(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Overnight News Digest - Saturday Science: Betelgeuse, Alzheimer’s cause, Vegan vs Meat [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-12-09 Please note: I will not be available to host Saturday Science on December 30. Would someone please volunteer to assume the responsibilities? Welcome to Overnight News Digest- Saturday Science. Since 2007 the OND has been a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of science stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Topics in this edition include: Study looks at which is healthier, vegan or meat-based diet? Brazil’s Amazon River at lowest level in 120 years — photo Soon we can turn our solar panels into a lucrative business Less waste, tastier espresso Moving closer to climate tipping points Glyphosate found in pregnant women living near farmfields treated with Roundup Alzheimer’s and dementia cause identified Sycamore Gap tree will live on, experts say Watch Betelgeuse blink out on December 12 The Brighter Side by JD Shavit Identical twin study reveals which is healthier - vegan or meat-based diet? The age-old adage, "You are what you eat," rings truer than ever in the realm of cardiovascular health. While the benefits of a plant-based diet have long been touted, a recent study conducted by Stanford Medicine researchers, in collaboration with their colleagues, has shed new light on the remarkable impact of a vegan diet on cardiovascular well-being. This groundbreaking research, published in JAMA Network Open , reveals that adopting a vegan diet can significantly improve cardiovascular health in as little as eight weeks, offering a beacon of hope for those looking to enhance their heart health through dietary changes. The Cool Down by Susan Elizabeth Turek UNRECOGNIZABLE AERIAL BEFORE-AND-AFTER PHOTOS OF MAJOR RIVER SOUND ‘GLOBAL ALARM BELL’: ‘THIS IS COLLECTIVE POISONING’ A convergence of three factors has reportedly left parts of Brazil’s Amazon River at their lowest levels in 120 years, with unrecognizable before-and-after aerial photos of the waterway serving as a wake-up call. Entrepreneur by Kartic Menen Millions of Americans Will Soon Be Able to Turn Their Roofs Into a Lucrative Side Hustle For decades, electricity has flowed one way: from power producers to public utilities, which then distribute it over vast distances to households and businesses. That utility-to-consumer status quo, however, is getting challenged. A growing number of Americans have started generating electricity from solar panels installed at their homes. And new technologies and a fleet of startups are allowing people to not only independently power their homes but also store and sell excess solar power to their neighbors. With this shift, small-scale energy generation and storage facilities (like a residential building outfitted with a solar panel and battery) could not only become a source of income for the people who own the tech but it could improve things for everyone else. People on the traditional grid could see lower costs, greater grid reliability, and less volatile energy prices. Ars Technica by Jennifer Ouellette Study: Why a spritz of water before grinding coffee yields less waste, tastier espresso Scientific inspiration can strike at any time. For Christopher Hendon, a computational materials chemist at the University of Oregon, inspiration struck at a local coffee bar where his lab holds regular coffee hours for the Eugene campus community—a fitting venue since Hendon's research specialties include investigating the scientific principles behind really good coffee. The regulars included two volcanologists, Josef Dufek and Joshua Méndez Harper, who noted striking similarities between the science of coffee and plumes of volcanic ash, magma, and water. Thus, an unusual collaboration was born. “It’s sort of like the start of a joke—a volcanologist and a coffee expert walk into a bar and then come out with a paper,” said Méndez Harper, a volcanologist at Portland State University. “But I think there are a lot more opportunities for this sort of collaboration, and there’s a lot more to know about how coffee breaks, how it flows as particles, and how it interacts with water. These investigations may help resolve parallel issues in geophysics—whether it’s landslides, volcanic eruptions, or how water percolates through soil.” Nature by Jeff Tollefson Catastrophic change looms as Earth nears climate ‘tipping points’, report says Climate change has placed the world in danger of breaching numerous planetary “tipping points”, according to a scientific assessment compiled by more than 200 researchers. Crossing those points could lead to irreversible effects on natural systems that are crucial to human livelihoods, write the authors, who add that it’s time to confront these dangers head-on — and accelerate efforts to prevent them. Some scientists remain wary of over-emphasizing tipping points, because it’s difficult to define the risks and assess their likelihood. But few doubt that the risks are real, or that they are increasing as global temperatures escalate. “These tipping points pose threats of a magnitude that has never been faced before by humanity,” says Tim Lenton, a climate scientist at the University of Exeter, UK, who led the report with support from the Bezos Earth Fund, a philanthropic organization based in Washington DC and set up by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Conversation by Cynthia Curl and Carla Hyland Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, is showing up in pregnant women living near farm fields – that raises health concerns Living near farmland can significantly increase people’s exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the widely used herbicide Roundup, new research shows. This chemical has been connected to health concerns, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma and a higher risk of preterm birth. We are environmental health scientists who study pesticide exposures in human populations, including exposures to herbicides. In our newly published research, we tracked glyphosate levels in pregnant women for 10 months. We found that those who were living within about a third of a mile (500 meters) of an agricultural field had significantly higher levels of glyphosate in their urine than those who lived farther away. Importantly, we only saw those differences during the time of year when farmers spray glyphosate on their fields, further suggesting agricultural spray as the source of this exposure. The Brighter Side by JJ Shavit Groundbreaking study reveals the cause of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia A groundbreaking study from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) has unveiled a new avenue of cell death in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, offering a unique direction for future research and potential therapeutic interventions. This seminal research, recently published online in the esteemed journal Annals of Neurology , reveals that a form of cell death known as ferroptosis, caused by an accumulation of iron within cells, is responsible for the obliteration of microglia cells in the brain. NPR by Bill Chappell Signs of life': Sycamore Gap tree will live on, experts say The tree occupied a magical spot in the landscape of Northumberland, England, and in the hearts of people who visited it. So the news that efforts to propagate the ancient tree will likely succeed is being welcomed now, after the tree was felled in September. "[We] are encouraged by positive signs of life, and are hopeful that over 30 per cent of the mature seeds and half of the cuttings (scions) will be viable," said Andy Jasper, the National Trust's director of gardens and parklands, in a statement sent to NPR. "Over the next year, we'll be doing all we can to nurture the seeds and cuttings, in the hope that some will grow into strong, sturdy saplings," Jasper said, "providing a new future for this much-loved tree." Live Science by Jamie Carter One of the brightest stars in the sky will 'blink out' on Dec. 12. Here's how to watch. Next week, a rare celestial event will occur as an asteroid blocks the red supergiant star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion. Betelgeuse, usually the 10th-brightest star in the night sky, will briefly blink off Monday, Dec. 11 as the asteroid 319 Leona appears to pass in front of it from our point of view on Earth. The event, which will last only 12 seconds, will be a valuable opportunity for astronomers to create a map of the giant star's surface, which has been linked to its recent odd behavior . It's highly unusual for one of the brightest stars in the night sky to be blocked, or "occulted," by an asteroid. Although the smaller asteroid may cause a " ring of fire" annular eclipse of Betelgeuse, a limited number of skywatchers will be in the right position to see it. This is an open thread where everyone is welcome, especially night owls and early birds, to share and discuss the science news of the day. Please share your articles and stories in the comments. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/9/2210641/-Overnight-News-Digest-Saturday-Science-Betelgeuse-Alzheimer-s-cause-Vegan-vs-Meat?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/