Science & Environment

[spaminator]

'Nessie’ sighting vaults Canadian couple into media spotlight after photo in Scotland
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Apr 24, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

A Canadian couple, Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman, living in England have been thrust into the limelight after capturing images, as shown in these handout images, of what could be the famed Loch Ness Monster in Scotland.
A Canadian couple, Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman, living in England have been thrust into the limelight after capturing images, as shown in these handout images, of what could be the famed Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. PHOTO BY HO /The Canadian Press
LONDON — Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman weren’t expecting a “pivotal moment” in their sons’ lives when they visited Scotland’s Loch Ness earlier this month, but that’s exactly what happened.


“Our youngest is turning three next week,” said Wiseman from the family’s home in London, England. “And he tells everyone there have been two pivotal moments in his life: Seeing the world’s largest dinosaur, which he did at the Natural History Museum in January, and seeing Nessie.


“He tells everyone he encounters. He tells the postman, he tells the guys in the shops and the cafes.”

Malm and Wiseman have been thrust into the limelight after a photo they took during their family vacation showed a shadowy figure poking above the waterline, something that the couple’s children — and others — firmly believe is the latest sighting of the famed Loch Ness Monster.

Malm and Wiseman, who are from Coquitlam B.C., and Calgary respectively, moved to England in 2006.


The couple said the original plan for the spring vacation was to take a boat ride in Loch Ness because their children were “completely captivated by the concept of Nessie.”

“We’d even packed shortbread cookies, which we were told from these books was Nessie’s favourite treat,” Wiseman quipped. “Turned out shortbread cookies were not necessary.”

That’s because the family spotted something sticking out of the water while visiting a lookout at nearby Urquhart Castle.

“We just started watching it more and more, and we could see its head craning above water,” Malm said. “And then it was swimming against the current towards the castle, slowly but surely, like very fastidiously going over the waves (and) coming closer and closer. And then it submerged and disappeared.”


Malm said the family took a photo of what they saw and decided “for a bit of a laugh” to send the picture to the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, which he stumbled upon while surfing the internet.

“They got in touch within 24 hours,” Malm recalled. “They were super excited. They sent it to one of their Loch Ness experts who said that it was ‘compelling evidence,’ I believe was the exact phrase.

“And just one thing led to another. I mean, it’s been incredible.”

Since the photo submission, Malm and Wiseman have been featured in British tabloids such as The Sun and the Daily Mirror and digital publication LADbible.

On the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, the encounter has been recorded as the first Nessie sighting of 2024.


“We’ve both got texts from people who we haven’t heard from in quite some time going, ‘Guess who I just saw on TV?”‘ Malm said.

“I’m just glad that we hit the national media in Canada for spotting the Loch Ness monster and not being on Crime Stoppers.”

Both Malm and Wiseman said they are happy their experience is bringing some positivity to the daily news cycle, and at least one person they have spoken with thanked them for the picture.

“Our son’s school’s headmaster is Scottish,” Malm said. “And he pulls me aside at pick up one day and he goes, ‘You know what, Perry? You’ve done more for Scottish tourism than anybody else in my lifetime.’

“So, hopefully some people will be inspired to come visit Scotland.”


What isn’t certain, however, is what they actually encountered on that cold April morning on the shore of Loch Ness.

“We don’t know what we saw,” Wiseman said. “Our children believe we saw Nessie, and I believe it for them.

“I believe that we saw something that could be Nessie, and that is a very broad possibility.”

Malm said the wonder that the sighting has inspired in his children, and others resonating with the photo, is more important than the question of what they encountered.

“It’s really charming,” he said of the outpouring of reactions. “Because in a world where the news is about a war here and an atrocity there, it’s just nice that people are interested in something that’s just lighthearted, a little bit silly and a little bit unbelievable.”

'Nessie’ sighting vaults Canadian couple into media spotlight after photo in Scotland

Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman weren't expecting a "pivotal moment" in their sons' lives when they visited Scotland's Loch Ness earlier this month.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman’s life
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Lauran Neergaard
Published Apr 24, 2024 • 3 minute read

NEW YORK — Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.


Lisa Pisano’s combination of heart and kidney failure left her too sick to qualify for a traditional transplant, and out of options. Then doctors at NYU Langone Health devised a novel one-two punch: Implant a mechanical pump to keep her heart beating and days later transplant a kidney from a genetically modified pig.


Pisano is recovering well, the NYU team announced Wednesday. She’s only the second patient ever to receive a pig kidney — following a landmark transplant last month at Massachusetts General Hospital — and the latest in a string of attempts to make animal-to-human transplantation a reality.

This week, the 54-year-old grasped a walker and took her first few steps.

“I was at the end of my rope,” Pisano told The Associated Press. “I just took a chance. And you know, worst case scenario, if it didn’t work for me, it might have worked for someone else and it could have helped the next person.”


Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of NYU Langone Transplant Institute, recounted cheers in the operating room as the organ immediately started making urine.

“It’s been transformative,” Montgomery said of the experiment’s early results.

But “we’re not off the hook yet,” cautioned Dr. Nader Moazami, the NYU cardiac surgeon who implanted the heart pump.

Other transplant experts are closely watching how the patient fares.

“I have to congratulate them,” said Dr. Tatsuo Kawai of Mass General, who noted that his own pig kidney patient was healthier overall before the operation. “When the heart function is bad, it’s really difficult to do a kidney transplant.”

THE PIG ORGAN QUEST
More than 100,000 people are on the U.S. transplant waiting list, most who need a kidney, and thousands die waiting. In hopes of filling the shortage of donated organs, several biotech companies are genetically modifying pigs so their organs are more humanlike, less likely to be destroyed by people’s immune system.


NYU and other research teams have temporarily transplanted pig kidneys and hearts into brain-dead bodies, with promising results. Then the University of Maryland transplanted pig hearts into two men who were out of other options, and both died within months.

Mass General’s pig kidney transplant last month raised new hopes. Kawai said Richard “Rick” Slayman experienced an early rejection scare but bounced back enough to go home earlier this month and still is faring well five weeks post-transplant. A recent biopsy showed no further problems.

A COMPLEX CASE AT NYU
Pisano is the first woman to receive a pig organ — and unlike with prior xenotransplant experiments, both her heart and kidneys had failed. She went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated before the experimental surgeries. She’d gotten too weak to even play with her grandchildren. “I was miserable,” the Cookstown, New Jersey, woman said.


A failed heart made her ineligible for a traditional kidney transplant. But while on dialysis, she didn’t qualify for a heart pump, called a left ventricular assist device or LVAD, either.

“It’s like being in a maze and you can’t find a way out,” Montgomery explained — until the surgeons decided to pair a heart pump with a pig kidney.

TWO SURGERIES IN EIGHT DAYS
With emergency permission from the Food and Drug Administration, Montgomery chose an organ from a pig genetically engineered by United Therapeutics Corp. so its cells don’t produce a particular sugar that’s foreign to the human body and triggers immediate organ rejection.

Plus a tweak: The donor pig’s thymus gland, which trains the immune system, was attached to the donated kidney in hopes that it would help Pisano’s body tolerate the new organ.


Surgeons implanted the LVAD to power Pisano’s heart on April 4, and transplanted the pig kidney on April 12. There’s no way to predict her long-term outcome but she’s shown no sign of organ rejection so far, Montgomery said. And in adjusting the LVAD to work with her new kidney, Moazami said doctors already have learned lessons that could help future care of heart-and-kidney patients.

Special “compassionate use” experiments teach doctors a lot but it will take rigorous studies to prove if xenotransplants really work. What happens with Pisano and Mass General’s kidney recipient will undoubtedly influence FDA’s decision to allow such trials. United Therapeutics said it hopes to begin one next year.

Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman’s life

Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death.

torontosun.com

 

[petros]

INSANE Nuclear Scientific discovery in Chernobyl #chernobyl #radiation #space #science #shorts

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[spaminator]

The hidden cost of food inflation – compromising safety for affordability
As inflation climbs, Canadians risk food safety to stretch their dollars

Author of the articler. Sylvain Charlebois
Published Apr 26, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

The intersection of rising food costs and consumer health safety is emerging as a critical issue in today’s economy.


Recent research from Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, in partnership with Caddle, provides alarming insights into how financial pressures are influencing food safety behaviours among Canadians, with significant public health impacts.


The study surveyed 9,109 Canadians, revealing that 58% of respondents are more inclined to eat food near or beyond its “best before” date due to economic pressures from rising food prices. This trend is not marginal but indicative of a broad shift in consumer behaviour driven by financial necessity.

Alarmingly, 23.1% of these individuals consistently consume such foods, and an additional 38.6% do so frequently.

This risky behavior has direct health consequences: 20% of those surveyed reported sickness related to consuming food products past their “best before” date.



The data becomes even more concerning among Millennials, where 41% have experienced foodborne illnesses under similar circumstances. This demographic detail not only underscores the vulnerability of younger consumers but also highlights a generational divide in risk exposure and financial stability.

Despite these results being self-reported, the figures are alarmingly high.

Approximately 50.1% of Canadians acknowledge inflation has forced them to compromise on food safety, adopting strategies like freezing perishables or extending the usability of leftovers beyond typical safety margins. While these practices are resourceful, they can potentially lead to an increase in foodborne diseases, a concern substantiated by the reported incidences of illness.



The implications of these findings extend beyond individual households, suggesting a systemic issue that intertwines economic policies with public health outcomes.

Although food spending at the grocery store has decreased compared to 2018 and 2019, possibly indicating Canadians are wasting less food at home, this may also imply they are taking greater risks with their health.

As Canadians adjust their eating habits to cope with financial pressures, the need for enhanced risk communication policies and informing the public about how to manage risks at home is more critical than ever. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency suggests about four million Canadians contract a foodborne illness each year, a number that this report suggests may rise as food inflation becomes a widespread issue.


Food in Canada is generally safer compared to other nations. However, the consumer remains the most critical risk manager within the entire supply chain. While expiry dates are non-negotiable, “best before” dates do not mean “bad after.”

Nevertheless, consumers must carefully assess whether a product is safe to eat, considering their ability to cope with potential risks. Making the wrong decision could result in missing work and incurring additional costs.

Perhaps someday consumers will have access to home technology that can detect the safety level of the food they are about to eat in real time?

This research from Dalhousie University highlights an urgent need for policies that address the interplay between economic pressures and public health, emphasizing the necessity of robust consumer education on food safety in times of economic strain.

– Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University

CHARLEBOIS: The hidden cost of food inflation – compromising safety for affordability

The intersection of rising food costs and consumer health safety is emerging as a critical issue in today's economy.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Bird flu virus found in 1 in 5 U.S. milk samples, FDA says
Author of the article:Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Gerson Freitas Jr.
Published Apr 26, 2024 • 1 minute read
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday, March 25, 2024, that milk from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas has tested positive for bird flu.
Fragments of the bird flu virus have been found in about one fifth of commercial milk samples tested in a U.S. nationally representative study, according to the Food and Drug Administration.


While the presence of traces of the virus in milk doesn’t necessarily indicate a risk to consumers, more tests are needed to confirm if intact pathogen is present and remains infectious, the FDA said in a statement on its website. That would determine “whether there is any risk of illness associated with consuming the product,” it added.


The initial study results offer a stark indication of how quickly a virus that has killed millions of birds globally is spreading among U.S. dairy cows, raising health and food security woes while spooking markets.

The FDA said there’s a higher proportion of positive tests coming from milk in areas with infected herds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed 33 infected herds in eight states including Texas, Kansas, Michigan and Ohio. On Wednesday, the USDA implemented mandatory testing of dairy cows moving across state borders as part of efforts to understand the extent of the outbreak and contain the virus.

Authorities have reaffirmed that the risk to humans remain low. So far this year, the U.S. has only identified one person who has been infected — and there’s been no human-to-human transmission. The person, who had direct contact with contaminated cattle, experienced only minor symptoms and was treated with Tamiflu.

“To date, the retail milk studies have shown no results that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” FDA said.

Bird flu virus found in 1 in 5 U.S. milk samples, FDA says

Fragments of the bird flu virus have been found in about one fifth of commercial milk samples tested in a U.S. study, according to the FDA.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Dangerous worms now wriggling in Ontario soil
Hammerhead worms can grow to three feet and have been found in Newmarket, Hamilton and the Kitchener area

Author of the article:Kevin Connor
Published Apr 27, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read

Hammerhead worms found in a garden in Montreal on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023.
Hammerhead worms found in a garden in Montreal on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. PHOTO BY PIERRE OBENDRAUF /Montreal Gazette
Ontario has been invaded by worm that are dangerous to pets.


There have been reports that hammerhead worms, which can grow to three-feet-long, have recently been found in Newmarket, Hamilton and the Kitchener area.


“They’re here. People are surprised to see them because they are very unusual. People are not used to seeing them. They are originally a semitropical organism,” John Reynolds, a laboratory biologist and worm expert, recently told CTV News Toronto.

It isn’t clear how the worms, native to Southeast Asia, came into the province but they have previously been found in the United States and Quebec.

“They don’t get very far on their own. They need to be transported,” Reynolds explained. “They can spread quickly because if you cut them, each piece becomes a new individual.”



He said hammerhead worms produce a dangerous neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin that is also found in pufferfish.

The worm’s toxins can kill small animals and causes a rash in people.

“They are not seriously harmful to people. They can cause a terrible rash and make your hands tingle for a while,” Reynolds said. “If you swallow one by mistake, it will only make you nauseous. It certainly won’t be fatal.”

However, the Kitchener worm expert warned people not to pick up worms.

“These worms have been here, but in such low numbers that they were originally overlooked, but recently they have become more visible,” Reynolds said, adding as the number of hammerhead worms increases, the more sightings and awareness there will be.

The Invasive Species Center advises people to report any sightings of hammerhead worms on iNaturalist.ca.

“Ideally get precise location information, an address,” Reynolds said. “And get some photos because that’s really the only way you can verify detection.”

kconnor@postmedia.com

iNaturalist Canada

iNaturalist Canada is a social network for naturalists! Record your observations of plants and animals, share them with friends and researchers, and learn about the natural world.

inaturalist.ca

'THEY'RE HERE': Dangerous worms now wriggling in Ontario soil

Ontario has been invaded by worm that are dangerous to pets.

torontosun.com