Molecule boosts fat burning: Study identifies a new signaling molecule that increases the energy consumption of brown fat cells
Normally, fat cells store energy. In brown fat cells, however, energy is dissipated as heat — brown fat thus serves as a biological heater. Most mammals therefore have this mechanism. In humans it keeps newborns warm, in human adults, brown fat activation positively correlates with cardio-metabolic health. “Nowadays, however, we’re toasty warm even in winter,” […]
As Heat Waves Continue, Experts Urge Steps to Stay Safe
Latest Prevention & Wellness News TUESDAY, June 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) As a weekend heat wave that put more than 15 million Americans in the Northern and Central Plains on alert slowly moves east, the nation’s emergency doctors have advice to keep you safe. “Overexposure to the sun or heat can turn into an emergency […]
2021 heat wave created ‘perfect storm’ for shellfish die-off
It’s hard to forget the excruciating heat that blanketed the Pacific Northwest in late June 2021. Temperatures in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia soared to well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with Seattle setting an all-time heat record of 108 degrees on June 28. During the heat wave, also called a heat dome, scientists and community […]
Strong magnets put new twist on phonons: Rice lab’s RAMBO reveals unexpected influence on compound’s crystal lattice
Phonons are collective atomic vibrations, or quasiparticles, that act as the main heat carriers in a crystal lattice. Under certain circumstances, their properties can be modified by electric fields or light. But until now, nobody noticed they can respond to magnetic fields as well. That may be because it takes a powerful magnet. Rice University […]
Mass die-off of Magellanic penguins seen during 2019 heat wave
In June 2021, an unprecedented heat wave hit the Pacific Northwest and Canada, killing an estimated 1,400 people. On June 28, Seattle reached 108 F — an all-time high — while the village of Lytton in British Columbia recorded Canada’s highest-ever temperature of 121.3 F on June 29, the day before it was destroyed by […]
Global ocean warming started later in the 20th century than previously estimated
In estimations of ocean heat content — important when assessing and predicting the effects of climate change — calculations have often presented the rate of warming as a gradual rise from the mid-20th century to today. However, new research from UC Santa Barbara scientists Timothy DeVries and Aaron Bagnell could overturn that assumption, suggesting the […]
This Is How You Die In Extreme Heat
The heat dome roasting millions of people across the Pacific Northwest and swaths of Canada, sending temperatures in usually temperate places into record-breaking triple digits, has already claimed hundreds of lives. And those are just the ones we can count so far. Climate change has increased average temperatures 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century, […]