Transcript

9.25.25 · Science Show KY

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Speaker 1: Welcome to Radioized Diary of Science and Nature. Your reader's
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Kelly Taylor. I'll have articles on the topics of science
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and nature, but first a reminder. RADIOI is a reading
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service intended for people who are blind or have other
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disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material. From
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Popular Mechanics, we have an article entitled there are mystery
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rings around five hundred thousand barrels on the seafloor. They
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shouldn't be there. This is from September eighteenth. From the
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nineteen thirties until the nineteen seventies, multiple government agencies approved
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the dumping of hazardous materials, including chemicals such as D
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D T and other caustic waste, at fourteen locations off
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the coast of California. According to the Los Angeles Times,
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the idea at the time was that quote dilution was
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the solution to pollution, essentially using the immensity of the
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world's oceans to dilute harmful chemicals to a harmless level
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of parts per million. The idea did not go according
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to plan a disconcerting prospect, with an estimated half a
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million barrels still underwater today. Armed with the remotely operated
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vehicle Siusbastioni aboard the research vessel Falcore. Scientists from UC
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San Diego's scripts Institution of Oceanography took a closer look
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at these barrels littering the ocean floor and found something distressing.
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There appeared to be a ghostly halo emanating from many
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of them, suggesting something was leaking out into the ocean environment.
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In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the
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National Academy of Sciences, the author's detail the concerning results
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of humanity's broad disregard for oceanic ecosystems. While the researchers
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were expecting to find concentrations of DDT D, a pesticide
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that serves as the main chemical antagonist of Rachel Carson's
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famous book Silent Spring and whose use is now illegal
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in the US, they instead discovered that the halos were
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created from alkaline caustic waste that form an extremophile environment.
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The team says the halos mimic the conditions of areas
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such as hydrothermal vents. Quote DDT was not the only
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thing that was dumped in this part of the ocean,
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and we have only a very fragmented idea of what
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else was dumped there? End Quote says Johanna Guttlbin, a
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co author of the study. Quote. We only find what
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we are looking for, and up to this point we
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have mostly been looking for DDT. Nobody was thinking about
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alkaline waste before this, and we may have to start
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looking for other things as well. Quote. The halos formed
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a thick, concrete like crust, which was difficult for the
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ROV to collect using coreing devices. Instead, the Sebastian relied
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on his robotic arm to tear off pieces for further analysis.
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The research shows that when alkaline waste leaked from the barrels,
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its reactions with magnesium in the seawater created brucite, the
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mineral form of magnesium hydroxide. Where this high pH material
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meets seawater at the edges, it forms calcium carbonate, the
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chalky outer edge of the halo. Quote. It's shocking that
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fifty plus years later you are still seeing these effects,
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says Paul Jensen, another co author of the study. We
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can't quantify the environmental impact without knowing how many of
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these barrels with white halos are out there, but it's
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clearly having a localized impact on microbes. Unfortunately, removing these
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ecological disasters isn't simple, as disturbing the ocean floor would
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likely the eight sediment plumes that spread the contamination further
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throughout the water column. The best hope is to study
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the DDT poisoned sediments and see what microbes could possibly
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break down the chemical and slowly clean up this short
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sighted human made disaster. Whether it's DDT caustic waste, microplastics, trash,
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or other kinds of refuse. The mindset of viewing the
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ocean as the world's dumping ground is one that's sadly
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still alive and well to this day. Now another article
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from Popular Mechanics involving the ocean, scientists peered beneath the
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Dead Sea and found incredible salt giants growing underwater. September
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twenty third is a date on this article. A salt
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giant might sound like a creation straight from the mind
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of J. R. R. Tolkien, but in geology, they are
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very real, large scale salt deposits within the Earth. For years,
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these deposits have been an area of focus for University
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of California Santa Barbara professor eckhart Meberg, who has studied
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the fluid dynamics of the Dead Sea, a hypersaline terminal
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lake that just so happens to be the saltiest body
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of water on Earth. In twenty nineteen, Myberg and his
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team discovered the mechanism driving the underwater phenomenon known as
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salt snow, which slowly funnels salt down to the lake bed.
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Six years later, Myburg and co author Nadav Lynsky from
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the Geological Survey of Israel detail the process of salt
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giants forming below the Dead Sea and argue that this
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body of water may be the only place to study
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the formation of these particular geological structures. The study containing
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these claims is published in the journal Annual Review of
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Fluid Dynamics. Quote. These large deposits in the Earth's crust
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can be many many kilometers horizontally, and they can be
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more than a kilometer thick in the vertical direction. My
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Berg says, how were they generated? The Dead Sea is
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really the only place in the world where we can
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study the mechanism of these things today. Being a terminal
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lake means that water only has one way of escaping
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the Dead Sea, evaporation, which tends to leave behind lots
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of salt in the process. The damming of the Jordan
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River has also both sped up the water level decline
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in the lake and completely mixed up its chemistry. As
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the author's note. In the nineteen eighties, the Dead Sea
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was considered meromictic. This means that the lake was stably stratified,
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with less dense, warmer water at the top and cooler,
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more saline water at the bottom. But the diversion of
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the Jordan threw off the balance of evaporation versus freshwater inflow,
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causing surface salinity to rise. Now, the Dead Sea is
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considered a holomictic, meaning that the lake experiences annual overturns
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among layers, primarily in the winter months. This backdrop, in
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addition to other behaviors such as internal currents and surface waves,
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is slowly forming salt giants, strangely mimicking the geologic past
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of a nearby aquatic neighbor. Quote. There was always some
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inflow from the North Atlantic into the Mediterranean through the
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Strait of Gibraltar, my Berg says, but when tectonic motion
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closed off the Strait of Gibraltar, there couldn't be any
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water inflow from the North Atlantic. This is known in
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the Messinian Salinity Crisis, which occurred around five point ninety
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six to five point three three million years ago. During
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the time, similar to today's Dead Sea, the Mediterranean was cut
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off from water inflow from the North Atlantic and eventually
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dried up. However, the Strait of Gibraltar eventually reopen during
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the Sanclian flood. Studying these salt giants won't just provide
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a glimpse into the Mediterranean's pass it will help scientists
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better understand the erosion of arid coastlines as sea levels
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continue to rise due to climate change. Don't let its
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name fool you. The Dead Sea is alive and well
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when it comes to scientific exploration. Here's an article from
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Popular Science. Why your dog gets so excited to see you?
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September twenty third. You've been away for two weeks on
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a European vacation, and the moment your dog sitter brings
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a little wanty to the door, your fur baby starts
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running in circles, squealing and wagging his tail like a
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helicopter rotor. Your dog is in the throes of what's
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called frenetic random activity periods FRS, otherwise known as zumis.
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This release of pent up energy is often a form
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of happiness, and in this case, it's off the charts.
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Monty obviously loves you, but seriously, is he okay? According
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to Alison Gerkin, a board certified veterinary behaviorist at the
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SPCA in San Francisco, there are numerous factors that cause
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your dog gets so excited, and it involves everything from
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relationship development and neurobiology to emotions and learning. Studies show
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that dogs form attachment bonds quote. Those attachment bonds can
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look a lot like the attachment bonds that human infants
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developed with caregivers, says Gerkin. It's one of the many
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reasons we often refer to our dogs as our babies.
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In the late nineteen sixties, American Canadian psychologist Mary Ainsworth
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developed the Strange Situation procedure, a controlled study that measures
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an infant's attachment with their caregiver. Researchers later apply the
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procedure to domesticated dogs and their pet parents, examining how
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dogs react around their owners as opposed to a stranger. Quote.
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Results showed that dogs do recognize their pet parent and
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they behave really differently with that pet parent. Upon reunion.
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This includes a lot more affiliative behaviors, says Gerkin, like
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nudging or nuzzling, basically the same kinds of friendly and
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positive interactions that facilitate human connections. While the short term
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memory of dogs tends to be limited, their long term
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memory is impressive, as are the kinds of memories they have.
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Dogs possess both associate memory, which is the ability to
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learn and remember the relationships between two unrelated things, such
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as how you're scent equates to playtime and snuggles, and
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something akin to episodic memory. This type of memory calls
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up specific events and experiences, such as remembering the previous
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hiding spot of a tasty treat. Dogs can also distinguish
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between good and bad behaviors, which learn through processes like
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classical condition conditioning and operant conditioning. With the former, dogs
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can start associating positive meanings to neutral stimuli. The jingling
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of a collar might mean it's time to go for
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a walk, or the sound of keys in a door
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can signal mom is home. In the case of the latter,
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a dog will perform a voluntary behavior, such as running
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in circles or bringing their pet parent a toy and
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receive encouraging reactions. For instance, oh, Monty, you're such a
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sweet boy. Quote. The dog now knows that these operant
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behaviors they're displaying are rewarding, says Gerkin, so next time
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they'll do it again based on the memories they have
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of people. Dogs then react to a series of cues,
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says Gurkin. These cues predict how your furry friend will
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react when it's reunited with what it considers its safe haven,
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which can really build the emotional process around reunions. In
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twenty twelve, Emory University neuroscientist doctor Gregory Burns began the
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Dog Project, a research project that uses function magnetic resonance
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images fMRIs to measure which areas of a dog's brain
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light up when it's reunited with its caregiver versus a stranger.
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Don't worry, no dogs were harmed in the study, According
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to National Geographic Quote. The researchers found that the dogs
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caudate nucleus, an area of the brain associated with positive expectations,
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was most activated by the scent of the familiar person quote.
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Gerkins says, quote, the first thing that a dog does
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is smell you. After they smell you, they most likely
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hear you. We've learned that dogs can distinguish the voices
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of their pet parents, and not just voices, but also
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specific words like walk or treat. There are also studies
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that show dogs can distinguish between familiar faces and unfamiliar faces,
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though their vision isn't as strong as their smell or
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their hearing. Your dog probably goes through all of this
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and it triggers the memory of how you make them
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feel and your long history of reinforcing positive experiences. Once
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this happens, happy zoomies inevitably ensue will turn out a
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popular science again. And we have an article that is
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headlined the pros and cons of not raking leaves. It's
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from September twenty first. Many people adore autumn. What's not
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to like. There's the shift to cooler weather and the
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opportunity to pull out your favorite hoodiat and enjoy the
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colorful symphony of fall leaves. However, many do not look
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forward to raking leaves. Believe it or not, you do
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have a choice when it comes to whether or not
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to rake leaves. Much of that choice is based on
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esthetics or whether you have a homeowner's association. If you
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are considering just letting them stay put. Here are some
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pros and cons of not raking leaves. The prose reducing waste.
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For many homeowners, bagging leaves and placing them in the
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trash for weekly pickup is a common practice, but this
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approach has significant environmental drawbacks. In landfills, leaves are often
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deprived of oxygen and decompose anaerobically, releasing methane, a potent
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greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Additionally, using plastic bags
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to dispose of leaves increases plastic waste, which persists in
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the environment and exacerbates pollution. By contrast, allowing leaves to
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decompose naturally enriches the soil with valuable nutrients, supporting healthier
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plants and ecosystems. Nutrient cycling. The best natural soil is
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found beneath the layers of fallen leaves under deciduous trees.
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As the leaves decompose, they transform into organic matter, enriching
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the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, essential nutrients for
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supporting diverse plant and animal life. This process, known as
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nutrient cycling, involves transferring energy and matter between living organisms
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and non living environmental components. Nutrient cycling reduces the need
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for chemical fertilizers and gradually creates a lush, resilient garden bed. Furthermore,
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decomposed leaves improve soil structure by enhancing moisture retention and
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promoting beneficial microbial activity. Wildlife benefits an entire ecosystem thrives
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beneath leaf litter. The leaf layer provides essential habitat and
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shelter for a wide range of wildlife. Insects such as beetles, spiders,
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and moth larvae use the leaf layer as a protective
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environment for feeding, breeding, and overwintering. Decomposing leaves also attract
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earthworms and other soil organisms, which play a vital role
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in nutrient recycling. Small mammals such as mice and chipmunks
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rely on leaf litter for camouflage from predators and as
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a warm, insulated nesting layer during colder months. Amphibians like
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frogs and salamanders are drawn to the damp, shaded conditions
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of leaf piles, which help them retain moisture and avoid desiccation. Additionally,
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some birds forage in the leaf litter, searching for insects
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and seeds to sustain them, saving time and effort. Leaving
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leaves where they fall can save time, effort, and money.
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Raking and bagging leaves is often labor intensive and time consuming,
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particularly on larger properties. Nearly forty thousand injuries related to
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leaf raking are reported each year in the United States.
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Allowing leaves to decompose naturally or repurposing them as mulch lets,
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homeowners reclaim valuable time and avoid the physical strain of raking.
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For those who hire long care or leaf removal services,
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skipping raking can result in significant cost savings. Reducing or
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eliminating these services lowers expenses while maintaining a healthy, thriving yard.
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The cons of not raking leaves law and health risks,
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while leaving leaves where they fall has many benefits. A
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thick layer on the lawn can cause harm. Leaves can
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smother grass, blocking sunlight and restricting air circulation, both essential
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for healthy growth. They also create a damp environment that
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fosters fungal diseases, which can damage your lawn over time.
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Esthetic considerations. Unraked leaves can give a property an untidy appearance,
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reducing its visual appeal. This is especially important for maintaining
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good neighborhood relations, as a messy lawn may be seen
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as neglectful. Additionally, leaving leaves on the lawn may violate
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community rules if you belong to an hoa pest issues.
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While leafletter supports a thriving ecosystem, it can also attract
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undesirable insects and mammals. Leaves left on the ground may
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harbor pests such as rodents and insects, which can harm
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garden plants or invade your home. Best practices for leaf management.
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Although there are pros and cons to raking leaves, the
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good news is that there is a suitable compromise that
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can benefit wildlife, your garden and maintain a healthy lawn
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and avoid looks from the neighbors. The key to a
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healthy balance is leaf management mulch. Mulching leaves is an
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eco friendly way to harness the benefits of nutrient cycling
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while avoiding the labor intensive task of bagging and hauling leaves.
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A quick and effective method is to mow over the
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leaves with your lawn mower. Start by removing any large
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sticks or twigs, then use a rake to spread the
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leaves evenly across the grass. Push your mower over the
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leaves as if you were mowing the lawn. This process
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breaks the leaves into small pieces that can decompose quickly,
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releasing nutrients back into the soil. To use on garden beds,
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spread an even layer of shredded leaves directly onto the soil.
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When using leaf mulch on lawns, avoid piling it too thickly,
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as this can block sunlight and smother the grass. For
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added efficiency, consider using tools like a leaf leaf shredder
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or a leaf vacuum with a multure attachment, which can
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speed up the process. It is especially helpful if you
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deal with a large volume of leaves every year. By
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repurposing your leaves as mulch, you not only nurture your landscape,
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but also save time and effort compared to traditional disposal methods.
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Selective raking. Another effective way to manage leaves is to
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leave no pun intended them in low traffic or natural areas,
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such as under trees or along the edges of the yard,
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where they can decompose naturally and create habitats for beneficial
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insects and wildlife. Concentrate your raking efforts on strategic spots
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like pathways, patios, driveways in other areas where leaves could
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become slippery or obstruct access. This balanced approach reduces effort
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while promoting both safety and ecological benefits. Community composting programs.
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If you have more leaves than you can handle, or
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they don't fit the aesthetic of your landscape, considered participating
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in local composting programs. Many communities offer leaf collection services
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or drop off locations, ensuring that your yard waste is
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transformed into nutrient rich composts instead of filling up landfills. Alternatively,
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connect with a gardener. Many gardeners love leaves and actively
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seek them out for use in their gardens. A great
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way to find that leaf loving gardeners is through your
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local master gardener program. Be sure to check with your
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local municipality or waste management service or composting options in
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your area. Joining a local composting initiative benefits the environment,
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fosters community engagement, and promotes sustainable practices. Continuing in popular science,
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we have this article from September twentieth and it's headlined
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the science behind what we eat for breakfast Picture of breaakfast.
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If you live in the United States, there's a good
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chance you were picturing some combination of eggs, bacon, cereal,
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and or pancakes. Of course, we also know that a
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classic British British breakfast consists of beans and fried bread,
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two savory foods most Americans don't associate with their first
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meal of the day. Is there a science behind what
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we think of some foods as breakfast and others as not?
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The answer is not really. It's a good example of
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a category that feels objective but is actually cultural. We
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eat certain foods for breakfast because we think of them
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as breakfast foods, and we think of them as breakfast
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foods because we tend to eat them for breakfast. Breakfast
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isn't a scientific category. I grew up in Canada, and
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the country most culturally similar to America. I still remember
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the first time, as a kid that I saw donuts
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offered as a hotel breakfast food during a road trip
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south of the border. It blew my mind. I thought
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of donuts as a mid morning treat, not a breakfast one,
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and had no idea those categories could be blurred and
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cultures all around the world have different categories of what
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is and isn't breakfast food. The Wikipedia page for Breakfast
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by Country has a fascinating breakdown of this. In Japan,
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it's common to eat things like rice, grilled salmon, and
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vegetables for breakfast, whereas in parts of Latin America, rice
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and beans are commonly included. That's all to say that
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the specific foods people eat for breakfast or a product
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of the culture they live in. And it turns out
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the culture you live in can be intentionally shaped. Orange juice, bacon,
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and eggs the all American breakfast throughout history, or is it?
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At least one part of that combination dates back to
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a specific advertising campaign. Edward Burneze, the nephew of Sigmund Freud,
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is arguably the reason we think of bacon as a
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breakfast food today. As the economist June Zacone at Hofstra
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University outlined in a paper, Americans used to eat lighter breakfast,
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some coffee and a roll. For example, Burne's, working for
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the Beechnut Packing Company in the nineteen twenties, wanted to
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increase demand for bacon. He quote decided that doctors were
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most likely to convince Americans about food. According to the paper,
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he conducted a survey of doctors that quote found doctors
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recommend a hearty breakfast quote. He used this survey, which
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didn't mention bacon and was not exactly scientific, as the
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basis for a series of ads claiming bacon and eggs
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is the true all American breakfasts. It worked, and this
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is hardly ancient history. Burne's lived long enough that there's
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even a video where he outlines the scheme. He worked
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in pr for decades after this, where he came up
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with diabolical campaigns like the one that linked Lucky Strike
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cigarettes with feminism. Orange juice became a breakfast beverage because
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there was a surplus of oranges in the nineteen forties. Growers,
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rather than reducing production, decided to find new ways to
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market their product, and positioning it as a breakfast beverage
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worked well. This resulted in ads suggesting that drinking massive
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amounts of orange juice for breakfast was healthy. This video
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by Phil Edwards offers a great overview of some of
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the history of orange juice and places in pop culture
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if you're interested. The most important meal of the day.
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Marketing's influence on breakfast goes even further. The idea that
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breakfast is the most important meal of the day also
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has its origins more in marketing than science. The exact
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phrase quote breakfast is the most important meal of the day,
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became popularized by a nineteen forty four campaign for Great
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Nuh Nuts. Over time, it became a cultural truism, despite
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the scientific research on the relative importance of breakfast being mixed.
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At best. Cereal companies have been particularly effective at using
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a combination of marketing and scientific sounding claims. Until the
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Industrial Revolution, breakfast tended to consist of leftovers from the
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day before. Concern about workers suffering from indigestion is part
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of what motivated the widespread popularity of breakfast cereals at
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that point, which were aggressively marketed as a healthier alternative
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to heavy foods like meat. This isn't to say that bacon, eggs, cereal,
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and orange juice aren't a good breakfast. They all have
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nutritional upsides and downsides. However, our idea of what qualifies
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as breakfast foods are cultural distinctions, not scientific ones. We've
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collectively decided as a culture that certain foods are eaten
27:01
in the morning and certain foods are not. Sometimes people
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even intentionally influence the culture of breakfast in order to
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sell specific goods. That's not to suggest that categories are arbitrary.
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They all exist in a specific cultural context, affected by
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all sorts of facts from the schedules we keep to
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the media we consume. But our idea of quote breakfast
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foods in quote isn't based on any kind of objectivity.
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People put eggs in stir fry, bacon on pizza, and
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cereal in ice cream. None of those things become breakfast
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when you do so. Well, that's all for today's Diary
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of Science and Nature. Your reader was Kelly Taylor. Stay
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tuned now for further programming on RADIOI