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Stanford Scientists Discover Crucial Missing Component of Sea-Level Rise

Lead Image: Researchers have identified an additional process that could have a significant effect on an ice sheet’s future: thawing of the bed, where the ice sheet touches land. Scientists seeking to understand how melting ice in Antarctica will impact the planet’s oceans often use computational modeling. Their recent efforts have focused on ice-sheet geometry, fracture, and surface melting – processes that could potentially trigger or accelerate ice-sheet mass loss. Now, an additional process that could have a similarly significant effect on the ice sheet’s future has been identified by researchers: thawing of the bed, known as basal thaw, at…

A Biodiversity Crisis: Food Webs Worldwide Are Collapsing

Lead Image: An illustration depicts the lost animal diversity of central Colombia. Credit: Oscar Sanisidro/University of Alcalá The scale of the biodiversity crisis is shown by recreating 130,000 years of mammal food webs. A recent study, published in the journal Science, provides the clearest picture yet of the long-term effects of land mammal declines on food webs. It’s not a pretty sight. “While about 6% of land mammals have gone extinct in that time, we estimate that more than 50% of mammal food web links have disappeared,” said ecologist Evan Fricke, lead author of the study. “And the mammals most likely to…

Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to a Dramatically Increased Risk of Dementia

Lead Image: They discovered that substituting ultra-processed foods with healthy foods such as fresh fruit was associated with a 19% decreased incidence of dementia. The study also found that replacing these foods with healthier options can lower your risk of dementia. According to recent research published in the journal Neurology, those who consume the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, chips, and cookies, may have a greater chance of developing dementia than those who consume the lowest amount. Researchers also discovered that substituting ultra-processed foods for unprocessed or minimally processed foods in a person’s diet was connected…

5 Ways to Heal Gut Health Naturally

Gut health refers to the health of the digestive tract, or gut, the organ that digests and absorbs nutrients from food to provide fuel for your body. But your digestive tract does so much more. It also plays a vital role in maintaining mental and physical health. That’s why you want your gut to thrive and flourish. Most doctors believe gut health is integral to overall health, specifically in terms of disease prevention. It’s estimated that 80% of diseases can be linked back to an imbalance in gut bacteria—a condition called dysbiosis. When the gut is unbalanced, the wrong types…

Three Amazing Caffeine Alternatives for Quick, Clean Energy – And the Science Behind Them

If you’re anything like the vast majority of Americans, you’ve probably consumed caffeine nearly every day of your adult life. The question is, do you do it because you like it, or because you need it? In a March 2022 survey carried out by the International Food Information Council (IFIC), respondents over the age of 65 generally said they drink caffeinated beverages because they enjoy the flavor, while under-45s were more likely to report taking caffeine solely for its well-known benefits as a stimulant.[1] But these benefits are part of a trade-off that might not be worth it if you…