Ancient river landscapes under Antarctica may may stabilize ice sheet
The team used radio echo sounding, a technique that measures ice thickness using radar, to study the East Antarctic Ice Sheet between Princess Elizabeth Land and George V Land in Antarctica. Parts of the ice sheet are thought to be particularly susceptible to climate change because the land beneath it contains huge troughs that let warming ocean water reach the ice, causing rapid shrinking.
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2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Concerned About Aluminum in Vaccines? Here's What the Research Shows
Real-world data from 1.2 million children offers strong reassurance. If you've ever paused at a vaccine ingredient list or felt confused while reading a vaccine insert, you're not alone. One ingredient that often sparks questions is aluminum, specifically aluminum salts used in some vaccines to help the immune system respond more effectively. But does the aluminum in vaccines pose a real risk to children's health? A new study out of Denmark, which tracked more than 1.2 million children over 24 years, offers strong reassurance: aluminum exposure from routine childhood vaccines was not linked to higher rates of autism, ADHD, asthma, or autoimmune disease. What is aluminum doing in vaccines? Aluminum salts aren't preservatives. They're adjuvants, something that helps certain vaccines work better by boosting the immune response. They've been used safely in childhood vaccines for decades. A real-world study with real-world relevance The concern about aluminum in vaccines isn't new. It's been used safely for decades in many non-live vaccines, like DTaP and Hib, to help the immune system respond better. The amount a child gets can vary a bit depending on which brand and version of a vaccine is used. That natural variation is actually what made this study possible. Researchers followed over 1.2 million children, tracking how much aluminum each child received from vaccines by age 2 (ranging from 0 to 4.5 mg total). Then, they followed up through age 5, and for some age 8, to see whether aluminum exposure was linked to (50 different conditions): Autoimmune disorders like type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and celiac disease Allergic conditions like asthma and eczema Neurodevelopmental diagnoses like autism and ADHD So, what did they find? Even when kids received more aluminum, their rates of these conditions didn't go up. In fact, kids who received more aluminum had slightly lower rates of some diagnoses, like autism and ADHD. That doesn't mean aluminum protects against anything. It just that it's not harmful at the levels used in childhood vaccines. And here's a key point: for many of the outcomes studied, the data was strong enough to rule out even small or moderate increases in risk. What about concerns or limitations? Some people will likely still have concerns about the study, and it's worth being transparent about the questions that come up, even when the data is strong. No study is perfect or 100% generalizable. Here's what critics might argue, and some thoughts on rationale. It's not a randomized controlled trial (RCT). True, it's an observational study, not the 'gold standard' for proving causality. But an RCT would mean intentionally withholding vaccines from children, which would be unethical. This study used naturally occurring differences in vaccine aluminum exposure, which is the next best, and most ethical, option. Some confounders might have been missed. Always a possibility. But, the study controlled for a lot: income, preterm birth, birthweight, maternal conditions, and more. But no study can control for everything. Still, the patterns were consistent across subgroups and time periods, which helps strengthen confidence in the results. Diagnoses came from health registries, not medical record review. That's true, but Denmark's health registries are considered high quality, and any misdiagnoses or under-reporting would likely be spread evenly across all groups, meaning it wouldn't skew the results. Denmark isn't the U.S. That's fair. But both countries vaccinate against the same diseases, using many of the same vaccine components, just with slightly different schedules and formulations. The underlying science and biologic principles are the same. What this study actually adds This study doesn't tell us that aluminum is good. It doesn't claim to end the conversation forever. But here's what it does offer: Reassurance grounded in data, not dismissal. Parents have asked smart questions for years. This isn't about 'just trust us,' it's about finally having large-scale, high-quality data to help answer those questions with clarity and care. Real-world relevance. This isn't a theoretical model or a lab experiment. It's 1.2 million real children, followed over 24 years, across a variety of vaccine exposures, and the results were consistent. Stronger evidence than ever before. While past studies raised concerns based on small samples or extreme exposures, this one helps fill a major gap: what happens when kids get routine aluminum-containing vaccines, as recommended, in actual pediatric care settings? The answer: no increased risk for autism, ADHD, allergies, or autoimmune conditions. Here's what's key to understand: This is exactly why large, real-world cohort studies, like the new Danish one, matter so much. They track actual vaccine use, actual outcomes, and actual kids. Bottom line And maybe most importantly? This keeps the focus where it belongs: informed, compassionate decision-making. Not panic. Not pressure. Not shame. If you've ever paused at a vaccine ingredient list, wondered about aluminum, or felt caught between headlines and your instincts, this study is for you. It doesn't shut the door on questions. But it opens the door wider for answers that are actually backed by evidence. Looking for more details on the study, concerns about past research, and how aluminum in vaccines differs from other exposures? You'll find it all in this PedsDocTalk Newsletter.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Low Danube waters bring huge mayfly swarms in Budapest
STORY: :: Mayflies swarm the river Danube earlier than usual and in greater numbers :: Budapest, Hungary :: July 23, 2025 :: Gyorgy Kriska, Associate Professor, Eotvos Lorand University 'Since 2012 we have seen huge swarming in those years when the water levels are quite low. We think it is because the sun lights the riverbed more and the algae can breed more and that way the larvae find more food.' :: Researchers put up special blue lights to guide the mayflies, which get confused by city lights :: July 26, 2025 'What our lights are doing is that they keep them here, they don't let them fly above so they keep swarming around the lights, and often a swirl of insects form around the lights, which reaches the surface of the water and they splash into the water. Where the mayflies reach the water they place their eggs there. What we can achieve is that they stay in place over the water and the next generation is saved. They cannot go further up but at least their offspring survive.' :: Mayflies, a protected species in Hungary, live for less than a day after they hatch Hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of mayflies engage in a frantic rush to mate and reproduce before they perish within just a few hours. Mayflies live for less than a day after they hatch, and their abundance is closely connected to the health of the Danube. Danube mayflies usually start swarming in August, but this year it began in mid-July, and is expected to last for weeks. Danube mayflies, a protected species, did not swarm for about four decades as the river was too polluted. They returned in 2012 when the Danube became cleaner due to the construction of wastewater treating plants, he added. As mayflies swarm upriver after mating, they can be confused by city lights or the shadows of bridges, causing them to crash on the riverbank instead of laying their eggs in the water. To help them as much as possible, Hungarian researchers installed special blue lights on two bridges. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Experts warn drastic action may be necessary in communities along US East Coast: 'We're dealing with something completely unprecedented'
Experts warn drastic action may be necessary in communities along US East Coast: 'We're dealing with something completely unprecedented' A climate adaptation scientist is warning that drastic changes may be necessary along the American East Coast. What's happening? According to EcoRI, Emma Gildesgame, a climate adaptation scientist for The Nature Conservancy, believes that it's time to start talking about managed retreat as a response to climate-induced coastal change. Managed retreat is when coastal buildings and towns pull back from their original locations, relocating further inland in an attempt to avoid being submerged by the rising oceans as our planet gets warmer. The practice is often seen as a last-ditch attempt to salvage areas that are most impacted by rising oceans as our coastlines shrink. However, per EcoRI, Gildesgame says the time is coming sooner than we think and that the goal right now is to "work with nature to keep people safer from climate change." Why is managed retreat important? For the United States, sea levels are expected to rise by a foot by 2050 if we continue along our current path, according to the Earth Information Center. That means that as time goes on, more and more coastal towns and cities are going to find themselves threatened by the same seas that they've relied on to thrive for decades or longer. On top of that, with sea levels rising, issues like flooding become more commonplace, with storms needing to be less and less severe to cause widespread flooding and damage. Managed retreat is a way to stave off those problems and keep towns safe from our changing climate. While extreme weather events have always existed, experts have found that human activities like burning dirty fuels have caused our planet to heat up, supercharging weather events and creating the need for proactive safety measures as temperatures rise. What's being done about managed retreat and rising ocean levels? Gildesgame said she's been having conversations for years about starting the process of managed retreat from coastal towns in New England. "I think it was like 2022 that I started having these conversations," she told EcoRI. "People were like, 'Oh, we can't talk about that. It's too complicated.' Governments don't want to be in the business of telling people where they can and can't live. There's deep, deep, deep trauma around government relocation in a lot of communities." However, she noted that people are realizing the severity of the situation. Do you think our power grid needs to be upgraded? Definitely Only in some states Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "We're tough New Englanders. We'll be fine. We'll just build stronger," Gildesgame said. "But we're dealing with something completely unprecedented." The hope is that by moving communities away from the shore, it will reduce the strain on the natural ecosystem in the area, restoring natural beaches, salt marshes, and sand dunes to mitigate the spread of flooding. As for the wider issue of coastal erosion and rising oceans, our best course of action is to continue prioritizing the reduction of carbon pollution, in the hopes of slowing our changing climate down. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
