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With April’s total solar eclipse fast approaching‚ we’ve had our fair share of warnings already‚ from potential air travel disruption to expected difficulties accessing food‚ water‚ and fuel. Now‚ according to new research‚ we may also need to beware of potentially fatal road traffic crashes.Looking at 2017’s total eclipse‚ researchers found that fatal road accidents spiked in the US during the event‚ as an estimated 20 million people traveled away from their homes to view it.“We found a significant increase in traffic risk in the U.S. around the time of the total eclipse‚ averaging to one extra vehicle crash every 25 minutes and one extra crash fatality every 95 minutes. The total amounted to 46 extra deaths linked to the eclipse‚” Donald Redelmeier‚ lead investigator of the study‚ said in a statement. “These increases are similar in magnitude to the increased traffic risks observed around Thanksgiving.”A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon temporarily obscures our view of the Sun and casts a dark shadow across the Earth. However‚ it likely wasn’t the change in light that was responsible for the observed increase in accidents. Instead‚ the researchers think that increased traffic as people clamored to catch a glimpse of the spectacle may be behind it.“The findings likely derive from increased traffic‚ travel on unfamiliar routes‚ speeding to arrive on time‚ driver distraction by a celestial event‚ drug-or-alcohol-impairment from related celebrations‚ or eclipse viewing from unsafe roadside locations‚” explained Redelmeier.Using data from a national registry of fatal crashes on public roads‚ Redelmeier and co-author John Staples looked at incidents over a three-day period‚ centered on August 21‚ 2017 – the date of the last eclipse. They then compared to a three-day window a week before and afterward. Over the three-day eclipse exposure period‚ a total of 741 individuals were involved in fatal crashes‚ whereas 1‚137 individuals were involved in fatal collisions over the six control days. That’s the equivalent of 10.3 and 7.9 deaths per hour‚ respectively – and a 31 percent increase in traffic risks around the time of the eclipse.The next eclipse in the contiguous US‚ after April's‚ won't happen until 2044‚ so it's likely the roads will be busy once again. With that in mind‚ the researchers advise that drivers take precautions if venturing out during the event.“The next total solar eclipse will occur on April 8‚ 2024‚ and is within driving range for more than 200 million individuals within the US‚” they write in their study. “To help prevent another possible surge in traffic fatalities‚ clinicians might advise patients to respect speed limits‚ minimize distractions‚ allow greater headway‚ wear a seatbelt‚ and avoid driving while impaired.”The study is published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The size of the human brain has been increasing each decade since at least the 1930s‚ new research has revealed. According to the study authors‚ this cerebral growth is likely to be the result of improved early life environmental factors and may act as a buffer against the threat of dementia as we age.Researchers looked at the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans of 3‚226 people who were taking part in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). Launched way back in 1948 in Framingham‚ Massachusetts‚ the FHS features participants born in every decade since the 1930s and now includes the children and grandchildren of some of the original cohort.When reviewing the scans – which were conducted between 1999 and 2019 – the study authors sought to compare the brains of people born in the 30s with those born in the 1970s. In doing so‚ they found that average brain volumes have increased from 1‚234 milliliters to 1‚321 milliliters over this 40-year period‚  representing an expansion of around 6.6 percent.Astonishingly‚ the surface area of participants’ brains displayed an even greater increase: the average cortical surface area of those born in the 1970s was almost 15 percent larger than that of those who entered the world four decades earlier‚ rising from 2‚056 to 2‚104 square centimeters (319 to 326 square inches).Commenting on these findings in a statement‚ study author Charles DeCarli said that “the decade someone is born appears to impact brain size and potentially long-term brain health.” Seeking to explain these differences‚ the researcher said that “genetics plays a major role in determining brain size‚ but our findings indicate external influences — such as health‚ social‚ cultural and educational factors — may also play a role.”Exactly what impact our expanding encephalons will have on our long-term wellbeing remains to be seen‚ although the researchers note that adult brain volume is “an important predictor of cognition in old age.” Based on these observations‚ the study authors “hypothesize that larger brain volumes indicate larger brain development and potentially greater “brain reserve” that could explain the declining incidence of dementia”. Indeed‚ despite the fact the number of people with Alzheimer’s continues to rise in the US‚ the overall percentage of the population suffering from age-related neurological disorders has been falling for several decades.Importantly‚ the study also revealed that the size of the hippocampus – which is strongly associated with learning and memory – appears to be increasing decade-by-decade‚ along with white and gray matter volumes within the brain. Putting these findings into context‚ DeCarli explained that “larger brain structures like those observed in our study may reflect improved brain development and improved brain health.” “A larger brain structure represents a larger brain reserve and may buffer the late-life effects of age-related brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and related dementias‚” said the researcher.The study is published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

Who experiences more pain‚ a man who has been kicked in the balls‚ or a woman going through childbirth? Let's break down the argument here.

“Almost everyone wishes to modify their personality in some way‚” is the straight-shooting opener to a new paper that promises to detail four mechanisms by which you too could achieve lasting change. But we wouldn’t want you to go in with lofty expectations – the scientists say that small adjustments are the most you can realistically hope for.People have been fascinated by the vagaries of human personality since time immemorial. If you can wade through the inevitable pseudoscience‚ there are legitimate tests psychologists use to categorize different personality types‚ and a body of research has shed light on how personality factors can have a real impact on someone’s life trajectory.But once you’ve discovered your dominant traits‚ are you stuck with them? Or is it really possible to change your personality for good? In a new review‚ Professor Joshua J. Jackson of Washington University in St. Louis and Dr Amanda J. Wright of the University of Zurich suggest that yes‚ you can‚ and detail four research-backed mechanisms.For each element of your personality you’d like to modify‚ you need to identify four things. Preconditions are the tools you need within yourself to make the change. Then follows setting your environment up in the right way to help the change stick‚ acknowledging both the triggers and the reinforcers. Finally‚ there are the integrators‚ which will help support your desired change in as many places as possible.Sounds simple? Maybe. But in reality‚ this kind of work is difficult and fraught with pitfalls.While following this pathway could indeed help new personality habits become automatic over time‚ there are strong drivers towards keeping personality stable that you will have to fight against.“Merely wanting to change is not enough. In general‚ personality is a very consistent and stable system‚ so it should be no surprise that intervening in and changing personality is difficult‚” the review authors write. But if you really do feel that an aspect of your personality is holding you back‚ a framework like this can be a good starting point. Speaking to Medical News Today‚ registered psychologist Dr Emily Moore‚ who was not involved in the review‚ explained that in her view‚ these four mechanisms constitute “a rough outline for how to begin modifying your personality.”However‚ she cautioned that it’s important to first interrogate why you want to make a change.“If you feel like you should be more extraverted because it is socially valued and not because it feels personally meaningful to you‚ it is unlikely that you will be able to maintain that conscious will throughout the process of change‚” Moore said. So as long as you’re doing it for the right reasons‚ these four steps could genuinely help you make a small change in your personality over time. Sometimes‚ though‚ it can be less about consciously deciding to change your personality‚ and more about hanging on to a change that’s occurred organically. The review authors explain that major life events‚ such as starting a new job‚ moving countries‚ or becoming a parent‚ can provide all four mechanisms to engender change‚ but particularly triggers and reinforcers. If someone then decides they like what they see in their personality‚ they may be able to take active steps towards integrating those changes more permanently.It's worth remembering that some people may have very good reasons for wanting to be less anxious‚ or more outgoing‚ for example. The takeaway is that personality does not necessarily have to be static – changes are possible‚ and there are some evidence-backed ways to achieve them.But the authors stress there are still lots of open questions‚ and much more research is needed in this area. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach‚ and any changes will take time. Fundamentally‚ they write‚ “a person is not able to become someone completely different.”The study is published in Nature Reviews Psychology.[H/T: Medical News Today]

Has Pierce Brosnon taught us nothing? Far from how we should order our martinis‚ the former Bond actor was recently in court and later fined for trespassing in Yellowstone National Park and it appears the cautionary tale did not reach everyone. Now a man has been convicted for taking a shovel to the sands at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan to redirect a river‚ charged with acts of tampering and vandalism.Andrew Blair Howard‚ a reportedly keen member of the fishing community‚ was seen taking a shovel to the sand in a bid to dredge a waterway between the Great Lake and the river allowing for better access for boats in August 2022. Typically the water flows down the Platte River before emptying into Lake Michigan and is enjoyed by kayakers and beachgoers. Previously the area has been dredged every year allowing boats to pass between Platte River and into Lake Michigan to fish for salmon. However‚ according to the New York Times‚ the dredging stopped to allow the dune vegetation to grow after an environmental assessment report in 2016. Images above from 2022 show the extent of the diversion created by Mr Howard and others. Howard used a shovel to dig the trench and stacked rocks to dam the water and divert it‚ the US Attorney's Office Western District of Michigan said. Mr Howard claimed he dug the trench to get better access for his boat after he enlisted the help of four people to drag it over the river bed. The trench‚ which was narrow at first‚ became greatly enlarged by the power of the river and dam in a matter of days‚ opening the channel to around 61 meters (200 feet) wide. The US Park Rangers called for more information into the case and help from the community on August 26‚ 2022‚ including opening an anonymous tip line. The creation of a new channel caused an influx of fishers who took advantage of the new wider passage for their boats. In February 2024‚ Howard was convicted of one count of tampering and one count of vandalism‚ both of which are federal misdemeanors. US Magistrate Judge Ray Kent said that Mr Howard “intended to and in fact did divert the flow of the Platte River into Platte Bay” in a statement.“The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a Michigan jewel‚” said US Attorney Mark Totten. “Every year countless visitors enjoy its pristine waters‚ towering sand dunes‚ and rolling forests. Mr. Howard had a policy dispute with the National Park Service and took matters into his own hands‚ breaking the law rather than using lawful means to advocate for his position. His actions resulted in significant financial and ecological harm and altered the landscape so many enjoyed."Mr Howard called his conviction a “tremendous injustice” according to the New York Times. However‚ tampering with US National Parks can come with hefty fines‚ result in bans and‚ as Howard has shown‚ risks conviction of federal misdemeanors. It's best you leave them as you found them.

Unless we take action‚ global timekeeping could be heading toward a major problem that will upset everything from computer networks to financial markets. The culprit‚ oddly enough‚ is melting polar ice caused by climate change. The world uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to ensure there’s a consistent‚ standardized measure of time across the world to facilitate communication‚ navigation‚ scientific research‚ commerce‚ and so on. This measure of time is computed using data from about 450 atomic clocks‚ super-accurate time-keeping devices that use the ultrastable “vibrations” of atoms to measure time. Annoyingly‚ it doesn’t perfectly align with astronomical time‚ which is based on Earth's rotation.The rotation of our planet is a few milliseconds longer than a day defined by atomic clocks‚ plus the speed of Earth’s spin can vary due to many factors. To account for this‚ leap seconds are added to UTC every few years or so to ensure it's synchronized with astronomical time. For instance‚ strange and somewhat unknown changes within Earth’s mostly liquid core and solid mantle have accelerated Earth’s rotation in recent decades‚ but this has been accounted for by the addition of leap seconds. Now‚ new forces are starting to emerge that could meddle with Earth’s rotational speed even more and upset global timekeeping.Duncan Carr Agnew‚ a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego‚ has recently been studying the rotation of Earth and how it’s being impacted by melting polar ice.Due to climate change‚ ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica are melting at such a scale that they are changing the shape of the planet and decreasing its angular velocity more rapidly than before.Because of Earth’s slowing spin‚ Agnew argues that the UTC will need to receive a negative leap second – ie. a minute with just 59 seconds – some time around 2029."Even a few years ago‚ the expectation was that leap seconds would always be positive‚ and happen more and more often. But if you look at changes in the Earth's rotation‚ which is the reason for leap seconds‚ and break down what causes these changes‚ it looks like a negative one is quite likely‚” Agnew explained in a statement.“One second doesn't sound like much‚ but in today's interconnected world‚ getting the time wrong could lead to huge problems‚" he added.Regardless of climate change‚ it’s likely that changes to Earth’s liquid core alone may have necessitated a negative leap second by 2026. However‚ Agnew’s calculations show that changes in polar ice mass have delayed this eventuality by another three years to 2029. In other words‚ climate change is already affecting global timekeeping.If the negative leap second isn’t added‚ it’s possible that global timekeeping will become unsynchronized‚ causing massive disruptions to computer systems and telecommunications networks.The press release for the research suggests the situation could lead to a problem akin to Y2K bug panic – but is that a real concern?In the late 1990s‚ there was intense paranoia that computer systems around the globe would crash in the new millennium because computers were not prepared to format or store calendar data in and after the year 2000. People envisioned a computer-induced apocalypse in which planes fell out of the sky‚ bank accounts were reset to zero‚ and nuclear weapons would spontaneously launch. As you have no doubt guessed‚ the fears were hugely overblown‚ and very few errors were actually reported.Given how badly the predictions of the Y2K scare went‚ it would be naive to throw out wild guesses about how this new problem might unfold. That said‚ it’s something that many scientists are starting to ponder.“A negative leap second has never been added or tested‚ so the problems it could create are without precedent. Metrologists around the world are following the unfolding discussion attentively‚ with the view to avoiding any unnecessary risks‚” Dr Patrizia Tavella‚ Director of the Time Department at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures‚ writes in a commentary article about the study.Dr Tavella adds that the task of introducing the negative leap second – and coordinating the effort worldwide – would be a “formidable” one.The new study is published in the journal Nature.