News Team member Justine Borgia dives into the science of our circadian rhythm to understand how work and school schedules are preventing healthy sleep and creating health problems.
One-Third of Maternal Deaths Occur Long After Delivery, Study Finds
Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times
Researchers from across the country found that nearly one-third of maternal deaths in the United States take place more than six weeks after childbirth. The study, published earlier this week, notes that these adverse events often occur at a time when many new mothers believe they are no longer at risk of complications. Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths overall, as well as the leading cause of late maternal deaths. Other leading causes of late maternal deaths include cancer, mental and behavioral health disorders, including drug and alcohol-induced deaths.
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate compared to other industrialized nations. Pregnancy-related deaths increased 28% from 25.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018 to 36.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022. Late maternal deaths, those that occur from six weeks to one year postpartum, increased sharply during this period as well.
The last recommended check-up after delivery traditionally occurs at six weeks postpartum, but these findings illustrate the need to provide comprehensive care for women during pregnancy and after. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists now recommends that women see their doctor within three weeks of delivery, follow-up care as needed, and an additional postpartum visit no more than twelve weeks postpartum.
— by Harleigh Markowitz
What Are Microplastics Doing to Our Bodies? This Lab Is Racing to Find Out.
By Nina Agarwal, The New York Times
Several studies from University of New Mexico researchers, Dr. Marcus Garcia and Dr. Matthew Campen, have prompted concern about the accumulation of microplastics in the human body. One study suggested that brains of people with dementia have more microplastics than those without it. Another discovered microplastics present in human placentas, testes, blood, breast milk, semen, and baby stool. A third demonstrated that pre-term babies contained more microplastics than babies delivered at full-term.
Nevertheless, there is still significant uncertainty around the toxicity and concentration of microplastics needed to cause health problems. Garcia and Campen’s team turned to cadavers to begin to unpack this relationship, calculating an average of almost 7 grams of microplastic per human brain. Most of the plastics they collected came from waste products made decades ago, like polyethylene from the 1960s. The lab hopes to apply this research to Parkinson’s disease and memory loss through additional cross-sectional studies.
– by Manju Karthikeyan
Climate change is supercharging pollen and making allergies worse
By Amanda Ruggeri, BBC News
Pollen levels in 39 states are predicted to reach record highs this spring. Experts warn that rising global temperatures are causing plants to release more pollen for extended periods of time. Allergy sufferers have experienced longer and more intense symptoms in many parts of the world, from North America to Australia. Recent studies predict that, without any intervention, pollen seasons may begin 40 days earlier and last 15 days longer by the end of the twenty-first century.
More severe pollen seasons may cause allergies in individuals who previously have been unaffected. At best, worsening pollen seasons may result in more sniffling and sneezing each year. At worst, however, the risk of deadly disasters, like thunderstorm asthma, will increase. Thunderstorm asthma occurs when storms break up pollen particles into small pieces that can be more easily inhaled deep into the lungs. This triggers severe allergic reactions and can even be fatal. A 2016 thunderstorm asthma catastrophe in Melbourne, Australia overcrowded hospitals and resulted in 10 deaths.
Ragweed is a major contributor to rising pollen levels in many parts of the world, producing significantly more pollen as carbon dioxide increases. Governments and environmental health activists have launched programs to decrease the ragweed plant population.
Experts emphasize that climate action is desperately needed to prevent millions from suffering from worsening allergies in years to come.
– by Stephanie Oehler
These fluffy white wolves explain everything wrong with bringing back extinct animals
By Marina Bolotnikova, VOX
Biotech company Colossal Biosciences recently made headlines with their announcement that they brought dire wolves back from extinction, revealing the images of their white canines Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesis. Critics noted that three animals, however, were more so modern wolves with genetic changes than true dire wolves.
Humans have been modifying the genes of wolves and dogs through breeding and domestication for centuries, making them the right candidate for Colossal’s approach. The company edited the DNA of existing gray wolf cells, replacing them with specific genes from long-extinct dire wolves. The genetically-modified embryos were then transferred into surrogate dogs for birthing.
Colossal’s goal was to provide a proof-of-concept that their company can bring back animals that are extinct and potentially move them back to the wild in the future. Experts argue, however, that the field of conservation biology is too new to deal with the implications of having a new or modified species. “Both the surrogate parents and newborn clones face a risk of suffering and trauma, used as mere instruments in a research project of unclear benefit,” says Dayton Martindale in an earlier VOX piece. Critics claim that this is not de-extinction or conservation, but invention, wherein humans create intelligent, sensitive and social creatures without thinking about the consequences it has on their lives.
– by Ananya Dash
Items summarized by: Harleigh Markowitz, Manju Karthikeyan, Stephanie Oehler, Ananya Dash
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