|
SPONSORED BY  | | | | | January 14, 2025: Dramatic new findings on dementia, insects that can live on alcohol, and how the largest camera in the world might spot Planet Nine. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Smoke over destroyed homes in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, US, on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images | | | Latest on the California wildfires: | | | • This is what makes wildfire smoke so toxic: an unpredictable cocktail of dangerous chemicals released into the air. | 3 min read | | | • The Vera C. Rubin telescope, coming online later this year, may answer whether a mysterious ninth planet is orbiting beyond Pluto. | 18 min listen | | | Are you enjoying this newsletter? If you want to dive deeper into the articles I link to, consider a subscription to Scientific American. We have special discounts for Today in Science readers! | | | Around one million Americans may develop some form of dementia every year by 2060, a new analysis found. This is a massive increase from the predictions for 2020. Researchers examined medical records of more than 15,000 people. They found that, after age 55, the lifetime risk of developing dementia is 42 percent, and continues to rise sharply to 56 percent after age 85. Those who showed the highest risk for developing dementia (from 44 percent to 59 percent) were Black adults, women and people who carried a variation of a gene called APOE e4 that codes for the protein apolipoprotein E, and increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
What's behind this: The U.S.'s growing population of aging people is likely the primary driver behind the new study's projected increase in dementia rates, says Josef Coresh, senior author of the study and founding director of the Optimal Aging Institute at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
What can be done: Even for people who are already older than age 55, certain behavior choices can slow cognitive decline– particularly diet, exercise and an active social life. "Dementia risk is high at older ages," he says, "but a good amount of it is still preventable with better vascular health." | | | Amanda Montañez; Source: "Lifetime Risk and Projected Burden of Dementia," by Michael Fang et al., in Nature Medicine. Published online January 13, 2025 (data) | | | Researchers gave hornets sugar solutions spiked with ethanol and found that the insects can tolerate a diet that's nearly 80 percent alcohol without any impairment to their behavior or lifespan. Hornets fed with 80 percent ethanol lived out their typical weeks-long lifespan and were able to construct nests as well as sugar-fed counterparts could.
How it works: Hornets possess multiple copies of the gene responsible for the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, and the researchers suspect this may be an adaptation spurred by their relationship with yeast. Hornets' guts host yeast that converts fruit sugar to alcohol. When hornets or wasps pollinate and feed, some of this yeast is passed onto plants and their fruits—playing a key role in the fermentation process.
What the experts say: "There's lots of energy in ethanol, and it's a great metabolic fuel," says Tel Aviv University zoologist Eran Levin. The insects may not even taste the alcohol and seem to suffer no ill-consequences. | | | SPONSORED CONTENT BY CCHCS | Join California Correctional Healthcare Services (CCHCS) as a Clinical Psychologist | Make a difference in the lives of patients while enjoying competitive salaries and benefits, opportunities for professional growth, and a healthy work-life balance. Explore our clinical psychologist opportunities today! Learn More | | | | • "After decades of public outcry over health care policies that prioritize profits over people—policies that deny lifesaving treatments, cause bankruptcy over uncovered medical treatments, and leave entire communities behind—the demand for reform is growing too loud to ignore," especially in light of the killing of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson, writes Joseph V. Sakran, executive vice chair of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and himself a gunshot survivor. "We urgently need to create a more equitable system. Insurers must cap out-of-pocket expenses, eliminate lifetime limits and expand income-based assistance, so afflicted Americans can focus on healing and recovery," he says. | 5 min read | | | Even after age 60, improvements to diet, adding muscle-building exercise, and keeping socially active can prevent cognitive decline. In adults between 58 and 86 years of age, learning a new skill can significantly improve memory and cognitive function. Commonsense nutrition, sleep, exercise and social connection are four main elements that experts now think can lengthen someone's healthy years of life. All this to me says that it's never too late to start a brain-saving routine. Start with one thing (adding veg to your meal or calling up an old friend) and you're on your way. | Thanks for reading Today in Science. I love receiving all your notes, thoughts, and ideas. Send them to: newsletters@sciam.com. Until tomorrow! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
One New York Plaza, New York, NY, 10004 | | | | | | Support our mission, subscribe to Scientific American | | | | | | | | | |
