American Association for the Advancement of Science

Want a healthier lawn? Instead of bagging fall leaves, take the lazy way out and get a more environmentally friendly yard

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Can leaves on a landscaped property ever be left as they are, or should they always be mulched?

Key Points: 
  • Can leaves on a landscaped property ever be left as they are, or should they always be mulched?
  • Susan Barton: A layer of leaves on the lawn will exclude light, which would be detrimental to the lawn.
  • So when the leaves fall, either rake them up or chop them up with a lawn mower so they are finer and can sift down in through the grass blades.
  • But if they fall in a landscape bed, or under trees, shrubs and larger plants, it’s fine to just leave the leaves without mulching them.
  • How can people get the most out of their lawns and make their landscaping more environmentally friendly?
  • It’s just a different way of thinking about the landscape, and much more environmentally sensitive.


Susan Barton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Dr. Reed McNeil Izatt, American Chemist, Dies at 97

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 1, 2023

AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Reed McNeil Izatt was born October 10, 1926, in Logan, Utah, the son of Alexander Spowart Izatt, Jr. and Marian McNeil Izatt. He died peacefully surrounded by his loving family on October 29, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Key Points: 
  • AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Reed McNeil Izatt was born October 10, 1926, in Logan, Utah, the son of Alexander Spowart Izatt, Jr. and Marian McNeil Izatt.
  • Reed descended, both paternally and maternally, from Scottish immigrants that came to the United States as pioneers to practice their faith in the 19th century.
  • After serving in World War II (1945-46) and as a Church missionary in Scotland (1947-1949), Reed graduated with a B.S.
  • Reed is survived by his wife, 5 children, 12 step-children, 19 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Dr. Reed McNeil Izatt, American Chemist, Dies at 97

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 1, 2023

AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Reed McNeil Izatt was born October 10, 1926, in Logan, Utah, the son of Alexander Spowart Izatt, Jr. and Marian McNeil Izatt. He died peacefully surrounded by his loving family on October 29, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Key Points: 
  • AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Reed McNeil Izatt was born October 10, 1926, in Logan, Utah, the son of Alexander Spowart Izatt, Jr. and Marian McNeil Izatt.
  • Reed descended, both paternally and maternally, from Scottish immigrants that came to the United States as pioneers to practice their faith in the 19th century.
  • After serving in World War II (1945-46) and as a Church missionary in Scotland (1947-1949), Reed graduated with a B.S.
  • Reed is survived by his wife, 5 children, 12 step-children, 19 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Physics-Powered GenAI Biotech Gero Raises $6M to Find Root Causes of Aging and Age-Related Diseases

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Gero , a biotechnology company focused on aging and chronic diseases, has closed $6M in a Series A extension round.

Key Points: 
  • Gero , a biotechnology company focused on aging and chronic diseases, has closed $6M in a Series A extension round.
  • By applying cutting-edge generative AI tools to analyze real-world longitudinal human health data, Gero is dedicated to finding novel cures for age-related diseases.
  • Its goal is to unravel the mysteries behind human aging and halt the aging process.
  • Gero’s approach allows separating the effects of aging from the effects of diseases enabling human genetics-driven target discovery for chronic and age-related diseases.

Most US nursing homes are understaffed, potentially compromising health care for more than a million elderly residents

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Jasmine Travers: There are 15,000 nursing homes with approximately 1.2 million residents.

Key Points: 
  • Jasmine Travers: There are 15,000 nursing homes with approximately 1.2 million residents.
  • Only 25% of nursing homes were found to be meeting those total nursing hours in 2019.
  • How does nursing home staffing affect the quality of care and health outcomes for residents?
  • When nursing homes are understaffed, that means there might not be a sufficient number of certified nursing assistants to, for example, answer call bells.

NTT Research Upgrades Thinking Around Standard Computational Models with Papers on Photonics, Neural Network and More

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 10, 2023

NTT Research, Inc. , a division of NTT (TYO:9432), today announced that its Physics & Informatics (PHI) Lab continues to advance basic scientific knowledge in the areas of neural network, photonics and quantum science.

Key Points: 
  • NTT Research, Inc. , a division of NTT (TYO:9432), today announced that its Physics & Informatics (PHI) Lab continues to advance basic scientific knowledge in the areas of neural network, photonics and quantum science.
  • In a three-month span, from March 1 to May 31, ten influential scientific journals published or accepted 12 papers co-authored by PHI Lab scientists.
  • At the same time, members of the PHI Lab delivered 19 talks at six scientific conferences or meetings.
  • “This three-month snapshot indicates the breadth, depth, productivity and impact of our research,” PHI Lab Director Yoshihisa Yamamoto said.

As suicides rise in the US, the 988 hotline offers hope – but most Americans aren't aware of it

Retrieved on: 
Friday, July 28, 2023

Emmy Betz: Suicide continues to be a leading cause of death in the United States.

Key Points: 
  • Emmy Betz: Suicide continues to be a leading cause of death in the United States.
  • We had been seeing suicide rates rise from about 2000, up until around the COVID era.
  • There was a small dip in rates during those COVID years, which was great, but unfortunately we’ve now seen rates increase again.
  • In 2021, there were 48,000 suicide deaths in the U.S., which is about one every 11 minutes.
  • Particularly concerning are increases in suicide rates among young individuals of color, where there have traditionally been lower suicide rates.
  • It’s really important that journalists talk about suicide, and that we raise awareness, and we get these messages out.
  • There are guidelines from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and other large organizations that really spell out best practices for journalists.
  • Watch the full interview to hear more about the 988 hotline and suicide prevention.

As a summer heat wave pummels the US, an expert warns about the dangers of humidity – particularly for toddlers, young athletes and older adults

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 17, 2023

So we’ll have more hot days and more extremely hot days, which result in an increased frequency, duration and intensity of environmental heat waves.

Key Points: 
  • So we’ll have more hot days and more extremely hot days, which result in an increased frequency, duration and intensity of environmental heat waves.
  • Kenney: The primary means by which humans get rid of body heat that’s built up is by evaporation of sweat.
  • Why are infants and older adults particularly vulnerable to heat and humidity?
  • So individuals on both ends of the age spectrum tend to be particularly vulnerable to what we term classic heatstroke.
  • Is the heat index a good measurement of how hot it feels and how people’s bodies are affected by heat?
  • It doesn’t account for radiation from the Sun, for example‚ but it’s much better than the heat index because it’s much more physiological.
  • Watch the full interview to hear more about how heat and humidity affect your health.

Food insecurity already affects 12 million US homes -- and reductions in SNAP benefits won't help

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 15, 2023

Hilary Seligman: Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the limited or uncertain access to enough food for a healthy life.

Key Points: 
  • Hilary Seligman: Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the limited or uncertain access to enough food for a healthy life.
  • Hilary Seligman: The most recent data suggests that about 1 in 10 households in the U.S. are food insecure.
  • And this rate is even higher among certain groups, like Black and brown households and households with children.
  • Hilary Seligman: Food insecurity is an inability to access enough resources for your basic needs.
  • Hilary Seligman: One of the misconceptions is that people who are experiencing food insecurity don’t want access to a healthier diet.
  • Hilary Seligman: The best solution for food insecurity is SNAP, which used to be called the food stamps program.
  • An example of this would be the work requirements that will push people out of the SNAP program and likely increase food insecurity rates.

How corporations use greenwashing to convince you they are battling climate change

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 15, 2023

Many corporations claim their products are “green-friendly.” But how do you know if what they’re selling is truly eco-safe?

Key Points: 
  • Many corporations claim their products are “green-friendly.” But how do you know if what they’re selling is truly eco-safe?
  • Thomas Lyon: Greenwashing is any communication that leads the listener to adopt an overly favorable impression of a company’s greenness.
  • Thomas Lyon: I still love the old concept of the seven sins of greenwashing.
  • For example, when you see an electric hand dryer in a public restroom, it may say on it: This dryer protects the environment.
  • One of the increasingly common forms of greenwashing … is a hidden trade-off between the company’s market activities and its political activities.
  • You may get a company that says: Look at this, we invested US$5 million in renewable energy last year.
  • And they may not tell you that they spent $50 million lobbying against climate legislation that would have made a real difference.
  • Perhaps the foremost among them is: Is this offset actually producing a reduction that was not going to happen anyway?