Latest news with #DavidJenkins
07-08-2025
- Science
Radioactive wasp nests have been found near former nuclear weapons production site
Several radioactive wasp nests have been found in South Carolina at a site that used to produce parts for nuclear weapons, according to officials. The first wasp nest was detected on July 3 at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, S.C. – located near Augusta, Ga., just a few miles inside the western state border – by employees who routinely check radiation levels, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy. The monitoring activity took place at the F Tank Farm, a collection of underground tanks used to store radioactive liquid waste, according to a statement by the Savannah River Site provided to ABC News. The nest exhibited radiation 10 times the level allowed by federal regulations, according to the Energy Department report. It was was sprayed to kill any wasps that might have been inside of it and then bagged as radiological waste but no wasps were found, the report said. By July 31, three additional wasp nests were found during routine work activities, according to the SRS, which said all four nests were found in the F Tank Farm, an area near the middle of the 310-square-mile site. The additional wasp nests were also sprayed and the nest and the wasps inside of it tested, according to the SRS, which said the insects were found to contain lower levels of contamination than the nests. All of the nests discovered at the site emitted less than 1% of the natural background radiation that all humans experience daily, according to the SRS. The average person receives about 620 millirems total per year from both natural and manmade sources of radiation, according to the Department of Energy. By comparison, a medical CT scan exposes the subject to between 200 and 1,000 millirems of radiation depending on the length and body location of the scan, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Officials believe the wasp nests became contaminated through "legacy" contamination – that is, residual radioactive contamination from historical nuclear weapons production operations at the site during the Cold War, according to the SRS statement. "Execution of the liquid waste mission at SRS entails certain radiological activities (e.g. tank closure pump removal/replacement, tank inspections, etc.) that are performed outside of facilities in areas where biological species, such as birds or wasps, have the potential to access relatively low levels of contamination," the statement also said. The wasps likely accessed radioactive waste through the soil surrounding the facility or through a leak, Jonathon Nye, radiation safety officer for the Medical University of South Carolina, told ABC Charleston affiliate WCIV. However, there is little chance of radioactive nests being made outside of the Savannah River Site because the wasps won't have access to radioactive material elsewhere, David Jenkins, forest health program manager at the South Carolina Forestry Commission, told WCIV. "If you've got a radioactive site, you're gonna have some radioactive animals. But the chances of it harming us are, are really low," Jenkins told WCIV, adding that the only way the radioactive wasps could harm humans is if they were ingested. Even then, "you'd have to eat a lot of them to have it incorporated into you," he said, adding that being in close proximity to a contaminated wasp or being stung by it won't transmit the radiation. "Although infrequent, minor levels of contamination can sometimes be borne by species outside of the administratively controlled immediate radiological work areas. These contamination events are at levels far below what would cause human health issues," the SRS statement said. The SRS also said that the nests don't pose a threat to site workers, the community or the environment, and that continuous monitoring is in place to facilitate early detection and management of potential contamination.
Geek Tyrant
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
BOOSTER GOLD TV Series Finally Moving Forward at DC Studios — GeekTyrant
After more than two years of waiting, the fan-favorite time-traveling superhero Booster Gold is officially making his way to the small screen. According to Deadline, DC Studios has greenlit a pilot episode for the series at HBO Max, bringing a cult comic book character into the spotlight. The project has landed David Jenkins, best known as the creator of HBO Max's pirate comedy-drama Our Flag Means Death , to write the pilot and serve as showrunner if the series gets a full-season order. Originally announced back in January 2023 during the DCU Chapter One slate reveal, the synopsis teased that the series will follow Booster Gold as he uses 'basic technology from the future to pretend to be a superhero in the present day.' Booster Gold's real name is Michael Jon Carter, a former football star from the 25th century who steals advanced technology and travels back in time. His mission? To reinvent himself as a celebrity superhero in our era. In the comics, Booster isn't just a self-promoter, he eventually becomes a trusted member of the Justice League. That Justice League is shaping up in the DCU too, featuring characters like Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific, who recently appeared in Superman , and they're bankrolled by Maxwell Lord, adding an interesting dynamic to the team's future. While we wait for Booster's big debut, DC fans have plenty to look forward to on HBO Max. Peacemaker Season 2, starring John Cena as the foul-mouthed antihero, drops on August 21. Further down the line, we have Lanterns , which is set for an early 2026 release. That series will follow Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as they investigate a mysterious murder in Nebraska. With Jenkins at the helm and James Gunn's DCU vision in play, Booster Gold could bring a fresh, funny, and heartfelt tone to the superhero genre.
Gizmodo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The ‘Booster Gold' Show Finally Shows Some Progress
It's easy to forget, but part of DC Studios' initial slate reveal included a TV show for one Booster Gold. There's been nothing about it since then, but now we know who'll be spearheading the show-to-be. Per Deadline, Our Flag Means Death creator David Jenkins has signed on to write the series' pilot. If it gets the green light, he'll also run the show, which centers on Michael 'Booster' Carter, a fame-seeking superhero from the 25th century who comes to the present day to build up his superhero profile by staging high-profile heroics. The character's been a fan favorite since he was created by Dan Jurgens in 1986, and usually paired with Ted Kord, a.k.a. Blue Beetle. Fans of DC's TV slate might remember Booster Gold from his appearances in Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave & the Bold, and Justice League Action. In live-action, he's been played by Eric Marstoff in Smallville and, more recently, Donald Faison in Legends of Tomorrow's final season. (Had that show gone on, he'd have joined the Legends.) Arrowverse co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg tried for a Booster show in 2013 over on SyFy that never materialized. If it gets to development, this Booster series will join the already known Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and Waller shows. Following Superman's success, DC Studios co-head James Gunn has indicated Mister Terrific or Jimmy Olsen (or both) could have TV spinoffs in their future as well.
Medscape
16-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
2 New Studies Show CVD Benefit of Portfolio Diet
Two new Canadian studies suggest that the plant-based Portfolio Diet, which features cholesterol-lowering food choices, can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality across diverse groups. The diet previously had been evaluated mostly among older, White participants. The first study found an association between the diet, which was developed in 2003 by David J.A. Jenkins, MD, PhD, DSc, a researcher at the University of Toronto, Toronto, and a lower risk for CVD mortality and all-cause mortality. It was published last month in BMC Medicine . Researchers analyzed data of 14,835 US adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) and found that adhering to the Portfolio Diet was associated with a significant reduction in the risk for death from CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and all causes. Points for Foods Participants' diets were evaluated by 24-hour dietary recall and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline using the Portfolio Diet Score (PDS). Patients were assigned positive points for the four focus groups of the diet: Nuts, plant protein (eg, beans or tofu), viscous fiber (eg, apples, oatmeal, and eggplant), and phytosterols and plant monounsaturated fatty acid sources (eg, enriched margarine or oils). Patients received negative points for foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol. The primary outcome was CVD mortality. For all participants, an 8-point increase in PDS was associated with a 12% lower risk for CVD mortality. Other mortality outcomes included CHD, stroke, and all-cause mortality. Examining 22 years of follow-up, the researchers found that higher adherence to the diet was associated with lower risk factors, including blood lipids, glycemia, and inflammation. An increase in PDS of 8 points was associated with a 12% lower risk, 14% lower risk, and 12% lower risk for CVD, CHD, and all-cause mortality, respectively, after adjustments for known CVD risk factors. 'We know that it works,' study author Meaghan E. Kavanagh, PhD, of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine, told Medscape Medical News . It has been clear since early clinical trials that the diet can lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol substantially, she said. 'It's the same effect as a first-generation statin.' The current research is the next step, she explained, and the studies demonstrate that the diet can reduce people's risk for dying from these factors. They also broaden the diversity of the cohort. Younger, Diverse Group The focus of the related trial, which was published last month in BMC Public Health and written by many of the same researchers, 'was to look at [the diet] in a younger population to see if we could find associations with LDL cholesterol in such a healthy, young population. We're trying to show it works in all groups,' Kavanaugh said. The trial, led by Victoria Chen, a student at the University of Toronto, included 1507 ethnoculturally diverse people in their 20s using data from the Toronto Nutrigenomics and Health Study. In that study, diet was assessed by a validated Toronto-modified Harvard 196-item FFQ. Participants were instructed on how to complete the FFQ using visual aids of portion sizes. Adherence to the Portfolio Diet was measured using the PDS, and data analysis was adjusted for potential confounders. Researchers studied the association of the PDS with LDL and other established CV risk factors in young people. In this group, 'an 8-point higher PDS was associated with 3% lower LDL-C, the primary outcome,' the authors wrote. 'Our findings are also in agreement with cross-sectional analyses of other dietary patterns that share some similar components (legumes, whole grains, nuts, plant oils, fruits, and vegetables) to the Portfolio Diet, including the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean diets, which have been associated with more favorable lipid, blood pressure, and/or adiposity markers in young adults who are predominantly university students.' According to the study, 50% adherence to the Portfolio Diet beginning in young adulthood may delay increases in CVD risk later in life by about 6 years. Strict adherence could delay it by up to 13 years. 'This diet reinforces that patterns of eating are important over and above any one nutrient or food group,' said Jodi Heshka, MD, director of the Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Clinic at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa. 'These new data show the Portfolio Diet also works in a variety of patients, ages, different backgrounds.' Heshka did not participate in the study. Low Adherence Beneficial Heshka, who recommends the diet to her patients, said another benefit is that even low adherence improves outcomes. 'You don't have to go crazy following the Portfolio Diet to a tee,' she pointed out. 'Simply by incorporating more of these foods and by default reducing other foods — even that alone can add benefit.' Michele Blanchet, RD, a registered dietitian with Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, told Medscape Medical News that she's been recommending the Portfolio Diet to patients since she started specializing in CV health 14 years ago. 'It's been the crux of me helping individuals lower cholesterol,' she said, but she also combines it with parts of the Mediterranean diet, particularly the visual representations of proportions of food groups. She said she was particularly glad to see the finding that the diet can reduce the risk even in young, healthy people. 'We're seeing in our cardiac rehab program younger and younger individuals coming in needing bypass surgeries, having heart attacks,' Blanchet said. To work with young adults to follow the diet, she takes a diet history and looks at where they can make small changes: Adding vegetables and legumes and sprinkling flaxseed on foods, for instance. 'By making small changes throughout the day, they can have this synergistic effect of lowering their cholesterol and seeing the heart health benefits of this diet,' she said. The study led by Kavanaugh was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The study led by Chen was funded by a Toronto 3D Research Fellowship Award, CIHR, and a University of Toronto fellowship. Kavanaugh, Chen, Heshka, and Blanchet reported having no relevant financial relationships.
CBC
13-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Review of how school and education officials handle sex-related complaints is now underway
Former P.E.I. Chief Justice David Jenkins has just started a new temporary job. He talks to Louise Martin of CBC News: Compass about the scope of his third-party review into how Public Schools Branch practices and policies played into the Matthew Craswell case.
