Photo: Kateryna Hliznitsova / Unsplash+
In today’s edition, early screening and advances in treatment have brought UK cancer deaths to an all-time low; statistics measuring sustainability in EU forests show most countries in the bloc have more growth than harvesting; and a Washington state cafe has a way to make new friends the way some find new dates.
The most dramatic improvement has been in cervical cancer, with deaths down 75% since the 1970s largely due to the HPV vaccine. Stomach, lung, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers also have significantly fewer death rates, from a combination of improved treatments and more screening, allowing earlier detection.
Source: The Conversation
According to new analysis of 2023 data from Eurostat, all but one of the EU countries with available data had a forest harvesting level that was lower than growth. Romania, Sweden, and Poland led, with Romania alone showing a surplus of nearly 40 million cubic meters. Data from Greece, Spain, and Italy were not available.
Source: Brussels Times
Cafe Con Arte in Pasco, Washington, started hosting ‘speed-friending’ evenings, something like platonic speed dating, to give locals an opportunity to make new friends. Some experts say the US has a current ‘epidemic’ of loneliness, with 12-20% of people reporting having no friends compared to 3% in 1990.
Source: Northwest Public Broadcasting
Built into chunky, black-rimmed frames that have a camera, microphone and speakers, the tech guides wearers through everyday life by means of a chatty assistant called Wispy, helpful cues, and floating text. The developer CrossSense recently won the Longitude Prize on Dementia with £1 million to scale their solution.
Source: The Guardian
College students collaborated in the writing of a new law in California that requires public universities to offer rehabilitation services to students experiencing an overdose and reaching out for help. Before this, students had the choice to remain quiet and not seek help or to face disciplinary action after the event.
Source: CalMatters
18-year-old Mia Heller of Virginia recently won a $500 science prize for her invention of a reusable filter that removes 96% of microplastic particles from drinking water. Inspired by seeing the effort and waste of frequent water filter changes, Heller designed a water holder with a spinning vial containing a magnetic oil called ferrofluid.
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
Figures released this week by the World Wildlife Fund Mexico showed that the area occupied by monarchs expanded to 2.93 hectares (7.24 acres) of forest from 1.79 hectares (4.42 acres) the previous winter, the largest coverage since 2018. The population of the at-risk species had nearly tripled.
Source: The Guardian
The Ugandan government, in cooperation with conservation groups, introduced four rhinos to a remote national park in the northwest of the country, where no rhino has been sighted since 1983. Their disappearance was due to poaching, but new technologies and advanced security give hope for success.
Source: AP
Scientists in British Columbia are studying a particular pyrophilous, or fire-loving, fungi that carpet the burnt landscape after wildfires. They say the tiny colourful cups play an important role in stabilising soil structure, and understanding how they work can inform efforts to help the ecosystem recover from fire.
Source: Biographic
Corie Pierce of Bread and Butter Farm in Shelburne shows how using regenerative farming techniques builds soil resilience, enabling it to act as a giant sponge to withstand flooding. A multi-faceted operation, the farm offers jobs and farm-share veggies to the community, as well as educational programmes.
Source: PBS
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