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☆ Microplastics in the brain: New research finds plastics in olfactory bulb
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Kaitlin Sullivan | Kaitlin Sullivan Is A Contributor For Nbcnews.Com Who Has Worked With Nbc News Investigations. She Reports On Health | Science | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The latest research looked at a part of the brain called the olfactory bulb, which processes information about smell. Connecting the olfactory bulb and the nasal cavity is the olfactory nerve. Some researchers worry the olfactory pathway may also be an entry point for microplastics getting into the brain, beyond the olfactory bulb. Mauad and her team took samples of olfactory bulb tissue from 15 cadavers of people who died between the ages of 33 and 100. The presence of microplastics in the olfactory bulb doesn’t automatically mean there are microplastics elsewhere in the brain, such as regions related to cognition.

Persons: ”, Thais Mauad, Mauad, ” Mauad, “, Matthew Campen, ” Campen, wasn’t, Campen, it’s, Mary Johnson, Harvard T.H, Johnson Organizations: JAMA, microplastics, University of São Paulo Medical School, University of New, Harvard, of Public Health Locations: Brazil, University of New Mexico, Chan

☆ Harris can chart her own path with the top regulators — and Big Business hopes she's on their side
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Alice Tecotzky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Chris Larsen, the billionaire founder of blockchain payments company Ripple who is among the execs to endorse Harris, told Business Insider he wants her to make different appointments if she wins. "The way that they have already been interacting with business leaders is a compelling indication of where things could go in the future," Levie told Business Insider. Kovacic previously told Business Insider that Harris' relationship to economic progressives like Warren remains unclear. "It's not as though they think she will simply be an agent of Big Tech," he previously told Business Insider. "In the next four years, we'll be dealing with major policy subjects that relate to the next many decades of innovation," he told Business Insider.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, hamstrung, he'd, Sen, Elizabeth Warren of, Biden, Warren, Warren's, Lina Khan, Gary Gensler, Kamala Harris, Khan, William Kovacic, That's, Harris, Adam Kovacevich, Elizabeth Warren, Kovacevich, Kamala Harris doesn't, Politico, winced, Aaron Levie, Arati Prabhakar, Chris Larsen, Larsen, Catalini, Gensler, Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban, Levie, Kovacic, Obama, Douglas Farrar, we'll Organizations: Service, White, Democratic, Business, Federal Trade Commission, Securities, Exchange, George Washington University, of, Consumers Bank Association, Science, Technology, Bloomberg, MIT Cryptoeconomics, SEC, Dallas Mavericks, FTC, Democratic Party, Warren, Biden, Big Tech, Harris Locations: Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Biden's, Harris, California, Gensler

☆ How pregnancy changes the brain
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Researchers have created one of the first comprehensive maps of how the brain changes throughout pregnancy, substantially improving upon understanding of an understudied field. What brain changes mean for parentsThe functional implications these brain changes may have for birthing parents have yet to be determined, said Dr. Elseline Hoekzema, head of the Pregnancy and the Brain Lab at Amsterdam University Medical Center, via email. However, some of Hoekzema’s previous work has indicated associations between pregnancy-related brain changes and the ways a birthing parent’s brain and body respond and bond to infants’ cues, Hoekzema added. These findings are also in line with animal studies showing brain changes that were critical for the onset and continuation of maternal care. “Of the 50,000 brain imaging articles published in the last 30 years, less than half of 1% focus on health factors unique to women, like pregnancy.

Persons: Elizabeth R, Chrastil, ”, Emily Jacobs, ” Jacobs, Jacobs, Jodi Pawluski, Pawluski wasn’t, Magdalena Martínez García, wasn’t, Elseline Hoekzema, Hoekzema wasn’t, Hoekzema, ” Pawluski, “, ” Hoekzema, Pawluski, haven’t, Ann S, Bowers, Chan Zuckerberg, we’ve Organizations: CNN —, Neuroscience, University of California, UC Santa Barbara, Jacobs Lab, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Brain Health Initiative Locations: Santa Barbara, France, Spain

☆ FDA clears Apple's sleep apnea detection feature for use. Here's how it works
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes a person's breathing to repeatedly stop and start throughout the night. If it goes untreated, sleep apnea can cause fatigue and lead to more serious health issues like heart problems, hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. Apple's sleep apnea detection feature marks the company's latest attempt to position its wearables as a cheaper, simpler alternative to many existing health-care tests and devices. To get evaluated for sleep apnea, for instance, patients typically participate in an at-home test or an in-lab test where they're monitored overnight. The at-home sleep apnea test from Sleep Doctor costs $189, for example.

Persons: Tim Cook, David Paul Morris, Sumbul Desai Organizations: Apple Inc, Apple, Bloomberg, Getty, . Food, Drug Administration, American Medical Association, Care, Community Health Locations: Cupertino , California, U.S

☆ This 97-year-old has worked at the same hospital for nearly 80 years—her best advice for a long, happy career
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-15 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Carr started training to become a nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital (now known as St. Luke's Sacred Heart Campus) in Allentown, Pennsylvania during World War II in 1944. All five of Carr's children, and nearly all of her 12 grandchildren, were born at Sacred Heart. Her son-in-law, Vincent Burns, was also born at the hospital — Carr met him hours afterward in the newborn nursery. Photo: St. Luke's University Health NetworkMoments like that have inspired her to continue working at Sacred Heart. Carr's passion is infectious: Her daughter, Grace Loring, worked in the pediatric ward at St. Luke's Sacred Heart Campus for 35 years before retiring.

Persons: Grace Carr, Carr, Edward Carr, Grace, Beth Fogel, Freeland, Edward, Vincent Burns, — Carr, Janet, Carr's, Grace Loring, Loring Organizations: Sacred Heart Hospital, Sacred Heart School of Nursing, U.S, Cadet, Luke's University Health Locations: Allentown , Pennsylvania, Freeland , Pennsylvania, St, Allentown

☆ River otter captured after attacking and dragging child underwater at Washington marina
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A river otter attacked a child at a marina in Bremerton, Washington, pulling the boy underwater and biting him before he was rescued by his mother. The mother told authorities that the river otter pulled her son into the water and dragged him underneath. The river otter continued to pursue the family as they left the dock," the agency said. The otter was captured and taken to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for further evaluation and testing for rabies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services works to "trap and lethally remove" river otters from the marina, the fish and wildlife agency said.

Persons: WDFW, Ken Balazs, child’s, Matt Leffers Organizations: Bremerton Marina, state's Department of Fish, Disease, Lab, U.S . Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, NBC News Locations: Bremerton , Washington, Kitsap County, Washington, Jupiter , Florida, Montana, California, Serene, Placer County

For the past year, student-athletes have been faced with an unsettling question: How much are their lives about to change? Seemingly overnight, the 109-year-old conference of a dozen schools, with decades of rivalries, became a conference of only two. “Why add even more stress?”Shannon Cunningham, a former member of the Arizona State University softball team, said the conference change shattered her dream of playing in the Pac-12. One coach in particular, University of Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz, made headlines last summer when he criticized realignment for not considering the impact on student-athletes. “Did we count the cost for the student-athletes involved in this decision?” asked Drinkwitz.

Persons: ” Morgan Scott, ” Shannon Cunningham, “, ”, Cunningham, Nya Harrison, Harrison, football’s, Eli Drinkwitz, Drinkwitz, Karen Weaver, Weaver, Katie Meyer, ” Harrison, ‘, we’re Organizations: NCAA’s Football, University of Oregon softball, Arizona State University softball, San Diego, ”, Big, SEC, The College Football, ESPN, Associated Press, ACC, Stanford University, soccer, basketball’s, NBC News, Stanford, Cal, Notre Dame, Louisville —, West Coast, Wake, Virginia Tech, NCAA, University of Missouri, University of Pennsylvania Locations: San Diego State, East Coast, West, Stanford, Indiana, Ohio

☆ The US is considering a sovereign wealth fund. Alaska already has one, and it's funding a universal basic income.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewBipartisan momentum is building around a sovereign wealth fund that could help the United States reduce its national debt or fund ambitious projects. And former President Donald Trump recently called for a similar state-owned investment fund to finance "great national endeavors" during a campaign stop at the Economic Club of New York. AdvertisementAlaska's fund offers benefits that mimic a universal basic income — a no-strings-attached, recurring payment distributed to people regardless of socioeconomic status. Federal lawmakers likely see a sovereign wealth fund serving a different purpose, like supporting industries or financing supply chain initiatives. Sovereign wealth funds — like Alaska's or Norway's Government Pension Fund Global, which is the largest in the world — are often funded by wealth generated from state-owned natural resources.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Sarah Cowan, Winston Ma, Hunt, Ma Organizations: Service, White, Economic, of New, Business, Alaska Permanent Fund, NYU, Unicorns, Fund Locations: United States, of New York, American, Alaska

☆ Cave fossils shed light on the disappearance of Neanderthals
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But other chapters, like those describing the loss of our ancient ancestors, are harder to recover as time passes. A chance finding of bones in a cave is revealing clues of a much older tragic mystery. The once-in-a-lifetime find, nicknamed Thorin after a character in “The Hobbit,” has puzzled researchers for nearly a decade. The overall winner of the competition was photographer Ryan Imperio for his photo taken during the October 2023 annular solar eclipse. The phenomenon is visible for brief moments during an eclipse when sunlight shines through the moon’s valleys and craters, creating glowing drops of light.

Persons: Duke, Wellington, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Napoleon Bonaparte, Thorin, Ludovic, ”, Yuha Hasegawa, Ryan Imperio, Imperio, Zhu Yubo, Rapa Nui, Christopher Columbus, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Japan’s Nagasaki University, “, International, Astronomy, Polaris, —, NASA, CNN Space, Science Locations: Brussels, Grotte Mandrin, Rhône, New Zealand, El, Rapa, USA, Americas

It was the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career after two back-to-back concussions in 2022. But precisely who goes on to have CTE or other long-term health issues after a head collision is somewhat of a mystery. “But not everyone who has repetitive concussions develop brain health problems later in life,” Rowson said. “But there are data, obviously, looking at populations of former NFL players that show they have a higher incidence of neurological disease than the general public,” Alberts said. A player’s return to fully practice or participate in an NFL game is dependent on medical clearance—including from independent doctors—always putting the player’s health first,” the NFL said.

Persons: Tua Tagovailoa, Damar Hamlin, Tagovailoa, Jasen, ”, Steve Rowson, ” Rowson, Dan Daneshvar, Daneshvar, Seau, Dave Duerson, Ray Easterling, Aaron Hernandez, Jay Alberts, ” Alberts, “, ” Tagovailoa, I’d, It’s, Antonio Pierce, it’s, Chris Nowinski, “ It’s, —, ” Nowinski Organizations: Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, NFL, Virginia Tech, Harvard Medical School, Boston University CTE Center, Nature Communications, Cleveland Clinic, Las Vegas Raiders, NBC News

☆ As a single mom, having 3 kids makes it hard to get work done. I wouldn't trade them for all the productivity in the world.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Allison Langer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Yesterday, I got to my desk, ready to put the last touches on the book I'm writing with my friend Clifton Jones, who is in prison in Florida and goes by the name "Too Tall." I'm not that mom who heads to the pediatrician the second my kid complains. Even when I carve out time for work, the universe has other plansFor a second, I considered sending her there alone. I really thought I'd be ready to push my firstborn out the door, but it turns out I'm not that mom, after all. He's ready, I know that, but I'm still sad he's leaving.

Persons: Clifton Jones, texted, hadn't, I'm, It's, puffy, Bond, he's, I've, Allison Langer, it's, he'd, I'd, We're, Fleisher Organizations: Service, Business, Walgreens, Nice Locations: Florida, Hood River , Oregon

While FICO has deprioritized medical debt in credit score calculations, VantageScore removed medical debt from its calculations. The CFPB announced rulemaking to address the reporting of medical bills on credit reports that would require the credit bureaus to stop reporting medical bills entirely. How medical bills can affect your creditIn the past, credit bureaus would report medical debt the same as any other overdue bills, and could cause your credit score to drop. Protecting your credit from medical billsWhile unpaid medical debt doesn't have the same impact on your credit score as an unpaid credit card bill, it can impact your credit nonetheless. Consider medical credit cards or loansInstead of a traditional credit card, consider a medical credit card or loan.

Persons: FICO, rulemaking, doesn't, —, Experian, VantageScore, Biden, Tiffany Cross, Rick Eicheldinger, You'll, Cross Organizations: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, CFPB Locations: United States, U.S

☆ Swallowed eels escape via predator fish’s gills
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Dark sleeper fish (Odontobutis obscura) can gulp down young Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica) whole, but the swallowed eels can wriggle back up through the digestive tract and out of the stomach, swimming to freedom through the bigger fish’s gills, scientists recently discovered. “Witnessing the eels’ desperate escape from the predator’s stomach to the gills was truly astonishing for us.”A Japanese eel exhibits circling behavior along a predator's stomach wall in this X-ray video footage. But while they observed swallowed eels wriggling tailfirst from dark sleepers’ gills, “we had no understanding of their escape routes and behavioral patterns during the escape because it occurred inside the predator’s body,” Hasegawa said via email. Once a predator swallowed an eel, the sated fish was quickly moved to a special tank where the X-ray video camera was ready to roll. On average, it took about 3 ½ minutes for a swallowed eel to reappear and swim away.

Persons: ”, Yuha Hasegawa, Yuuki Kawabata, ichthyologist Kory Evans, “, ” Evans, ’ Hasegawa, Kazuki Yokouchi, Nagasaki University —, ” Hasegawa, Prosanta, Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Graduate School of Fisheries, Environmental Sciences, Japan’s Nagasaki University, “, biosciences, Rice University, Japan Fisheries Research, Education Agency, Nagasaki University, Louisiana State University, LSU Museum of Natural Science, Scientific Locations: Anguilla, Houston

The Summary Boeing officials have made few public comments about the company's Starliner spacecraft over the last six weeks. Just over an hour after Boeing’s Starliner capsule made its uncrewed return to Earth, NASA convened a standard post-landing briefing to discuss the end of the tumultuous test flight. The capsule’s first crewed test flight, the mission was expected to last around eight days. The pair is scheduled to stay at the space station until February then return with members of an upcoming ISS crew. In 2019, an uncrewed test flight to the space station was cut short because of technical glitches and the company was forced to repeat it in 2022.

Persons: Eric Berger, Joel Montalbano, ”, Mark Nappi, “, NASA’s, Starliner, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, Wilmore, Williams, Boeing’s Organizations: Boeing, NASA, Space Center, Ars Technica, NBC, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, International Space Station, Agency, SpaceX, ISS, Crew Locations: Houston, Florida

A suburban Philadelphia man has been accused of drugging at least five women and a teenage girl he met on a dating site and sexually assaulting them at his home while they were impaired, authorities said. Andrew Gallo of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was arrested Wednesday, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said. “This is a young woman’s worst nightmare,” Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said at a news conference Wednesday announcing the charges. All of them described feeling strange after consuming the drinks, according to the criminal complaint and the district attorney’s office. Several items were collected during a search at Gallo’s home last month — including a bottle of tequila — and submitted for forensic analysis, according to the district attorney’s office.

Persons: Andrew Gallo, Jennifer Schorn, Gallo, Schorn, “, ” Schorn, ”, Terrence Hughes Organizations: Attorney’s, Bucks County Correctional, Authorities Locations: Philadelphia, Levittown , Pennsylvania, Bucks County, ”, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

☆ North Korea releases images of Kim Jong Un visiting a uranium enrichment site
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Lucas Lilieholm | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a uranium enrichment facility, which produces weapon-grade nuclear materials, in a photo published by North Korean state media on Friday, September 13, 2024. “By showing highly enriched uranium and production facilities, they are sending a message that the world must recognize North Korea as a nuclear state. By disclosing these facilities, Kim Jong Un is saying that denuclearization of North Korea is unrealistic,” he told CNN. The disclosure comes at a time of heightened tensions between North Korea and the West, with the US and its allies accusing North Korea of providing substantial military aid to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. North Korea is believed to have several sites for enriching uranium.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, “ Kim, ”, Ankit Panda, Stanton, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, I’m, Martyn Williams, it’s Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korean Central News Agency, Carnegie Endowment, International, Korean, North, North Korean, Ewha Womans University, CNN, Stimson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, West, North Korean, Korea, Ukraine, Moscow, Pyongyang, Korean, Russian

☆ These mid-tier brands are winning in fashion while luxury struggles
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewTanking share prices, excess stock flooding outlets, a slowdown in once-reliable China: 2024 has been a tough year for luxury brands. AdvertisementTo find relief from high luxury prices, those consumers are turning to midlevel brands like clothing store Zara and jewelry brand Pandora, which are thriving. "It is acceptable for people to buy accessories with luxury brands and then buy apparel at Zara." Advertisement"With these other product ranges apart from charms, they think they are benefiting from the downtrading of consumers," Sokolova said. The trick for both Zara and Pandora will be maintaining their appeal when aspirational consumers can once again spend on luxury.

Persons: —, Gucci, Claire Tassin, Tassin, Levato, Kering, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, TK, Jelena Sokolova, Michael Kors, Zara, Pandora, it's, Sokolova, It's, Pamela Anderson, Tiffany Organizations: Service, Business, Morning, Brands, Bain & Company, Gucci, Morningstar, Cartier Locations: China, Spanish, Danish, Paris, Morocco, Portugal, Turkey, Europe, Zara

The pace of inflation likely moderated again in August — further relief for beleaguered consumers still smarting from pandemic-era price shocks. Though price growth has largely returned to the Federal Reserve's official 2% target, the sting of rapid price increases over the past four years lingers for many consumers. The latest inflation report is likely to cement a 0.25% cut in the Federal Reserve's key interest rate, currently at about 5.3%, later this month. But experts say it will take some time for consumers to feel the impact of the lower interest rate — and the relatively small size of the cut means borrowing costs will still be somewhat elevated. While the Fed is now widely expected to cut interest rates, a cut of just 0.25% may not be enough to stave off that scenario.

Persons: —, There's, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Zillow, Paul, ” Marina Walsh, ” Walsh, Torsten Slok, Slok, Sophia Kearney, Jerome Powell's, Kearney, Lederman Organizations: of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve's, Democratic, Labor Statistics, Princeton, “, Mortgage Bankers Association, Apollo Global Management, FHN, NBC News, Fed Locations: U.S, New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, St, Las Vegas, Phoenix

☆ Neither Trump nor Harris really gave us much detail about how they will fix the economy in the debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Alice Tecotzky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Though the debate opened with a discussion about the economy, the conversation quickly devolved into platitudes, boasts, and personal jabs. Industry leaders told Business Insider that they hoped to hear the candidates discuss crypto guidelines, regulation, and key appointments on Tuesday night, but little was said about any of those topics. "What we really need is either a debate or a whole section of a debate devoted to economic issues," Tedeschi said. Tedeschi told Business Insider that we need clarity about Trump's proposed tariffs, which are the "most consequential and radical thing that he's proposed." Chris Larsen, the billionaire co-founder of blockchain payments company Ripple, told Business Insider that Harris was "spectacular."

Persons: —, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump sparred, Ernie Tedeschi, Tedeschi, Harris, Trump, Paul Donovan, Mark Penn, Clinton, Aaron Levie, Chris Larsen, Crypto, there's, Larsen, Bradley Tusk Organizations: Service, Industry, Business, Yale Budget Lab, UBS Global Wealth Management, New York Times, Federal, Federal Trade Commission, Others, Trump, Democratic, Tusk Venture Partners Locations: platitudes

☆ This government-backed startup is growing blood to help fight shortages
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Last month, the American Red Cross declared an emergency blood shortage after its national supply fell by more than 25% in July. Shortages can be dire for patients since doctors have to make tough decisions about who needs blood transfusions the most. McConnell is CEO of a four-year-old startup called Safi Biotherapeutics, which is working to manufacture inexpensive red blood cells at scale. Scientists have already discovered how to grow red blood cells from stem cells, but it's a costly and complex process that typically yields small amounts at a time. Safi's goal is to build on these advancements and produce large quantities of blood that could eventually be used commercially to help care for patients and avoid blood shortages.

Persons: Doug McConnell, McConnell, Safi Organizations: Red Cross, Cross, U.S, Safi, CNBC, U.S . Department of Defense, J2 Ventures, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA Locations: U.S

☆ Yukon gold miners are unearthing mummified ancient creatures and truckloads of fossils from the Ice Age. Take a look.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Gold miners in the Yukon are discovering mummified ancient animals from the Ice Age. Paleontologists often gather truckloads of fossils from the mines, but mummies are special and rare. Photos from inside the gold mines and the lab offer a glimpse at the ancient past. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! AdvertisementMiners are digging up more than just gold in the Yukon, Canada's frigid northwestern territory bordering Alaska.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Yukon, Alaska, North America

☆ Preparing for the apocalypse: Why collaboration is essential
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Jessica Dulong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

"A Field Guide to the Apocalypse" notes that humans usually step in and help one another when a disaster strikes. Athena Aktipis: The ancient Greek definition is “a revealing,” so an apocalypse is any event that reveals the risks we’re facing. CNN: What role have apocalypses throughout history played in what you call humans’ “apocalypse resistance”? All those things help us get through, as they have throughout our evolution. Chalking this up as part of apocalypse prep can be a great way to carve out more time.

Persons: you’ll, Workman, Athena Aktipis, ”, Aktipis, We’re, Lindsay Mills, we’ve, you’re, It’s, we’ll, Jessica DuLong Organizations: CNN —, World Trade, Times, Arizona State University, CNN, Lindsay Mills CNN, paragon Locations: Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, Arizona, New Mexico, Brooklyn , New York

The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it has begun a research project examining the possible effects of toxic metals in tampons and that it is launching an independent review. A study published in July found a variety of metals, including arsenic, mercury and lead, in more than a dozen brands of tampons. While the study detected metals, it couldn’t conclude whether their existence led to any harm in the women. “Women use about 7,400 tampons over the course of their reproductive years, so the presence of potentially harmful metals and chemicals in these products is incredibly concerning,” caucus members wrote. “These initiatives will enable the FDA to complete a risk assessment of metals contained in tampons, based on a worst-case scenario of metal exposure,” the agency wrote.

Persons: Kathrin Schilling, “ Organizations: Drug Administration, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Democratic Women’s Caucus, FDA Locations: tampons, U.S

An Iranian-born research scientist who filed a federal discrimination lawsuit alleging she had been harassed by a University of Alabama at Birmingham co-worker for nine years because of her ethnicity has been awarded more than $3.8 million in damages. “Day and night, I was looking for a job, any job, but nobody would hire me because my name was tarnished,” Moeinpour told NBC News. “Now, my good name has been restored.”UAB, according to the jury verdict, was ordered to pay Moeinpour $3 million in damages. Finally, Moeinpour told Grubbs on Feb. 13, 2020, that she had gone over his head and called human resources. “When Ms. Moeinpour fell to the floor, he fell on top of her and held her down,” the lawsuit said.

Persons: Fariba Moeinpour, ” Moeinpour, Mary Jo Cagle, Moeinpour, Eric Artrip, “, ” Artrip, Alicia Rohan, Rohan, Cagle, Clinton Grubbs, Grubbs ’, Grubbs, ”, ” Cagle, “ Cagle, Dr, hadn’t, Grubbs “, groping, Moeinpour “, ” Grubbs Organizations: University of Alabama, Birmingham, Northern District of, NBC News, ” UAB, UAB, of Health, Services, UAB School of Medicine, Employment, Commission, NBC Locations: Iranian, Northern District, Northern District of Alabama, American, U.S, Iran, Birmingham

☆ Chocolate, but without the guilt? Why lab-grown cocoa and fermented fava beans could be the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

One way to tackle these problems is to make chocolate without using cocoa beans — the fermented seed of the cacao tree. It also makes cocoa powder and cocoa butter substitutes. “Instead of cocoa beans, we use fava beans sourced from farms across the UK and Europe, and then we ferment them in a similar way that cocoa farmers ferment their cocoa beans,” said Ross Newton, CEO of Nukoko, a UK-based startup that aims to launch on its domestic market next year. A study published this year shows it’s possible to make chocolate using only the cocoa pod, by replacing traditional sugar with a cocoa gel. “You make chocolate using only components from the fruit and not conventional crystallized sugar from sugar beets.

Persons: we’ve, ”, Max Marquart, shea, We’re, ” Marquart, Sara, Ross Newton, Newton, Michal Beressi Golomb, we’re, “ We’ve, “ That’s, Beressi Golomb, “ We’re, Beressi, “, “ We’d, Kim Mishra, ” Mishra Organizations: CNN, Planet, Department of Health Sciences, Technology, Swiss Institute of Technology Locations: West Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Africa, Brazil, Swiss, Germany, Czech Republic, Europe, Zurich

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