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Science Explains How a Healthy Immune System Works

November 18, 2022 by Lakeisha Ethans

A healthy immune system is a central part of survival and protection. It includes many organs throughout the body’s vast tissue and cell network. The function of the system is simple in concept but complex in detail. It must identify threats to the body, differentiate them from healthy objects, and eradicate unwanted intruders.

The overall function of the immune system can be tough to understand. It’s hard to comprehend the incredibly nuanced behaviors the system undergoes to protect you effectively. What’s the secret? What’s going on in your body?

Here’s how a healthy immune system works!

1. White Blood Cells

White blood cells are crucial for the most significant roles in immune system responses. They can be found throughout the body, using lymphatic and blood vessels to travel around. A healthy immune system has plenty of white blood cells and can produce new ones.

Also known as leukocytes, white blood cells focus on seeking out pathogens and harmful microorganisms. When they detect these unwanted items, they multiply to meet these responses. They then send signals out to various other cells about the unwanted intruder.

How Pathogens Impact a Healthy Immune System

To destroy pathogens, white blood cells in a healthy immune system:

Are capable of recognizing pathogens quickly
Multiple and bind themselves to pathogens, thus completely engulfing them
Using various natural chemicals to destroy the pathogens

For the most part, white blood cells can quickly detect harmful germs. But some pathogens can be harder to see and can slip unnoticed, harming you and making you very ill.

How The Body Stores White Blood Cells

While white blood cells can travel throughout most of the body, they are stored in:

Bone marrow, that is, the fluid in the middle of bones
The thymus, which is a gland beneath the neck nestled between the lungs
Lymph nodes are small glands connected by lymphatic vessels throughout the body
The spleen is a blood-filtering organ just above the abdomen and to the left

There are two primary white blood cells in a healthy immune system. The first is called a phagocyte. These cells are responsible for surrounding, engulfing, and breaking down pathogens. To a degree, they “eat” the germs they’re trying to eliminate. Types of phagocytes include:

Macrophages, which remove dying and dead cells and seek out pathogens
Mas cells, have numerous different jobs that include anti-pathogen defense and wound healing
Monocytes, which are very large phagocytes with multiple jobs
Neutrophils, which are the most common phagocyte type and typically attack bacteria

But what, then, about the second type?

2. The Role Of Lymphocytes

The second type of white blood cell is lymphocytes. These have a particular purpose in recognizing previous pathogens and attacking them should they appear again. This allows the body to “remember” the best way to tackle various microorganisms practically, and safely.

There are two different kinds of lymphocytes. The first type is called a B lymphocyte. This type of lymphocyte, also called a B-cell, remains in the bone marrow where it is created. They’re responsible for antibody production and carry alerts to other lymphocytes.

Antibodies are a kind of protein that binds antigens. Antigens are any pathogen that triggers an antibody response. When B-cells realize an invading antigen, antibodies mark that invader for the rest of the immune system to find and destroy it.

Common Antibodies Include The Following:

IgA, protects orifices in the body by existing in fluids like saliva and tears
IgD, which remains with B-cells to help kick-start immune responses
IgE, which protects you from parasites but also triggers allergies and allergic reactions
IgG, or immunoglobulin, marks various microorganisms for other cells to handle
IgM, which kills bacteria

The second type of lymphocyte is T-lymphocytes or T-cells. After creation, these cells travel to the thymus and focus on altering leukocytes and destroying intruder cells. Helper T-cells do the former role, while killer T-cells perform the latter.

Lymphocytes of all kinds also release chemicals known as cytokines. These molecules are designed to signal various body parts and are involved in immune responses differently. A healthy immune system’s cytokines include chemokines, interferons, interleukins, and lymphokines. These cytokines affect lymphocytes and other cells by stimulating inflammatory responses.

Inflammation at this controlled level is crucial for repairing tissue, fighting antigens, and dealing with infections. This is why, for example, fevers are a typical response to the presence of an unwanted virus. Inflammation helps to strengthen the immune system when it needs that extra kick.

It is worth noting, of course, that chronic inflammation is unhealthy and can cause numerous different issues in the body. As with all things, an excess of this response will harm you more than help you.

3. The Types of Immunity

Each person has a different immune system, but for the most part, a healthy immune system will become stronger over time. This is why children are more prone to illness than adults. This is because the immune system is good at handling antigens it has already encountered.

Kids who get sick are exposed to many different pathogens that their body has to learn to fight. These germs and microorganisms are remembered by the body, allowing a better, more robust response in the future.

Eventually, repeated exposure to an antigen can cause the body to develop immunity to that particular intruder. Essentially, your white blood cells will be able to destroy the antigen the second it sees it. This is most obvious in cases like chickenpox, where if you get the disease once, your body doesn’t get it again.

This impressive defense is known as immunity. There are three kinds:

· Innate Immunity

Human beings are naturally born with some level of immunity. This allows them to fight primary germs and pathogens that may harm other animals or living creatures. The human body cannot get certain diseases, even with direct exposure, except in sporadic cases. Studies show that this is due to unique pattern recognition receptors as immune sensing.

· Adaptive Immunity

Also known as acquired immunity, this refers to immunity learned through exposure over time. It may come from sickness or vaccinations. Some people call this immunological memory, as it’s an example of a healthy immune system capable of remembering past intruders’ faces. Studies show that this involves the identification of “signature” features of various antigens.

· Passive Immunity

This type of immunity is temporary and comes from quick sources. The most obvious example of this is in babies. Babies can receive immunity from specific antigens by consuming antibodies through breast milk. They lose that immunity when they are weaned off the milk or don’t consume it for a while.

4. Disorders That Affect The Immune System

Not everyone has a healthy immune system; several conditions can affect the body’s natural defenses. These include the following conditions:

· Allergies

A healthy immune system responds to allergens by expelling them and quickly removing them. Allergy diseases, however, because that response can dial up to 11. The severity of such allergies can even become life-threatening in some cases.

· Autoimmune Disorders

Autoimmune disorders occur when B-cells misidentify threats, producing autoantibodies. Autoantibodies attack the body instead of invader cells, thus making you fight your body by considering things like organs, cells, and tissues unfamiliar invaders. On the other hand, a healthy immune system can fight off this attack.

· Immunodeficiency

Immunodeficiency refers to an under-activity of the immune system. This can cause a genetically inherited disease, such as SCID, or occur due to diseases like cancer or HIV. It can also come from specific medical treatments and medications, like chemotherapy.

Individuals with these disorders will need special treatment and unique considerations to keep themselves safe and healthy.

Final Thoughts On How A Healthy Immune System Works

The human immune system is an essential part of the survival of our species. Without it, we would be highly vulnerable to various diseases and illnesses. Therefore, we would have likely gone extinct a long time ago!

Psychology Explains Why Bullies Control Conversations In A Relationship

November 18, 2022 by Lakeisha Ethans

Do you know a bully who uses manipulation to control conversations and silence others? Is your partner one of these toxic people?

Our understanding of abuse and abusers goes further and further every day. As times change, we’ve learned about toxic relationships and how abusers control conversations, prey on their victims, and enact their will on others. Gone are the days when we assume that only physical abuse counts as a severe problem. We have a greater understanding of the subtleties of abuse and control.

Studies show that control is a critical factor in abusive relationships and situations. Toxic people feel the need to control, successfully manipulate, blackmail, and abuse those around them. Think about it: if you’re not under someone’s control, their power over you significantly diminishes.

But control is a complex thing. In fact, it’s not always apparent that someone’s trying to exercise control over another. In close relationships, especially romantic partnerships, the line between guidance, communication, and control can blur when an abusive person learns to be subtle. They know small ways to steer their partner in a harmless way but is causing a significantly toxic dynamic and harming that partner.

So, how can someone accurately detect when someone exerts this control over others? The first step is noticing how a partner controls the narrative, thus revealing a toxic nature. When you see through a bullying partner’s lies, facades, and sneaky methods, everything else becomes much more apparent. Here’s how people control conversations to bully their partners into compliance.

1. They Control Conversations By Shifting Blame

A healthy relationship involves people willing to admit their mistakes and take accountability for them. There are no situations where a balanced relationship will have only one person always “in the wrong.” The truth is that there are always ways both parties can work together to improve and further their relationship.

But abusers never want to admit their faults. They want to shift that onto everyone else to avoid blame. In a relationship, they’ll push responsibility to bully their partners out of asking for their accountability. They’ll make their partner believe they’re innocent of controlling conversations and deflecting blame to escape likely consequences. This happens in the following ways:

· They Make It Their Partner’s Fault

This is the most common way an abuser will try to control a conversation. When conflict arises, they’ll reframe scenarios to blame their partner. Sure, they were responsible for doing the laundry, but have you considered that they’ve had a terrible week? How could you dare to expect them to perform that responsibility? And sure, you said you felt uncomfortable with how they were constantly ogling their ex but isn’t that your fault for being so insecure? And yeah, they were mean to your best friend, but you should know they don’t like social situations, so it’s your fault for expecting otherwise! This is how abusers twist problems to blame their partners, even in ridiculous ways.

· They Blame Other People

Abusers always act as if they’re powerless. Ironically, this is the behavior that often gives them the most power. They’ll work like the world is against them. They will say that their actions and behavior result from external factors, saying that once those factors are gone, they’ll behave much differently. They’ll point fingers at everyone and everything, pretending they have no role in these circumstances. They control conversations so their partner unites against an imagined enemy.

· They Appeal To Your Emotions To Control Conversations

Even when something is an abuser’s fault, they’ll find a way to appeal to your emotions, so you let things lie. They’ll cry about how hard their week has been, mention their mental health struggles, or talk about wanting to harm themselves. Besides that, they will sob about how they’ll never be worthy of their partner or how nothing they do will ever be enough for the relationship. They’ll say outlandish, extreme things so that their partner’s instinct is to comfort them. Even though they’ve technically admitted fault here, they’ve made it so that this fault seems excusable. Their partner might even feel guilty for making them have this ultimately fake emotional reaction. At its core, this is just another way of playing the victim.

Some abusers go above simply deflecting blame. They also gaslight partners by entirely and utterly reframing different scenarios. The goal is to make their partner question their perception of reality. They may treat their partner like crazy, be overly sensitive, or misremember details.

2. To Control Conversations, They Flood Partners With Negativity

Constructive criticism has a place in a relationship when delivered respectfully and positively. But abusers aren’t looking to be respectful. They want to control conversations, which they can achieve via verbal abuse and bullying. They’ll flood their partner with negativity, leaving them vulnerable and hurt to maintain power.

Research shows that verbal abuse can have a vast negative effect on self-esteem and mental well-being. Abusers are very good at starting their verbal abuse in small ways that only slightly unravel their partners’ confidence. Over time, their words escalate in severity and negativity, and due to the unraveling mentioned above, their partners feel like they deserve that negativity. An abuser may control conversations through negativity in the following ways:

· They’re Never Satisfied

An abuser’s partner will often try their best to earn the validation and approval of the abuser, finally picking apart their self-esteem. Abusers cement their bullying by intentionally refusing to be satisfied. No matter what their partner talks about, they control conversations, pointing out something wrong in everything their partner says. Their partner, in turn, shrinks more and more.

· They Frame Cruelty As Honesty

Honesty can be painful, and sometimes, we must speak brutal truths. But abusers don’t do this in any constructive way. They intentionally speak as cruelly and harshly as possible to cut to their partner’s core. They control conversations with this unnecessary cruelty. They say they’re only being honest when called out on this bullying behavior. They insist that it’s for their partner’s good and that they only say what they must. Partners under their control will believe them.

· They Insult Their Partners To Control Conversations

There’s a difference between consensually “insulting” banter and insults that leave their partners feeling small. An abuser can control a conversation by dolling out a well-timed insult that cuts to their partner’s core. They often do this, mentioning these criticisms so often that it becomes a regular part of a conversation with them. Over time, their partner gets used to this and accepts it, not realizing that each insult damages them deeply.

3. They Refuse To Engage to Control Conversations

When an abuser finds themself in interactions with their partner that they don’t want to be a part of, they control conversations by simply not engaging. According to research, this is a stonewalling tactic–a common predictor of the end of a relationship.

Stonewalling can take many different forms, and it can happen accidentally. But abusers use this mechanism to escape a conversation they don’t want. This is because they want to discuss this on their terms or want the subject to be dropped. They may do this in the following ways:

· Silent Treatment

An abuser may completely ignore their partner to control conversations. By giving them the cold shoulder, an abuser can force their partner into a hopeless situation. Since they’re not going to engage until the topic plays out or their partner apologizes, the abuser manages to “win” on their terms.

· They Control Conversations By Shutting Down Communication

In the middle of an argument, an abuser may stop responding and walk away for no discernable reason. They’ll offer no communication about what they’re doing or why. It’s like being ghosted but face-to-face. It’s worth noting that there’s nothing wrong with taking a break during a heated conflict to recollect your thoughts. But that’s not what an abuser in this scenario is doing. They’re intentionally derailing to get their way and control conversations, not taking a breather. They demand only to discuss things on their terms.

· Treating A Partner “Oddly”

An abuser might get their message across to their partner by treating them “oddly” whenever a particular topic arises. They’ll suddenly act strange or antagonistic while insisting nothing’s wrong. This conditions their partner to try and avoid that subject to avoid the sudden “weird” treatment. This treatment can include not making eye contact, withholding affection, or physically distancing themselves.

· Acting Like Their Partner Needs To Be Disengaged From

When an abuser feels that their partner is finally building the courage to call them out properly, they’ll quickly get their gaslighting going. They’ll act as if their partner behaves erratically or in a “crazy” or sensitive way. They’ll disengage while performing like the rational, level-headed person, saying they’re going to let their partner.

Final Thoughts On How Toxic People Control Conversations To Bully Their Partners

Abusers find different ways to control conversations to bully their partners. They’ll change narratives so they must never accept the fault for any situation. Moreover, they will flood their partners with negativity and verbal abuse to erode their self-esteem and claim higher ground. They’ll refuse to engage until conversations are on their terms.

These aren’t the only ways that abusers may control conversations. There are many methods by which this kind of bullying can be done. An abuser’s goal is to control, and they’ll develop all sorts of behaviors to get their desired outcome. You must be alert to these mechanisms to avoid falling under their spell.

If you feel your partner is harming you this way, don’t hesitate to seek help. Talk to someone in your social circle or reach out to a professional. Throughout this process, keep yourself aware of your self-worth and the various control methods your partner may be using. And, above all else, stay safe!

Owls Inspire Engineers to Make Quiet Wind Power Turbines

November 18, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

A study by researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong University discovered how to reduce noise from wind turbine blades. The technology would also apply to aircraft and other machines with airfoils. The inspiration for the new design? Owl wings.

The prevalent sound from aeronautical and turbine engines such as drones, wind turbines, and airplanes comes from trailing-edge noise. Many urban areas consider it a priority to reduce this type of noise pollution when possible.

So, to help with that goal, the research team analyzed the characteristics of owl wings to improve airfoil designs. Using this technology to create wind turbine blades and other airfoils could dramatically lower trailing-edge noise. The research has been published in Physics of Fluids by AIP Publishing.

Owls Inspire Noise-Reduction Technology Wind Turbine Blades

Owls inspired their invention due to their serrated wings, which break up airflow and absorb sound. They also have a flexible fringe toward their wing’s trailing edge or back part. This breaks up the air even more, considerably reducing aerodynamic noise.

“Nocturnal owls produce about 18 decibels less noise than other birds at similar flight speeds due to their unique wing configuration,” said author Xiaomin Liu. “Moreover, when the owl catches prey, the shape of the wings is also constantly changing, so the study of the wing edge configuration during owl flight is of great significance.”

When air passes along the back of an airfoil or wing, it produces trailing-edge noise. This airflow creates turbulence along the top and bottom surfaces of the airfoil. When these two airflows meet along the trailing edge, they scatter and make noise.

Prior studies investigated serrated trailing edges, discovering that these serrations helped suppress the noise of rotating machines. Unfortunately, the noise reduction of the wind turbine blades mainly depended on the final application and wasn’t guaranteed in all cases.

“At present, the blade design of rotating turbomachinery has gradually matured, but the noise reduction technology is still at a bottleneck,” said Liu. “The noise reduction capabilities of conventional sawtooth structures are limited, and some new nonsmooth trailing-edge structures need to be proposed and developed to tap the potential of bionic noise reduction further.”

Study on How Serrated Airfoils Reduce Noise

The researchers utilized noise calculation and analysis software to perform several studies for this study. These involved detailed measurements of simplified airfoils that resembled owl wings. They applied these results to reduce the noise of rotating machinery.

The noise decreased when they improved airflow near the trailing edge and optimized the airfoil’s shape. One peculiar finding from the study was that asymmetric serrations resulted in more significant noise reduction than symmetric designs.

They also noted that noise reduction depended heavily on operating conditions. So, the team said that the airfoil designs would require customizations based on the specific application.

For instance, wind turbine blades have complicated incoming flow conditions requiring a more generalized noise reduction approach. Therefore, scientists must investigate how noise reduction technologies perform with various incoming flows.

Either way, the team believes their work will help inform airfoil design in the future.

Other Studies on the Impact of Wind Turbine Noise Pollution

As the demand for wind energy keeps increasing, scientists have been scrambling to tackle noise pollution. Wind turbine blades disturb residents living near wind farms to such a degree that experts created the Wind Farm Noise Study. Researchers from Flinders University used machine learning and other signal processing techniques to determine how wind turbines impact humans.

They found that wind turbine blades’ nighttime ‘swoosh’ noise disrupts communities the most. Scientists estimate that nearby residents hear this sound, technically called ‘amplitude modulation’ (AM), five times more often at night than during daytime hours. Of course, wind direction, wind farm distance, and season also factor into these results.

“The noise seems to worsen after sunset when amplitude modulation can be detected for up to 60% of the nighttime at distances around 1 km from a wind farm. At greater than 3 km, amplitude modulation also occurs for up to 30% of the nighttime,” said Flinders University Ph.D. candidate Duc Phuc (‘Phuc’) Nguyen, who led the study.

Researchers created the Wind Farm Noise Study to investigate how noise from wind turbine blades impacted sleep for residences near wind farms. Scientists continue researching the potential adverse effects wind turbine noise can have on humans.

Dr. Kristy Hansen, an acoustic expert who also participated in the study, said wind turbine noise largely depends on wind direction. Those living in downwind and crosswind conditions will likely hear wind turbine blades more often.

“We found that AM occurs most often during these wind directions,” she says. “Using these recent advances in machine learning, we have been able to develop an AM detection method that has a predictive power close to the practical limit set by a human listener.”

How to Reduce Exposure to Noise Pollution

Of course, noise pollution doesn’t just come from wind turbine blades. For example, if you live in a big city, you probably encounter your fair share of noise. You can still protect yourself from excess noise with these tips:

Wear noise-canceling earplugs or earphones. These can help reduce your noise exposure, especially during evening hours when you’re trying to sleep.
Soundproof your home. Install double-paned windows to block the maximum amount of sound if you have the means. Ensure the weather stripping around doors and windows seals tight as well.
Opt for carpet instead of wood or tile floors. The rug will absorb sound much better and keep your feet warm in the winter!

Final Thoughts on Making Wind Turbine Blades Less Noisy

We’re getting closer to transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy sources each day. Wind turbines will have a massive role in this new era of energy generation. However, it’s becoming clear that wind turbines also have a few downsides, such as creating noise pollution for nearby residents.

Xi’an Jiaotong University’s scientists have studied owl wings’ characteristics to help improve airfoil designs. They found that building airfoils with serrated edges significantly reduced noise like those on owl wings. More research is needed, but wind turbine blades and other rotating machinery will hopefully operate more quietly in the future.

Science Explains How A Sleep Deficiency Changes Your Food Cravings

November 17, 2022 by Lakeisha Ethans

Food is something that most people have a love-hate relationship with. It can bring people together, an integral part of many cultures. But it can also be someone’s worst enemy, such as sleep loss. Unfortunately, nutritional education is not the main focus of society at all.

And socioeconomic factors affect people’s diets. If you are from a low-income household, you don’t have the luxury to buy organic produce, so you settle for much cheaper fast food. Coupled with how society looks down on everyone with a little bit of fat on their bodies. This societal perception pushes many people into having an unhealthy relationship with food.

But these are not the only factors that can influence what you eat or how much you eat. Neuroscientists have found a correlation between sleep deficiency and food cravings. And it might indicate why making sure you have a clear sleep schedule is more important than it seems. Insomnia and lack of sleep are issues that affect all aspects of your life, and your nutrition is one of them. Read on to understand the correlation between sleep deprivation and food.

What Causes Insomnia And Other Sleep Loss Issues?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that makes it hard for people to fall or stay asleep and even causes them to wake up too early. Even if you feel tired, you are unable to fall asleep. Instead, you end up staring at your ceiling, wishing you could fall asleep. It’s a more common disorder than most people might think. This disorder is the leading sleep issue, but you could also suffer from sleep apnoea or narcolepsy.

Sleep apnoea happens when your breathing starts and repeatedly stops, leading to a lack of energy. And narcolepsy makes people experience sudden periods of sleepiness during the day. Still, the main reason people lose sleep is that they suffer from various insomnia degrees. Most adults experience short-term (acute) insomnia at some point. This lasts for a few days, at most a few weeks.

Usually, acute insomnia results from stress, anxiety, or a traumatic event. But some people struggle with long-term (chronic) insomnia, which lasts for months or even longer. Insomnia can be a problem by itself or can be associated with other conditions. Stress is a prevalent factor that causes sleeplessness. But traveling, a busy work schedule or generally poor sleeping habits can factor in. In the case of chronic insomnia, more severe conditions can be involved.

The Connection Between Mental Illness and Sleep Loss

Mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or PTSD can disrupt sleep patterns. Side effects of certain medications can also cause insomnia. Medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, asthma, and more also lead to sleeplessness. Because of how many issues can lead to insomnia, this disorder is something that you’ll almost certainly struggle with. But even if you don’t have insomnia, the mere business of life can make you lose sleep.

A student might not be able to sleep for days during exam periods. An entry-level employee might have to work up to 12 hours a day. Even those disruptions in the sleeping pattern can lead to specific cravings.

How Sleep Loss Impacts Food Cravings

These are some reasons why insomnia can negatively impact unhealthy food cravings.

1. Sleep Loss Often Stimulates Primal Brain Regions

Everyone knows from personal experience that sleep deprivation can make you less logical. But there is a neurological reason why that happens. Research from UC Berkley found that lack of sleep increases the activity of primal brain regions. Those are the regions that respond directly to rewards, like, for example, the taste of food.

The researchers used fMRI to scan the brains of almost two dozen young adults. They did two tests, one after a night of good sleep and one after a sleepless night. They measured the volunteers’ brain activity while showing them eighty images of foods. The foods ranged from healthy, low-calorie options to junk food.

And the results showed that sleep-deprived participants were likelier to choose junk foods as their favorite. Many past studies showed a correlation between insomnia and cravings for sweets and junk food. But this study was the first to show a clear cause for this. Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in the frontal lobe’s activity while increasing the activity of primal brain regions.

The regions responsible for complex decision-making were clouded by the lack of sleep. And, even if tired people knew they shouldn’t eat junk food, they still did it because the reward stimulated their brains. Fortunately, the same researchers suggested that fixing our sleep schedule will decrease these cravings. If you are struggling with overeating, check how much you sleep. If it’s less than seven hours a night, that might cause your weight gain.

2. Tired People’s Brains Use More Energy

When you lose sleep, the brain becomes foggy and slow. Tasks that used to be simple and straightforward start to seem impossible. Even automatic responses start requiring actual effort. And the brain can’t do all these extra tasks alone. To function, it needs fuel and energy.

When you are sleep-deprived, you start experiencing changes in your neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. But most importantly, when the brain is tired, it promotes signals that increase your appetite. And Christian Benedict, a neuroscientist at Uppsala University, agrees with this idea. He says the brain cannot afford to waste energy controlling cravings and impulses. Instead, it encourages those signals to get the calories it needs to keep functioning.

Even though he warns about the impact of sleep on cravings, he also states that other aspects are just as important. Physical activity, accessibility to healthy food, and dietary restrictions are also essential. Even though sleep loss can make you want to eat sweets from time to time, it won’t cause a systematic issue.

3. Lack Of Sleep Affects Your Senses

When you eat, your body has ways to signal that you are full. There are stretch receptors in your stomach that are activated when filled with water or food. These receptors signal the brain and create a feeling of discomfort if you overeat. Plus, other hormonal signals get released as nutrition enters the small intestine.

The smell is an essential sense that determines how hungry you get. If food doesn’t smell enticing, you might not even be interested in eating it. Research showed that the body parts responsible for the sense of smell don’t respond well when you are tired. The same goes for the components accountable for taste or food in the stomach. Because of this, tired people respond better to a more enticing smell.

And that craving is so powerful that you don’t stop considering how many calories food has. If you are struggling with insomnia, chances are you will be getting mixed feelings about how much food you need. Even if you are full, your brain might tell you you are still hungry.

Unfortunately, you will always crave unhealthy foods if you struggle with sleep loss. The best way to ensure you don’t cave in is to keep only healthy foods around you.

4. Sleep Deprivation Leads To A Hormonal Imbalance

Lack of sleep is not something to be treated lightly. Statistics point out that people who sleep five hours or less per night are 50% more likely to be obese than people who sleep eight hours. This happens because sleep deprivation messes with your body’s hormonal balance.

Three powerful hormones are affected by lack of sleep. First, there is leptin, which is the hormone that regulates your appetite. This is the hormone that tells you it’s time to stop eating. But a lack of sleep dysregulates the levels of leptin in your body. This is because leptin peaks while you sleep, so a lack of sleep will affect how the hormone is released.

If not enough leptin is released, your brain will always feel that you are hungry. That’s why you will get more cravings when you are tired. Secondly, sleeplessness affects ghrelin, the hormone that tells your brain you are hungry. Your ghrelin levels can skyrocket even if you lose one night of sleep. You will feel like you are always hungry and can reach for snacks multiple times a day.

Lastly, insomnia affects the levels of insulin in your body. Insulin is a hormone responsible for fat storage, and responding to carbohydrate intake. If your insulin levels are too high, your body will store too much fat without a good reason. This fat can start accumulating around your organs, becoming dangerous for your health. And, when you don’t get enough sleep, your insulin levels rise, putting you at risk.

There is no way to control your hormones other than making sure you don’t do anything to imbalance them. And, naturally, that means getting the recommended amount of sleep.

Final Thoughts On How Sleep Loss Impacts Food Cravings

Sleep is an essential part of everyone’s life, and the quality of your sleep significantly impacts your health. It affects everything from energy levels to mood, appetite, and mental well-being. But the relationship between food and sleep is often overlooked. Losing some sleep may not seem like a big deal, but it can affect your cravings. People’s relationship with food is already complicated enough, so adding sleep disruption to the mic doesn’t help.

When you don’t get enough sleep, your brain starts signaling to the primal parts of your brain that something is wrong. Your brain responds to rewards more than normal, which triggers cravings. Because your brain needs more energy to function when it’s deprived of sleep, it needs more calories.

Plus, tiredness clouds your senses and makes specific receptors in your brain malfunction. Coupled with the fact that lack of sleep leads to a hormonal imbalance, your body will start receiving mixed signals regarding food. If you want to avoid craving sweet or junk food, ensure you get at least the recommended eight hours of sleep per night.

Marine Scientist Explains How Seagrass Fights Climate Change

November 17, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

According to marine scientist Carlos M. Duarte, the ocean harbors an unlikely ally in the fight against climate change: seagrass. Seagrasses evolved from terrestrial plants about 100 million years ago, which explains why marine meadows resemble grass on land.

While seagrasses account for only 0.1% of the seafloor, they remove about 33% of carbon in the seafloor each year. In total, seagrass meadows store over 10% of carbon in the oceans globally. Even more amazingly, they can absorb carbon up to 35x faster than Amazonian rainforests!

As climate change ramps up, this news couldn’t come at a more opportune time. While Duarte has studied seagrasses for nearly forty years, he only recently discovered their hidden power. Found in every continent except Antarctica, they’ve adapted over millions of years to colonize the ocean. About 50-60 different species of aquatic grasses exist worldwide, growing in shallow coastal waters where sunlight can easily penetrate.

As one of only 17 flowering plants to grow in marine environments, they’re a resilient, unique species indeed. Seagrasses populate by extending a rhizome – an underground stem that grows horizontally from 1cm to nearly five meters per year. Then, these networks of plant roots keep branching out along the seafloor to form large clones.

These clones can grow to massive sizes; Duarte discovered a clone in the Mediterranean that measured about 15 kilometers. This size equates to roughly the size of Manhattan! Even more remarkably, his team found that the clone originated from a seed that germinated 200,000 years ago.

Since it’s one of the oldest living organisms on the planet, UNESCO listed the seagrass meadow as a World Heritage Marine site. This fact means it’s protected from fishing or any other commercial activities. The mega clone meadow spans about 800 square kilometers and supports incredible biodiversity.

Marine Scientist Explains How Seagrass Can Help Fight Climate Change

Perhaps most importantly, Duarte’s team found that just one hectare of seagrass can sequester a massive amount of carbon. Shockingly, this relatively small area can store as much carbon as fifteen hectares of the Amazonian rainforest.

Of course, Duarte wanted to find out how the underwater plant could accomplish this monumental task. He discovered that since the plants have large canopies, they form an intricate web that filters out particles in the water. These particles settle in the seafloor and decompose slowly since seagrass soils don’t have oxygen. Carbon from decaying material then accumulates in the ground.

Also, seagrass meadows that grow in marine environments give them an advantage over forests. During forest fires, carbon in the soil returns to the atmosphere, contributing to a warming climate. However, since no fires occur underwater, the carbon in seagrass soils can remain safe for thousands of years.

When seagrasses grow, they raise the seafloor anywhere from 1 to 4mm per year. Over hundreds of years, they form reefs such as the extensive four-meter-tall meadow found in the Mediterranean. Duarte’s team even discovered a seagrass reef measuring 12 meters tall, which could hold an astonishing amount of carbon. Aside from sequestering carbon, seagrass offers another shield against climate change: protecting shorelines. Since climate change is already causing stronger hurricanes and rising sea levels, seagrass is crucial in defending infrastructure and property along the coast.

Finally, since seagrasses are flowering plants, they have seeds that humans can consume as marine rice. This crop doesn’t require arable land, water, fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides, making it a sustainable food choice. Perhaps seagrass meadows could provide an answer to growing food insecurity around the globe shortly.

Seagrass Meadows Have Made a Comeback in the Last Century

Luckily, marine science and biology experts discovered the importance of seagrass just in time. As they learned about how it could fight climate change, they became aware of its vulnerability.

In the 1930s, a disease killed large areas of seagrass in the Atlantic. As it began to make a comeback, sewage and agricultural runoff wiped out these meadows worldwide. Anchors from large ships, trawling and dredging of the seafloor, and other mechanical operations threatened the aquatic grasses.

These factors compounded by the end of the 20th century, killing one-third of seagrasses worldwide. In the last few decades, scientists realized the urgency in protecting this fragile underwater plant. However, they’re still trying to map all the seagrasses worldwide.

Estimating the Impact

They estimate that seagrasses occupy between 150,000 to one million square kilometers of the ocean floor. Unfortunately, satellites can’t differentiate seagrass from other types of the seafloor, making it challenging to confirm its distribution.

Luckily, the scientists found a solution: tracking green sea turtles and tiger sharks that feed on or swim near seagrasses using satellite devices. They’ve uncovered new seagrass meadows in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea by monitoring the marine animals. Through this method, they also discovered the largest seagrass meadow in the world off the coast of the Bahamas.

Now that they’ve begun mapping the seagrasses, they’ve also taken steps to protect them. Due to their efforts, seagrasses have started to recover in Europe, North America, China, Australia, and Japan.

They’ve also released millions of seeds to encourage new seagrass growth. In the early 2000s, Duarte’s colleagues released 7.5 million seeds in South Bay, along the coast of Virginia. Sixteen years later, the area measured 20 square kilometers; today, it’s grown to 36 square kilometers. This meadow sequestered so much carbon that Virginia passed a bill on seagrass restoration.

After researching seagrass’ impact on climate change and watching the meadows blossom back to life, Duarte feels confident we can restore our oceans. His team published a paper in the journal Nature last year that suggested it’s possible to “rebuild” ocean biodiversity by 2050. Ensuring the health of our oceans will bring us one step closer to stabilizing the climate.

Final Thoughts on the Importance of Seagrass in Tackling the Climate Crisis

When you hear about carbon sequestration, it’s mostly confined to reforestation or geoengineering techniques. However, meadows have started coming into the spotlight recently because they store carbon effectively. Also, these meadows can protect shorelines from devastating hurricanes and cyclones and even provide food with their seeds. As we face mounting ecological challenges, seagrasses may play a pivotal role in helping us overcome them.

France Puts Plastic Packaging Ban Into Effect

November 17, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

France enacted a plastic packaging ban beginning on Jan. 1, 2022, making it the first European country to do so. The law prohibits single-use plastics on many items, including fruits and vegetables like carrots, apples, and bananas. The bill also included lemons, potatoes, cucumbers, pears, kiwis, peppers, and leeks. Thirty varieties of produce sold in supermarkets and other shops will no longer have plastic packaging.

In 2021, an estimated 37% of fruits and vegetables sold in France had a plastic wrap. The government believes the plastic packaging ban will eradicate one billion single-use plastic items annually. This reduction in plastic usage would have a massive positive effect on the local environment and marine habitats.

President Emmanuel Macron referred to the ban as “a real revolution,” adding that France leads the way by promising to phase out all single-use plastics by 2040. The Environment Ministry added that it’s imperative to reduce the “outrageous amount of single-use plastic in our daily lives.”

The new law “aims at cutting back the use of throwaway plastic and boost its substitution by other materials or reusable and recyclable packaging.”

Of course, it will take time to replace plastics with viable alternatives. Currently, packages over 1.5kg and chopped or processed fruit have an exemption. Additionally, producers of fragile, soft fruits like cherry tomatoes, raspberries, and blueberries will have an extended period to employ alternatives. In this context, manufacturers, including those from this manufacturing company who produces sleeving machines, will play a crucial role in developing and providing the necessary solutions. However, the government has ordered that by 2026, the plastic packaging ban will apply to all fruits and vegetables.

Spain’s New Rules Will Follow Soon

Spain will also enforce a ban on plastic packaging for production beginning in 2023. Environmentalists and international campaigners believe the bans are long overdue, as they’ve been calling attention to plastic pollution for decades. Still, it’s better late than never, and perhaps more countries will follow France’s example.

France’s Plastic Packaging Ban and Phase Out Is Now Underway

It seems that French citizens fully support the plastic packaging ban. 85% of respondents in an Ifop poll for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in France in 2019 favored eliminating single-use plastics. Over 2 million people have signed a WWF petition urging governments worldwide to act on plastic pollution. Outraged citizens have also utilized social media to express their concern, saying that items like coconuts and bananas have unnecessary plastic packaging.

Shoppers in surrounding countries have also voiced their disgust at produce wrapped in layers of plastic. About 75% of British citizens have felt “anxiety, frustration, or hopelessness” at the sheer amount of plastic they encounter while shopping. 59% say supermarkets and manufacturers haven’t done their part to offer plastic-free alternatives, according to a poll in June 2021.

However, WWF France called the plastic packaging ban “a positive step in the right direction” while reminding governments how much work lies ahead. Specifically, they mentioned microplastics as an immediate concern for health and the environment. The organization has actively campaigned on how plastic pollution harms biodiversity and marine animals in the Mediterranean.

The Goal of the Plastic Packaging Ban

France aims to have a completely circular economy by 2040, reducing plastic entering vulnerable ecosystems. To enforce this energy transition, the government will assist small businesses that reduce resource use. Namely, it will help them reduce waste going to landfills by 50% and achieve 100% plastic recycling by 2025.

The French government already enforced a plastic packaging ban in 2020, including plates, cups, and cotton buds. It also prohibited the sale of plastic water bottles in school catering services.

In 2021, they passed a law banning plastic straws, disposable utensils, plastic stirrers, cup lids, confetti, and Styrofoam containers. Any business selling products with excessive plastic wrapping would incur a fine.

In 2022, France will expand its plastic packaging ban to encompass plastic tea bags and fast food kids’ meal toys. In addition, companies can no longer distribute free plastic water bottles. Instead, public establishments will have water fountains on-site where citizens can fill up reusable water bottles. Finally, the ban includes disposable dishes in fast-food chains for dine-in meals.

Other Countries Enforcing Plastic Packaging Bans

France isn’t the only country phasing out plastic packaging; many others currently have bans. With plastic production estimated to triple by 2050, this offers a glimmer of hope that we can reverse the trend before it’s too late.

Mexico City banned single-use plastics, including straws, forks, containers, bags, and balloons. Other locations throughout Mexico, such as Quintana Roo, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Cancún, and Tulum, already prohibit disposable plastics. According to Greenpeace Mexico, five municipalities and 22 states in the country have passed plastic packaging bans since 2017.
In March 2020, the European Union banned single-use plastics in 28 countries. The laws went into effect last year.
Bangladesh became the first country to ban plastic bags in 2002 because they clogged drainage systems and contributed to widespread flooding.
In the US, California was the first state to enforce a plastic packaging ban on bags in 2014. Since then, seven other states, including Hawaii, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, and Oregon, have followed suit.
According to World Atlas, nearly 60 countries globally have banned plastic bags in 2022.
Kenya has the strictest laws on plastic pollution in the world. The government passed a bill prohibiting plastic bags’ production, sale, or use in 2017. Violators can serve up to four years in prison or pay a $40,000 fine.

Final Thoughts on the Plastic Packaging Ban in France and Other Nations

As you can see, plastic packaging bans have now been enforced in dozens of countries. Even though we still face a plastic pollution crisis, we’re making notable progress. Governments worldwide have recognized that they can’t continue operating in an unsustainable manner. France, in particular, decided to take action and ban many plastic products, which will positively impact local environments.

If every country in the world banned single-use plastics, our oceans, land, and air would benefit greatly. You can make a difference by choosing reusable bags for grocery shopping and avoiding other disposable plastics like straws and takeout containers. We can all do our part in a small way, which creates a ripple effect on the entire planet.

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