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July 28, 2025—A big turning point in aging happens around age 50. Plus, bird flu's invisible impact on wildlife, and the incredible math of Tetris. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Sakkmesterke/Science Photo Library/Getty Images | | Researchers collected tissue samples from 76 people of Chinese ancestry ages 14 to 68 who died from accidental brain injury. The samples came from organs in eight of the body's systems, including the cardiovascular, immune and digestive systems. The scientists then analyzed the proteins found in each of the samples. They found that a turning point occurs between ages 45 and 55 marked by large changes in protein levels. The most dramatic shift was found in the aorta, the body's main artery, which carries oxygenated blood out of the heart. The team suspects that blood vessels act as conduits, carrying molecules that promote aging to all organ systems in the body. Why this is interesting: The findings add to mounting evidence that aging is not linear, but rather it is studded with periods of rapid change. Last year, the same group of researchers found dramatic waves of aging happen around the ages of 44 and 60. What the experts say: "Currently, we do not understand what triggers this transition point," says Maja Olecka, who studies aging at the Fritz Lipmann Institute in Jena, Germany. "It's a really intriguing emerging field." | | Close-up of a couple of Northern Gannets greeting each other. Mathieu L./Alamy Stock Photo | | 17,400 southern elephant seal pups in Argentina.25,669 Northern Gannets in Canada.2,286 Dalmatian Pelicans in Greece.24,463 Cape Cormorants in South AfricaA polar bear in the North Slope of Alaska.1,621 Caspian Terns in Washington State.3,500 northern fur seals in southeast Russia.5,500 Peruvian Pelicans.600 Arctic Tern chicks in the U.K.At least one walrus, possibly six, on the Norwegian Svalbard islands in the Arctic.These are just some of the known animal deaths from bird flu reported over the last few years. A deadly strain of the bird flu virus is running rampant in countless wild animals, namely in birds and mammals—so many that even the limited tallies scientists can make are incomprehensibly large. At least 406 wild bird species and 51 wild mammals globally have been infected. Australia is the only continent to remain free of the virus.
What the experts say: Getting a handle on the true impact of the virus is challenging—few species of wild animals are closely monitored, though scientists have been seeing mass die-offs in several species. "This is a massive event, but I think it's pretty much invisible," says Marcela Uhart, a wildlife veterinarian at the University of California, Davis. In 2023, she recorded that some 96 percent of southern elephant seal pups in a breeding colony in Argentina died (some 17,400 animals). How this happened: For decades the H5N1 virus has been circulating around the globe and morphing as it passes through local animal populations. The viral genetic material is packaged in eight segments of RNA that can easily get swapped around into new arrangements when two different flu viruses infect the same animal. In 2020, a group of bird flu viruses that scientists call 2.3.4.4b emerged and spread across swaths of Africa, Asia and Europe. By the end of 2021, a virus in that killer strain crossed the Atlantic Ocean, showing up first in Canada, then the U.S. | | | | |
- An old calculator uses a seven-segment display, in which numerals are represented by different patterns of vertical and horizontal line segments. But the device is faulty and no longer shows any vertical segments. Someone types a number into this calculator, and the display shows the horizontal segments visible in the top image. Next the person presses the multiplication key and types in a second number. The display now shows the horizontal segments in the middle image. After the user presses the equal key, the display shows the horizontal segments in the bottom image. Which two numbers were multiplied with the calculator? Click here for the solution.
| | - Last month, the biotech company Nucleus Genomics announced that it could offer aspiring parents "genetic optimization" of their embryos for traits like heart disease and cancer resistance, as well as intelligence, longevity, body mass index, baldness, eye color, hair color and left-handedness. The cost: $5,999. Parents should be very wary, write Arthur Caplan and James Tabery, professors of bioethics and philosophy, respectively. "There are no major genetic markers for many cancers or a truly definitive set for heart disease, let alone for intelligence, acne, body mass index or longevity. Geneticists have known this for decades," they say. | 5 min read
| | The decimation (literally) of bird and mammal species by bird flu is happening out of the notice of most people. But for the researchers who track some of the affected populations, it's a fact they face daily. In her article, senior writer Meghan Bartels effectively captures the sadness and devastation many scientists are experiencing as they watch the birds or other animals they study (some of which are already threatened) get sick and die. The hope is that their work will untangle some of the mysteries surrounding avian influenza, and help halt the perilous spread. | | Thanks for reading! Let us know what you think of this newsletter by emailing: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor
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