How to Treat a Stab Wound

Truck Talk: Accepting There Is A Problem.

Teach Children How to Face a Disaster Without Scaring Them

Best Crops For Your Straw Bale Garden

Cheapskate Championships: Where Frugality Triumphs

Smackdown on CO: Unanimous SCOTUS Rules States Cannot DQ Trump on 14A; RNC: 'Pure Election Interference'

Georgia House Passes Bill Allowing Police to Arrest Suspected Illegal Aliens

Palestinian Authority Still Paying for Acts of Terror

After decades of dwindling‚ nuclear energy could be making a big comeback in the US. Last week‚ the House passed through bipartisan legislation that aims to bolster nuclear energy with a sweeping 365-36 vote. The measure‚ the Atomic Energy Advancement Act‚ will essentially make it easier to build nuclear power plants by speeding up environmental reviews and reducing license fees that applicants have to pay before setting up advanced nuclear reactors.It’s unclear how the legalization will progress from here since the Senate has its own nuclear energy bill. However‚ per The Hill‚ both bills have bipartisan support and there are efforts to reconcile the two pieces of legislation.Either way‚ it’s looking very likely that the US nuclear industry will be given a boost very shortly. “We have worked very hard‚ and most agree that a robust and growing nuclear industry is critical for reducing emissions‚ providing reliable‚ affordable‚ clean energy to Americans‚” said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).“Nuclear energy can help us build durable economic and strategic relationships around the world‚ especially as the influence of China and Russia in this industry grows‚” she added.  Nuclear power: pros and consNuclear energy has received a bad rap in recent decades‚ but many lawmakers‚ scientists‚ and even environmentalists are starting to see the mammoth benefits it could offer. Much of its nasty reputation stems from the handful of disasters involving nuclear meltdowns‚ such as Chernobyl and Fukushima. As catastrophic as the incidents were‚ nuclear is actually one of the safest energy sources. Compared to the millions of people who die from air pollution from fossil fuels every year‚ the number of people who have been killed in nuclear accidents is very small. There is also the problem of nuclear waste‚ which is highly radioactive and will remain so for several thousand years. However‚ healthy nuclear power plants release less radioactive material than any other major energy source. It’s little-known‚ but oil extraction and coal-mining leak significant amounts of radiation into the environment that would otherwise be contained. Nuclear power plants can produce a huge amount of low-cost‚ reliable energy. They also emit relatively low greenhouse gas emissions‚ meaning they could prove to be crucial in efforts to achieve the target of zero emissions and stave off the worst of the climate crisis.Globally‚ nuclear energy is on the upThe recent nuclear legalization pushes in the US are broadly in line with the trends being followed by other economic powerhouses.Globally‚ around 10 percent of our electricity comes from nuclear. Although some countries like Germany have recently ditched their nuclear power plants‚ nuclear power generation is on the rise worldwide. Much of this increasing activity is occurring in Asia where nuclear power plants are booming in number. As of January 2023‚ 10 out of the 15 largest nuclear power plants in the world based on capacity were based in Asia‚ most notably in South Korea and China.

Many of us are concerned about how aging could impact our brains‚ and a lot of time and effort has gone into research that could help slow cognitive decline. A new twin study is the latest to address this question‚ finding that a simple fiber supplement was enough to improve memory performance in as little as 12 weeks.  “We are excited to see these changes in just 12 weeks. This holds huge promise for enhancing brain health and memory in our ageing population‚” said first author Dr Mary Ni Lochlainn‚ from the Department of Twin Research at King’s College London‚ in a statement.King’s College London is home to the UK’s largest adult twin registry‚ TwinsUK. It has been running for over 30 years and has contributed to research on many topics‚ from why some people are more tasty to mosquitoes to how genetics influence COVID-19 symptoms. This latest study involved 36 pairs of twins aged over 60. In a double-blind trial‚ each pair was randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or a fiber supplement‚ which they took every day for 12 weeks.The supplement consisted of two inexpensive and readily available sources of plant fiber: inulin and fructooligosaccharide (FOS). These substances are considered prebiotics‚ foods that nourish the “good” bacteria that live in the human gut.   These bacteria and other microbes‚ collectively known as the gut microbiome‚ have previously been linked to cognitive health and diseases like Alzheimer’s‚ so the researchers were keen to find out whether taking a prebiotic supplement could help support better brain function in older people.In tandem with this‚ both the placebo and treatment groups took a protein supplement and did some resistance training to see whether the extra fiber boost would have any impact on their muscles. The participants were monitored remotely‚ speaking to the researchers via video call and submitting questionnaires and cognitive test results online. The advantage of this is that it removes the need for travel and hospital visits‚ expanding the range of these kinds of studies to more remote locations or isolated populations.As expected‚ those taking the fiber supplement saw an increase in the number of beneficial bacteria in their gut microbiomes‚ particularly Bifidobacterium species. There was no significant difference in muscle strength between the groups at the end of the study‚ suggesting the prebiotic didn’t offer an improvement over protein and exercise alone. The authors suggested that the dose may have been too low to see a benefit. The cognitive test results were more promising‚ though. The fiber supplement group scored better across several tests of memory‚ reaction time‚ and processing speed. This included significantly better scores in the Paired Associates Learning test‚ which can be used as an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease. “These plant fibres‚ which are cheap and available over-the counter‚ could benefit a wide group of people in these cash-strapped times. They are safe and acceptable too‚” said senior author Professor Claire Steves. “Our next task is to see whether these effects are sustained over longer periods and in larger groups of people.”A number of studies in recent years have drawn this link between what’s happening in our guts and what’s happening in our brains. It’s often termed the “gut-brain axis”. By furthering our understanding of this cryptic pathway‚ the team hopes to find ways to improve the quality of life for our aging population. Dr Ni Lochlainn said‚ “Unlocking the secrets of the gut-brain axis could offer new approaches for living more healthily for longer.”The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.