to age-related diseases and poses significant challenges for effective interventions, with few holistic anti-aging approaches successfully reversing its signs," write the researchers.
The Life of Earth
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Saturday, 30 August 2025
Each Winter, These Tiny Ocean Travelers Bury Millions of Tons of Carbon
BY U. OF PLYMOUTH, AUG. 28, 2025
Every year, billions of microscopic ocean drifters—copepods, krill, and other zooplankton—perform a breathtaking migration in the Southern Ocean, diving hundreds of meters into the deep.
As they descend to hibernate for the winter, they carry carbon from the surface with them and, through respiration and mortality, lock it away beneath 500 meters. This newly quantified “seasonal migrant pump” moves around 65 million tonnes of carbon annually, a hidden natural process that plays a massive role in regulating Earth’s climate.
Zooplankton’s Hidden Role in Carbon Storage
A major international study has uncovered that some of the ocean’s smallest inhabitants, zooplankton such as copepods, krill, and salps, play a much bigger role in storing carbon in the Southern Ocean than previously understood.
Published in Limnology and Oceanography, the research provides the first detailed measurement of how these tiny creatures help trap carbon through their seasonal vertical migrations. Scientists have long known that the Southern Ocean is one of the planet’s most important regions for locking away carbon, but until now, it was widely believed that most of this process depended on the sinking of organic detritus created by larger zooplankton like krill.
The “Seasonal Migrant Pump” Explained
The study highlights a less familiar but highly significant process known as the “seasonal migrant pump.” Each year, countless zooplankton travel from surface waters to depths greater than 500 meters to survive the winter months. During this deep hibernation period, they release carbon through respiration and mortality, effectively transferring it into the deep ocean where it can remain stored for centuries or longer.
Traditionally, scientists thought carbon reached these depths primarily when zooplankton consumed phytoplankton near the surface and their waste, known as particulate organic carbon (POC), passively sank. The new findings reveal that the seasonal migrant pump adds another powerful pathway. By descending to deep waters each autumn, zooplankton directly inject an estimated 65 million tonnes of carbon into the ocean’s depths every year, making them far more influential in global carbon storage than previously recognized.
Building a Century of Zooplankton Data
The team first built a big database of zooplankton collected in thousands of net hauls from around the Southern Ocean, dating from the 1920s to the present day. From these, they quantified the extent of the zooplankton’s annual descent to overwinter at great depths, where they respire CO2 — directly and efficiently injecting carbon into the deep ocean.
Left panel: The traditional view of how zooplankton transport carbon to depth by eating phytoplankton in surface waters in summer, whereby their waste material (Particulate Organic Carbon, POC) sinks passively to great depth, thereby storing the carbon for thousands of years.
Climate Implications:
Every winter, microscopic ocean drifters descend into the deep, locking away 65 million tonnes of carbon.
Credit: Shutterstock
Every year, billions of microscopic ocean drifters—copepods, krill, and other zooplankton—perform a breathtaking migration in the Southern Ocean, diving hundreds of meters into the deep.
As they descend to hibernate for the winter, they carry carbon from the surface with them and, through respiration and mortality, lock it away beneath 500 meters. This newly quantified “seasonal migrant pump” moves around 65 million tonnes of carbon annually, a hidden natural process that plays a massive role in regulating Earth’s climate.
Zooplankton’s Hidden Role in Carbon Storage
A major international study has uncovered that some of the ocean’s smallest inhabitants, zooplankton such as copepods, krill, and salps, play a much bigger role in storing carbon in the Southern Ocean than previously understood.
Published in Limnology and Oceanography, the research provides the first detailed measurement of how these tiny creatures help trap carbon through their seasonal vertical migrations. Scientists have long known that the Southern Ocean is one of the planet’s most important regions for locking away carbon, but until now, it was widely believed that most of this process depended on the sinking of organic detritus created by larger zooplankton like krill.
The “Seasonal Migrant Pump” Explained
The study highlights a less familiar but highly significant process known as the “seasonal migrant pump.” Each year, countless zooplankton travel from surface waters to depths greater than 500 meters to survive the winter months. During this deep hibernation period, they release carbon through respiration and mortality, effectively transferring it into the deep ocean where it can remain stored for centuries or longer.
Traditionally, scientists thought carbon reached these depths primarily when zooplankton consumed phytoplankton near the surface and their waste, known as particulate organic carbon (POC), passively sank. The new findings reveal that the seasonal migrant pump adds another powerful pathway. By descending to deep waters each autumn, zooplankton directly inject an estimated 65 million tonnes of carbon into the ocean’s depths every year, making them far more influential in global carbon storage than previously recognized.
Building a Century of Zooplankton Data
The team first built a big database of zooplankton collected in thousands of net hauls from around the Southern Ocean, dating from the 1920s to the present day. From these, they quantified the extent of the zooplankton’s annual descent to overwinter at great depths, where they respire CO2 — directly and efficiently injecting carbon into the deep ocean.
Right panel: This new study shows that a winter process known as the ‘seasonal migrant pump’ also leads to a substantial deep carbon storage. The zooplankton migrate downwards in autumn to overwinter below 500m where their respiration and death directly inject around 65 million tonnes of carbon annually into the deep ocean.
Credit: Yang, G. et al.
Key Findings
:65 Million Tonnes of Carbon Stored Annually
: The seasonal, vertical migration of zooplankton transports roughly 65 million tonnes of carbon to depths below 500 meters.
Copepods Dominate the ‘Seasonal Migrant Pump’: Mesozooplankton (mainly small crustaceans called copepods) account for 80% of this carbon flux, while krill and salps contribute 14% and 6%, respectively.
Climate Implications:
The Southern Ocean is a critical carbon sink, but current Earth System Models overlook this zooplankton-driven process. As warming shifts species distributions (e.g., declining krill, increasing copepods, changing food sources), the carbon storage dynamics may change dramatically.
Why does the ‘Seasonal Migrant Pump’ matter:
The Southern Ocean absorbs approximately 40% of all human-made CO2 taken up by oceans, yet the role of zooplankton has been underestimated. Unlike sinking detritus, which removes both carbon and essential nutrients like iron, migrating zooplankton efficiently inject carbon into the deep ocean while recycling nutrients near the surface. This ‘Seasonal Migrant Pump’ could become even more important as marine ecosystems respond to climate change.
Dr. Guang Yang, first author and Marine Ecologist from Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: “Our work shows that zooplankton are unsung heroes of carbon sequestration. Their seasonal migrations create a massive, previously unquantified carbon flux—one that models must now incorporate.”
Prof. Angus Atkinson MBE, co-author and Senior Marine Ecologist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, added: “This study is the first to estimate the total magnitude of this carbon storage mechanism. It shows the value of large data compilations to unlock new insights and to get an overview of the relative importance of carbon storage mechanisms.”
Dr. Katrin Schmidt, co-author and Marine Ecologist at the University of Plymouth, said: “The study shows the ‘seasonal migrant pump’ as an important pathway of natural carbon sequestration in polar regions. Protecting these migrants and their habitats will help to mitigate climate change.”
Dr. Jen Freer, co-author and Ecological Modeller at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), added: “Krill are famous for their role in the Antarctic food web, but we find that copepods significantly dominate carbon storage overwinter. This has big implications as the ocean warms and their habitats may shift.”
This research stresses the urgent need for updates to climate models to include zooplankton-driven carbon fluxes. It also highlights the necessity to manage and protect Southern Ocean ecosystems, where industrial fishing and warming threaten krill populations – a key species that supports both carbon export and Antarctica’s unique biodiversity.
Why does the ‘Seasonal Migrant Pump’ matter:
The Southern Ocean absorbs approximately 40% of all human-made CO2 taken up by oceans, yet the role of zooplankton has been underestimated. Unlike sinking detritus, which removes both carbon and essential nutrients like iron, migrating zooplankton efficiently inject carbon into the deep ocean while recycling nutrients near the surface. This ‘Seasonal Migrant Pump’ could become even more important as marine ecosystems respond to climate change.
Dr. Guang Yang, first author and Marine Ecologist from Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: “Our work shows that zooplankton are unsung heroes of carbon sequestration. Their seasonal migrations create a massive, previously unquantified carbon flux—one that models must now incorporate.”
Prof. Angus Atkinson MBE, co-author and Senior Marine Ecologist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, added: “This study is the first to estimate the total magnitude of this carbon storage mechanism. It shows the value of large data compilations to unlock new insights and to get an overview of the relative importance of carbon storage mechanisms.”
Dr. Katrin Schmidt, co-author and Marine Ecologist at the University of Plymouth, said: “The study shows the ‘seasonal migrant pump’ as an important pathway of natural carbon sequestration in polar regions. Protecting these migrants and their habitats will help to mitigate climate change.”
Dr. Jen Freer, co-author and Ecological Modeller at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), added: “Krill are famous for their role in the Antarctic food web, but we find that copepods significantly dominate carbon storage overwinter. This has big implications as the ocean warms and their habitats may shift.”
This research stresses the urgent need for updates to climate models to include zooplankton-driven carbon fluxes. It also highlights the necessity to manage and protect Southern Ocean ecosystems, where industrial fishing and warming threaten krill populations – a key species that supports both carbon export and Antarctica’s unique biodiversity.
The Life of Earth
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Gum disease treatment slows the thickening of arteries, clinical trial shows
By S. Berdugo published Aug. 27
A doctor performs an ultrasound on a patient's carotid artery. (Image credit: simon2579 via Getty Images)
New trial results show that intense gum disease treatment reduces how much the carotid artery narrows in otherwise healthy individuals. This suggests oral health should be taken seriously as a contributing factor in cardiovascular disease.
Research has long pointed to a link between poor gum health and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease — and now, a new trial suggests that treating severe gum disease may reduce the narrowing of a major artery over time in otherwise healthy people.
Likely by reducing inflammation, this routine oral hygiene procedure may be an unsung way of minimizing declines in blood vessel functioning.
"I was very overwhelmed when I looked at the data the first time," study co-author Dr. Marco Orlandi, a clinical research periodontist at University College London, told Live Science.
Around 40% of U.S. adults ages 30 and older have some level of gum disease, known as periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory condition whose progression leads to wobbly teeth, tooth loss and persistent bad breath. As the disease worsens, small pockets around the teeth that cannot be reached by a toothbrush or floss expand and fill with plaque and bacteria.
There is now an abundance of research linking periodontitis to a higher risk of various health outcomes, including Alzheimer's disease, colon cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. A key area with mounting evidence is the association between severe gum disease and cardiovascular disease, with previous studies finding that the management of gum disease is linked to improved blood vessel function.
Now, a clinical trial published Aug. 19 in the European Heart Journal has found that treating periodontitis slows the thickening of the inner two layers of the carotid arteries, found on each side of the neck, in otherwise healthy adults. The thickness of those artery walls is a key marker for cardiovascular disease risk.
By targeting inflammation rather than other artery health factors, like cholesterol, "the impact of what we are doing comes without going through the classic risk pathway" for cardiovascular disease, Orlandi said.
To test whether treating periodontitis actually causes the carotid arteries to thicken less over time, Orlandi and his team of periodontists and cardiologists conducted a gold-standard trial at a dental hospital in central London. The trial was randomized, meaning participants were randomly placed in a treatment group or a comparison group that didn't receive the intensive gum treatment.
An ultrasound screen showing the 2D image of the common carotid segment. The central black area is the channel within the carotid blood vessel, and the more defined layers on each side of this central channel are the artery walls. The periphery of the image shows the soft tissues surrounding the artery.
New trial results show that intense gum disease treatment reduces how much the carotid artery narrows in otherwise healthy individuals. This suggests oral health should be taken seriously as a contributing factor in cardiovascular disease.
Research has long pointed to a link between poor gum health and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease — and now, a new trial suggests that treating severe gum disease may reduce the narrowing of a major artery over time in otherwise healthy people.
Likely by reducing inflammation, this routine oral hygiene procedure may be an unsung way of minimizing declines in blood vessel functioning.
"I was very overwhelmed when I looked at the data the first time," study co-author Dr. Marco Orlandi, a clinical research periodontist at University College London, told Live Science.
Around 40% of U.S. adults ages 30 and older have some level of gum disease, known as periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory condition whose progression leads to wobbly teeth, tooth loss and persistent bad breath. As the disease worsens, small pockets around the teeth that cannot be reached by a toothbrush or floss expand and fill with plaque and bacteria.
There is now an abundance of research linking periodontitis to a higher risk of various health outcomes, including Alzheimer's disease, colon cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. A key area with mounting evidence is the association between severe gum disease and cardiovascular disease, with previous studies finding that the management of gum disease is linked to improved blood vessel function.
Now, a clinical trial published Aug. 19 in the European Heart Journal has found that treating periodontitis slows the thickening of the inner two layers of the carotid arteries, found on each side of the neck, in otherwise healthy adults. The thickness of those artery walls is a key marker for cardiovascular disease risk.
By targeting inflammation rather than other artery health factors, like cholesterol, "the impact of what we are doing comes without going through the classic risk pathway" for cardiovascular disease, Orlandi said.
To test whether treating periodontitis actually causes the carotid arteries to thicken less over time, Orlandi and his team of periodontists and cardiologists conducted a gold-standard trial at a dental hospital in central London. The trial was randomized, meaning participants were randomly placed in a treatment group or a comparison group that didn't receive the intensive gum treatment.
(Image credit: Marco Orlandi)
First, the researchers took ultrasounds of the carotid arteries of 135 people with severe periodontitis, to establish a baseline level of thickness. They also measured how much the arteries dilated when blood flow increased — a measure of blood vessel functioning — and took blood samples to pinpoint markers of inflammatory and oxidative stress. All of the individuals were healthy besides having gum disease.
Next, the participants were randomly divided into either the treatment group or the control group. Care was taken to ensure there was a roughly even split between the two groups in terms of the participants' periodontitis severity, smoking status and family history of cardiovascular disease.
In the treatment group, patients received intensive periodontitis treatment: a thorough clean of the whole mouth and a deep clean below the gumline to remove plaque and tartar. The control group received a simple scale and polish, more akin to a regular dental cleaning that doesn't include a deep clean of the gums.
The participants were then followed for two years, and they each received further dental treatments at regular intervals throughout that time. The researchers also reassessed the carotid artery at the one-year and two-year marks, and took blood samples and measured blood-vessel function at five time points.
They found that the thickness of the carotid arteries' innermost linings was lower for individuals who received intensive treatment than for those in the control group. This difference was "comparable to what has been seen with lifestyle interventions and some pharmacological agents in similar populations," study co-author Dr. Francesco D'Aiuto, a clinical research periodontist at University College London, told Live Science in an email.
The treated patients also had better blood vessel function and lower levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in their blood, which are known to contribute to the narrowing of artery walls — a condition called atherosclerosis.
Although many factors drive atherosclerosis, "our results reinforce the view that untreated periodontitis is a modifiable risk factor for vascular ageing and possibly cardiovascular events," D'Aiuto said.
However, a key limitation of the research is that it was conducted in only one location, so there is a chance that the findings partly come down to quirks of the location or the people in the sample, Orlandi said.
Another limitation, said Dr. Maurizio Tonetti, a clinical and research periodontist at the University of Hong Kong who was not involved in the research, is that all of the participants in the trial were healthy other than having periodontitis. As such, these results should not be interpreted as evidence that if someone with atherosclerosis has their gum disease treated, the health of their arteries will improve, he told Live Science.
Even so, the findings "are bringing the concept of these [intensive gum disease] interventions into the preservation of wellness," Tonetti said.
"For many, many years, dentists have been focusing on the teeth, forgetting the rest of the body, and physicians have been focusing on the body, forgetting that there are teeth," he said. "They are really two worlds that have been separated and need to go back together for the benefit of patients."
First, the researchers took ultrasounds of the carotid arteries of 135 people with severe periodontitis, to establish a baseline level of thickness. They also measured how much the arteries dilated when blood flow increased — a measure of blood vessel functioning — and took blood samples to pinpoint markers of inflammatory and oxidative stress. All of the individuals were healthy besides having gum disease.
Next, the participants were randomly divided into either the treatment group or the control group. Care was taken to ensure there was a roughly even split between the two groups in terms of the participants' periodontitis severity, smoking status and family history of cardiovascular disease.
In the treatment group, patients received intensive periodontitis treatment: a thorough clean of the whole mouth and a deep clean below the gumline to remove plaque and tartar. The control group received a simple scale and polish, more akin to a regular dental cleaning that doesn't include a deep clean of the gums.
The participants were then followed for two years, and they each received further dental treatments at regular intervals throughout that time. The researchers also reassessed the carotid artery at the one-year and two-year marks, and took blood samples and measured blood-vessel function at five time points.
They found that the thickness of the carotid arteries' innermost linings was lower for individuals who received intensive treatment than for those in the control group. This difference was "comparable to what has been seen with lifestyle interventions and some pharmacological agents in similar populations," study co-author Dr. Francesco D'Aiuto, a clinical research periodontist at University College London, told Live Science in an email.
The treated patients also had better blood vessel function and lower levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in their blood, which are known to contribute to the narrowing of artery walls — a condition called atherosclerosis.
Although many factors drive atherosclerosis, "our results reinforce the view that untreated periodontitis is a modifiable risk factor for vascular ageing and possibly cardiovascular events," D'Aiuto said.
However, a key limitation of the research is that it was conducted in only one location, so there is a chance that the findings partly come down to quirks of the location or the people in the sample, Orlandi said.
Another limitation, said Dr. Maurizio Tonetti, a clinical and research periodontist at the University of Hong Kong who was not involved in the research, is that all of the participants in the trial were healthy other than having periodontitis. As such, these results should not be interpreted as evidence that if someone with atherosclerosis has their gum disease treated, the health of their arteries will improve, he told Live Science.
Even so, the findings "are bringing the concept of these [intensive gum disease] interventions into the preservation of wellness," Tonetti said.
"For many, many years, dentists have been focusing on the teeth, forgetting the rest of the body, and physicians have been focusing on the body, forgetting that there are teeth," he said. "They are really two worlds that have been separated and need to go back together for the benefit of patients."
The Life of Earth
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Zone Zero: The Surprising Health Benefits of Barely Exercising at AllZone Zero: The Surprising Health Benefits of Barely Exercising at All
30 August 2025, ByT. BROWNLEE, THE CONVERSATION
It can look almost too easy: athletes gliding along on a bike, runners shuffling at a pace slower than most people's warm-up, or someone strolling so gently it barely seems like exercise at all.
Yet this kind of effortless movement is at the heart of what's becoming known as zone zero exercise.
The idea runs counter to the "push yourself" culture of gyms and fitness apps. Instead of breathless effort, zone zero exercise is all about moving slowly enough that you could chat very comfortably the whole time.
For some people, it might mean a gentle stroll. For others, it could be easy yoga, a few stretches while the kettle boils, or even pottering about the garden. The point is that your heart rate stays low; lower even than what many fitness trackers label as zone 1.
Even a spot of gardening can keep the blood moving.
(Pexels/pixabay/Canva)
It can look almost too easy: athletes gliding along on a bike, runners shuffling at a pace slower than most people's warm-up, or someone strolling so gently it barely seems like exercise at all.
Yet this kind of effortless movement is at the heart of what's becoming known as zone zero exercise.
The idea runs counter to the "push yourself" culture of gyms and fitness apps. Instead of breathless effort, zone zero exercise is all about moving slowly enough that you could chat very comfortably the whole time.
For some people, it might mean a gentle stroll. For others, it could be easy yoga, a few stretches while the kettle boils, or even pottering about the garden. The point is that your heart rate stays low; lower even than what many fitness trackers label as zone 1.
(Greta Hoffman/Pexels/Canva)
In the language of endurance training, zone 1 usually means about 50-60% of your maximum heart rate. Zone zero dips beneath that. In fact, not all scientists agree on what to call it, or whether it should be counted as a separate training zone at all. But in recent years, the term has gained traction outside research circles, where it has become shorthand for very light activity, with surprising benefits.
One of those benefits is accessibility. Exercise advice often leans towards intensity: the sprint intervals, the high-intensity classes, the motivational "no pain, no gain". For anyone older, unwell, or returning to movement after injury, this can feel impossible. Zone zero exercise offers an alternative starting point.
The quiet power of easy effort
Studies have found that even very light activity can improve several health markers including circulation, help regulate blood sugar, and support mental wellbeing. A daily walk at a gentle pace, for example, can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
There's also the question of recovery. High-level athletes discovered long ago that they couldn't train hard every day. Their bodies needed space to repair. That's where easy sessions came in. They aren't wasted time, but essential recovery tools.
The same applies to people juggling work, family and stress. A zone zero session can reduce tension without draining energy. Instead of collapsing on the sofa after work, a quiet half-hour walk can actually restore it.
Mental health researchers have pointed to another benefit: consistency. Many people give up on exercise plans because they set the bar too high. A routine based on zone zero activities is easier to sustain. That's why the gains – better sleep, a brighter mood, and lower risk of chronic illness – keep adding up over months and years.
There are limits, of course. If your goal is to run a marathon or significantly increase fitness levels, gentle movement alone won't get you there. The body needs higher-intensity challenges to grow stronger.
But the "all or nothing" mindset, either training hard or not at all, risks missing the point. Zone zero can be the base on which other activity is built, or it can simply stand on its own as a health-boosting habit.
The fact that researchers are still debating its definition is interesting in itself. In sports science, some prefer to talk about "below zone 1" or "active recovery" instead of zone zero.
But the popular name seems to have stuck, perhaps because it captures the spirit of effortlessness. The idea of a "zero zone" strips away pressure. You don't need fancy equipment or the latest wearable. If you can move without strain, you're doing it.
That simplicity may explain its appeal. Public health messages about exercise can sometimes feel overwhelming: how many minutes per week, what heart rate, how many steps. Zone zero cuts through that noise. The message is: do something, even if it's gentle. It still counts.
Doing something is better than sitting still.
In the language of endurance training, zone 1 usually means about 50-60% of your maximum heart rate. Zone zero dips beneath that. In fact, not all scientists agree on what to call it, or whether it should be counted as a separate training zone at all. But in recent years, the term has gained traction outside research circles, where it has become shorthand for very light activity, with surprising benefits.
One of those benefits is accessibility. Exercise advice often leans towards intensity: the sprint intervals, the high-intensity classes, the motivational "no pain, no gain". For anyone older, unwell, or returning to movement after injury, this can feel impossible. Zone zero exercise offers an alternative starting point.
The quiet power of easy effort
Studies have found that even very light activity can improve several health markers including circulation, help regulate blood sugar, and support mental wellbeing. A daily walk at a gentle pace, for example, can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
There's also the question of recovery. High-level athletes discovered long ago that they couldn't train hard every day. Their bodies needed space to repair. That's where easy sessions came in. They aren't wasted time, but essential recovery tools.
The same applies to people juggling work, family and stress. A zone zero session can reduce tension without draining energy. Instead of collapsing on the sofa after work, a quiet half-hour walk can actually restore it.
Mental health researchers have pointed to another benefit: consistency. Many people give up on exercise plans because they set the bar too high. A routine based on zone zero activities is easier to sustain. That's why the gains – better sleep, a brighter mood, and lower risk of chronic illness – keep adding up over months and years.
There are limits, of course. If your goal is to run a marathon or significantly increase fitness levels, gentle movement alone won't get you there. The body needs higher-intensity challenges to grow stronger.
But the "all or nothing" mindset, either training hard or not at all, risks missing the point. Zone zero can be the base on which other activity is built, or it can simply stand on its own as a health-boosting habit.
The fact that researchers are still debating its definition is interesting in itself. In sports science, some prefer to talk about "below zone 1" or "active recovery" instead of zone zero.
But the popular name seems to have stuck, perhaps because it captures the spirit of effortlessness. The idea of a "zero zone" strips away pressure. You don't need fancy equipment or the latest wearable. If you can move without strain, you're doing it.
That simplicity may explain its appeal. Public health messages about exercise can sometimes feel overwhelming: how many minutes per week, what heart rate, how many steps. Zone zero cuts through that noise. The message is: do something, even if it's gentle. It still counts.
(Masood Aslami/Pexels/Canva)
And in a world where many people sit for long stretches at screens, it might be more powerful than it sounds. Evidence shows that long sedentary periods raise health risks even in people who exercise vigorously at other times. Building more light, frequent movement into the day may matter just as much as the occasional intense workout.
Zone zero exercise, then, isn't about chasing personal bests. It's about redefining what exercise can look like. It's not a test of willpower but a way to keep moving, to stay connected to your body, and to build habits that last.
Whether you're an elite cyclist winding down after a race or someone looking for a manageable way back into movement, the same principle applies: sometimes, the gentlest pace is the one that gets you furthest.
And in a world where many people sit for long stretches at screens, it might be more powerful than it sounds. Evidence shows that long sedentary periods raise health risks even in people who exercise vigorously at other times. Building more light, frequent movement into the day may matter just as much as the occasional intense workout.
Zone zero exercise, then, isn't about chasing personal bests. It's about redefining what exercise can look like. It's not a test of willpower but a way to keep moving, to stay connected to your body, and to build habits that last.
Whether you're an elite cyclist winding down after a race or someone looking for a manageable way back into movement, the same principle applies: sometimes, the gentlest pace is the one that gets you furthest.
The Life of Earth
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Friday, 29 August 2025
Mysterious 300,000-year-old Greek cave skull was neither human nor Neanderthal, study finds
By P. Pester published A. 22, 2025
A mysterious skull with a stalagmite growing out of its head is about 300,000 years old and neither human nor Neanderthal, a new study finds.
The skull was reportedly discovered attached to the wall of Petralona Cave in northern Greece in 1960. Researchers have since argued about its position on the human family tree and had trouble figuring out its age — until now.
In the new study, published online Aug. 14 in the Journal of Human Evolution, researchers dated calcite (a mineral form of calcium carbonate often found in caves) protruding out of the skull to find that it was at least 277,000 years old. They don't know precisely how long the skull was in the cave before it began acquiring calcite, but the new estimate helps narrow down previous attempts to date the skull, which have ranged from 170,000 to 700,000 years old.
The findings support previous suggestions that the Petralona individual lived in Pleistocene-era Europe alongside Neanderthals, but was part of a different human group, broadly called Homo heidelbergensis.
The Petralona fossil is distinct from H. sapiens and Neanderthals, study co-author Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London, told Live Science, "and the new age estimate supports the persistence and coexistence of this population alongside the evolving Neanderthal lineage in the later Middle Pleistocene of Europe".
The Petralona skull, sometimes called the "Petralona Man," was almost certainly male based on the fossil's size and robustness, according to Stringer. He also said that the skull's teeth had moderate wear, so it likely belonged to a young adult.
While records of the skull's discovery are poor, Stringer noted that there's evidence to support the idea that it was stuck to the wall by calcite encrustations — the same kind that were protruding out of the skull.
To estimate the age of the calcite, researchers used a method called uranium-series dating. Calcite contains a small amount of uranium, which decays into another radioactive element called thorium over a fixed period. This fixed rate of decay means that researchers can calculate ages based on the calcite’s ratio of uranium to thorium. The skull calcite dates back to around 286,000 years ago, with a high degree of confidence that it's at least 277,000 years old.
The dating research also suggested that calcite grew quite rapidly in the cave. Stringer noted that it likely didn't take long for the skull to acquire its first layer of calcite, which would mean the skull is around 300,000 years old. However, the skull could be older than 300,000 years old if the calcite took longer to form.
The estimate of 300,000 years old fits with Stringer and colleagues' analysis of a similar fossil from Zambia in Africa known as the Kabwe skull. Their 2019 study dated the Kabwe skull, which is often assigned to H. heidelbergensis, at 299,000 years old.
"That fossil is closely comparable to the Petralona one, and I would classify them both as Homo heidelbergensis," Stringer said.
The Petralona skull is a mysterious and important piece in the human evolution puzzle. This image is a reconstruction depicting the skull attached to a cave wall.
(Image credit: By Nadina, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link)
A mysterious skull with a stalagmite growing out of its head is about 300,000 years old and neither human nor Neanderthal, a new study finds.
The skull was reportedly discovered attached to the wall of Petralona Cave in northern Greece in 1960. Researchers have since argued about its position on the human family tree and had trouble figuring out its age — until now.
In the new study, published online Aug. 14 in the Journal of Human Evolution, researchers dated calcite (a mineral form of calcium carbonate often found in caves) protruding out of the skull to find that it was at least 277,000 years old. They don't know precisely how long the skull was in the cave before it began acquiring calcite, but the new estimate helps narrow down previous attempts to date the skull, which have ranged from 170,000 to 700,000 years old.
The findings support previous suggestions that the Petralona individual lived in Pleistocene-era Europe alongside Neanderthals, but was part of a different human group, broadly called Homo heidelbergensis.
The Petralona fossil is distinct from H. sapiens and Neanderthals, study co-author Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London, told Live Science, "and the new age estimate supports the persistence and coexistence of this population alongside the evolving Neanderthal lineage in the later Middle Pleistocene of Europe".
The Petralona skull, sometimes called the "Petralona Man," was almost certainly male based on the fossil's size and robustness, according to Stringer. He also said that the skull's teeth had moderate wear, so it likely belonged to a young adult.
While records of the skull's discovery are poor, Stringer noted that there's evidence to support the idea that it was stuck to the wall by calcite encrustations — the same kind that were protruding out of the skull.
To estimate the age of the calcite, researchers used a method called uranium-series dating. Calcite contains a small amount of uranium, which decays into another radioactive element called thorium over a fixed period. This fixed rate of decay means that researchers can calculate ages based on the calcite’s ratio of uranium to thorium. The skull calcite dates back to around 286,000 years ago, with a high degree of confidence that it's at least 277,000 years old.
The dating research also suggested that calcite grew quite rapidly in the cave. Stringer noted that it likely didn't take long for the skull to acquire its first layer of calcite, which would mean the skull is around 300,000 years old. However, the skull could be older than 300,000 years old if the calcite took longer to form.
The estimate of 300,000 years old fits with Stringer and colleagues' analysis of a similar fossil from Zambia in Africa known as the Kabwe skull. Their 2019 study dated the Kabwe skull, which is often assigned to H. heidelbergensis, at 299,000 years old.
"That fossil is closely comparable to the Petralona one, and I would classify them both as Homo heidelbergensis," Stringer said.
The birth of modern Man
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
New Fossils Reveal Humans’ Mysterious Lost Cousin
BY ARIZONA STATE U., AUG. 28, 2025
Fossils uncovered in northeastern Ethiopia, dating to between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago, provide new insights into the course of human evolution.
An international team of researchers has uncovered new fossils in Africa showing that Australopithecus and the earliest known members of Homo lived in the same region at the same time, between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago. Among the finds was a previously unknown species of Australopithecus, unlike any identified before.
The discoveries come from the Ledi-Geraru Research Project, led by scientists at Arizona State University. This site has already produced the world’s oldest known Homo specimen, as well as the earliest examples of Oldowan stone tools.
Detailed study of the newly recovered Australopithecus teeth confirmed that they represent a distinct species rather than belonging to Australopithecus afarensis, the species of the famous fossil “Lucy.” This finding reinforces that no remains of Lucy’s lineage are known to be younger than 2.95 million years.
“This new research shows that the image many of us have in our minds of an ape to a Neanderthal to a modern human is not correct — evolution doesn’t work like that,” said ASU paleoecologist Kaye Reed. “Here we have two hominin species that are together. And human evolution is not linear, it’s a bushy tree, there are life forms that go extinct.”
“These are teeth from Turtle Flat as we were discovering them — you can see what the ground behind looked like, and how amazing it was that Omar Abdulla first saw them on the surface,” said Amy Rector, Virginia Commonwealth University scientist.
Newly discovered teeth from Ethiopia reveal that early humans coexisted with a mysterious cousin species, reshaping our understanding of human origins.
Credit: Shutterstock
Fossils uncovered in northeastern Ethiopia, dating to between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago, provide new insights into the course of human evolution.
An international team of researchers has uncovered new fossils in Africa showing that Australopithecus and the earliest known members of Homo lived in the same region at the same time, between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago. Among the finds was a previously unknown species of Australopithecus, unlike any identified before.
The discoveries come from the Ledi-Geraru Research Project, led by scientists at Arizona State University. This site has already produced the world’s oldest known Homo specimen, as well as the earliest examples of Oldowan stone tools.
The 13 fossil teeth collected in the Ledi-Geraru Research Area from 2015 to 2018. The collections at LD 750 and LD 760 localities represent a newly discovered species of Australopithecus. LD 302 and AS 100 represent early Homo already known from the LD 350 mandible discovered in 2013.
Credit: Brian Villmoare/University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Detailed study of the newly recovered Australopithecus teeth confirmed that they represent a distinct species rather than belonging to Australopithecus afarensis, the species of the famous fossil “Lucy.” This finding reinforces that no remains of Lucy’s lineage are known to be younger than 2.95 million years.
“This new research shows that the image many of us have in our minds of an ape to a Neanderthal to a modern human is not correct — evolution doesn’t work like that,” said ASU paleoecologist Kaye Reed. “Here we have two hominin species that are together. And human evolution is not linear, it’s a bushy tree, there are life forms that go extinct.”
Credit: Amy Rector, Virginia Commonwealth University
A research effort spanning decades
Reed serves as a Research Scientist at the Institute of Human Origins and is a President’s Professor Emerita in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. She has also co-directed the Ledi-Geraru Research Project since 2002.
So what fossils helped shape these new conclusions? The team uncovered 13 teeth in total.
The Ledi-Geraru site has drawn attention before. In 2013, Reed and her colleagues reported the discovery of the earliest known Homo fossil—a jaw dating to 2.8 million years ago. The new study builds on that legacy, describing additional teeth from the site that belong to both the genus Homo and a newly identified species of Australopithecus.
University of Arkansas Associate Professor Lucas Delezene compares one of the incisors the team discovered to an Australopithecus maxilla (upper jaw) from Hadar at the National Museum of Ethiopia.
A research effort spanning decades
Reed serves as a Research Scientist at the Institute of Human Origins and is a President’s Professor Emerita in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. She has also co-directed the Ledi-Geraru Research Project since 2002.
So what fossils helped shape these new conclusions? The team uncovered 13 teeth in total.
The Ledi-Geraru site has drawn attention before. In 2013, Reed and her colleagues reported the discovery of the earliest known Homo fossil—a jaw dating to 2.8 million years ago. The new study builds on that legacy, describing additional teeth from the site that belong to both the genus Homo and a newly identified species of Australopithecus.
Credit: Amy Rector
“The new finds of Homo teeth from 2.6 – 2.8 million-year-old sediments, reported in this paper, confirm the antiquity of our lineage,” said Brian Villmoare, lead author and ASU alumnus.
“We know what the teeth and mandible of the earliest Homo look like, but that’s it. This emphasizes the critical importance of finding additional fossils to understand the differences between Australopithecus and Homo, and potentially how they were able to overlap in the fossil record at the same location.”
The team cannot name the species yet based on the teeth alone; more fossils are needed before that can happen.
How do scientists know these fossil teeth are millions of years old?
Volcanoes.
The Afar region remains an active rift zone, marked by frequent volcanic and tectonic activity. When these volcanoes erupted, they released ash containing crystals known as feldspars, which provide scientists with a way to determine their age, explained Christopher Campisano, a geologist at ASU.
Ledi-Geraru paleontological team searching for fossils in the Lee Adoyta Basin, where the genera Homo and Australopithecus have been recovered.
“We know what the teeth and mandible of the earliest Homo look like, but that’s it. This emphasizes the critical importance of finding additional fossils to understand the differences between Australopithecus and Homo, and potentially how they were able to overlap in the fossil record at the same location.”
The team cannot name the species yet based on the teeth alone; more fossils are needed before that can happen.
How do scientists know these fossil teeth are millions of years old?
Volcanoes.
The Afar region remains an active rift zone, marked by frequent volcanic and tectonic activity. When these volcanoes erupted, they released ash containing crystals known as feldspars, which provide scientists with a way to determine their age, explained Christopher Campisano, a geologist at ASU.
Credit: Kaye Reed, Arizona State University
“We can date the eruptions that were happening on the landscape when they’re deposited,” said Campisano, a Research Scientist at the Institute of Human Origins and Associate Professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.
“And we know that these fossils are interbed between those eruptions, so we can date units above and below the fossils. We are dating the volcanic ash of the eruptions that were happening while they were on the landscape.”
Ledi-Geraru’s ancient landscape
Finding fossils and dating the landscape not only helps scientists understand the species, but it also helps them recreate the environment millions of years ago. The modern faulted badlands of Ledi-Geraru, where the fossils were found, are a stark contrast to the landscape these hominins traversed 2.6 – 2.8 million years ago. Back then, rivers migrated across a vegetated landscape into shallow lakes that expanded and contracted over time.
Ramon Arrowsmith, a geologist at ASU, has been working with the Ledi-Geraru Research Project since 2002. He explained the area has an interpretable geologic record with good age control for the geologic time range of 2.3 to 2.95 million years ago.
From left: Arizona State University Professor Ramon Arrowsmith, President’s Professor Emeritus Kaye Reed and Associate Professor Christopher Campisano discussing the Homo teeth that were found in the Asboli, an area at the Ledi‑Geraru site.
“We can date the eruptions that were happening on the landscape when they’re deposited,” said Campisano, a Research Scientist at the Institute of Human Origins and Associate Professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.
“And we know that these fossils are interbed between those eruptions, so we can date units above and below the fossils. We are dating the volcanic ash of the eruptions that were happening while they were on the landscape.”
Maps showing (left) the location of the Ledi‑Geraru site within the Horn of Africa, and (right) the location of the Australopithecus and Homo teeth.
Credit: Erin DiMaggio
Finding fossils and dating the landscape not only helps scientists understand the species, but it also helps them recreate the environment millions of years ago. The modern faulted badlands of Ledi-Geraru, where the fossils were found, are a stark contrast to the landscape these hominins traversed 2.6 – 2.8 million years ago. Back then, rivers migrated across a vegetated landscape into shallow lakes that expanded and contracted over time.
Ramon Arrowsmith, a geologist at ASU, has been working with the Ledi-Geraru Research Project since 2002. He explained the area has an interpretable geologic record with good age control for the geologic time range of 2.3 to 2.95 million years ago.
Credit: Eric Scott
“It is a critical time period for human evolution as this new paper shows,” said Arrowsmith, professor at the School of Earth and Space Exploration. “The geology gives us the age and characteristics of the sedimentary deposits containing the fossils. It is essential for age control.”
Reed said the team is examining tooth enamel now to find out what they can about what these species were eating. There are still remaining questions the team will continue to work on.
Were the early Homo and this unidentified species of Australopithecus eating the same things? Were they fighting for or sharing resources? Did they pass each other daily? Who were the ancestors of these species?
No one knows – yet.
“Whenever you have an exciting discovery, if you’re a paleontologist, you always know that you need more information,” said Reed. “You need more fossils. That’s why it’s an important field to train people in and for people to go out and find their own sites and find places that we haven’t found fossils yet.”
“More fossils will help us tell the story of what happened to our ancestors a long time ago — but because we’re the survivors, we know that it happened to us.”
“It is a critical time period for human evolution as this new paper shows,” said Arrowsmith, professor at the School of Earth and Space Exploration. “The geology gives us the age and characteristics of the sedimentary deposits containing the fossils. It is essential for age control.”
Reed said the team is examining tooth enamel now to find out what they can about what these species were eating. There are still remaining questions the team will continue to work on.
Were the early Homo and this unidentified species of Australopithecus eating the same things? Were they fighting for or sharing resources? Did they pass each other daily? Who were the ancestors of these species?
No one knows – yet.
Ledi‑Geraru research team, 2025. Credit: Amy Rector
“Whenever you have an exciting discovery, if you’re a paleontologist, you always know that you need more information,” said Reed. “You need more fossils. That’s why it’s an important field to train people in and for people to go out and find their own sites and find places that we haven’t found fossils yet.”
“More fossils will help us tell the story of what happened to our ancestors a long time ago — but because we’re the survivors, we know that it happened to us.”
The birth of modern Man
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Were Our Ancestors More Like Gorillas Than Humans? New Study Reveals Shocking Size Gap
BY M. PARKER, U. AT ALBANY, AUG. 28, 2025
Fossils reveal extreme sexual dimorphism in early hominins. The findings reshape views of their social behavior.
A recent study has revealed that males of some of humanity’s earliest ancestors were much larger than their female counterparts. This marked difference in body size, found in both Australopithecus afarensis (the East African species that includes the well-known fossil “Lucy”) and A. africanus (a closely related species from southern Africa), indicates that these early hominins may have lived in societies where strong competition among males contributed to the pronounced size gap between the sexes.
The research, led by Adam D. Gordon, an anthropologist at the University at Albany, was published in the July issue of the American Journal of Biological Anthropology. By applying a new method that addresses the challenges posed by incomplete fossil evidence, the study demonstrates that both A. afarensis and A. africanus showed greater sexual dimorphism than modern humans — and in some cases, even exceeded the differences seen in gorillas.
“These weren’t modest differences,” said Gordon, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. “In the case of A. afarensis, males were dramatically larger than females — possibly more so than in any living great ape. And although both of these extinct hominin species exhibited greater sex-specific size differences than modern humans do, they were also more different from each other in this respect than living ape species are, suggesting a greater diversity of evolutionary pressures acting on these closely-related species than we had previously appreciated.”
Interpreting fossils with new methods
The findings provide fresh insight into how the fossil record is interpreted. Previous research had produced conflicting views on dimorphism in A. afarensis, with some studies arguing it was comparable to the relatively modest differences seen in modern humans. Until now, however, scientists had not been able to directly compare fossil species, since earlier analyses were restricted by fragmentary skeletal remains and lacked the statistical strength needed to identify meaningful distinctions.
UAlbany Associate Professor of Anthropology Adam D. Gordon.
Why Sexual Size Dimorphism Matters
Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is more than a simple physical difference between males and females — it also reflects patterns of behavior and evolutionary strategy. According to sexual selection theory, high SSD in living primates is usually linked to intense competition between males and social systems where a small number of large males control reproductive access to multiple females. By contrast, low SSD can occur across many species but is most often associated with pair-bonded social systems and reduced competition for mates. In modern human populations, SSD is generally low to moderate: men are slightly larger on average, though there is substantial overlap in body size between the sexes.
Gordon’s earlier research also indicates that high SSD can emerge under conditions of severe resource stress. When food is scarce, smaller but healthy females are often able to meet their nutritional needs and store enough energy for reproduction more effectively than larger females. This can result in greater reproductive success for smaller-bodied females and, over time, a widening size difference between males and females.
The pronounced SSD found in both Australopithecus species suggests strong male competition, much like what is observed in chimpanzees or gorillas. However, the differences in dimorphism between the two species may reflect variations in the intensity of sexual selection pressures or in the degree of environmental stress (for example, differences in the length of dry seasons and their impact on female body size).
Ultimately, the high SSD observed in these fossil hominins stands in contrast to the more balanced size patterns of modern humans. It points to a different model of early hominin life — one in which large body size may have given males a competitive advantage in reproduction, while smaller size in females may have been favored for its energetic efficiency.
How the Research Was Conducted
Fossil data are often fragmentary, and determining the sex of ancient individuals is nearly impossible. To work around this, Gordon used a geometric mean method that allows for size estimation from multiple skeletal elements — including the humerus, femur, tibia, and others. He then applied resampling techniques to simulate thousands of comparisons between fossil hominins and modern primates, ensuring that the statistical models mirrored the incomplete and uneven nature of real fossil samples.
Data from modern gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans with known sex and complete skeletons were used to build a comparative framework.
Unlike past studies, which sometimes interpreted weak or inconclusive statistical results as evidence of similarity, Gordon’s methods revealed clear and significant differences even when using relatively small fossil samples.
To rule out the possibility that body size changes in A. afarensis reflected evolutionary trends rather than sex differences, Gordon also tested for chronological trends across a 300,000-year span of fossils from the Hadar Formation in Ethiopia.
His analysis found no significant size increase or decrease over time, indicating that the observed variation is best explained by differences between males and females — not by evolutionary drift or long-term increases in average size.
Rewriting History
The implications of Gordon’s findings are wide-ranging. Australopithecus afarensis, which lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago, is widely regarded as either a direct ancestor of modern humans or a species very closely-related to a direct ancestor.
Yet, its high degree of sexual dimorphism suggests that early hominins may have lived in social systems that were far more hierarchical and competitive than once thought.
Meanwhile, the less dimorphic A. africanus — which overlapped in time with A. afarensis but first shows up and last appears in the fossil record slightly later, between roughly 3.3 and 2.1 million years ago — may represent a different evolutionary branch on the hominin tree, or perhaps a transitional stage in the development of more human-like social behavior.
“We typically place these early hominins together in a single group called the gracile australopiths, a group of species that are thought to have interacted with their physical and social environments in very similar ways,” Gordon said. “And while that’s true to a certain extent — the evidence suggests that both these species may have had social organizations more like gorillas than modern people — the significant difference in the amount of dimorphism in these two extinct species suggests that these closely-related hominin species were subject to selection pressures more distinct than the selection pressures applied to any pair of similarly closely-related living ape species, highlighting the diversity of ways that our extinct ancestors and close relatives interacted with the world.”3
New research by UAlbany anthropologist Adam D. Gordon finds substantial sexual dimorphism in some of our early human ancestors.
Credit: Ken Zirkel from the Museum of Natural History, used by permission
Fossils reveal extreme sexual dimorphism in early hominins. The findings reshape views of their social behavior.
A recent study has revealed that males of some of humanity’s earliest ancestors were much larger than their female counterparts. This marked difference in body size, found in both Australopithecus afarensis (the East African species that includes the well-known fossil “Lucy”) and A. africanus (a closely related species from southern Africa), indicates that these early hominins may have lived in societies where strong competition among males contributed to the pronounced size gap between the sexes.
The research, led by Adam D. Gordon, an anthropologist at the University at Albany, was published in the July issue of the American Journal of Biological Anthropology. By applying a new method that addresses the challenges posed by incomplete fossil evidence, the study demonstrates that both A. afarensis and A. africanus showed greater sexual dimorphism than modern humans — and in some cases, even exceeded the differences seen in gorillas.
“These weren’t modest differences,” said Gordon, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. “In the case of A. afarensis, males were dramatically larger than females — possibly more so than in any living great ape. And although both of these extinct hominin species exhibited greater sex-specific size differences than modern humans do, they were also more different from each other in this respect than living ape species are, suggesting a greater diversity of evolutionary pressures acting on these closely-related species than we had previously appreciated.”
Interpreting fossils with new methods
The findings provide fresh insight into how the fossil record is interpreted. Previous research had produced conflicting views on dimorphism in A. afarensis, with some studies arguing it was comparable to the relatively modest differences seen in modern humans. Until now, however, scientists had not been able to directly compare fossil species, since earlier analyses were restricted by fragmentary skeletal remains and lacked the statistical strength needed to identify meaningful distinctions.
Credit: Patrick Dodson
“This analysis overcomes these issues by using an iterative resampling method that mimics the missing data structure in both fossil species when sampling from skeletal material of living species, allowing the inclusion of multiple fossil individuals even when those individual specimens are fragmentary,” said Gordon. “This study provides strong evidence that sex-specific evolutionary pressures — likely involving both male competition for mates and resource stress acting more intensely on female size due to the metabolic constraints of pregnancy and lactation — played a larger role in early hominin evolution than previously believed.”
“This analysis overcomes these issues by using an iterative resampling method that mimics the missing data structure in both fossil species when sampling from skeletal material of living species, allowing the inclusion of multiple fossil individuals even when those individual specimens are fragmentary,” said Gordon. “This study provides strong evidence that sex-specific evolutionary pressures — likely involving both male competition for mates and resource stress acting more intensely on female size due to the metabolic constraints of pregnancy and lactation — played a larger role in early hominin evolution than previously believed.”
Why Sexual Size Dimorphism Matters
Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is more than a simple physical difference between males and females — it also reflects patterns of behavior and evolutionary strategy. According to sexual selection theory, high SSD in living primates is usually linked to intense competition between males and social systems where a small number of large males control reproductive access to multiple females. By contrast, low SSD can occur across many species but is most often associated with pair-bonded social systems and reduced competition for mates. In modern human populations, SSD is generally low to moderate: men are slightly larger on average, though there is substantial overlap in body size between the sexes.
Gordon’s earlier research also indicates that high SSD can emerge under conditions of severe resource stress. When food is scarce, smaller but healthy females are often able to meet their nutritional needs and store enough energy for reproduction more effectively than larger females. This can result in greater reproductive success for smaller-bodied females and, over time, a widening size difference between males and females.
The pronounced SSD found in both Australopithecus species suggests strong male competition, much like what is observed in chimpanzees or gorillas. However, the differences in dimorphism between the two species may reflect variations in the intensity of sexual selection pressures or in the degree of environmental stress (for example, differences in the length of dry seasons and their impact on female body size).
Ultimately, the high SSD observed in these fossil hominins stands in contrast to the more balanced size patterns of modern humans. It points to a different model of early hominin life — one in which large body size may have given males a competitive advantage in reproduction, while smaller size in females may have been favored for its energetic efficiency.
How the Research Was Conducted
Fossil data are often fragmentary, and determining the sex of ancient individuals is nearly impossible. To work around this, Gordon used a geometric mean method that allows for size estimation from multiple skeletal elements — including the humerus, femur, tibia, and others. He then applied resampling techniques to simulate thousands of comparisons between fossil hominins and modern primates, ensuring that the statistical models mirrored the incomplete and uneven nature of real fossil samples.
Data from modern gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans with known sex and complete skeletons were used to build a comparative framework.
Unlike past studies, which sometimes interpreted weak or inconclusive statistical results as evidence of similarity, Gordon’s methods revealed clear and significant differences even when using relatively small fossil samples.
To rule out the possibility that body size changes in A. afarensis reflected evolutionary trends rather than sex differences, Gordon also tested for chronological trends across a 300,000-year span of fossils from the Hadar Formation in Ethiopia.
His analysis found no significant size increase or decrease over time, indicating that the observed variation is best explained by differences between males and females — not by evolutionary drift or long-term increases in average size.
Rewriting History
The implications of Gordon’s findings are wide-ranging. Australopithecus afarensis, which lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago, is widely regarded as either a direct ancestor of modern humans or a species very closely-related to a direct ancestor.
Yet, its high degree of sexual dimorphism suggests that early hominins may have lived in social systems that were far more hierarchical and competitive than once thought.
Meanwhile, the less dimorphic A. africanus — which overlapped in time with A. afarensis but first shows up and last appears in the fossil record slightly later, between roughly 3.3 and 2.1 million years ago — may represent a different evolutionary branch on the hominin tree, or perhaps a transitional stage in the development of more human-like social behavior.
“We typically place these early hominins together in a single group called the gracile australopiths, a group of species that are thought to have interacted with their physical and social environments in very similar ways,” Gordon said. “And while that’s true to a certain extent — the evidence suggests that both these species may have had social organizations more like gorillas than modern people — the significant difference in the amount of dimorphism in these two extinct species suggests that these closely-related hominin species were subject to selection pressures more distinct than the selection pressures applied to any pair of similarly closely-related living ape species, highlighting the diversity of ways that our extinct ancestors and close relatives interacted with the world.”3
The birth of modern Man
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Thursday, 28 August 2025
Stunning But Dangerous: Rare Blue Dragons Are Forcing Beaches to Close
28 Aug. 2025, By C. CASSELLA
Last week, a 'blue fleet' of tiny dragons forced the closure of several beaches in Spain.
Sometimes referred to as blue angels, the colorful creatures are a rare sight in the Mediterranean. Viewed from above, the silver-grey 'bellies' of these surface-floating sea slugs (Glaucous atlanticus) camouflage with the waves. But from below, they flash gorgeous streaks of bright blue.
While stunning to look at from a distance, the 3-centimeter (1.2-inch) long marvels should not be touched. If they had an anthem, it would surely be Beyoncé's Pretty Hurts.
They themselves are only venomous because their prey is, though. When sea dragons eat blue bottles like the Portuguese Man-O'-war, they ingest the stinging cells and incorporate them into their finger-like appendages.
If a human touches the tendrils, they may experience similar symptoms to being stung by a Portuguese Man-O'-war, including redness, inflammation, nausea, pain, vomiting, or an acute allergic reaction.
Fearful for beach-goers who may not know about the venomous creatures, the mayor of Guardamar del Segura José Luis Sáez decided to raise the red flag and prohibit swimming until the blue fleet had passed.
On August 24, a few days after the first initial spotting of blue dragons, Sáez explained in a Facebook post that the animals were still washing up on Guardamar beaches "each time with greater frequency and number" (according to an English translation).
Local police also warned that if the blue dragons are seen on the sand, they should not be touched, as they can cause painful burns to the skin.
Even other blue dragons need to be careful of each other. When these hermaphroditic nudibranchs bump into each other and mate, they must ensure their non-stingy bits are the only parts that touch, making for quite a gripping ritual.
It's unclear why the blue sea dragons ended up on the coast of Spain, far from their typical tropical waters. Given that the creatures are limited by warm temperatures.
Blue sea dragon.
(Sylke Rohrlach/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0)
Last week, a 'blue fleet' of tiny dragons forced the closure of several beaches in Spain.
Sometimes referred to as blue angels, the colorful creatures are a rare sight in the Mediterranean. Viewed from above, the silver-grey 'bellies' of these surface-floating sea slugs (Glaucous atlanticus) camouflage with the waves. But from below, they flash gorgeous streaks of bright blue.
While stunning to look at from a distance, the 3-centimeter (1.2-inch) long marvels should not be touched. If they had an anthem, it would surely be Beyoncé's Pretty Hurts.
They themselves are only venomous because their prey is, though. When sea dragons eat blue bottles like the Portuguese Man-O'-war, they ingest the stinging cells and incorporate them into their finger-like appendages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m-zXqNGUXI&t=2s
If a human touches the tendrils, they may experience similar symptoms to being stung by a Portuguese Man-O'-war, including redness, inflammation, nausea, pain, vomiting, or an acute allergic reaction.
Fearful for beach-goers who may not know about the venomous creatures, the mayor of Guardamar del Segura José Luis Sáez decided to raise the red flag and prohibit swimming until the blue fleet had passed.
Local police also warned that if the blue dragons are seen on the sand, they should not be touched, as they can cause painful burns to the skin.
Even other blue dragons need to be careful of each other. When these hermaphroditic nudibranchs bump into each other and mate, they must ensure their non-stingy bits are the only parts that touch, making for quite a gripping ritual.
It's unclear why the blue sea dragons ended up on the coast of Spain, far from their typical tropical waters. Given that the creatures are limited by warm temperatures.
The Life of Earth
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Scientists Have Created Glow-in-The-Dark Succulents (And We Want One)
28 August 2025, By M. STARR
If you've ever wanted to live your life adrift amid a sea of gently glowing succulents, that dream just got a tiny step closer.
A team of scientists at South China Agricultural University has managed to create succulents that glow in the dark through a process that can be recharged using sunlight. Moreover, they can glow in multiple different colors to form a rainbow of lights – even in the same succulent.
The glow doesn't last forever, and each leaf needs to be treated separately. But the first step of creating an injectable medium that makes the plant emit a gentle luminescence has been achieved.
"Picture the world of Avatar, where glowing plants light up an entire ecosystem," says biologist Shuting Liu of South China Agricultural University.
"We wanted to make that vision possible using materials we already work with in the lab. Imagine glowing trees replacing streetlights."
Many of us surround ourselves with, and nurture, plant life. If that plant life were able to glow, like organisms such as fireflies and eldritch things deep in the ocean, it could provide a low-cost, solar-powered, and stunningly beautiful means of lighting our homes or gardens.
Scientists have experimented with various ways to do this, resulting in methods that are frustratingly complex and not exactly low cost.
Liu and her colleagues based their technique on afterglow phosphor particles, similar to the materials that go into glow-in-the-dark toys and stickers. This presented a few major challenges. Larger particles glow more strongly, but permeate the plant less effectively; and not all plants absorb and disseminate the particles well.
After experiments involving different plants, including golden pothos and bok choy, they found that the ideal particle size is 7 micrometers, about the same size as a human red blood cell. Contrary to their expectations, though, the densely tissued succulents produced the strongest, most even glow. The researchers thought plants with airier tissues would have been the best choice.
"It was really unexpected," Liu says. "The particles diffused in just seconds, and the entire succulent leaf glowed."
A cluster of glowing succulents emit enough light for reading.
The researchers developed a range of different colored glowing succulents.
(Liu et al., Matter, 2025)
If you've ever wanted to live your life adrift amid a sea of gently glowing succulents, that dream just got a tiny step closer.
A team of scientists at South China Agricultural University has managed to create succulents that glow in the dark through a process that can be recharged using sunlight. Moreover, they can glow in multiple different colors to form a rainbow of lights – even in the same succulent.
The glow doesn't last forever, and each leaf needs to be treated separately. But the first step of creating an injectable medium that makes the plant emit a gentle luminescence has been achieved.
"Picture the world of Avatar, where glowing plants light up an entire ecosystem," says biologist Shuting Liu of South China Agricultural University.
"We wanted to make that vision possible using materials we already work with in the lab. Imagine glowing trees replacing streetlights."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ_o8d6yL2k
Many of us surround ourselves with, and nurture, plant life. If that plant life were able to glow, like organisms such as fireflies and eldritch things deep in the ocean, it could provide a low-cost, solar-powered, and stunningly beautiful means of lighting our homes or gardens.
Scientists have experimented with various ways to do this, resulting in methods that are frustratingly complex and not exactly low cost.
Liu and her colleagues based their technique on afterglow phosphor particles, similar to the materials that go into glow-in-the-dark toys and stickers. This presented a few major challenges. Larger particles glow more strongly, but permeate the plant less effectively; and not all plants absorb and disseminate the particles well.
The tissue structure of succulents seems particularly well suited to glowing.
(Liu et al., Matter, 2025)
After experiments involving different plants, including golden pothos and bok choy, they found that the ideal particle size is 7 micrometers, about the same size as a human red blood cell. Contrary to their expectations, though, the densely tissued succulents produced the strongest, most even glow. The researchers thought plants with airier tissues would have been the best choice.
"It was really unexpected," Liu says. "The particles diffused in just seconds, and the entire succulent leaf glowed."
(Liu et al., Matter, 2025)
The next step is to work on improving the longevity of the plants' glow. After being recharged, each plant glows for about two hours – similar to glowing toys or stickers – and it gets weaker over time.
The initial experiments, though, show promise for a glowing rainbow of red, green, violet, and blue succulent plants that, in sufficient quantities, could provide enough light to read by.
"I just find it incredible that an entirely human-made, micro-scale material can come together so seamlessly with the natural structure of a plant," says Liu. "The way they integrate is almost magical. It creates a special kind of functionality."
The next step is to work on improving the longevity of the plants' glow. After being recharged, each plant glows for about two hours – similar to glowing toys or stickers – and it gets weaker over time.
The initial experiments, though, show promise for a glowing rainbow of red, green, violet, and blue succulent plants that, in sufficient quantities, could provide enough light to read by.
"I just find it incredible that an entirely human-made, micro-scale material can come together so seamlessly with the natural structure of a plant," says Liu. "The way they integrate is almost magical. It creates a special kind of functionality."
The Life of Earth
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
Smelling This One Specific Scent Can Boost The Brain's Gray Matter
28 Aug. 2025, By D. NIELD
There are many ways to boost brain power, from exercising more often to learning new skills. But what about boosting the actual size of your brain?
According to a new study, wearing the right kind of perfume or cologne can enlarge your brain's gray matter.
Researchers from Kyoto University and the University of Tsukuba in Japan asked 28 women to wear a specific rose scent oil on their clothing for a month, with another 22 volunteers enlisted as controls who put on plain water instead.
Magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) scans showed boosts in the gray matter volume of the rose scent participants.
While an increase in brain volume doesn't necessarily translate into more thinking power, the findings could have implications for neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia.
"This study is the first to show that continuous scent inhalation changes brain structure," write the researchers in their published paper.
We've seen scents like this improve memory and cognitive performance, but here the team wanted to try a longer-term experiment to see how triggering our sense of smell might lead to measurable changes in brain structure.
The researchers compared changes in the amount of gray matter tissue in specific areas of the brain. (Kokubun et al, Brain Res. Bull., 2025)
While overall gray matter increased, the difference varied by region. There was little change in the amygdala (where emotions are managed) or in the orbitofrontal cortex (where nice smells are processed). But there was significantly more gray matter in the posterior cingulate cortex or PCC (linked to memory and association).
Previous studies have shown that in people who have problems with their olfactory system, the amygdala (directly linked to smell) is less active, while the posterior cingulate cortex (indirectly linked to smell) is more active. The brain overcompensates, in a way.
The researchers suggest something similar might be happening here. The amygdala doesn't have to keep alerting the brain to the rose scent, because it's always there – but the posterior cingulate cortex has to continually process it and store related memories.
"The PCC is involved in memory-odor associations, odor memory retrieval, and semantic memory processes," write the researchers.
"The PCC, which processes odor memories, was more activated than the amygdala, which is responsible for sensing odors."
However, it's difficult to pin down exactly what's causing this boost in gray matter. Another possibility raised by the researchers is that the rose scent is actually labeled as unpleasant by the brain, with the subsequent emotional regulation responsible for the PCC working harder and increasing in size.
The researchers hope that the findings could be useful in the development of aromatherapies that boost mental health and brain plasticity. Adding a scent to clothing would be just like wearing perfume or aftershave – a cheap, easy to potentially benefit the health of your brain.
Further down the line, with further testing on different types of scents and bigger groups of people, the discoveries here could even be used to reduce the risk of dementia.
The PCC is known to shrink in people with Alzheimer's disease, and keeping it stimulated with fragrances could be a way of keeping this part of the brain active and functioning well.
"Therefore, the result of the current study suggests that continuous inhalation of rose essential oil may prevent brain atrophy and prevent dementia," the researchers explain.
(Ippei Naoi/Moment/Getty Images)
There are many ways to boost brain power, from exercising more often to learning new skills. But what about boosting the actual size of your brain?
According to a new study, wearing the right kind of perfume or cologne can enlarge your brain's gray matter.
Researchers from Kyoto University and the University of Tsukuba in Japan asked 28 women to wear a specific rose scent oil on their clothing for a month, with another 22 volunteers enlisted as controls who put on plain water instead.
Magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) scans showed boosts in the gray matter volume of the rose scent participants.
While an increase in brain volume doesn't necessarily translate into more thinking power, the findings could have implications for neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia.
"This study is the first to show that continuous scent inhalation changes brain structure," write the researchers in their published paper.
We've seen scents like this improve memory and cognitive performance, but here the team wanted to try a longer-term experiment to see how triggering our sense of smell might lead to measurable changes in brain structure.
While overall gray matter increased, the difference varied by region. There was little change in the amygdala (where emotions are managed) or in the orbitofrontal cortex (where nice smells are processed). But there was significantly more gray matter in the posterior cingulate cortex or PCC (linked to memory and association).
Previous studies have shown that in people who have problems with their olfactory system, the amygdala (directly linked to smell) is less active, while the posterior cingulate cortex (indirectly linked to smell) is more active. The brain overcompensates, in a way.
The researchers suggest something similar might be happening here. The amygdala doesn't have to keep alerting the brain to the rose scent, because it's always there – but the posterior cingulate cortex has to continually process it and store related memories.
"The PCC is involved in memory-odor associations, odor memory retrieval, and semantic memory processes," write the researchers.
"The PCC, which processes odor memories, was more activated than the amygdala, which is responsible for sensing odors."
However, it's difficult to pin down exactly what's causing this boost in gray matter. Another possibility raised by the researchers is that the rose scent is actually labeled as unpleasant by the brain, with the subsequent emotional regulation responsible for the PCC working harder and increasing in size.
The researchers hope that the findings could be useful in the development of aromatherapies that boost mental health and brain plasticity. Adding a scent to clothing would be just like wearing perfume or aftershave – a cheap, easy to potentially benefit the health of your brain.
Further down the line, with further testing on different types of scents and bigger groups of people, the discoveries here could even be used to reduce the risk of dementia.
The PCC is known to shrink in people with Alzheimer's disease, and keeping it stimulated with fragrances could be a way of keeping this part of the brain active and functioning well.
"Therefore, the result of the current study suggests that continuous inhalation of rose essential oil may prevent brain atrophy and prevent dementia," the researchers explain.
The Life of Earth
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
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