EurekAlert! Features & Articles Portal

New Year’s Day will see gatherings large and small stepping out from the heated comfort of their cars, shedding their heavy coats, shirts and pants, and wearing only bathing suits and towels to fight off the cold.

Some come to wash away the old year and jump or splash into the new. Others come to take advantage of reported health benefits of a cold plunge, which range from reducing blood sugar to easing depression.

30-Dec-2024

Of climate change and human development: The Eifel maar lakes represent a unique geoarchive for all of Central Europe

Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz

The Eifel Laminated Sediment Archive (ELSA) was launched in 1999. Today it provides an internationally valuable geoarchive providing us with insights into climate, environment, volcanism, and human behavior in the distant past.

23-Dec-2024

Problem-solver Chad Parish advances materials for nuclear safety

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Back in the early days of his college career, Chad Parish realized his curiosity and interests were drawing him to the type of work he performs today in the Low Activation Materials Development and Analysis, or LAMDA, laboratory at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Using microscopy and microstructural characterization, he reveals the intricate atomic structures of materials essential for developing safer and more economical nuclear reactors. His talents and expertise place him at the center of many collaborations that pertain to materials for extreme environments and national security.

23-Dec-2024

Preventing Christmas tree fires, with science (video)

American Chemical Society

Each year, 160 U.S. homes experience Christmas tree fires. They are hot, fast, dangerous — and preventable. In this video, the ACS Reactions team tests different Christmas tree watering conditions, including an internet recipe that supposedly fireproofs your Christmas tree with borax, to investigate the science behind preventing these fires. With some help from the University of Maryland, they light some Christmas trees on fire and conclude that just plain water is one of the best things you can give your tree to keep your home safe.

23-Dec-2024

Loneliness, a year-round health issue, is exacerbated during the holidays

Regenstrief Institute

While loneliness is a year-round problem for older adults, it can be exacerbated during the holiday season as the air resounds with the sights, sounds and smells of celebration when many older adults are missing the social connections they once had or wish they had.

Loneliness is a significant -- but often ignored -- health issue. More than half of older adults experience loneliness, more than other age groups.