Friday’s Elk, February 17, 2017

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings! Here’s a quick update since the last Friday’s Elk.

1. The oceans contain vast underwater prairies known as seagrass meadows. For my column this week in the New York Times, I write about the remarkable services they provide to us–including killing off disease-causing bacteria. Maybe if we come to appreciate their value, we’ll stop destroying them at the rate of a football field every thirty minutes. (Image: prilfish via Creative Commons)

2. Why do we sleep? For my previous “Matter” column, I write about scientists who are inspecting the molecular changes that occur in the brain when we doze. Their results suggest that we prune away some connections between our neurons–sharpening our memories, as it were. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, February 17, 2017” →

Disappearing Seagrass Protects Against Pathogens, Even Climate Change, Scientists Find

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The New York Times, February 16, 2017

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Every continent save Antarctica is ringed by vast stretches of seagrass, underwater prairies that together cover an area roughly equal to California.

Seagrass meadows, among the most endangered ecosystems on Earth, play an outsize role in the health of the oceans. They shelter important fish species, filter pollutants from seawater, and lock up huge amounts of atmosphere-warming carbon.

The plants also fight disease, it turns out.

Continue reading “Disappearing Seagrass Protects Against Pathogens, Even Climate Change, Scientists Find” →

The Purpose of Sleep? To Forget, Scientists Say

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The New York Times, February 2, 2017

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Over the years, scientists have come up with a lot of ideas about why we sleep.

Some have argued that it’s a way to save energy. Others have suggested that slumber provides an opportunity to clear away the brain’s cellular waste. Still others have proposed that sleep simply forces animals to lie still, letting them hide from predators.

A pair of papers published on Thursday in the journal Science offer evidence for another notion: We sleep to forget some of the things we learn each day.

Continue reading “The Purpose of Sleep? To Forget, Scientists Say” →

Friday’s Elk, January 22, 2017

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings! I have just a couple notes for you in this issue of Friday’s Elk.

1. Earlier this week, I published a column in the New York Times about the awful state of our fellow primates. Many species are dangerously close to extinction, due to human activity across the planet. If we want to save them, the time is now.

2. If you’re going to the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival this coming weekend, please join me on Saturday at 3:40 pm and on Sunday at 12:40 pm. I’ll be talking about the dangers of viruses, both old and new. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, January 22, 2017” →

Most Primate Species Threatened With Extinction, Scientists Find

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The New York Times, January 18, 2017

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Our fellow primates are in trouble.

In a study of unprecedented scope, a team of 31 primatologists has analyzed every known species of primate to judge how they are faring. The news for man’s closest animal relatives is not good.

Three-quarters of primate species are in decline, the researchers found, and about 60 percent are now threatened with extinction. From gorillas to gibbons, primates are in significantly worse shape now than in recent decades because of the devastation from agriculture, hunting and mining.

Continue reading “Most Primate Species Threatened With Extinction, Scientists Find” →