Science & Environment
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At one time Regina was the chopstick capital of the world. Its all about the right cultivar of poplar.
Fun fact:
Did you know white poplar (abundant in Saskatchewan) has antiseptic properties that make chopsticks reusable?
Student inspecting dinosaur fossils discovers a new species
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Kyle Melnick, The Washington Post
Published Feb 01, 2024 • Last updated 3 days ago • 4 minute read
Kyle Atkins-Weltman, a PhD student at Oklahoma State University, ordered and studied femur, tibia and metatarsal bones that he initially thought were from an Anzu wyliei.
Kyle Atkins-Weltman, a PhD student at Oklahoma State University, ordered and studied femur, tibia and metatarsal bones that he initially thought were from an Anzu wyliei.
While examining dinosaur fossils for a school project a few years ago, Kyle Atkins-Weltman noticed a few irregularities.
He set out to study bones that were believed to belong to an Anzu wyliei, a birdlike dinosaur known as the “Chicken From Hell.” But the bones he had received from a fossil collector were smaller than expected. He figured they must have come from a young Anzu and sent them to an anatomy professor for further inspection.
When Atkins-Weltman received the results a few months later, he said he felt his “heart skip a beat.” The bones weren’t from an Anzu or any other known dinosaurs; Atkins-Weltman, a master’s student, had discovered a new species.
Last week, Atkins-Weltman, who’s now a PhD student at Oklahoma State University, revealed the discovery of Eoneophron infernalis, a birdlike species that was similar but smaller than the Anzu.
Researchers think that, like Anzu, Eoneophron infernalis had long claws and legs, toothless beaks, feathers across their bodies and short tails. But Eoneophron infernalis stood more than 3 feet tall and weighed around 160 pounds – about 2 feet shorter and 400 pounds lighter than Anzu.
Atkins-Weltman, 28, told The Washington Post he never expected to discover and name a species, especially while in college.
“It took me at least maybe two or three days to really wrap my head around that because it was just so serendipitous,” said Atkins-Weltman, who’s studying anatomy and vertebrate paleontology. “… It started out not with an eureka, but with a ‘Hmm, that’s odd.'”
Atkins-Weltman has been interested in dinosaurs for as long as he can remember. As a child, one of the few ways he stopped crying was when someone showed him pictures of dinosaurs or reptiles. While others wanted the humans to escape in the Jurassic Park films, Atkins-Weltman said he rooted for the dinosaurs.
While pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Kansas in January 2020, Atkins-Weltman embarked on a project to research nine dinosaur species. He ordered what was believed to be an Anzu’s femur, tibia and metatarsal bones for $5,000 from a fossil seller. Researchers had found the bones in the Hell Creek Formation, an area that covers Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, where many dinosaur fossils have been discovered.
Anzu fossils were initially found there in the early 2010s. Scientists nicknamed the species the “Chicken From Hell” because it appeared to be like a human-size chicken.
Anzu femurs were perpendicular, but when Atkins-Weltman studied the bones, he said the femur head was shorter than expected and sat at an oblique angle. Plus, he said, the ankle bones he examined were fused to the tibia – a bone structure Anzu weren’t known to possess.
Hoping to learn more about the dinosaur, Atkins-Weltman sent the bones to Holly Woodward, an Oklahoma State University anatomy professor, in the summer of 2020. Woodward sliced the middle of the bones and examined them through a microscope.
Rings inside young animals’ bones are usually spaced widely, indicating rapid growth, Woodward said. But the rings inside the bones Atkins-Weltman ordered were close together, suggesting that the dinosaur’s growth had slowed and almost reached its peak, Woodward said.
Woodward said the bones probably belonged to an adult or subadult dinosaur. Researchers concluded that the bones weren’t from an Anzu child that would grow out of its bone structures; they were from an undiscovered species with distinct characteristics.
While Atkins-Weltman had wondered why the bones were structured differently, he didn’t expect them to be from a new species.
Previous research had found that dinosaur populations were declining before an asteroid exterminated them about 66 million years ago, but Atkins-Weltman said his discovery shows that the biodiversity of Caenagnathidae – the family of Anzu and Eoneophron infernalis – was thriving.
Although professional researchers are the ones who usually discover new species, Atkins-Weltman isn’t the first student in recent years to do so. Last year, an Alabama teenager may have discovered a previously unknown whale species on her family’s property, and two Tennessee college students identified what may be a new crayfish. Also last year, Montana State University reported that a student helped find a new dinosaur species.
In February 2021, Woodward sent the Eoneophron infernalis bones to be preserved at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Atkins-Weltman, meanwhile, continued working on the research project that led him to Eoneophron infernalis. He’s now studying the Tyrannosaurus rex.
He’s excited about his recent breakthrough, which was published in the journal PLOS One, but he feels pressure to eventually produce something better.
“You’ve set up this bar that you know everybody’s going to hold everything else you do up to,” Atkins-Weltman said.
He says he wants to create a museum that immerses visitors in the Cretaceous in North America. There would be triceratops models, plants from that period and other dinosaurs. After his discovery, Atkins-Weltman might include Eoneophron infernalis models, too.![oklahoma-dino[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/19/19263-00dac14907e477b1208e00f3163c79fe.jpg "oklahoma-dino[1].jpg")
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Kyle Melnick, The Washington Post
Published Feb 01, 2024 • Last updated 3 days ago • 4 minute read
Kyle Atkins-Weltman, a PhD student at Oklahoma State University, ordered and studied femur, tibia and metatarsal bones that he initially thought were from an Anzu wyliei.
Kyle Atkins-Weltman, a PhD student at Oklahoma State University, ordered and studied femur, tibia and metatarsal bones that he initially thought were from an Anzu wyliei.
While examining dinosaur fossils for a school project a few years ago, Kyle Atkins-Weltman noticed a few irregularities.
He set out to study bones that were believed to belong to an Anzu wyliei, a birdlike dinosaur known as the “Chicken From Hell.” But the bones he had received from a fossil collector were smaller than expected. He figured they must have come from a young Anzu and sent them to an anatomy professor for further inspection.
When Atkins-Weltman received the results a few months later, he said he felt his “heart skip a beat.” The bones weren’t from an Anzu or any other known dinosaurs; Atkins-Weltman, a master’s student, had discovered a new species.
Last week, Atkins-Weltman, who’s now a PhD student at Oklahoma State University, revealed the discovery of Eoneophron infernalis, a birdlike species that was similar but smaller than the Anzu.
Researchers think that, like Anzu, Eoneophron infernalis had long claws and legs, toothless beaks, feathers across their bodies and short tails. But Eoneophron infernalis stood more than 3 feet tall and weighed around 160 pounds – about 2 feet shorter and 400 pounds lighter than Anzu.
Atkins-Weltman, 28, told The Washington Post he never expected to discover and name a species, especially while in college.
“It took me at least maybe two or three days to really wrap my head around that because it was just so serendipitous,” said Atkins-Weltman, who’s studying anatomy and vertebrate paleontology. “… It started out not with an eureka, but with a ‘Hmm, that’s odd.'”
Atkins-Weltman has been interested in dinosaurs for as long as he can remember. As a child, one of the few ways he stopped crying was when someone showed him pictures of dinosaurs or reptiles. While others wanted the humans to escape in the Jurassic Park films, Atkins-Weltman said he rooted for the dinosaurs.
While pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Kansas in January 2020, Atkins-Weltman embarked on a project to research nine dinosaur species. He ordered what was believed to be an Anzu’s femur, tibia and metatarsal bones for $5,000 from a fossil seller. Researchers had found the bones in the Hell Creek Formation, an area that covers Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, where many dinosaur fossils have been discovered.
Anzu fossils were initially found there in the early 2010s. Scientists nicknamed the species the “Chicken From Hell” because it appeared to be like a human-size chicken.
Anzu femurs were perpendicular, but when Atkins-Weltman studied the bones, he said the femur head was shorter than expected and sat at an oblique angle. Plus, he said, the ankle bones he examined were fused to the tibia – a bone structure Anzu weren’t known to possess.
Hoping to learn more about the dinosaur, Atkins-Weltman sent the bones to Holly Woodward, an Oklahoma State University anatomy professor, in the summer of 2020. Woodward sliced the middle of the bones and examined them through a microscope.
Rings inside young animals’ bones are usually spaced widely, indicating rapid growth, Woodward said. But the rings inside the bones Atkins-Weltman ordered were close together, suggesting that the dinosaur’s growth had slowed and almost reached its peak, Woodward said.
Woodward said the bones probably belonged to an adult or subadult dinosaur. Researchers concluded that the bones weren’t from an Anzu child that would grow out of its bone structures; they were from an undiscovered species with distinct characteristics.
While Atkins-Weltman had wondered why the bones were structured differently, he didn’t expect them to be from a new species.
Previous research had found that dinosaur populations were declining before an asteroid exterminated them about 66 million years ago, but Atkins-Weltman said his discovery shows that the biodiversity of Caenagnathidae – the family of Anzu and Eoneophron infernalis – was thriving.
Although professional researchers are the ones who usually discover new species, Atkins-Weltman isn’t the first student in recent years to do so. Last year, an Alabama teenager may have discovered a previously unknown whale species on her family’s property, and two Tennessee college students identified what may be a new crayfish. Also last year, Montana State University reported that a student helped find a new dinosaur species.
In February 2021, Woodward sent the Eoneophron infernalis bones to be preserved at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Atkins-Weltman, meanwhile, continued working on the research project that led him to Eoneophron infernalis. He’s now studying the Tyrannosaurus rex.
He’s excited about his recent breakthrough, which was published in the journal PLOS One, but he feels pressure to eventually produce something better.
“You’ve set up this bar that you know everybody’s going to hold everything else you do up to,” Atkins-Weltman said.
He says he wants to create a museum that immerses visitors in the Cretaceous in North America. There would be triceratops models, plants from that period and other dinosaurs. After his discovery, Atkins-Weltman might include Eoneophron infernalis models, too.
Student inspecting dinosaur fossils discovers a new species
While examining dinosaur fossils for a school project a few years ago, Kyle Atkins-Weltman noticed a few irregularities.
Link between long-suspended medical treatment and Alzheimer's: Study
The study was done by University College London
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Feb 02, 2024 • 2 minute read
For the first time, researchers have reportedly linked Alzheimer’s disease to a specific medical treatment.
A study by University College London (UCL) published in Nature Medicine has linked growth hormone treatments to the development of Alzheimer’s, Fox Digital News reported.
Alzheimer’s is caused by a buildup of amyloid proteins in the brain with age and family history among risk factors.
The UCL researchers studied eight patients who, as children, got human growth hormone from the pituitary glands of dead people (c-hGH), which has been shown to lead to greater amounts of amyloid-beta protein in the brain.
The study said five patients developed symptoms of dementia and had already been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or met the criteria of the disease.
All were between ages 38-55 when they began experiencing cognitive decline and genetic testing confirmed the early disease was not inherited.
“We have found that it is possible for amyloid-beta pathology to be transmitted and contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” said first author Dr. Gargi Banerjee, a researcher at the UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, in the news release.
“This transmission occurred following treatment with a now-obsolete form of growth hormone, and involved repeated treatments with contaminated material, often over several years. There is no suggestion whatsoever that Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted between individuals during activities of daily life or routine medical care.”
The researchers emphasized that Alzheimer’s disease cannot be transmitted from person-to-person contact.
“The patients we have described were given a specific and long-discontinued medical treatment that involved injecting patients with material now known to have been contaminated with disease-related proteins,” said the lead author of the research, Professor John Collinge, director of the UCL Institute of Prion Diseases and a consultant neurologist at UCLH, in the release.
The particular growth hormone treatment referred to in the study was suspended in 1985 when it was found to cause degenerative brain disorder Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in some people, causing dementia and death.
torontosun.com
The study was done by University College London
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Feb 02, 2024 • 2 minute read
For the first time, researchers have reportedly linked Alzheimer’s disease to a specific medical treatment.
A study by University College London (UCL) published in Nature Medicine has linked growth hormone treatments to the development of Alzheimer’s, Fox Digital News reported.
Alzheimer’s is caused by a buildup of amyloid proteins in the brain with age and family history among risk factors.
The UCL researchers studied eight patients who, as children, got human growth hormone from the pituitary glands of dead people (c-hGH), which has been shown to lead to greater amounts of amyloid-beta protein in the brain.
The study said five patients developed symptoms of dementia and had already been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or met the criteria of the disease.
All were between ages 38-55 when they began experiencing cognitive decline and genetic testing confirmed the early disease was not inherited.
“We have found that it is possible for amyloid-beta pathology to be transmitted and contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” said first author Dr. Gargi Banerjee, a researcher at the UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, in the news release.
“This transmission occurred following treatment with a now-obsolete form of growth hormone, and involved repeated treatments with contaminated material, often over several years. There is no suggestion whatsoever that Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted between individuals during activities of daily life or routine medical care.”
The researchers emphasized that Alzheimer’s disease cannot be transmitted from person-to-person contact.
“The patients we have described were given a specific and long-discontinued medical treatment that involved injecting patients with material now known to have been contaminated with disease-related proteins,” said the lead author of the research, Professor John Collinge, director of the UCL Institute of Prion Diseases and a consultant neurologist at UCLH, in the release.
The particular growth hormone treatment referred to in the study was suspended in 1985 when it was found to cause degenerative brain disorder Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in some people, causing dementia and death.
Link between long-suspended medical treatment and Alzheimer's: Study
For the first time, researchers have reportedly linked Alzheimer’s disease to a specific medical treatment.
Tropical New Brunswick home to Dr. Seuss-like tree from around 350 million years ago
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Hina Alam
Published Feb 05, 2024 • 3 minute read
A Sanfordiacaulis model with simplified branching structure for easier visualization is shown in this handout image provided by Tim Stonesifer. Note that humans are provided for scale but did not exist concurrently with the tree.
A Sanfordiacaulis model with simplified branching structure for easier visualization is shown in this handout image provided by Tim Stonesifer. Note that humans are provided for scale but did not exist concurrently with the tree. PHOTO BY TIM STONESIFER/HANDOUT /The Canadian Press
FREDERICTON — An enigmatic fossil uncovered seven years ago in a New Brunswick quarry has been found to reveal an extinct tree with a narrow trunk and a top like a pompom, a remnant from a time before dinosaurs walked the Earth.
A paper published last week in the journal Current Biology opens a window into a world of plants during the Carboniferous period, when New Brunswick was a tropical land within 10 degrees of the equator.
Matt Stimson, one of the authors of the study, who works at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, said the plant is from a time of flux when flora and fauna were starting to adapt and diversify on land.
The tree was a “failed experiment of evolution” and didn’t survive, but he said it helps researchers understand the complexity of forests. And finding an intact fossilized tree is unusual, he added.
“This is very rare — and by very rare, only a few have ever been found in … the whole of the fossil record,” he said. “Not just at this time, but anywhere in geological time, where the stem, the branches, the leaves are attached and complete.”
The fossil was found in 2017 in a quarry in Norton, N.B., about 80 kilometres southeast of Fredericton. Before publishing, the researchers had to verify their discovery and make sure the science was accurate and that they had actually found something brand new, he said.
“Ultimately science takes time. Big claims require big proof.”
Stimson said he was doing summer fieldwork with Olivia King, a graduate student at Saint Mary’s University, when they saw a large stone with seeming discoloration, and began to gently excavate around it. The more than 300-million-year-old fossil preserved in a two-tonne boulder then began to reveal itself — a spiral configuration of leaves attached to a trunk.
The area where the fossil was found would have been a lake bed, sitting on a fault line, back when the tree grew. Stimson said an earthquake tore down the tree and it was buried in layers of sand.
Adrian Park, a co-author of the paper who works at the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, said another unique thing about the fossil is that it was preserved in a 3D-like state.
“Usually, a tree falls over and it gets buried in the mud. That mud compacts into a rock, and then in the process, fossils are just pressed down on a single layer … on a flat surface,” he said.
“Whereas in this case, the branches actually penetrate through the layers. And the layers themselves are very contorted. … The sand very quickly poured in from the top and preserved it in three dimensions.”
The tree, named Sanfordiacaulis densifolia after the quarry where it was found, had a 16-centimetre soft trunk, stood three metres tall and had a “bottle brush” canopy of 250 leaves, each measuring about 1.75 metres, he said.
Stimson called it more of a “giant plant” than a tree.
“They were like giant ferns or very odd Dr. Seuss-like trees, very different than anything today,” he said, referring to illustrations by the beloved children’s book author.
“The branches or the leaves come directly off the stem and they are in a spiral pattern coming out horizontally from the tree … in a very dense fashion.”
Stimson said that structure would have allowed the tree to capture as much sunlight as possible after it travelled through the forest’s upper and middle canopies to the ground level where smaller shrubbery type plants of its kind sat.
This plant tells us what the forest was like back then, he said. There are not many fossils of plants from this period on Earth, known as Romer’s gap. Although this plant was a failed experiment, those that have survived are ancestors to the forests today but in a much different form, he added. The club mosses, for instance, he said, were up to 30 metres in height during the early Carboniferous period but now measure just a few centimetres.
The Carboniferous period when these trees were found was also a time of transition with swamps teeming with life, including ferns with spores, millipedes and giant, salamander-like creatures that were starting to crawl out of the water, he said.
“These early forests harboured and provided a home for the first amphibians that made the transition from water to land. You certainly wouldn’t want to go swimming in the waters,” Stimson said. “There were giant sea scorpions, very big fish with teeth … millipedes and other types of bugs were starting to crawl on land.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Hina Alam
Published Feb 05, 2024 • 3 minute read
A Sanfordiacaulis model with simplified branching structure for easier visualization is shown in this handout image provided by Tim Stonesifer. Note that humans are provided for scale but did not exist concurrently with the tree.
A Sanfordiacaulis model with simplified branching structure for easier visualization is shown in this handout image provided by Tim Stonesifer. Note that humans are provided for scale but did not exist concurrently with the tree. PHOTO BY TIM STONESIFER/HANDOUT /The Canadian Press
FREDERICTON — An enigmatic fossil uncovered seven years ago in a New Brunswick quarry has been found to reveal an extinct tree with a narrow trunk and a top like a pompom, a remnant from a time before dinosaurs walked the Earth.
A paper published last week in the journal Current Biology opens a window into a world of plants during the Carboniferous period, when New Brunswick was a tropical land within 10 degrees of the equator.
Matt Stimson, one of the authors of the study, who works at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, said the plant is from a time of flux when flora and fauna were starting to adapt and diversify on land.
The tree was a “failed experiment of evolution” and didn’t survive, but he said it helps researchers understand the complexity of forests. And finding an intact fossilized tree is unusual, he added.
“This is very rare — and by very rare, only a few have ever been found in … the whole of the fossil record,” he said. “Not just at this time, but anywhere in geological time, where the stem, the branches, the leaves are attached and complete.”
The fossil was found in 2017 in a quarry in Norton, N.B., about 80 kilometres southeast of Fredericton. Before publishing, the researchers had to verify their discovery and make sure the science was accurate and that they had actually found something brand new, he said.
“Ultimately science takes time. Big claims require big proof.”
Stimson said he was doing summer fieldwork with Olivia King, a graduate student at Saint Mary’s University, when they saw a large stone with seeming discoloration, and began to gently excavate around it. The more than 300-million-year-old fossil preserved in a two-tonne boulder then began to reveal itself — a spiral configuration of leaves attached to a trunk.
The area where the fossil was found would have been a lake bed, sitting on a fault line, back when the tree grew. Stimson said an earthquake tore down the tree and it was buried in layers of sand.
Adrian Park, a co-author of the paper who works at the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, said another unique thing about the fossil is that it was preserved in a 3D-like state.
“Usually, a tree falls over and it gets buried in the mud. That mud compacts into a rock, and then in the process, fossils are just pressed down on a single layer … on a flat surface,” he said.
“Whereas in this case, the branches actually penetrate through the layers. And the layers themselves are very contorted. … The sand very quickly poured in from the top and preserved it in three dimensions.”
The tree, named Sanfordiacaulis densifolia after the quarry where it was found, had a 16-centimetre soft trunk, stood three metres tall and had a “bottle brush” canopy of 250 leaves, each measuring about 1.75 metres, he said.
Stimson called it more of a “giant plant” than a tree.
“They were like giant ferns or very odd Dr. Seuss-like trees, very different than anything today,” he said, referring to illustrations by the beloved children’s book author.
“The branches or the leaves come directly off the stem and they are in a spiral pattern coming out horizontally from the tree … in a very dense fashion.”
Stimson said that structure would have allowed the tree to capture as much sunlight as possible after it travelled through the forest’s upper and middle canopies to the ground level where smaller shrubbery type plants of its kind sat.
This plant tells us what the forest was like back then, he said. There are not many fossils of plants from this period on Earth, known as Romer’s gap. Although this plant was a failed experiment, those that have survived are ancestors to the forests today but in a much different form, he added. The club mosses, for instance, he said, were up to 30 metres in height during the early Carboniferous period but now measure just a few centimetres.
The Carboniferous period when these trees were found was also a time of transition with swamps teeming with life, including ferns with spores, millipedes and giant, salamander-like creatures that were starting to crawl out of the water, he said.
“These early forests harboured and provided a home for the first amphibians that made the transition from water to land. You certainly wouldn’t want to go swimming in the waters,” Stimson said. “There were giant sea scorpions, very big fish with teeth … millipedes and other types of bugs were starting to crawl on land.”
Tropical New Brunswick home to Dr. Seuss-like tree from around 350 million years ago
An fossil uncovered in a New Brunswick quarry has been found to reveal an extinct tree from a time before dinosaurs walked the Earth.
A volcano in Iceland is erupting for the 3rd time since December, spewing lava into the sky
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marco Di Marco
Published Feb 08, 2024 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 4 minute read
Iceland-Volcano
A view of lava near to the road to Grindav?k, close to the exit for the Blue Lagoon, in Grindav?k, Iceland, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. PHOTO BY MARCO DI MARCO /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GRINDAVIK, Iceland — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Thursday for the third time since December, sending jets of lava into the sky, triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and cutting heat and hot water to thousands of people.
The eruption began at about 0600 GMT (1 a.m. EST) along a three-kilometre fissure northeast of Mount Sýlingarfell, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Several communities on the Reykjanes Peninsula were cut off from heat and hot water after a river of lava engulfed a supply pipeline.
The strength of the eruption had decreased by mid-afternoon, the Met Office said, though lava continued to spew from parts of the fissure and a huge plume of steam rose over a section of the crack where magma mixed with groundwater.
The eruption site is about 4 kilometres northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town of 3,800 people that was evacuated before a previous eruption on Dec. 18. The Meteorological Office said there was no immediate threat to the town on Thursday.
Civil defense officials said no one was believed to be in Grindavik at the time of the new eruption. “They weren’t meant to be, and we don’t know about any,” Viðir Reynisson, the head of Iceland’s Civil Defense, told national broadcaster RUV.
The Civil Defense agency said lava reached a pipeline that supplies several towns on the Reykjanes Peninsula with hot water _ which is used to heat homes — from the Svartsengi geothermal power plant. Authorities urged residents to use hot water and electricity sparingly, as workers rushed to lay an underground water pipe as a backup. Schools, gyms and swimming pools were shut because of the lack of heat and water.
Iceland-Volcano
Lava spills onto the road to Grindav?k, close to the exit for the Blue Lagoon, in Grindav?k, Iceland, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. A volcano in southwestern Iceland has erupted for the third time since December and sent jets of lava into the sky. The eruption on Thursday morning triggered the evacuation the Blue Lagoon spa which is one of the island nation?s biggest tourist attractions. PHOTO BY MARCO DI MARCO /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Blue Lagoon thermal spa, created using excess water from the power plant, was closed when the eruption began and all the guests were safely evacuated, RUV said. A stream of steaming lava later spread across the exit road from the spa.
No flight disruptions were reported at nearby Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport, but hot water was cut off, airport operator Isavia said.
The Icelandic Met Office earlier this week warned of a possible eruption after monitoring a buildup of magma, or semi-molten rock, below the ground for the past three weeks. Hundreds of small earthquakes had been measured in the area since Friday, capped by a burst of intense seismic activity about 30 minutes before the latest eruption began.
Dramatic video from Iceland’s coast guard showed fountains of lava soaring more than 50 metres (165 feet) into the darkened skies. A plume of vapor rose about 3 kilometres above the volcano.
Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe.
Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist who has worked extensively in Iceland, said it’s highly unlikely the “gentle, effusive” eruption would disrupt aviation because such volcanoes produce only a tiny amount of ash.
Grindavik, about 50 kilometres southwest of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, was evacuated in November when the Svartsengi volcanic system awakened after almost 800 years with a series of earthquakes that opened large cracks in the earth north of the town.
The volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik. A second eruption that began on Jan. 14 sent lava towards the town. Defensive walls that had been bolstered since the first eruption stopped some of the flow, but several buildings were consumed by the lava, and land in the town has sunk by as much as 1 1/2 metres (4 1/2 feet) because of the magma movement.
No confirmed deaths have been reported, but a workman is missing after falling into a fissure opened by the volcano.
Both the previous eruptions lasted only a matter of days, but they signal what Icelandic President Gudni Th. Johannesson called “a daunting period of upheaval” on the Reykjanes Peninsula, one of the most densely populated parts of Iceland.
It’s unclear whether the residents of Grindavik will ever be able to return permanently, McGarvie said.
“I think at the moment there is the resignation, the stoical resignation, that, for the foreseeable future, the town is basically uninhabitable,” he said.
He said that after centuries of quiet, “people thought this area was fairly safe.”
“It’s been a bit of a shock that it has come back to life,” he added, “Evidence that we gathered only quite recently is that eruptions could go on for decades, if not centuries, sporadically in this particular peninsula.”
— Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this story.
![iceland-volcano-1-e1707397616996[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/19/19331-3b0aa629eae2d6d161e105f9174ab5af.jpg "iceland-volcano-1-e1707397616996[1].jpg")
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marco Di Marco
Published Feb 08, 2024 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 4 minute read
Iceland-Volcano
A view of lava near to the road to Grindav?k, close to the exit for the Blue Lagoon, in Grindav?k, Iceland, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. PHOTO BY MARCO DI MARCO /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GRINDAVIK, Iceland — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Thursday for the third time since December, sending jets of lava into the sky, triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and cutting heat and hot water to thousands of people.
The eruption began at about 0600 GMT (1 a.m. EST) along a three-kilometre fissure northeast of Mount Sýlingarfell, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Several communities on the Reykjanes Peninsula were cut off from heat and hot water after a river of lava engulfed a supply pipeline.
The strength of the eruption had decreased by mid-afternoon, the Met Office said, though lava continued to spew from parts of the fissure and a huge plume of steam rose over a section of the crack where magma mixed with groundwater.
The eruption site is about 4 kilometres northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town of 3,800 people that was evacuated before a previous eruption on Dec. 18. The Meteorological Office said there was no immediate threat to the town on Thursday.
Civil defense officials said no one was believed to be in Grindavik at the time of the new eruption. “They weren’t meant to be, and we don’t know about any,” Viðir Reynisson, the head of Iceland’s Civil Defense, told national broadcaster RUV.
The Civil Defense agency said lava reached a pipeline that supplies several towns on the Reykjanes Peninsula with hot water _ which is used to heat homes — from the Svartsengi geothermal power plant. Authorities urged residents to use hot water and electricity sparingly, as workers rushed to lay an underground water pipe as a backup. Schools, gyms and swimming pools were shut because of the lack of heat and water.
Iceland-Volcano
Lava spills onto the road to Grindav?k, close to the exit for the Blue Lagoon, in Grindav?k, Iceland, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. A volcano in southwestern Iceland has erupted for the third time since December and sent jets of lava into the sky. The eruption on Thursday morning triggered the evacuation the Blue Lagoon spa which is one of the island nation?s biggest tourist attractions. PHOTO BY MARCO DI MARCO /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Blue Lagoon thermal spa, created using excess water from the power plant, was closed when the eruption began and all the guests were safely evacuated, RUV said. A stream of steaming lava later spread across the exit road from the spa.
No flight disruptions were reported at nearby Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport, but hot water was cut off, airport operator Isavia said.
The Icelandic Met Office earlier this week warned of a possible eruption after monitoring a buildup of magma, or semi-molten rock, below the ground for the past three weeks. Hundreds of small earthquakes had been measured in the area since Friday, capped by a burst of intense seismic activity about 30 minutes before the latest eruption began.
Dramatic video from Iceland’s coast guard showed fountains of lava soaring more than 50 metres (165 feet) into the darkened skies. A plume of vapor rose about 3 kilometres above the volcano.
Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe.
Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist who has worked extensively in Iceland, said it’s highly unlikely the “gentle, effusive” eruption would disrupt aviation because such volcanoes produce only a tiny amount of ash.
Grindavik, about 50 kilometres southwest of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, was evacuated in November when the Svartsengi volcanic system awakened after almost 800 years with a series of earthquakes that opened large cracks in the earth north of the town.
The volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik. A second eruption that began on Jan. 14 sent lava towards the town. Defensive walls that had been bolstered since the first eruption stopped some of the flow, but several buildings were consumed by the lava, and land in the town has sunk by as much as 1 1/2 metres (4 1/2 feet) because of the magma movement.
No confirmed deaths have been reported, but a workman is missing after falling into a fissure opened by the volcano.
Both the previous eruptions lasted only a matter of days, but they signal what Icelandic President Gudni Th. Johannesson called “a daunting period of upheaval” on the Reykjanes Peninsula, one of the most densely populated parts of Iceland.
It’s unclear whether the residents of Grindavik will ever be able to return permanently, McGarvie said.
“I think at the moment there is the resignation, the stoical resignation, that, for the foreseeable future, the town is basically uninhabitable,” he said.
He said that after centuries of quiet, “people thought this area was fairly safe.”
“It’s been a bit of a shock that it has come back to life,” he added, “Evidence that we gathered only quite recently is that eruptions could go on for decades, if not centuries, sporadically in this particular peninsula.”
— Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this story.
A volcano in Iceland is erupting for the 3rd time since December, spewing lava into the sky
The Meteorological Office said that lava was flowing to the west and there was no immediate threat to Grindavik.
Nevada jury awards $130M to 5 people who had liver damage after drinking bottled water
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Ken Ritter
Published Feb 08, 2024 • 2 minute read
LAS VEGAS — A Nevada jury has awarded about $130 million in damages in a lawsuit filed by five people who suffered liver damage after drinking bottled water marketed by a Las Vegas-based company before the product was recalled from store shelves in 2021.
The Clark County District Court jury awarded more than $30 million in compensatory damages to the plaintiffs including Myles Hunwardsen, a Henderson man who underwent a liver transplant at age 29. The jury levied another $100 million in punitive damages.
The verdict reached Tuesday was the second large-sum award in a negligence and product liability case involving AffinityLifestyles.com Inc. and its Real Water brand, which was sold in distinctive boxy blue bottles as premium treated “alkalized” drinking water with healthy detoxifying properties.
In October, a state court jury awarded more than $228 million in damages to several plaintiffs including relatives of a 69-year-old woman who died and a 7-month-old boy who was hospitalized. Both were diagnosed with severe liver failure.
“We want to send a message to food and beverage manufacturers that they should be committed to quality assurance,” Will Kemp, a lawyer who represented plaintiffs in both trials, said Thursday.
Kemp said several more negligence and product liability cases are pending against the company, including one scheduled to begin in May stemming from liver damage diagnoses of six children who ranged in age from 7 months to 11 years old at the time.
Affinitylifestyles.com was headed by Brent Jones, who served as a Republican state Assembly member from 2016 to 2018. Kemp said Jones has declared bankruptcy and moved out of the state. Telephone calls to Jones on Thursday rang busy and an email request for comment was not answered.
Other defendants in the case reached confidential settlements before trial, including Whole Foods Market and Costco Wholesale, which sold the water, and testing meter companies Hanna Instruments and Milwaukee Instruments. Terrible Herbst, a convenience store chain, reached a settlement during the trial.
At trial, jurors were told that tests found Real Water contained hydrazine, a chemical used in rocket fuel that may have been introduced during treatment before bottling.
Real Water attorney Joel Odou argued that the company was unintentionally negligent, not reckless, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. He said the company didn’t know hydrazine was in the water and didn’t know to test for it.
The water the company used was from the Las Vegas-area public supply, which mainly comes from the Lake Mead reservoir behind Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority, the region’s main public supplier, monitors and tests for 166 different possible contaminants, spokesman Bronson Mack said Thursday. Hydrazine is not among them.
Mack noted that the water authority was not a defendant in the lawsuits and said the area’s municipal water supply meets or surpasses all federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
Real Water was sold for at least eight years, primarily in Central and Southern California, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Utah. It was also promoted on social media and sold online.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Las Vegas-based Clark County Health District issued public warnings beginning in March 2021 not to drink or use the product, and ordered it pulled from store shelves.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Ken Ritter
Published Feb 08, 2024 • 2 minute read
LAS VEGAS — A Nevada jury has awarded about $130 million in damages in a lawsuit filed by five people who suffered liver damage after drinking bottled water marketed by a Las Vegas-based company before the product was recalled from store shelves in 2021.
The Clark County District Court jury awarded more than $30 million in compensatory damages to the plaintiffs including Myles Hunwardsen, a Henderson man who underwent a liver transplant at age 29. The jury levied another $100 million in punitive damages.
The verdict reached Tuesday was the second large-sum award in a negligence and product liability case involving AffinityLifestyles.com Inc. and its Real Water brand, which was sold in distinctive boxy blue bottles as premium treated “alkalized” drinking water with healthy detoxifying properties.
In October, a state court jury awarded more than $228 million in damages to several plaintiffs including relatives of a 69-year-old woman who died and a 7-month-old boy who was hospitalized. Both were diagnosed with severe liver failure.
“We want to send a message to food and beverage manufacturers that they should be committed to quality assurance,” Will Kemp, a lawyer who represented plaintiffs in both trials, said Thursday.
Kemp said several more negligence and product liability cases are pending against the company, including one scheduled to begin in May stemming from liver damage diagnoses of six children who ranged in age from 7 months to 11 years old at the time.
Affinitylifestyles.com was headed by Brent Jones, who served as a Republican state Assembly member from 2016 to 2018. Kemp said Jones has declared bankruptcy and moved out of the state. Telephone calls to Jones on Thursday rang busy and an email request for comment was not answered.
Other defendants in the case reached confidential settlements before trial, including Whole Foods Market and Costco Wholesale, which sold the water, and testing meter companies Hanna Instruments and Milwaukee Instruments. Terrible Herbst, a convenience store chain, reached a settlement during the trial.
At trial, jurors were told that tests found Real Water contained hydrazine, a chemical used in rocket fuel that may have been introduced during treatment before bottling.
Real Water attorney Joel Odou argued that the company was unintentionally negligent, not reckless, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. He said the company didn’t know hydrazine was in the water and didn’t know to test for it.
The water the company used was from the Las Vegas-area public supply, which mainly comes from the Lake Mead reservoir behind Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority, the region’s main public supplier, monitors and tests for 166 different possible contaminants, spokesman Bronson Mack said Thursday. Hydrazine is not among them.
Mack noted that the water authority was not a defendant in the lawsuits and said the area’s municipal water supply meets or surpasses all federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
Real Water was sold for at least eight years, primarily in Central and Southern California, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Utah. It was also promoted on social media and sold online.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Las Vegas-based Clark County Health District issued public warnings beginning in March 2021 not to drink or use the product, and ordered it pulled from store shelves.
Nevada jury awards $130M to 5 people who had liver damage after drinking bottled water
A Nevada jury has awarded about $130 million in damages in a lawsuit filed by people who suffered liver damage after drinking bottled water
Mutant Chornobyl wolves could help humans fight cancer: Researchers
Author of the article
ostmedia News
Published Feb 09, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
Mutant wolves roaming the human-free Chernobyl Exclusion Zone have developed cancer-resilient genomes that could help humans fight the disease, a new study says.
Mutant wolves roaming the human-free Chernobyl Exclusion Zone have developed cancer-resilient genomes that could help humans fight the disease, a new study says.
Mutant wolves roaming the human-free Chornobyl Exclusion Zone have developed cancer-resilient genomes that could help humans fight the disease, a new study says.
The animals have adapted and survived the high levels of radiation plaguing the area after a nuclear reactor at the power plant exploded in 1986. Known by the Russian spelling at the time rather than the current Ukrainian spelling, the Chernobyl disaster is considered the world’s worst nuclear accident.
Humans abandoned the area after the explosion leaked cancer-causing radiation into the environment. A 2,600-square-kilometre zone was cordoned off the prevent further human exposure.
Wildlife has reclaimed the area, however, including packs of wolves that seem unaffected by the radiation exposure.
Evolutionary biologist and ecotoxicologist Cara Love, from Princeton University, has been studying the mutant wolves. She presented her findings last month at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology in Seattle, Wash.
In 2014, Love and her colleagues went inside the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and put GPS collars equipped with radiation dosimeters on the wild wolves, the New York Post reported.
They also took blood samples from the animals to understand their responses to the cancer-causing radiation, according to a release published by the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology.
They learned that the wolves are exposed to 11.28 millirem of radiation daily for their lifespans. That’s more than six times the legal safe limit for humans.
The Chornobyl wolves’ immune systems appeared different than normal wolves’ – similar to those of cancer patients going through radiation treatment, the researchers found.
The research could be key to examining how gene mutations in humans could increase the odds of surviving cancer.
nypost.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article
ostmedia NewsPublished Feb 09, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
Mutant wolves roaming the human-free Chernobyl Exclusion Zone have developed cancer-resilient genomes that could help humans fight the disease, a new study says.
Mutant wolves roaming the human-free Chernobyl Exclusion Zone have developed cancer-resilient genomes that could help humans fight the disease, a new study says.
Mutant wolves roaming the human-free Chornobyl Exclusion Zone have developed cancer-resilient genomes that could help humans fight the disease, a new study says.
The animals have adapted and survived the high levels of radiation plaguing the area after a nuclear reactor at the power plant exploded in 1986. Known by the Russian spelling at the time rather than the current Ukrainian spelling, the Chernobyl disaster is considered the world’s worst nuclear accident.
Humans abandoned the area after the explosion leaked cancer-causing radiation into the environment. A 2,600-square-kilometre zone was cordoned off the prevent further human exposure.
Wildlife has reclaimed the area, however, including packs of wolves that seem unaffected by the radiation exposure.
Evolutionary biologist and ecotoxicologist Cara Love, from Princeton University, has been studying the mutant wolves. She presented her findings last month at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology in Seattle, Wash.
In 2014, Love and her colleagues went inside the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and put GPS collars equipped with radiation dosimeters on the wild wolves, the New York Post reported.
They also took blood samples from the animals to understand their responses to the cancer-causing radiation, according to a release published by the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology.
They learned that the wolves are exposed to 11.28 millirem of radiation daily for their lifespans. That’s more than six times the legal safe limit for humans.
The Chornobyl wolves’ immune systems appeared different than normal wolves’ – similar to those of cancer patients going through radiation treatment, the researchers found.
The research could be key to examining how gene mutations in humans could increase the odds of surviving cancer.
Mutant wolves roaming Chernobyl Exclusion Zone have developed cancer-resilient abilities: study
The Chernobyl wolves are exposed to 11.28 millirem of radiation daily for their lifespans — more than six times the legal safety limit for humans.
nypost.com
Mutant Chornobyl wolves could help humans fight cancer: Researchers
Mutant wolves roaming the human-free Chornobyl Exclusion Zone have developed cancer-resilient genomes.
Viagra reduces risk of Alzheimer's: Study
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Feb 09, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Men who took the little blue pills and other impotence pills for erectile dysfunction had increased brain activity and were less likely to develop dementia in later life.
The drugs, originally developed for treating high blood pressure, can get into the brain and trigger cell signals closely linked to memory, researchers found.
Dr. Leah Mursaleen, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research U.K., said: “Developing drugs for diseases like Alzheimer’s is a costly process and can take many years.”
She added: “Being able to repurpose drugs already licensed for other health conditions could help accelerate progress and open up new avenues to prevent or treat dementia-causing diseases.”
The study was published in the journal Neurology. It looked at 269,725 men with an average age of 59 who were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction but no memory or thinking problems.
Over five years, the study said, those who didn’t take Viagra or similar drugs were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at a rate of 9.7 in 10,000, compared with 8.1 in 10,000 among those who did take the pills.
torontosun.com
Author of the article
ostmedia NewsPublished Feb 09, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Men who took the little blue pills and other impotence pills for erectile dysfunction had increased brain activity and were less likely to develop dementia in later life.
The drugs, originally developed for treating high blood pressure, can get into the brain and trigger cell signals closely linked to memory, researchers found.
Dr. Leah Mursaleen, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research U.K., said: “Developing drugs for diseases like Alzheimer’s is a costly process and can take many years.”
She added: “Being able to repurpose drugs already licensed for other health conditions could help accelerate progress and open up new avenues to prevent or treat dementia-causing diseases.”
The study was published in the journal Neurology. It looked at 269,725 men with an average age of 59 who were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction but no memory or thinking problems.
Over five years, the study said, those who didn’t take Viagra or similar drugs were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at a rate of 9.7 in 10,000, compared with 8.1 in 10,000 among those who did take the pills.
Viagra reduces risk of Alzheimer's: Study
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Stay horny, stay happy.Viagra reduces risk of Alzheimer's: Study
Author of the article
Published Feb 09, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
Men who took the little blue pills and other impotence pills for erectile dysfunction had increased brain activity and were less likely to develop dementia in later life.
The drugs, originally developed for treating high blood pressure, can get into the brain and trigger cell signals closely linked to memory, researchers found.
Dr. Leah Mursaleen, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research U.K., said: “Developing drugs for diseases like Alzheimer’s is a costly process and can take many years.”
She added: “Being able to repurpose drugs already licensed for other health conditions could help accelerate progress and open up new avenues to prevent or treat dementia-causing diseases.”
The study was published in the journal Neurology. It looked at 269,725 men with an average age of 59 who were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction but no memory or thinking problems.
Over five years, the study said, those who didn’t take Viagra or similar drugs were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at a rate of 9.7 in 10,000, compared with 8.1 in 10,000 among those who did take the pills.
Viagra reduces risk of Alzheimer's: Study
Taking Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 18%, a study has found.
.
A stingray may have been impregnated by a shark in aquarium
The shark was moved into the stingray's tank in July 2023
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Feb 12, 2024 • 1 minute read
Talk about a real-ife aquarium mystery.
A stingray named Charlotte at an aquarium in North Carolina may have been knocked up by a male shark, say underwater sleuths, according to PEOPLE.
The Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO in Henderson said Charlotte was in a tank with a male shark and had bite marks that indicate there may have been shark mating.
They actually called it “a once-in-a-lifetime science mystery” because when Charlotte became pregnant, there were no male stingrays in the tank with her.
A one-year-old male white spot bamboo shark was moved into the tank with her in July 2023.
Brenda Ramer, executive director of Team ECCO, told ABC 13 News: “We started to notice bite marks on Charlotte, but saw other fish nipping at her, so we moved fish, but the biting continued.”
Charlotte’s pregnancy was first thought to be cancer in September after the staff saw swelling, Ramer told ABC 13.
But the aquarium’s vet later confirmed she was growing three to four eggs.
Charlotte could give birth at any time, since the gestation period for stingrays is between three and four months. The aquarium will need to conduct a DNA test after the stingray gives birth to if its pups are what Ramer called a “potential mixed breed.”
In a statement to ABC 13 News, the team also said Charlotte could have become pregnant in a rare asexual reproduction process in which eggs develop into an embryo without fertilization. If that’s the case, the pups would be her clones.
torontosun.com
The shark was moved into the stingray's tank in July 2023
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Feb 12, 2024 • 1 minute read
Talk about a real-ife aquarium mystery.
A stingray named Charlotte at an aquarium in North Carolina may have been knocked up by a male shark, say underwater sleuths, according to PEOPLE.
The Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO in Henderson said Charlotte was in a tank with a male shark and had bite marks that indicate there may have been shark mating.
They actually called it “a once-in-a-lifetime science mystery” because when Charlotte became pregnant, there were no male stingrays in the tank with her.
A one-year-old male white spot bamboo shark was moved into the tank with her in July 2023.
Brenda Ramer, executive director of Team ECCO, told ABC 13 News: “We started to notice bite marks on Charlotte, but saw other fish nipping at her, so we moved fish, but the biting continued.”
Charlotte’s pregnancy was first thought to be cancer in September after the staff saw swelling, Ramer told ABC 13.
But the aquarium’s vet later confirmed she was growing three to four eggs.
Charlotte could give birth at any time, since the gestation period for stingrays is between three and four months. The aquarium will need to conduct a DNA test after the stingray gives birth to if its pups are what Ramer called a “potential mixed breed.”
In a statement to ABC 13 News, the team also said Charlotte could have become pregnant in a rare asexual reproduction process in which eggs develop into an embryo without fertilization. If that’s the case, the pups would be her clones.
A stingray may have been impregnated by a shark in aquarium
A stingray named Charlotte at a North Carolina aquarium may have been knocked up by a male shark say underwater sleuths according to PEOPLE.
Loblaw stores selling ‘ungraded’ beef and shoppers have questions
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Feb 15, 2024 • Last updated 4 days ago • 2 minute read
Closeup of label on package of beef that reads "rib steak boneless tray pack cut from ungraded Mexican beef."
Closeup of label on package of beef that reads "rib steak boneless tray pack cut from ungraded Mexican beef." PHOTO BY RGBATLANTICA /X
Grocery shoppers are looking more closely at labels and sticker prices as they do whatever they can to make sure they’re getting the most bang for their bucks.
But Canadians who shop for meat at Loblaw stores have noticed something odd about packages of certain kinds of beef.
People have taken to social media to share photos of “ungraded” beef from Mexico.
“I love tenderloin and have been to Mexico many times,” Mark Mendelson wrote on X. “But Loblaw what the hell is the source of ‘ungraded’ meat? My imagination is running wild!”
He included a photo of the “cryovac cut” of “whole beef tenderloin” from the Toronto Loblaws location on St. Clair Ave. W.
It appears to be a large slab of mystery meat, weighing about 2.5kg for $64.53.
Naturally, people had questions, with one former worker in the meat wholesale business explaining that he understood it as “any cattle older than 30 months cannot be graded.”
Another user wrote: “Upgraded is the same as economy cut. It could be great, it could be crappy. All thrown into one batch.”
X account RGBAtlantica shared another photo of “ungraded Mexican beef,” this time a boneless rib steak priced at just $4.72 purchased at a Real Canadian Superstore in Simcoe, Ont.
“Who knows what kind of meat that is, it just says ‘beef,’” the account wrote. “Not graded by Canadian Food inspection Agencies. This should be prohibited. I call it mystery meat. This is to show they reduce prices, it’s a con.”
However, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois told the Toronto Sun, “It has nothing to do with whether or not the meat is inspected. In Mexico, they don’t have the same grading system, that’s all it means.”
He insisted the meat is edible and safe, but noted the quality is different.
“Typically in Mexico, they would support their export markets by selling cows, dairy or even bulls, so that’s why may see a difference in quality, taste and texture as well,” Charlebois explained.
“They’re older cows. They’re not bred to provide high-quality meat so you should expect lower quality products if they’re ungraded.”
One X user asked if there was a meat shortage in Canada and if it is even economically viable to important meat from Mexico.
“There are some supply issues across North America, not just in Canada,” Charlebois said.
“A lot of producers are either exiting or they’re downsizing, so supply’s a big problem, that’s why we were forecasting beef prices to go up this year,” he added.
“It has nothing to do with demand, there’s just less product out there.”
And don’t expect that shortage to be fixed anytime soon, according to Charlebois, who predicted it won’t bounce back for at least two years.
In the meantime, grocery stores might want to change it’s labelling.
“It’s the wrong word,” Charlebois laughed. “Ungraded doesn’t sound all that appetizing, does it?”
torontosun.com
Author of the article
enette WilfordPublished Feb 15, 2024 • Last updated 4 days ago • 2 minute read
Closeup of label on package of beef that reads "rib steak boneless tray pack cut from ungraded Mexican beef."
Closeup of label on package of beef that reads "rib steak boneless tray pack cut from ungraded Mexican beef." PHOTO BY RGBATLANTICA /X
Grocery shoppers are looking more closely at labels and sticker prices as they do whatever they can to make sure they’re getting the most bang for their bucks.
But Canadians who shop for meat at Loblaw stores have noticed something odd about packages of certain kinds of beef.
People have taken to social media to share photos of “ungraded” beef from Mexico.
“I love tenderloin and have been to Mexico many times,” Mark Mendelson wrote on X. “But Loblaw what the hell is the source of ‘ungraded’ meat? My imagination is running wild!”
He included a photo of the “cryovac cut” of “whole beef tenderloin” from the Toronto Loblaws location on St. Clair Ave. W.
It appears to be a large slab of mystery meat, weighing about 2.5kg for $64.53.
Naturally, people had questions, with one former worker in the meat wholesale business explaining that he understood it as “any cattle older than 30 months cannot be graded.”
Another user wrote: “Upgraded is the same as economy cut. It could be great, it could be crappy. All thrown into one batch.”
X account RGBAtlantica shared another photo of “ungraded Mexican beef,” this time a boneless rib steak priced at just $4.72 purchased at a Real Canadian Superstore in Simcoe, Ont.
“Who knows what kind of meat that is, it just says ‘beef,’” the account wrote. “Not graded by Canadian Food inspection Agencies. This should be prohibited. I call it mystery meat. This is to show they reduce prices, it’s a con.”
However, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois told the Toronto Sun, “It has nothing to do with whether or not the meat is inspected. In Mexico, they don’t have the same grading system, that’s all it means.”
He insisted the meat is edible and safe, but noted the quality is different.
“Typically in Mexico, they would support their export markets by selling cows, dairy or even bulls, so that’s why may see a difference in quality, taste and texture as well,” Charlebois explained.
“They’re older cows. They’re not bred to provide high-quality meat so you should expect lower quality products if they’re ungraded.”
One X user asked if there was a meat shortage in Canada and if it is even economically viable to important meat from Mexico.
“There are some supply issues across North America, not just in Canada,” Charlebois said.
“A lot of producers are either exiting or they’re downsizing, so supply’s a big problem, that’s why we were forecasting beef prices to go up this year,” he added.
“It has nothing to do with demand, there’s just less product out there.”
And don’t expect that shortage to be fixed anytime soon, according to Charlebois, who predicted it won’t bounce back for at least two years.
In the meantime, grocery stores might want to change it’s labelling.
“It’s the wrong word,” Charlebois laughed. “Ungraded doesn’t sound all that appetizing, does it?”
MYSTERY MEAT: Loblaw stores selling ‘ungraded’ beef and shoppers have questions
Canadians who shop for meat at Loblaw stores have noticed something odd about packages of certain kinds of beef.
i am sure there is nothing to worry about.Loblaw stores selling ‘ungraded’ beef and shoppers have questions
Author of the article
Published Feb 15, 2024 • Last updated 4 days ago • 2 minute read
Closeup of label on package of beef that reads "rib steak boneless tray pack cut from ungraded Mexican beef."
Closeup of label on package of beef that reads "rib steak boneless tray pack cut from ungraded Mexican beef." PHOTO BY RGBATLANTICA /X
Grocery shoppers are looking more closely at labels and sticker prices as they do whatever they can to make sure they’re getting the most bang for their bucks.
But Canadians who shop for meat at Loblaw stores have noticed something odd about packages of certain kinds of beef.
People have taken to social media to share photos of “ungraded” beef from Mexico.
“I love tenderloin and have been to Mexico many times,” Mark Mendelson wrote on X. “But Loblaw what the hell is the source of ‘ungraded’ meat? My imagination is running wild!”
He included a photo of the “cryovac cut” of “whole beef tenderloin” from the Toronto Loblaws location on St. Clair Ave. W.
It appears to be a large slab of mystery meat, weighing about 2.5kg for $64.53.
Naturally, people had questions, with one former worker in the meat wholesale business explaining that he understood it as “any cattle older than 30 months cannot be graded.”
Another user wrote: “Upgraded is the same as economy cut. It could be great, it could be crappy. All thrown into one batch.”
X account RGBAtlantica shared another photo of “ungraded Mexican beef,” this time a boneless rib steak priced at just $4.72 purchased at a Real Canadian Superstore in Simcoe, Ont.
“Who knows what kind of meat that is, it just says ‘beef,’” the account wrote. “Not graded by Canadian Food inspection Agencies. This should be prohibited. I call it mystery meat. This is to show they reduce prices, it’s a con.”
However, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois told the Toronto Sun, “It has nothing to do with whether or not the meat is inspected. In Mexico, they don’t have the same grading system, that’s all it means.”
He insisted the meat is edible and safe, but noted the quality is different.
“Typically in Mexico, they would support their export markets by selling cows, dairy or even bulls, so that’s why may see a difference in quality, taste and texture as well,” Charlebois explained.
“They’re older cows. They’re not bred to provide high-quality meat so you should expect lower quality products if they’re ungraded.”
One X user asked if there was a meat shortage in Canada and if it is even economically viable to important meat from Mexico.
“There are some supply issues across North America, not just in Canada,” Charlebois said.
“A lot of producers are either exiting or they’re downsizing, so supply’s a big problem, that’s why we were forecasting beef prices to go up this year,” he added.
“It has nothing to do with demand, there’s just less product out there.”
And don’t expect that shortage to be fixed anytime soon, according to Charlebois, who predicted it won’t bounce back for at least two years.
In the meantime, grocery stores might want to change it’s labelling.
“It’s the wrong word,” Charlebois laughed. “Ungraded doesn’t sound all that appetizing, does it?”
View attachment 21210
MYSTERY MEAT: Loblaw stores selling ‘ungraded’ beef and shoppers have questions
Canadians who shop for meat at Loblaw stores have noticed something odd about packages of certain kinds of beef.
A case of human plague in Oregon likely came from a pet cat.
PET CAT LIKELY GAVE THEIR OWNERS THE PLAGUE
Pets can be your best friend, but they can also give you the plague.
A resident of Deschutes County, Oregon was recently diagnosed with the plague, the first human case in the state in more than eight years, NBC News reported. Deschutes County Health Services say the person likely caught the infection from their pet cat, who had developed symptoms.
Humans can get the plague from bites of fleas carrying Yersinia pestis, a bacteria that causes the disease. Pets such as cats can also get the bacterial infection from rodents they hunt who were also infected from a flea bite.
People can also get the infection when their pets transfer it via bodily fluids like droplets that come from sneezing and coughing. NBC News reported felines can easily get infected by plague because of their likelihood of capturing rodents as well as their bodies having a challenging time clearing the infection.
The health officer for Deschutes County, Dr. Richard Fawcett, said the house cat had a “fairly substantial” infection and was very sick and had a draining abscess. The infection in the cat’s owner likely started as a lymph node, which is commonly known as bubonic plague
The owner was hospitalized and it was found the infection had gone into their bloodstream. The owner had a cough while in hospital, which could be a sign of pneumonic plague, Fawcett said.
The owner was treated with antibiotics.
nbcnews.com
PET CAT LIKELY GAVE THEIR OWNERS THE PLAGUE
Pets can be your best friend, but they can also give you the plague.
A resident of Deschutes County, Oregon was recently diagnosed with the plague, the first human case in the state in more than eight years, NBC News reported. Deschutes County Health Services say the person likely caught the infection from their pet cat, who had developed symptoms.
Humans can get the plague from bites of fleas carrying Yersinia pestis, a bacteria that causes the disease. Pets such as cats can also get the bacterial infection from rodents they hunt who were also infected from a flea bite.
People can also get the infection when their pets transfer it via bodily fluids like droplets that come from sneezing and coughing. NBC News reported felines can easily get infected by plague because of their likelihood of capturing rodents as well as their bodies having a challenging time clearing the infection.
The health officer for Deschutes County, Dr. Richard Fawcett, said the house cat had a “fairly substantial” infection and was very sick and had a draining abscess. The infection in the cat’s owner likely started as a lymph node, which is commonly known as bubonic plague
The owner was hospitalized and it was found the infection had gone into their bloodstream. The owner had a cough while in hospital, which could be a sign of pneumonic plague, Fawcett said.
The owner was treated with antibiotics.
Oregon's first case of human plague in 8 years likely came from a pet cat
The owner’s infection likely started out in a lymph node and progressed to the bloodstream, a county health officer said.
nbcnews.com
'Forever chemicals' found in teas, meats may increase cancer risk: Study
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Feb 21, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Some food and beverages are contaminated with “forever chemicals” that may increase the risk of cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine studied people’s diets and how it relates to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) being absorbed by the body.
Researchers studied two multiethnic groups of young adults and found people who drank tea and ate processed meats and prepared food had higher levels of PFAS in their body over time. The results were published in the journal Environment International.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine how dietary factors are associated with changes in PFAS over time,” Jesse A. Goodrich, PhD, assistant professor at the Keck School of Medicine and the study’s senior author, said in a news release.
“Looking at multiple time points gives us an idea of how changing people’s diets might actually impact PFAS levels.”
PFAS are man-made chemicals that are found in food packaging, drugs, cosmetics, textiles and electronics. They are also used in vehicles, lubricants and non-stick cookware.
Researchers traced the chemicals, which may increase the risk of several types of cancers, to livestock, drinking water and food packaging.
“We’re starting to see that even foods that are metabolically quite healthy can be contaminated with PFAS,” said Hailey Hampson, a doctoral student at USC and the study’s lead author.
“These findings highlight the need to look at what constitutes ‘healthy’ food in a different way.”
Researchers studied 123 young adults from the Southern California Children’s Health Study who were primarily Hispanic and 604 young adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study.
They were asked questions about their diet, specifically what they ate and drank and whether the food was cooked at home or consumed in take-out containers, which often contains PFAS. Blood samples were also taken from the participants.
The study found higher tea consumption and those who ate more pork had higher levels of PFAS.
According to Health Canada, the chemicals do not break down easily and remain in the environment for long periods of time.
There are more than 4,700 PFAS that may affect the immune and nervous systems, the reproductive system, liver, kidney, thyroid, and human development.
torontosun.com
Author of the article
ostmedia NewsPublished Feb 21, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Some food and beverages are contaminated with “forever chemicals” that may increase the risk of cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine studied people’s diets and how it relates to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) being absorbed by the body.
Researchers studied two multiethnic groups of young adults and found people who drank tea and ate processed meats and prepared food had higher levels of PFAS in their body over time. The results were published in the journal Environment International.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine how dietary factors are associated with changes in PFAS over time,” Jesse A. Goodrich, PhD, assistant professor at the Keck School of Medicine and the study’s senior author, said in a news release.
“Looking at multiple time points gives us an idea of how changing people’s diets might actually impact PFAS levels.”
PFAS are man-made chemicals that are found in food packaging, drugs, cosmetics, textiles and electronics. They are also used in vehicles, lubricants and non-stick cookware.
Researchers traced the chemicals, which may increase the risk of several types of cancers, to livestock, drinking water and food packaging.
“We’re starting to see that even foods that are metabolically quite healthy can be contaminated with PFAS,” said Hailey Hampson, a doctoral student at USC and the study’s lead author.
“These findings highlight the need to look at what constitutes ‘healthy’ food in a different way.”
Researchers studied 123 young adults from the Southern California Children’s Health Study who were primarily Hispanic and 604 young adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study.
They were asked questions about their diet, specifically what they ate and drank and whether the food was cooked at home or consumed in take-out containers, which often contains PFAS. Blood samples were also taken from the participants.
The study found higher tea consumption and those who ate more pork had higher levels of PFAS.
According to Health Canada, the chemicals do not break down easily and remain in the environment for long periods of time.
There are more than 4,700 PFAS that may affect the immune and nervous systems, the reproductive system, liver, kidney, thyroid, and human development.
'Forever chemicals' found in teas, meats may increase cancer risk: Study
Some food and beverages are contaminated with "forever chemicals" that may increase the risk of cancer, according to a new study.
Toronto has longest average wait time for walk-in clinics in Ontario
Average wait time for walk-ins in Toronto was 72 minutes in 2023, which is 57 minutes longer than the previous year
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Feb 21, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
If every government in Canada — federal and provincial — is treating health care as a priority, then why is the system irretrievably broken, year after year?
If every government in Canada — federal and provincial — is treating health care as a priority, then why is the system irretrievably broken, year after year?
A new report by Medimap says wait times at walk-in clinics more than doubled in Ontario in 2023.
The study found patients in Ontario had to wait on average 59 minutes to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic last year, which is 34 minutes longer than in 2022.
While the average wait time in Ontario is below the national average, which increased to 68 minutes last year, Ontario recorded the largest jump of any province year-over-year.
Toronto recorded the longest average wait time in the province at 72 minutes, which is 57 minutes longer than 2022.
Patients in London and Hamilton also had to wait more than an hour to see a doctor, while patients in Brampton, Oakville and Windsor recorded the shortest wait times across the province.
Medimap, a Canadian tech company, matches patients with walk-in clinics, pharmacists and allied health professionals to simplify access to care.
torontosun.com
Average wait time for walk-ins in Toronto was 72 minutes in 2023, which is 57 minutes longer than the previous year
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Feb 21, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
If every government in Canada — federal and provincial — is treating health care as a priority, then why is the system irretrievably broken, year after year?
If every government in Canada — federal and provincial — is treating health care as a priority, then why is the system irretrievably broken, year after year?
A new report by Medimap says wait times at walk-in clinics more than doubled in Ontario in 2023.
The study found patients in Ontario had to wait on average 59 minutes to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic last year, which is 34 minutes longer than in 2022.
While the average wait time in Ontario is below the national average, which increased to 68 minutes last year, Ontario recorded the largest jump of any province year-over-year.
Toronto recorded the longest average wait time in the province at 72 minutes, which is 57 minutes longer than 2022.
Patients in London and Hamilton also had to wait more than an hour to see a doctor, while patients in Brampton, Oakville and Windsor recorded the shortest wait times across the province.
Medimap, a Canadian tech company, matches patients with walk-in clinics, pharmacists and allied health professionals to simplify access to care.
Toronto has longest average wait time for walk-in clinics in Ontario
A new report by Medimap says wait times at walk-in clinics more than doubled in Ontario in 2023.
Many family doctors poised to leave practices if no action from government: OMA
The Ontario College of Family Physicians is projecting that one in four Ontario residents could be without a family doctor by 2026.
Author of the article:Elizabeth Payne
Published Feb 15, 2024 • Last updated 1 week ago • 3 minute read
Ontario Medical Association President Dr. Andrew Park said the province must make an effort to understand what is making family medicine unsustainable.
Ontario Medical Association President Dr. Andrew Park said the province must make an effort to understand what is making family medicine unsustainable.
A day after a prominent Ottawa family doctor announced he is burnt out and leaving his practice, doctors with the Ontario Medical Association warned there could be many more like him if urgent action isn’t taken by the provincial government.
“We definitely are going to see more of this as we move forward unless there is something done quickly in terms of stabilizing the current system and helping the doctors on the ground,” said Kingston family doctor Dr. David Barber, who is chair of the Ontario Medical Association’s section on general and family practice.
Earlier this week, Dr. Ramsey Hijazi, the Carp family physician who helped form the Ontario Union of Family Physicians to advocate for a different funding model and a reduced administrative burden on family doctors, announced that he is leaving his practice to take a job in a hospital.
Family medicine as it exists in Ontario is a failed business model, Hijazi said. Barber also referred to the business model as failed, noting family physicians have effectively taken a 20 per cent cut in recent years. “That is why they are looking to get out.”
On Thursday, the Ontario Medical Association had two other family doctors who left their practices speak about the issue. Like Hijazi, they recounted stress, burnout and an avalanche of paperwork as factors in their decisions to leave the field.
Paperwork takes an average of 20 hours per week and includes burgeoning insurance forms, sick notes and requests for drugs, said Barber. “Family doctors didn’t go into medicine to do paperwork. We want to see patients, this takes away from it.”
“The government hasn’t sent any signals to family doctors on the ground that they know what is happening. When doctors aren’t hearing from the government that it has their backs, family doctors are just giving up. That is why we are seeing so many leaving.”
Former family physician Dr. Natalie Leahy now practices as a general practitioner in oncology. She said she made the tough decision to leave her practice in Oshawa, in part, because the amount family physicians are paid to run their businesses is not keeping up with inflation and doesn’t make financial sense. She said she took on an extra job as an on-call physician overnight at the local hospital to make ends meet.
By the time she left, she was exhausted and burned out after having to keep up with the bills and paperwork even while she had taken time off work to care for family members.
Meanwhile, Dr. Dannica Switzer, who works in Wawa in northern Ontario, closed her practice after physician shortages made the work “untenable”. The situation is particularly grave in northern Ontario.
Barber said the provincial government needs to take urgent action to retain family physicians working now. He noted that the provincial government wants to give family doctors a zero per cent increase this year.
“That gives family doctors the sense that nothing is going to change and that is why they are giving up.”
The Ontario College of Family Physicians is projecting that one in four Ontario residents could be without a family doctor by 2026, given the exodus of doctors who are retiring along with those leaving because the practice is not sustainable.
Ontario Medical Association President Dr. Andrew Park said it is important that the province looks closely at the current funding model to understand what is making the job of family physicians unsustainable. He and others said bridge funding for doctors would be a step in the right direction.
Primary care, Park said, is the foundation of the health system and goes a long way to ensuring people are healthier. That is at risk as family doctors quit their practices and medical students stay away from it.
“It can’t be this inefficient and burdensome to practice medicine in this province. You are hearing my colleagues voting with their feet because this job is unsustainable,” said Park.
The family doctor shortage, he said, puts “all of our health” at risk.
torontosun.com
The Ontario College of Family Physicians is projecting that one in four Ontario residents could be without a family doctor by 2026.
Author of the article:Elizabeth Payne
Published Feb 15, 2024 • Last updated 1 week ago • 3 minute read
Ontario Medical Association President Dr. Andrew Park said the province must make an effort to understand what is making family medicine unsustainable.
Ontario Medical Association President Dr. Andrew Park said the province must make an effort to understand what is making family medicine unsustainable.
A day after a prominent Ottawa family doctor announced he is burnt out and leaving his practice, doctors with the Ontario Medical Association warned there could be many more like him if urgent action isn’t taken by the provincial government.
“We definitely are going to see more of this as we move forward unless there is something done quickly in terms of stabilizing the current system and helping the doctors on the ground,” said Kingston family doctor Dr. David Barber, who is chair of the Ontario Medical Association’s section on general and family practice.
Earlier this week, Dr. Ramsey Hijazi, the Carp family physician who helped form the Ontario Union of Family Physicians to advocate for a different funding model and a reduced administrative burden on family doctors, announced that he is leaving his practice to take a job in a hospital.
Family medicine as it exists in Ontario is a failed business model, Hijazi said. Barber also referred to the business model as failed, noting family physicians have effectively taken a 20 per cent cut in recent years. “That is why they are looking to get out.”
On Thursday, the Ontario Medical Association had two other family doctors who left their practices speak about the issue. Like Hijazi, they recounted stress, burnout and an avalanche of paperwork as factors in their decisions to leave the field.
Paperwork takes an average of 20 hours per week and includes burgeoning insurance forms, sick notes and requests for drugs, said Barber. “Family doctors didn’t go into medicine to do paperwork. We want to see patients, this takes away from it.”
“The government hasn’t sent any signals to family doctors on the ground that they know what is happening. When doctors aren’t hearing from the government that it has their backs, family doctors are just giving up. That is why we are seeing so many leaving.”
Former family physician Dr. Natalie Leahy now practices as a general practitioner in oncology. She said she made the tough decision to leave her practice in Oshawa, in part, because the amount family physicians are paid to run their businesses is not keeping up with inflation and doesn’t make financial sense. She said she took on an extra job as an on-call physician overnight at the local hospital to make ends meet.
By the time she left, she was exhausted and burned out after having to keep up with the bills and paperwork even while she had taken time off work to care for family members.
Meanwhile, Dr. Dannica Switzer, who works in Wawa in northern Ontario, closed her practice after physician shortages made the work “untenable”. The situation is particularly grave in northern Ontario.
Barber said the provincial government needs to take urgent action to retain family physicians working now. He noted that the provincial government wants to give family doctors a zero per cent increase this year.
“That gives family doctors the sense that nothing is going to change and that is why they are giving up.”
The Ontario College of Family Physicians is projecting that one in four Ontario residents could be without a family doctor by 2026, given the exodus of doctors who are retiring along with those leaving because the practice is not sustainable.
Ontario Medical Association President Dr. Andrew Park said it is important that the province looks closely at the current funding model to understand what is making the job of family physicians unsustainable. He and others said bridge funding for doctors would be a step in the right direction.
Primary care, Park said, is the foundation of the health system and goes a long way to ensuring people are healthier. That is at risk as family doctors quit their practices and medical students stay away from it.
“It can’t be this inefficient and burdensome to practice medicine in this province. You are hearing my colleagues voting with their feet because this job is unsustainable,” said Park.
The family doctor shortage, he said, puts “all of our health” at risk.
Many family doctors poised to leave practices if no action from government, says Ontario Medical Association
Ontario Medical Association President Dr. Andrew Park said the province must understand what is making family medicine unsustainable.
'Significant' marine area could soon be protected off Ontario's northern shores
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jordan Omstead
Published Feb 21, 2024 • 4 minute read
Muskeg is seen in an area near Kashechewan, Ont.
A marine area larger than Lake Superior and home to beluga whales and threatened polar bears off Ontario's northern shores is a step closer to protected status. Muskeg, a type of low-lying wetland, is seen in an area near Kashechewan, Ont., in an undated handout photo. PHOTO BY HO /The Canadian Press
A vast marine area off Ontario’s north shores that’s home to beluga whales and threatened polar bears could soon be protected, officials said Wednesday, as First Nations welcomed what was seen as a key step toward fulfilling a longstanding treaty promise.
The federal government and nine First Nations said they had cleared a hurdle on the path to protecting a stretch of southern Hudson Bay and western James Bay as a national marine conservation area.
After studying the feasibility of the project, representatives for both Ottawa and the First Nations said they supported the idea and were moving ahead with negotiations.
Grand Chief Leo Friday of the Mushkegowuk Council called it an important first step toward recognizing First Nations as the stewards of their traditional lands and waters.
“Those are the things that we believe our forefathers were told that we are trying to fulfil,” he said in an interview ahead of Wednesday’s announcement.
The proposal would see Parks Canada and the First Nations work toward a co-governance model protecting a roughly 86,000-sq.-km marine area, slightly larger than Lake Superior, and ensuring First Nations rights to fish, hunt and trap.
The Mushkegowuk Council has long pushed for the protection of the lowlands and marine ecosystems of Hudson Bay and James Bay, what’s known to Omushkego people as Washabeyoh and Weeneebeg.
“Right now, we’re just borrowing the tools from the Europeans,” said Friday, referring to the federal conservation designation.
The federal government pledged in 2021 to add 10 marine conservation areas over five years, doubling its current total, as part of a key biodiversity target to protect 30% of lands and waters in Canada by 2030.
With this project the furthest along of seven active marine conservation proposals across the country, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said he remains confident in the government’s ability to hit its targets.
“Our best ally to fight climate change is nature,” he said. “So the more we can invest in nature protection, the more we can enhance the capacity of our ecosystems to withstand the impacts of climate change.”
Marine conservation areas generally prohibit any oil, gas or mineral exploration and mining. They also put strict limits on ocean disposal and other activities, such as bottom-trawling fishing gear.
The area under consideration is home to some of the largest beluga populations in the world and the most southerly population of polar bears. It’s also a hot spot for migratory birds.
Parks Canada spokesperson Caroline Macintosh called Wednesday’s announcement a “significant milestone.
“(It) speaks to the hard work done by the Omushkego people to protect this area. And it sets the stage for us to work together to really put this under protection in a permanent way for future generations,” said Macintosh, the executive director for protected areas establishment.
A committee with representation from the Mushkegowuk Council and Parks Canada recommended a two-phased approach to establish the conservation area. The council, representing seven First Nations, is joined on the project by the First Nations of Weenusk and Fort Severn.
The first phase would get protection for the offshore marine area under federal jurisdiction. A second phase would seek to protect intertidal zones and up to 20 km inland from the coast that’s under provincial jurisdiction.
Guilbeault said there have been “many” attempts to reach out to the province on the project.
“I would unfortunately … qualify it as a lack of interest,” he said.
He said the “door is still open” to the province, noting the federal government didn’t need but would welcome its involvement in the marine protection area.
“And certainly for terrestrial projects, we need their involvement. They need to be at the table. And right now, when it comes to northern Ontario, they haven’t shown a great level of interest,” Guilbeault said in an interview ahead of the announcement.
The office of Ontario’s environment minister did not immediately return a request for comment.
Chiefs of the Mushkegowuk Council issued a call in 2021 for a moratorium on development activities in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire area in northern Ontario until sensitive wetlands and watersheds were protected. The Hudson Bay lowlands are one of the largest intact peatland complexes in the world, storing an estimated 30 to 35 billion tonnes of carbon.
Offshore, tens of thousands of belugas migrate to Hudson Bay and James Bay from the Arctic every summer, gathering around estuaries such as the Severn and Winisk Rivers in northern Ontario to feed on fish runs.
Independent scientific reports said the beluga populations covered by the proposed conservation area are robust, but rapid climate change is leading to new threats. Reduction of sea ice is giving ships unprecedented access to the Arctic and sub-Arctic, bringing more noise disturbance and chemical exposure, along with greater risk of oil spills, said a recent assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife.
The survival of polar bears in southern Hudson Bay and James Bay is also threatened by rapid Arctic warming, cutting into the time they can spend hunting on retreating sea ice.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jordan Omstead
Published Feb 21, 2024 • 4 minute read
Muskeg is seen in an area near Kashechewan, Ont.
A marine area larger than Lake Superior and home to beluga whales and threatened polar bears off Ontario's northern shores is a step closer to protected status. Muskeg, a type of low-lying wetland, is seen in an area near Kashechewan, Ont., in an undated handout photo. PHOTO BY HO /The Canadian Press
A vast marine area off Ontario’s north shores that’s home to beluga whales and threatened polar bears could soon be protected, officials said Wednesday, as First Nations welcomed what was seen as a key step toward fulfilling a longstanding treaty promise.
The federal government and nine First Nations said they had cleared a hurdle on the path to protecting a stretch of southern Hudson Bay and western James Bay as a national marine conservation area.
After studying the feasibility of the project, representatives for both Ottawa and the First Nations said they supported the idea and were moving ahead with negotiations.
Grand Chief Leo Friday of the Mushkegowuk Council called it an important first step toward recognizing First Nations as the stewards of their traditional lands and waters.
“Those are the things that we believe our forefathers were told that we are trying to fulfil,” he said in an interview ahead of Wednesday’s announcement.
The proposal would see Parks Canada and the First Nations work toward a co-governance model protecting a roughly 86,000-sq.-km marine area, slightly larger than Lake Superior, and ensuring First Nations rights to fish, hunt and trap.
The Mushkegowuk Council has long pushed for the protection of the lowlands and marine ecosystems of Hudson Bay and James Bay, what’s known to Omushkego people as Washabeyoh and Weeneebeg.
“Right now, we’re just borrowing the tools from the Europeans,” said Friday, referring to the federal conservation designation.
The federal government pledged in 2021 to add 10 marine conservation areas over five years, doubling its current total, as part of a key biodiversity target to protect 30% of lands and waters in Canada by 2030.
With this project the furthest along of seven active marine conservation proposals across the country, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said he remains confident in the government’s ability to hit its targets.
“Our best ally to fight climate change is nature,” he said. “So the more we can invest in nature protection, the more we can enhance the capacity of our ecosystems to withstand the impacts of climate change.”
Marine conservation areas generally prohibit any oil, gas or mineral exploration and mining. They also put strict limits on ocean disposal and other activities, such as bottom-trawling fishing gear.
The area under consideration is home to some of the largest beluga populations in the world and the most southerly population of polar bears. It’s also a hot spot for migratory birds.
Parks Canada spokesperson Caroline Macintosh called Wednesday’s announcement a “significant milestone.
“(It) speaks to the hard work done by the Omushkego people to protect this area. And it sets the stage for us to work together to really put this under protection in a permanent way for future generations,” said Macintosh, the executive director for protected areas establishment.
A committee with representation from the Mushkegowuk Council and Parks Canada recommended a two-phased approach to establish the conservation area. The council, representing seven First Nations, is joined on the project by the First Nations of Weenusk and Fort Severn.
The first phase would get protection for the offshore marine area under federal jurisdiction. A second phase would seek to protect intertidal zones and up to 20 km inland from the coast that’s under provincial jurisdiction.
Guilbeault said there have been “many” attempts to reach out to the province on the project.
“I would unfortunately … qualify it as a lack of interest,” he said.
He said the “door is still open” to the province, noting the federal government didn’t need but would welcome its involvement in the marine protection area.
“And certainly for terrestrial projects, we need their involvement. They need to be at the table. And right now, when it comes to northern Ontario, they haven’t shown a great level of interest,” Guilbeault said in an interview ahead of the announcement.
The office of Ontario’s environment minister did not immediately return a request for comment.
Chiefs of the Mushkegowuk Council issued a call in 2021 for a moratorium on development activities in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire area in northern Ontario until sensitive wetlands and watersheds were protected. The Hudson Bay lowlands are one of the largest intact peatland complexes in the world, storing an estimated 30 to 35 billion tonnes of carbon.
Offshore, tens of thousands of belugas migrate to Hudson Bay and James Bay from the Arctic every summer, gathering around estuaries such as the Severn and Winisk Rivers in northern Ontario to feed on fish runs.
Independent scientific reports said the beluga populations covered by the proposed conservation area are robust, but rapid climate change is leading to new threats. Reduction of sea ice is giving ships unprecedented access to the Arctic and sub-Arctic, bringing more noise disturbance and chemical exposure, along with greater risk of oil spills, said a recent assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife.
The survival of polar bears in southern Hudson Bay and James Bay is also threatened by rapid Arctic warming, cutting into the time they can spend hunting on retreating sea ice.
'Significant' marine area could soon be protected off Ontario's northern shores
A vast marine area off Ontario's north shores that's home to beluga whales and polar bears could soon be protected, officials said.
'Forever chemicals' found in teas, meats may increase cancer risk: Study
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Feb 21, 2024 • Last updated 3 days ago • 2 minute read
Some food and beverages are contaminated with “forever chemicals” that may increase the risk of cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine studied people’s diets and how it relates to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) being absorbed by the body.
Researchers studied two multiethnic groups of young adults and found people who drank tea and ate processed meats and prepared food had higher levels of PFAS in their body over time. The results were published in the journal Environment International.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine how dietary factors are associated with changes in PFAS over time,” Jesse A. Goodrich, PhD, assistant professor at the Keck School of Medicine and the study’s senior author, said in a news release.
“Looking at multiple time points gives us an idea of how changing people’s diets might actually impact PFAS levels.”
PFAS are man-made chemicals that are found in food packaging, drugs, cosmetics, textiles and electronics. They are also used in vehicles, lubricants and non-stick cookware.
Researchers traced the chemicals, which may increase the risk of several types of cancers, to livestock, drinking water and food packaging.
“We’re starting to see that even foods that are metabolically quite healthy can be contaminated with PFAS,” said Hailey Hampson, a doctoral student at USC and the study’s lead author.
“These findings highlight the need to look at what constitutes ‘healthy’ food in a different way.”
Researchers studied 123 young adults from the Southern California Children’s Health Study who were primarily Hispanic and 604 young adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study.
They were asked questions about their diet, specifically what they ate and drank and whether the food was cooked at home or consumed in take-out containers, which often contains PFAS. Blood samples were also taken from the participants.
The study found higher tea consumption and those who ate more pork had higher levels of PFAS.
According to Health Canada, the chemicals do not break down easily and remain in the environment for long periods of time.
There are more than 4,700 PFAS that may affect the immune and nervous systems, the reproductive system, liver, kidney, thyroid, and human development.
torontosun.com
Author of the article
ostmedia NewsPublished Feb 21, 2024 • Last updated 3 days ago • 2 minute read
Some food and beverages are contaminated with “forever chemicals” that may increase the risk of cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine studied people’s diets and how it relates to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) being absorbed by the body.
Researchers studied two multiethnic groups of young adults and found people who drank tea and ate processed meats and prepared food had higher levels of PFAS in their body over time. The results were published in the journal Environment International.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine how dietary factors are associated with changes in PFAS over time,” Jesse A. Goodrich, PhD, assistant professor at the Keck School of Medicine and the study’s senior author, said in a news release.
“Looking at multiple time points gives us an idea of how changing people’s diets might actually impact PFAS levels.”
PFAS are man-made chemicals that are found in food packaging, drugs, cosmetics, textiles and electronics. They are also used in vehicles, lubricants and non-stick cookware.
Researchers traced the chemicals, which may increase the risk of several types of cancers, to livestock, drinking water and food packaging.
“We’re starting to see that even foods that are metabolically quite healthy can be contaminated with PFAS,” said Hailey Hampson, a doctoral student at USC and the study’s lead author.
“These findings highlight the need to look at what constitutes ‘healthy’ food in a different way.”
Researchers studied 123 young adults from the Southern California Children’s Health Study who were primarily Hispanic and 604 young adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study.
They were asked questions about their diet, specifically what they ate and drank and whether the food was cooked at home or consumed in take-out containers, which often contains PFAS. Blood samples were also taken from the participants.
The study found higher tea consumption and those who ate more pork had higher levels of PFAS.
According to Health Canada, the chemicals do not break down easily and remain in the environment for long periods of time.
There are more than 4,700 PFAS that may affect the immune and nervous systems, the reproductive system, liver, kidney, thyroid, and human development.
'Forever chemicals' found in teas, meats may increase cancer risk: Study
Some food and beverages are contaminated with "forever chemicals" that may increase the risk of cancer, according to a new study.
Are you fully immunized against measles? Canada’s public health agency says to check
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Nicole Ireland
Published Feb 23, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
Amid a rise in measles cases in other countries and a handful of confirmed cases in Canada, the national public health agency “strongly advises” everyone check that they’re fully immunized against measles, especially before travelling.
“As we head into the spring break travel season, the Public Health Agency of Canada is concerned that the global surge in measles activity, combined with the decline in measles vaccine coverage among school-aged children in Canada, could lead to more imported cases, potentially resulting in transmission of measles in communities in Canada,” the agency said in an emailed statement Thursday.
Here’s what to know about measles and how to make sure you and your children are protected.
WHY IS THERE CONCERN ABOUT MEASLES NOW?
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world and is airborne. If someone with measles exits a room, others can be infected up to two hours after that person has left, said Shelly Bolotin, director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
In 1998, measles was declared eliminated in Canada, meaning cases were no longer originating in this country. Infections occur herewhen someone contracts measles in another country and travels here.
Preventing spread of measles within a community requires 95 per cent of the population to be vaccinated.
“Because there’s an increase in cases outside of Canada, then it’s understandable that we’re getting an increase in importations (of measles) as well,” Bolotin said.
“What we need to make sure that we are doing is that our population is adequately protected so that when cases come in, they don’t spread into large outbreaks (here).”
But measles vaccination coverage has dropped below 95 per cent in Canada, partly because of the disruption to routine childhood immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public health agency said.
The agency is aware of six cases of measles so far in Canada in 2024, it said.
“Measles can cause pneumonia as well as severe and permanent complications including deafness and brain damage resulting from inflammation of the brain (encephalitis),” the agency said.
“Measles can be a fatal infection. Children less than five years of age, adults older than 20 years of age, pregnant people and people who are immunocompromised are at higher risk for complications from measles.”
HOW DO I PROTECT MY CHILD AGAINST MEASLES?
Adults and children who have received two doses of measles vaccine, such as the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, are almost 100 per cent protected against getting the disease, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.
But the latest available data from 2021 shows that only 79.2 per cent of seven-year-olds have received two doses of vaccine.
“It is very important for parents to ensure their child(ren) receive a second dose of a measles-containing vaccine for full protection,” the public health agency said.
The first dose of MMR vaccine is usually given to babies at 12 to 15 months and then again at 18 months or before the child starts school. The timing of the second dose depends on the province or territory.
But if a baby under one year of age will travel,they should get one dose of measles vaccine before leaving if they are at least six months old so they have some protection, said Bolotin.
That baby should still get the regular two-dose vaccination regimen after they turn one year old, she said.
WHAT ABOUT ADULTS?
People born before 1970 are generally assumed to have immunity to measles because they were likely infected while the disease was endemic in Canada.
But if they don’t know if they’ve ever had measles and haven’t had a blood test to confirm immunity, they should get a measles shot, especially if they are travelling outside of Canada, the public health agency said.
Adults born in or after 1970 likely received one dose of measles vaccine as a child.
But in 1996, two doses started to become standard. Many adults likely received that second dose if they were in school at the time.
The public health agency said that if you don’t remember if you got a second dose, or if there’s any doubt, talk to a health-care provider about getting a booster shot.
That’s especially important if you will be travelling, the public health agency said.
People who don’t know if they got a second dose of measles vaccine should also consider a booster if they are a health-care worker, in the military or attending college or university.
There is no harm in getting another dose of MMR vaccine, even if it turns out you did have two shots, said Bolotin.
“There’s no relationship between adverse events and (the) more doses that you have. It’s a very, very, very safe vaccine,” she said.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A FAMILY DOCTOR?
A primary-care provider, such as a family doctor or nurse practitioner is the best person to ask about getting another measles shot as an adult, Bolotin said.
But if you don’t have one, ask your local public health agency what you should do, she said.
In British Columbia, local public health units are providing measles vaccinations for both children and adults, Andy Watson, spokesperson for Dr. Bonnie Henry, the chief provincial health officer, said in an emailed statement.
Watson said people in British Columbiacan also contact their local pharmacy.
Other public health agencies, including Toronto Public Health, are offering “catch-up” clinics for measles shots and other routine immunizations for children.
“For adults seeking measles vaccine who do not have a primary care provider, many walk-in clinics or travel medicine clinics also have the vaccine. Call ahead to a clinic to see if they have the vaccine,” said Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health, in an emailed statement.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Nicole Ireland
Published Feb 23, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
Amid a rise in measles cases in other countries and a handful of confirmed cases in Canada, the national public health agency “strongly advises” everyone check that they’re fully immunized against measles, especially before travelling.
“As we head into the spring break travel season, the Public Health Agency of Canada is concerned that the global surge in measles activity, combined with the decline in measles vaccine coverage among school-aged children in Canada, could lead to more imported cases, potentially resulting in transmission of measles in communities in Canada,” the agency said in an emailed statement Thursday.
Here’s what to know about measles and how to make sure you and your children are protected.
WHY IS THERE CONCERN ABOUT MEASLES NOW?
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world and is airborne. If someone with measles exits a room, others can be infected up to two hours after that person has left, said Shelly Bolotin, director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
In 1998, measles was declared eliminated in Canada, meaning cases were no longer originating in this country. Infections occur herewhen someone contracts measles in another country and travels here.
Preventing spread of measles within a community requires 95 per cent of the population to be vaccinated.
“Because there’s an increase in cases outside of Canada, then it’s understandable that we’re getting an increase in importations (of measles) as well,” Bolotin said.
“What we need to make sure that we are doing is that our population is adequately protected so that when cases come in, they don’t spread into large outbreaks (here).”
But measles vaccination coverage has dropped below 95 per cent in Canada, partly because of the disruption to routine childhood immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public health agency said.
The agency is aware of six cases of measles so far in Canada in 2024, it said.
“Measles can cause pneumonia as well as severe and permanent complications including deafness and brain damage resulting from inflammation of the brain (encephalitis),” the agency said.
“Measles can be a fatal infection. Children less than five years of age, adults older than 20 years of age, pregnant people and people who are immunocompromised are at higher risk for complications from measles.”
HOW DO I PROTECT MY CHILD AGAINST MEASLES?
Adults and children who have received two doses of measles vaccine, such as the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, are almost 100 per cent protected against getting the disease, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.
But the latest available data from 2021 shows that only 79.2 per cent of seven-year-olds have received two doses of vaccine.
“It is very important for parents to ensure their child(ren) receive a second dose of a measles-containing vaccine for full protection,” the public health agency said.
The first dose of MMR vaccine is usually given to babies at 12 to 15 months and then again at 18 months or before the child starts school. The timing of the second dose depends on the province or territory.
But if a baby under one year of age will travel,they should get one dose of measles vaccine before leaving if they are at least six months old so they have some protection, said Bolotin.
That baby should still get the regular two-dose vaccination regimen after they turn one year old, she said.
WHAT ABOUT ADULTS?
People born before 1970 are generally assumed to have immunity to measles because they were likely infected while the disease was endemic in Canada.
But if they don’t know if they’ve ever had measles and haven’t had a blood test to confirm immunity, they should get a measles shot, especially if they are travelling outside of Canada, the public health agency said.
Adults born in or after 1970 likely received one dose of measles vaccine as a child.
But in 1996, two doses started to become standard. Many adults likely received that second dose if they were in school at the time.
The public health agency said that if you don’t remember if you got a second dose, or if there’s any doubt, talk to a health-care provider about getting a booster shot.
That’s especially important if you will be travelling, the public health agency said.
People who don’t know if they got a second dose of measles vaccine should also consider a booster if they are a health-care worker, in the military or attending college or university.
There is no harm in getting another dose of MMR vaccine, even if it turns out you did have two shots, said Bolotin.
“There’s no relationship between adverse events and (the) more doses that you have. It’s a very, very, very safe vaccine,” she said.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A FAMILY DOCTOR?
A primary-care provider, such as a family doctor or nurse practitioner is the best person to ask about getting another measles shot as an adult, Bolotin said.
But if you don’t have one, ask your local public health agency what you should do, she said.
In British Columbia, local public health units are providing measles vaccinations for both children and adults, Andy Watson, spokesperson for Dr. Bonnie Henry, the chief provincial health officer, said in an emailed statement.
Watson said people in British Columbiacan also contact their local pharmacy.
Other public health agencies, including Toronto Public Health, are offering “catch-up” clinics for measles shots and other routine immunizations for children.
“For adults seeking measles vaccine who do not have a primary care provider, many walk-in clinics or travel medicine clinics also have the vaccine. Call ahead to a clinic to see if they have the vaccine,” said Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health, in an emailed statement.
Are you fully immunized against measles? Canada’s public health agency says to check
The Public Health Agency of Canada is strongly advising everyone in Canada to check that they're fully immunized against measles.