Gleanings of the Week Ending June 8, 2024

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.

Picture this: Snapping photos of our food could be good for us – A study that showed that when people take pictures of what they eat…a more accurate food record (than people’s memory) is obtained and can be analyzed to improve diet! I might try this…do a little self-analysis.

People Are Spotting Rare, Blue-Eyed Cicadas Around Illinois – Most periodic cicadas have red eyes….but this year some have blue! We aren’t hearing cicadas yet at our house even though our area of Missouri is in the range of Brood XIX.  

The people racing to build shelters outside tornado alley – It does seem like there have been more violent storms outside of the traditional tornado alley recently. Even in tornado alley – many houses are built on slab foundations (i.e. no basement) and don’t have storm shelters. My husband was the first to voice the requirement for a basement when we were looking at houses in Missouri…and we ended up buying one with the storm shelter too (in the basement and reenforced).

Relics of a Warmer Past, Some Species May Be Suited to a Hotter Future - By the end of this century, the planet is expected to be approximately as warm as it was 130,000 years ago. Species that arose during this time (like the African grass rat) would be able to withstand a hotter climate. A new model projects that there will be a 39% drop in the number of resident species in tropical lands due to excessive heat.

In a Seismic Shift, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Elevates Nature-Based Solutions – Finally! Some examples of solutions that are nature based include: Floodplains, Living shorelines, Beaches, Dunes, Wetlands, Reefs, Islands, Green roofs, Tree canopies, Rain gardens, Bioswales, Retention basins, and Permeable and pervious pavements. The upcoming rule issued by the Army Corps is expected to further institutionalize the nature-based future landscape architects have pushed for. But more advocacy will be needed to spread the benefits of designing with nature across all the communities with which the Army Corps engages.

7 Strange Species from the Ocean’s Depths – How many of these have you heard about before? I’d heard of 6 of the 7…the one that was new to me was the Yeti Crab. I didn’t know the Greenland Shark was the same as Ommatokoita though.

Women are 14 times more likely to die in a climate disaster than men. It’s just one way climate change is gendered – And women represent 80% of people displaced by extreme weather. The reasons include women’s pre-existing social and economic disadvantage…and their responsibility for caring for other vulnerable groups, such as children or older people. The author is writing about Australia…but this probably is happening around the world too.

Giant Pandas are returning to D.C.'s National Zoo – Hurray! The new pandas are due before the end of the year and the zoo is upgrading the building and outdoor space now to be ready for their arrival.

Cool Pavements Show Promise as Part of Urban Climate Resilience Strategy – Results from a pilot project in LA that applied a solar-reflective pavement coating, to more than 700,000 square feet of neighborhood streets and another special coatings to basketball courts, parking lots, a school playground, and a colorful community mural by a local artist in July 2022. The study results were published in April 2024: reductions in ambient air temperatures by as much as 3.5°F during extreme heat events and a 25-50 percent reduction in the local census-tract urban heat island index during daytime temperature peaks. The research also indicated notable reductions of up to 10°F or more in surface temperatures following the application of solar reflective pavement coatings, which directly correlated to a reduction in air temperature and felt temperature in the community.

Riverdance at 30: how Riverdance shaped Irish dance, and reflected a multicultural Australia – The history of Irish dancing….and the impact of Riverdance. The article includes multiple videos.

Gleanings of the Week Ending September 9, 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.

Extreme Weather is the “New Norm” - There is high confidence that human induced climate change from greenhouse emissions, is the main driver.

A Visit to North America's Only Authenticated Viking Site - L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site (in Newfoundland), the only authenticated Viking site in North America. Credit for this discovery in the 1960s goes to Norwegian explorer/writer Helge Ingstad and his archaeologist wife Anne Stine.

Earth’s hottest month: these charts show what happened in July and what comes next – The intense heat this summer has killed Saguaro cactus!

Ötzi the Iceman’s Genome Sequenced – 90% of his ancestry came from Anatolian farmers. Genome analysis revealed he had high skin pigmentation, dark eyes, and male pattern baldness!

Common wristbands 'hotbed' for harmful bacteria including E. coli, staphylococcus – I am glad the band on my Garmin is metal since it likely harbors a lot less bacteria than a plastic, rubber, cloth, or leather band. However, I still need to get in the habit of cleaning it more often.

Fully Intact Giant Panda Skeleton Discovered in Chinese Emperor’s 2,000-Year-Old Tomb – There was also an Asian taper in the tomb.  The article suggests that perhaps the animals were included in the tomb as a part of a replica royal garden.

Medications for chronic diseases affect the body's ability to regulate body temperature, keep cool - Medications used to treat common chronic conditions, like blood thinners, blood pressure drugs, Parkinson's disease/Alzheimer's medications, and some chemotherapy drugs, can make it harder for the human body to handle hot weather by reducing its ability to sweat or increase blood flow to the skin. Hopefully doctors will become more aware of this issue – particularly for their elderly patients that are already at increased risk because of their age for heat related issues.

Trapped: Australia’s extraordinary alpine insects are being marooned on mountaintops as the world warms – The grasshopper with the turquoise exoskeleton snagged my attention. This movement up mountains and then becoming marooned must be happening around the world.

Chromium replaces rare and expensive noble metals – Osmium and ruthenium replaced with, much more abundant, chromium? More research is needed, but it might be possible.

Photos of the Week – August 13, 2023 from the Prairie Ecologist – Another example of enjoying some photography even when it is hot and humid!

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 15, 2022

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.

Top 25 Birds of the Week: January 2022 – This set includes a photo of a white-throated sparrow…one of the birds we see at our feeders only in the winter (along with juncos).

Threatened and Endangered Parks: Ghost Forests and rising seas – I recognized Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in the pictures; I’ve visited it more frequently that any other NWR…and have observed some changes over the years. It was the first place I saw a bald eagle in the wild…back in 1990.

Musfur sinkhole: The chasm in Qatar’s desert. – Usually we think of the Arabian Peninsula being full of sand…but there are evidently sinkholes as well…deep enough to show layers of limestone and gypsum.

The Western megadrought is revealing America’s ‘lost national park’ – The water level in Lake Powell has fallen so much that Glen Canyon is revealed again. Gorgeous.

California mice eat Monarch butterflies – Mice eating butterflies that are on the ground had been observed in Mexico’s aggregation site…and now a similar interaction has been observed at a site in California where the Monarch’s aggregate.

Race and ethnicity across the nation – Data from the most recent census visualized on a map. Explore some places you know.

Findings open the way to more precise diagnoses and treatments of Alzheimer’s disease – A difference in Tau protein relates to slow or rapid development of the disease. There is a lot of research on the Alzheimer’s and other diseases that cause cognitive decline going on; with aging populations around globe, it is important to refine the way the diseases are diagnosed…and then treated. One treatment is not going to work for all.

Here's what you should keep in your car and other ways to prepare for winter driving – After the recent prolonged closure of I-95 in Virginia, I started thinking more about this…and will pack a few extra things in my car if I make a road trip to Texas this winter. I would normally have the items listed in the article anyway since I am minimizing the need to stop along the way during the pandemic (but I would need to check the batteries in the flashlight…and add some extras). I would add a sleeping bag too since it is relatively compact and would make it a lot easier to stay warm; I was surprised that this item was not on the list in the article. And I will not wait until the gas tank is down below ¼ tank before I stop for more!

See something weird at the bird feeder? It’s not just you – So far, the only somewhat unusual bird I’ve seen at our feeder was a red-breasted nuthatch; we see the white-breasted ones all the time but there was a season that we had a few of the red-breasted birds too.

See Pandas, Elephants, Cheetahs and More Enjoy a Snow Day at the National Zoo – Fun in the snow…the young panda seems to enjoy rolling or sliding down hills!

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 30, 2021

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.

I am featuring videos this week….including the newest baby panda in the US and historic houses. I discovered that a lot of house-type museums have increased their virtual content during the pandemic. The historic houses I picked for this post are ones I have visited in the past. Some I have visited more than once (Mount Vernon and Monticello, for example). It’s fun to savor them virtually!

Panda Cub’s virtual debut – From the National Zoo…video is just over 2 minutes

Virtual visits to the Newport Mansions -  3D tours From the Preservation Society of Newport County. Includes The Elms, Marble House, Hunter House, Isaac Bell House, Chateau-ser-Mer, Chepstow, and Kingscote.

The Mark Twain House in Hartford, CT – 3D tour

Mount Vernon – George Washington’s house. 3D of the gardens and mansion

Lyndhurst – Several 3D views….including at Christmas and Halloween

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens – Florida. 3D with links to historic photos of the same area

Monticello – Thomas Jefferson’s house. 3D tour. There is also a Google Arts and Culture tour with video/photos.

Olana’s Historic Landscape Video Tour – Frederic  and Isabel Church home.

Val-Kill tour – Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site from Google Arts and Culture

Wilderstein – Online exhibit, aerial tour, and landscape tour. The house was the Suckley residence for 3 generations from 1852 to 1991.

Gleanings of the Week Ending December 29, 2018

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.

From High Above, A New Way of Seeing Our Urban Planet - Yale E360 – Cities – growing and growing. It is mind boggling that urban population has grown from 751 million in 1950 to 4,200 million today.

How changing labs revealed a chemical reaction key to cataract formation: Researchers studying eye lens find a new function for a protein previously thought to be inert -- ScienceDaily – Learning more about the chemistry behind cataract formation….not a treatment yet but better understanding can be the path toward slowing or more targeted treatment of cataracts.

Curious Kids: What are some of the challenges to Mars travel? – A series from The Conversation (in Australia) for children…but interesting to adults too. Kids ask the best questions!

A DOZEN WAYS FAMILIES CAN #OPTOUTSIDE EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR | Children & Nature Network – I’m on a role with the child focused gleanings right now…I would add to the list: find easy access natural spaces (near where you work or live) and visit them as often as possible.

VIDEO: We Hope Your Day Is As Great As This Snow-Loving Panda’s: NPR – Pandas are such a visual treat. This is Bei Bei at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo back in November.  My husband and I missed the snow (we were in New Mexico).

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week: Owls – National Geographic Blog – 2018 was my first sighting of barn owls in the wild…awesome.

Ragweed Is on The Move – National Geographic Blog – Not such a big change in the south….in Kansas City the season is prolonged by 23 days. For those people allergic to ragweed…that is a miserable trend.

Some health related posts: Blood pressure: Early treatment advised by US guidelines has no survival benefits -- ScienceDaily and Your heart hates air pollution; portable filters could help -- ScienceDaily – At least the second one was actionable; I now have a portable filter in my bedroom and I think it is reducing my cat allergy – maybe more.

Aerial photos of U.S. national parks from space – I love national parks. Everyone I have been to has had something spectacular to offer. It’s sad that they are all mostly closed (if the bathrooms and visitor centers are not open….they are closed) for this week (partial government shutdown).

How do different light bulbs work? – in C&EN | Compound Interest – Light bulbs have changed a lot during my lifetime. Hopefully now we are on track to have bulbs that are closer to the natural sunlight spectrum so that the light does not cause eye or sleep problems.