Gleanings of the Week Ending May 13, 2023

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

The chemistry of the coronation crowns – Not included in other reporting of the coronation in the UK…

Surging Brain Activity in Dying People May Be a Sign of Near-Death Experiences – An observation that surges of gamma waves occurred in the brain of two comatose patients when they were taken off life support and their heart stopped. Not enough evidence yet to know if this is a mechanism that happens more frequently at death…but it is an intriguing possibility.

A special omega-3 fatty acid lipid will change how we look at the developing and aging brain – Perhaps something that will develop into a treatment to help sustain myelin sheaths of our nerves better as we get older.

The puzzle of Neanderthal aesthetics – More evidence that Neanderthals might have been capable of the kind of complex symbolic concepts and behaviors that characterize our own species.

A Brighter Future for Attwater’s Prairie Chickens – Native to the coastal plains for Texas and Louisiana. Overhunting (commercial markets and shooting contests), land development, fire ant invasion…by the 1990s, fewer than 100 birds remained in the wild. Captive breeding began with some success. Hurricane Harvey wiped out nearly 90% of the wild population in 2017. Landowners have enlarged the habitat available to the birds…and there are now at about 250 wild birds.

Busts Provide New Insight into Spain’s Tartessos People – Carved of stone…dated to 5th century BC. Not much is known about the people except that they were goldsmiths.

Supreme Court Slaps Down Fossil Fuel Companies — Five Times! – Good news….the power of litigation as a tool for climate action can continue to move forward.

People who think positively about aging are more likely to recover memory – There is a power in positive thinking!

What causes the scum on tea? – Calcium and bicarbonate ions are the culprits. Adding lemon juice can be the cure!

Six ways to lower your carbon emissions quickly – The easiest one for me is to not fly; my husband and I haven’t flown for the past few years (since before COVID-19)!