Short Takes – 11-4-24

How the Brain Summons Deep Sleep to Speed Healing. ScientificAmerican.com article. Pull quote: “To understand the purpose of the extra sleep, the researchers repeatedly interrupted slow-wave sleep in mice that had had a heart attack. The team found that these mice had more inflammation in both the brain and the heart, and had a much worse prognosis than mice that were allowed to sleep undisturbed after a heart attack.”

People Overestimate Political Opponents’ Immorality. ScientificAmerican.com article. Pull quote: “Although this solution clearly cannot resolve all of our political divisions, it can still have powerful effects. Sometimes we need a reminder that they are like us. We may disagree on many issues, but underneath those disagreements lies a common moral sense: we all care deeply about protecting our friends, family and communities from harm. Talking about our core principles and values—many of which we have in common—before talking about issues that can easily turn contentious can help those conversations go better.”

This Black Fungus Might Be Healing Chernobyl By Drinking Radiation—A Biologist Explains. Forbes.com article. Pull quote: “This fungus has adapted to a level of radiation that would be lethal for most life forms. Even more fascinating is its ability to “feed” on this radiation, using it as a source of energy, similar to how plants use sunlight for photosynthesis.” There is a difference between using ‘radiation’ as an energy source and remediating the radioactive materials in the environment.

On whose authority? EPA asserts right to regulate DOT-governed activities. BultTransport.com article. Pull quote: “Instead, the violations all relate to Multistar’s “storage” of a hazardous chemical called trimethylamine (TMA) on its rail siding. The TMA was produced by Eastman Chemical Company, sold to Moses Lake Industries, and held in Eastman’s tank cars while awaiting delivery by truck to its final destination. The court mentions Multistar’s previous EPA compliance issues settled in 2005, 2016, 2019, and 2021; the amount of TMA held on Multistar’s rail siding; the length of time it was there; the lack of “motive power” attached to the tank cars; and the absence of shipping papers in justifying its decision. “The court once again rejects Multistar’s claim that the TMA was in transit while it was stored on Multistar’s rail siding,” the decision reads. “No facts support such a conclusion.”

Influential Attorneys Send a Message to Their Peers: No More Frivolous Election Lawsuits. USNews.com article. Pull quote: “The ABA’s letter came together in a manner of days, says Monte Frank, a member of the task force’s advisory commission and past president of the bar associations of Connecticut and New England. He says members were discussing ways that they could remind lawyers that they are “oath-bound protectors of the Constitution and rule of law and to not only uphold their ethical obligations, but to make efforts to ensure free and fair elections, which is a bedrock principle of our democracy.””