Gray hair might represent the marks left by our bodies in the battle against cancer, according to a new study.
The recently released Natural Cell Biology explores how the cells that provide pigment in our hair and skin “self-destruct” upon damage, as part of the body’s protective measures against cancer.
Researchers have found that when these pigment-producing cells experience certain types of damage, they cease to function on their own instead of continuing to divide.
This selection process helps to prevent the spread of faulty cells that can cause harmful mutations, but it ultimately leads to a decline in pigment-producing cells over time, resulting in gray hair.
While scientists have been examining methods to prevent the self-destruction of pigment cells to combat gray hair, recent findings indicate that gray hair may indicate a significant anti-cancer defensive mechanism.
Damaged DNA can lead to mutations and cause cancer – Credit: Getty
“[This study] indicates that gray hair and melanoma are not unrelated occurrences but are framed as varied outcomes of stem cell stress responses,” stated Professor Emi Nishimura of the University of Tokyo, who spearheaded the research.
The Tokyo team made this revelation while examining mouse melanocyte stem cells, which are responsible for producing hair pigment. They found that these melanocyte cells only sacrificed themselves when their DNA faced a “double-strand break,” or a precise cut on both sides of the DNA helix.
However, when the cells encountered different stressors, like ultraviolet light or carcinogens, they did not undergo self-destruction. Instead, they survived and continued to divide, allowing mutations to accumulate and potentially paving the way for cancer.
These two distinct responses—cells opting for self-sacrifice in some situations but persisting in others—may help clarify why gray hair and skin cancer become increasingly prevalent as we age.
Researchers suggest that gaining a deeper understanding and ultimately controlling this response could lead to innovative methods for eliminating high-risk cells before they turn cancerous.
Managing your period can be challenging if long covid prolongs it.
72 images / Alamy
Long covid appears to disrupt the menstrual cycle, causing periods to become heavier and last longer. This may be due to hormonal changes or lingering Covid-19-related complications that lead to inflammation.
The reasons behind long COVID remain unclear. Research indicates that the virus may persist at low levels in the body, trigger inflammatory immune responses, or disrupt gut microbiota.
Common symptoms include fatigue and brain fog. Previous studies have linked menstrual cycle irregularities to covid, though they did not provide accurate assessments of menstrual changes or whether these variations are independent of Covid-19.
To address this gap, Dr. Jacqueline Maybin and her team from the University of Edinburgh, UK, enlisted over 12,000 women to participate in a reproductive health study from March to June 2021.
More than 9,000 participants had no history of Covid-19, defined as testing negative for the virus and lacking symptoms such as loss of smell or cough. Approximately 1,700 women reported acute COVID-19, where symptoms resolved within a month, while about 1,000 were identified as having long COVID.
Over half of those with long COVID reported heavier-than-usual periods. In comparison, around 40% of women with acute COVID-19 and 35% of those who had no accidental infection experienced similar issues.
Additionally, long COVID was significantly linked to periods lasting longer than 8 days, whereas acute COVID-19 did not appear to affect cycle length. This suggests prolonged symptoms may stem from long COVID rather than the initial infection.
To understand the underlying mechanisms, researchers analyzed blood samples from menstrual cycles of women with long COVID against those of 40 women who contributed samples pre-pandemic.
Findings showed that individuals with long COVID exhibited elevated levels of the hormone 5α-dihydrotestosterone, which is associated with irregular periods in the latter half of the cycle. Furthermore, higher levels of inflammatory molecules tied to long COVID were detected through biopsies.
This indicates that long COVID may induce hormonal and immune changes that affect menstrual cycles. However, Maybin stresses that further research is essential to clarify these findings.
In another evaluation, the team noted that women with long COVID reported increased symptoms such as fatigue and muscle pain before and during menstruation, while nausea, headaches, and breathing issues often worsened after menstruation and preovulation. “This suggests ovarian hormones might influence the severity of some symptoms,” Maybin explains.
However, since the study primarily involved white women, she emphasizes the need to determine if these results apply to more diverse populations, as all participants were from the UK, a high-income nation.
Coal Power Plants Contribute to Cooling via Sulphate Pollution
Frank Hermann/Getty Images
The presence of sulfate air pollution causes clouds to darken and reduces sunlight. This factor could contribute to recent temperature increases beyond just greenhouse gas effects.
“Two-thirds of the global warming observed since 2001 is attributed not to rising CO2 levels, but to decreasing SO2 levels,” says Peter Cox from the University of Exeter, UK.
While some sunlight is reflected and some is absorbed before being released as heat, increased carbon dioxide levels enhance the retention of this heat. This greenhouse effect is a primary driver of global warming, but the albedo, or reflectivity of the planet, significantly influences temperature.
Since 2001, satellite instruments like Ceres have measured sunlight reflection and absorption. These observations reveal a decline in sunlight reflectivity, indicating a darker planet with diminishing albedo, leading to more intense warming.
Factors contributing to this reduced albedo include diminished snow and sea ice as well as fewer clouds. However, Cox and Margaux Marchant’s analysis of Ceres data spanning 2001 to 2019 suggests that the most significant contributor is the darkening of clouds.
Industrial and maritime sulfate emissions are known to enhance the density of cloud droplets, improving their reflectivity. This principle underpins a proposed geoengineering technique called Marine Cloud Brightening. However, recent shifts away from high-sulfur fuels like coal have led to reductions in these emissions.
Thus, Merchant and Cox explored whether the observed loss of cloud brightness is linked to reduced SO2 levels and found correlations. They presented initial findings at the Exeter Climate Forum recently.
These findings are promising, as the accelerated warming trends indicate that some researchers fear the global climate sensitivity (the temperature rise associated with increased atmospheric CO2) could be at the upper range of estimates. While the short-term effects of reduced pollution contribute to warming, this suggests greater warming potential as CO2 emissions rise if cloud darkening results from increased CO2.
“If this darkening signifies a genuine shift in cloud feedback indicating greater sensitivity than previously thought, rather than a mere result of decreased SO2 emissions, it is promising news,” stated Laura Wilcox from the University of Reading, UK, who was not involved in the research.
Wilcox notes limitations in the datasets utilized by Marchant and Cox; for instance, the SO2 contamination data may have changed since their analysis.
Furthermore, two recent studies suggest dimming is largely due toreduced cloud cover, not darker clouds. “The factors behind these recent darkening trends are currently being intensely debated,” she says.
Overall, Wilcox adds that her research supports the view that the recent acceleration of global warming is chiefly driven by reduced air pollution, and this effect is likely to be temporary.
Many AI companies say their models are on the path to artificial general information, but not everyone agrees
Manaure Quintero/AFP via Getty Images
Tech companies have argued that simply expanding their current AI models will lead to artificial general information (AGI). However, the performance of modern models is high, so AI researchers doubt that today's technology will lead to tighter systems.
In a survey of 475 AI researchers, approximately 76% of respondents said they were “impossible” or “very unlikely” to succeed in achieving AGI by expanding their current approach. The survey results are part of a Report by the Society for Progress in Artificial Intelligence, an International Association for Science based in Washington, DC.
This is a noticeable shift in the “need to scale” attitude that has spurred high-tech companies since the launch of the generative AI boom in 2022. Since then, most of the cutting-edge achievements have been trained by increasing the amount of data, which has resulted in improved performance. However, they appear to be stagnant with their latest releases, showing only progressive changes in quality.
“The enormous investment in scaling seemed to be constantly left behind, accompanied by comparable efforts to understand what was going on.” Stuart Russell He was a member of the panel that compiled the report at the University of California, Berkeley. “I think it began to be clear to everyone that about a year ago the benefits of scaling in the traditional sense took away the layers.”
Nevertheless, tech companies plan to spend collectively Estimated $1 trillion Support AI ambitions with data centers and chips for the next few years.
Hype about AI technology may explain why 80% of survey respondents said their current perceptions of AI capabilities were not consistent with reality. “Systems that are declared to match human performance, such as coding problems and mathematical problems, are making painstaking mistakes.” Thomas Neetteric He contributed to the report at Oregon State University. “These systems are extremely useful tools to support research and coding, but they do not intend to replace human workers.”
AI companies have recently focused on what is called inference time scaling, which takes longer for AI models to use more computing power and process queries before responding. Arvind Narayanan At Princeton University. However, he says that this approach is “a unlikely to become a silver bullet” to reach the AGI.
High-tech companies often describe AGI as their ultimate goal, but the very definition of AGI is unstable. There is Google DeepMind explained It is a system that can outperform all humans in a series of cognitive tests, and Huawei has Proposed To reach this milestone, we need a body that allows AI to interact with its environment. Internal reports for Microsoft and Openai It is listed Considering that AGI can only be achieved if Openai develops a model that can generate $100 billion in profits.
A leading scientist who has worked closely with wealthy individuals to address the dangers of AI suggests that Elon Musk’s influence over Donald Trump’s administration could result in stricter safety standards for artificial intelligence. Concerns about AI were not a prominent feature of Trump’s campaign, but Musk’s support for AI regulation in California demonstrates his ongoing worries about the issue.
Musk has repeatedly cautioned against the uncontrolled advancement of AI, warning of potentially disastrous consequences for humanity. He has advocated for a moratorium on research into powerful AI technologies, emphasizing the need for safety standards to prevent the development of artificial general intelligence that surpasses human intelligence levels.
Max Tegmark, a professor specializing in AI at MIT, believes that Musk could influence Trump to introduce regulations that hinder the advancement of artificial general intelligence. Tegmark sees Musk’s backing of AI safety measures in California as a positive step, even though the bill was ultimately vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Musk’s early support for AI safety initiatives aligns with the efforts of Tegmark’s Future of Life Institute, which advocates for responsible technology use. Musk’s increasing wealth post-Trump’s presidency victory could further bolster his influence in shaping AI regulations.
While Musk has warned of a dystopian future controlled by AI, other experts argue that focusing on catastrophic scenarios may divert attention from immediate concerns like AI manipulation. President Trump’s administration aims to overturn AI safety measures introduced by the Biden administration, citing them as politically biased restrictions on AI development.
These measures include mandatory safety testing for high-risk AI systems that could jeopardize national security, economic stability, or public health and safety.
Climate change has increased Hurricane Helen’s wind speed by 11% and total precipitation by about 10%, according to a new report.
Researchers expect Milton to do the same, and say it is likely to get worse because of climate change.
The report says the higher sea surface temperatures that contributed to the intensification of both storms are 200 to 500 times more likely to be due to climate change.
As Hurricane Milton hurtles toward Florida’s west coast, a new report estimates how intense Hurricane Helen’s winds and rain could have been due to climate change. Scientists involved in the study said they expected Milton to do the same, and that it would likely get worse because of climate change.
The report, released late Wednesday night, is from the World Weather Attribution Group, a consortium of scientists that analyzes extreme weather events and determines how much climate change has influenced certain events. He is regarded as the leading expert in making decisions.
The findings show that because of climate change, Hurricane Helen’s wind speeds were 11% more intense and its precipitation totals were about 10% higher.
Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who contributed to the new study, said “we now have a complete study showing a very clear link” between climate change and hurricane strength. “The biggest danger is not making the connection to climate change.”
Like Hurricane Helen, Hurricane Milton is also moving through record-breaking heat. Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are much warmer than usual, even for this time of year. Warmer water acts as fuel for such storms, helping them intensify faster.
Both hurricanes undergo a process known as rapid intensification, where the hurricane’s sustained wind speeds increase by at least 35 miles per hour over a 24-hour period. This trend is becoming more common due to climate change.
The report says the sea surface temperatures that pushed Helen and Milton up were 200 to 500 times warmer due to climate change.
On Monday, Milton experienced a dramatic pressure drop in the center of the hurricane, strengthening to one of the fifth strongest hurricanes ever recorded.
“This storm is definitely explosive,” said Bernadette Woods Plucky, chief meteorologist at the nonprofit research group Climate Central and co-author of the new report.
Using a combination of statistical analysis and detailed climate modeling, the researchers found that climate change and the fossil fuel pollution it causes are about 2.5 times more likely to produce a hurricane as strong as Helen.
This is the third and most extensive preliminary report linking climate change to the heavy rains that killed more than 200 people after Hurricane Helen made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on September 26.
Scientists at World Weather Attribution examined rainfall over two days along the coast of Florida, where Helen first hit, and three days of rainfall in mountainous areas in six neighboring states, including North Carolina and Tennessee. Assessed quantity.
They found that coastal rainfall totals are 40% more likely to be this high due to climate change, and inland rainfall totals are 70% more likely to be this high due to climate change. I discovered that there is a sex.
Helen flooded parts of southern Appalachia with more than 6 feet of rain. Floodwaters washed away houses, washed out highways, and cut off access to the town. Much of the recovery work is just beginning.
Damaged buildings in downtown Chimney Rock, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helen passed through on October 2nd. Alison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images
The World Weather Attribution group is a loose confederation of scientists who rapidly publish extreme findings about whether and how climate change has affected particular events. Twenty-one researchers participated in the new analysis. Although the group uses peer-review methods, its findings are published prior to traditional peer-review when events are new and particularly newsworthy. Previous studies on global weather attribution have withstood further scrutiny by outside scientists and been published in major scientific journals.
Otto said the new results are consistent with two previous analyzes of the effects of climate change on Hurricane Helen, but different researchers defined the parameters of the study in different ways, and there are different He said each report produced different numbers because they focused on geography.
Scientists at World Weather Attribution will run the numbers again for Milton and write a new report.
So far this year, hail — not hurricanes, floods or tornadoes — has caused the most costly weather damage in the United States.
Research suggests that large hailstorms will become more frequent due to climate change.
Next year, scientists are planning the first field study of hail in the United States since the 1970s, and will track hailstorms in the same way they track tornadoes.
Barb Berlin was standing in the garage of her farmhouse near Inman, Nebraska, when she heard a sudden crackling noise.
“I thought it was a gun,” she said.
Then a streak of white appeared, and she realized the sound wasn't a gunshot, but hail.
Fist-sized hailstones pounded on the tin roof of Berlin's garage, and soon others began punching softball-shaped holes in the hood of her Ford Mustang parked outside.
“It was very loud and scary. I prayed a lot,” Berlin said, adding that she was worried about her livestock. “I've never seen hail like that before.”
Hail is a hidden danger: Despite the extreme weather this spring and summer, hail — not hurricanes, floods or tornadoes — caused the most losses in the U.S., according to Gallagher Re, a global reinsurance firm that tracks such data.
And as the planet warms, research suggests large hailstorms like the one observed in Berlin on Monday will become more frequent. A study published last monthThis suggests that the chances of smaller, less damaging hail will decrease.
A study by researchers at Northern Illinois University projects that the frequency of hailstones larger than about 1.5 inches could increase by 15% to 75%, depending on the amount of greenhouse gas pollution humans emit.
Hail occurs when thunderstorms circulate raindrops in the upper layers of the atmosphere, and typically occurs where temperatures are between -22°F and 14°F. Climate change affects hail because warmer temperatures create more energy to push air upwards.In a thunderstorm.
“We expect to see stronger updrafts in the future as the atmosphere becomes more unstable,” said Victor Gensini, a professor of meteorology at Northern Illinois University and lead author of the study.
According to the study, these strong updrafts allow hail to remain in the right places in the storm longer, allowing more ice to accumulate before the hail becomes too heavy and falls to the ground.
“Imagine trying to balance a ping pong ball on an upside-down hair dryer pointing up into the sky,” Gensini said, explaining how updrafts lift hailstones. “Now try balancing a baseball or a grapefruit. You'll need a stronger updraft to…
…..
o Do brochures from companies you've never heard of regularly land on your doormat with a thud? These junk mail deliveries can reveal how the sender got your name and address, and who you are. You may wonder if your personal information is being shared without your permission.
One Guardian Money reader got in touch with fashion retailer Boden after she was bombarded with unsolicited posts when she placed her first order. Within weeks, she was sent catalogs from more than a dozen luxury brands selling clothing, food, and furniture, from Me+Em to The Fold to Biscuiters to Daylesford Organic to Loaf.
“There could be people who knew my address and sent me endless catalogs of bulky, environmentally unfriendly clothing that I would never buy,” she says. “I felt like someone was very careless with my privacy.”
“legitimate interest”
If you're seeing a growing pile of catalogs, the retailer you used may have passed your address to a data broker.
This legal trading of personal information is big business, involving companies ranging from huge multinationals to small British companies. Some perform simple activities such as collating and selling lists of names and contacts. Some combine multiple data sources to create rich profiles of individuals that may be considered intrusive.
The way businesses capture and use personal data (information such as name, email address, address and telephone number) is governed by UK data protection as set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Managed.
Have you ever wondered how the sender of your catalog got your name and address? Photo: Alicia Kanter/The Guardian
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says that to comply, organizations need to be upfront and tell people what they want to do with their data. This includes whether you plan to use a data broker service to obtain additional information or perform profiling. You also need to notify people if you plan to share their data with data brokers. “Organizations must clarify the purpose of processing and identify the data. legal basis for processing,” the ICO said.
“In the context of data brokerage, the commonly referred legal bases are consent and legitimate interests.”
This is why the words “legitimate interest” and “consent” often feature prominently in company website privacy notices.
Andrew Northage, a partner at law firm Walker Morris, said the first clause typically covers marketing, saying: “It is reasonable for retailers to promote their products and services; “This is to avoid having a strong negative impact on customers.”
Where direct marketing is carried out electronically (including by telephone, email and messaging) rather than by post, the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 also apply, Northage said. Here, the only legal basis for data sharing is consent.
“Customers should read the retailer's privacy notice to see if it offers to share data with third parties for marketing purposes,” he advises.
They should “only consent to this sharing if they are clear about what they are consenting to.”
prospect pool
among them Privacy notice Borden said it collects personal information “just like when you shop online.” “So we can send you a tailored offer for something you actually want, like that spotted raincoat.”
The company also said it may share users' names, addresses and “order details” with data brokers Epsilon and Experian, which “manage lead pools on behalf of UK retailers.” There is.
Managed by Epsilon (part of French advertising group Publicis). Abacus Alliance. This is a large database where over 250 participating catalog retailers and multichannel retailers share the names and addresses of their shopping customers, so other members can target them with mailshots. I can.
A “lead pool” is, as the name suggests, a collection of potential customers. Analysts, or more recently, artificial intelligence software, comb through this data to identify purchasing patterns. As a result, your name may be given to a company that appears to be selling what you want to buy.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Borden or Epsilon.
Have you ever wondered what personal information is collected when you shop online? Photo: Yui Mok/PA
Borden says “We strictly comply with data protection regulations. ”Additionally, “Customers can opt out of marketing at the time of purchase, through the marketing settings in their account, or through our customer service team. .”
Readers traced the source of the junk mail to the Abacus Alliance. “I called and was told it would be six months before deliveries would stop,” she said.
If you are in a similar situation and would like your personal data removed from our database, you can: fill out the form Please contact us via our website by calling 020 89438049 or nomail@epsilon.com.
The ICO says it has received a small number of complaints regarding Epsilon and Abacus Alliance in recent years, but has “determined that there is no further action to take in response to these complaints and is now closing the process.” he added.
Please refrain from spam mail
If you are unhappy with the amount of junk mail you receive, there are several things you can do to remove your name from the broker's database.
free Mail priority service (MPS) allows you to opt out of unsolicited personal email.
Russell Roach, head of preference services at the Data Marketing Association (DMA), which runs MPS, suggests that if you receive an unwanted catalog, you should first contact the company directly. “Send a letter or email to the company and ask them to remove your personal data from their records and affiliates,” he says. “Tell me how you feel about receiving all this junk mail.
“Register with MPS and we will do it for you. Our website says: Complaints section Here, we ask you to scan or send the email you receive. My team will then contact the organization and give you 14 days to respond.
“When we talk to this organization, we argue that emailing only those who want to receive information saves time and money and reduces waste.”
There are several ways to prevent receiving unsolicited email. Photo: Martin Argules/The Guardian
If you want to take it a step further, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office, which has its own complaints process.
When signing up for a new product or service, the important things to look for are the boxes that are pre-checked. “You can check the box to say, 'I understand the terms and conditions,' but there's also a checkbox that says, 'Are you sure you want to transfer your data to some of our affiliates that offer similar services?' Sometimes it’s pre-checked,” says Roach. Uncheck this box to avoid unnecessary contact.
A growing number of companies, like DeleteMe, delete personal information sold online in exchange for a subscription fee (in this case £115 a year).
“DeleteMe exists to save people the time and headache of figuring out how to opt out of all these marketing schemes and data broker databases,” said Rob Shavel, CEO of the company. Masu.
“Hopefully, the result will be less direct mail, less spam, less robocalls, less phone calls, and less marketing that is unpleasant to you and offers little benefit to you personally.”
HONG KONG — Didn't fall from the Empire State Building.
Instead, the giant ape, sometimes called the “real King Kong,” was driven to extinction by climate change that made its favorite fruit unavailable during the dry season, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The results have been announced.
An artist's impression of a herd of giant apes Gigantopithecus blackii in a forest landscape in southern China.Southern Cross University/AFP – Getty Images
They can grow up to 10 feet tall and weigh up to 650 pounds. Gigantopithecus brachy Hundreds of thousands of years ago, they roamed the forested plains of southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, feeding on fruits and flowers.
But researchers have discovered that the apes' harsh diet may have led to the species' extinction.
The herbivorous apes made the “fatal mistake of becoming reluctant to change their food preferences to find new, more nutritious foods,” the study's lead researcher Yin-chi Chan said Thursday. told NBC News.
“As the environment changed, the food this great ape preferred became unavailable. But this great ape did not adapt to its dietary preferences. It remained dependent on a diet with low nutritional value. ” he added.
Zhang, a Beijing-based paleontologist, said the creatures stuck to dense forests, while apes like orangutans quickly adapted and moved into open forests, eating small animals.
Gigantopithecus blackii, thought to be the largest primate on Earth, roamed the plains of southern China before going extinct. Southern Cross University/AFP – Getty Images
The reason for the species' extinction has been a mystery ever since a tooth was discovered in a Hong Kong pharmacy in 1935 by German-Dutch paleontologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Königswald. It was sold as “Dragon Tooth”.
This discovery led to extensive research for more fossils, but 85 years later, only 2,000 isolated teeth and parts of the lower jaw have been discovered. No parts other than the skull were recovered.
Without a “precise timeline” of extinctions, “we're looking for clues in the wrong places,” said Kira Westaway, one of the study's lead authors and a geochronologist at Macquarie University in Sydney. says.
However, the researchers were able to use one of the latest techniques, called “luminescence dating,” which allowed them to determine the age of the soil around the fossils in 22 caves in southern China.
From this, they concluded that the great apes went extinct between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago.
“Now we have a target zone. We have a target period. So we start looking at changes in the environment,” Westaway said.
The researchers also found clues in the fauna around the cave, with analysis of pollen and wear on the great apes' teeth showing that changing seasons led to a lack of fruit and reduced reliance on less nutritious food. It became clear that he was no longer able to earn money.
“Gigants couldn't really expand their foraging range to find more suitable food because they're so big. Orangutans are also very small, mobile, and very “It's agile,” Westaway said, adding that the new study provided a blueprint for further research into the main extinction event.
“You need to get a very precise timeline. You need to look at what the environment is doing and then look at how they acted,” she said.
From about 2 million to 22 million years ago, dozens of species of great apes lived in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Today, only gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans remain.
Westaway said the research could also open the door to future possibilities for how humans can adapt to adverse weather events and ensure species survival.
“This sets a precedent for trying to understand how primates respond to environmental stress and what makes certain primates vulnerable and what makes others resilient.” she says.
Mitchell Agarwal
Mithil Aggarwal is a reporter and producer for NBC News based in Hong Kong.
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