#animal medical center

[animalmedicalcenter]

For more than 12 years, Animal Medical Center's expert veterinary team has been dedicated to maintaining the health and wellness of pets. Renowned for our exceptional pet care, we prioritize the well-being of animals in every aspect of our practice.

[jenny123scm]

A new pet visit at Animal Medical Center of Appleton sets a precedent for the rest of your animal’s life. Our animal care technicians will thoroughly check your animal for disease, infections, and injuries. https://www.animalmedcenter-appleton.com/

[verysaladobservation]

Why Your Pet Needs Dental Care

Explore the significance of pet dental care with this informative infographic. Learn about the risks of poor dental hygiene, such as infections and systemic diseases. Discover the benefits of regular dental care, including reduced heart and kidney problems risk. Uncover key preventive measures like checking your pet's mouth, brushing their teeth, and providing dental-friendly toys. Understand the importance of early detection and timely treatment. Prioritize your pet's dental health for a happier, healthier life.

[blueiscoool]

Groundbreaking Pig Heart Transplant is Performed for the Second Time

For the second time ever, a pig heart has been transplanted into a living human recipient, the University of Maryland Medical Center announced on Friday.

The groundbreaking surgery was done on September 20 at UMMC by the same transplant team that preformed the first such experimental surgery in 2022.

In a news release, the hospital said the recipient, 58-year-old Lawrence Faucette, “is currently breathing on his own, and his heart is functioning well without any assistance from supportive devices.”

Faucette had end-stage heart disease. He had pre-existing peripheral vascular disease and complications with internal bleeding making him ineligible for a traditional heart transplant, the hospital said in the release. He was admitted to UMMC on September 14 after experiencing symptoms of heart failure.

“My only real hope left is to go with the pig heart, the xenotransplant,” Faucette told the hospital in an internal interview several days before the surgery.

The experimental xenotransplant surgery was green lit under the US Food and Drug Administration’s “compassionate use” program. According to the FDA, the program is “a potential pathway for a patient with a serious or immediately life-threatening disease or condition to gain access to an investigational medical product (drug, biologic, or medical device) for treatment outside of clinical trials when no comparable or satisfactory alternative therapy options are available.”

The pig heart used came from a genetically modified pig from Revivcor, a subsidiary the United Therapeutics Corporation. The pig had 10 genes edited, including three genes “knocked out” or inactivated to eliminate the alpha gal sugar in the pig’s blood cells, which can trigger a severe reaction in the human immune system, causing organ rejection. An additional pig gene was modified to control for the growth of the pig’s heart while 6 human genes were added into the pig’s genome to increase acceptance by the immune system. The FDA first approved the gene edited pigs in 2020 for potential therapeutic use and consumption.

Doctors are also treating Faucette with an experimental antibody treatment to further suppress the immune system and prevent rejection. He will be closely monitored for any signs of rejection or any development of pig related viruses. The donor pig was also closely screened for any signs of virus or pathogens.

“We are once again offering a dying patient a shot at a longer life, and we are incredibly grateful to Mr. Faucette for his bravery and willingness to help advance our knowledge of this field,” said Dr. Bartley Griffith, in the release. Griffith is the surgeon who performed the transplant and is a professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The hospital said Faucette fully consented to the experimental treatment and was informed of all the risks. In addition, he underwent a full psychiatric evaluation and discussed his case with a medical ethicist.

According to the hospital’s news release, Faucette is a married father of two from Frederick, Maryland and a 20-year Navy veteran who had most recently worked as a lab technician at the National Institutes of Health before retiring.

“We have no expectations other than hoping for more time together,” said his wife Ann Faucette, in the release. “That could be as simple as sitting on the front porch and having coffee together.” There are currently no clinical trials that utilize pig organs for transplants in living human beings. The University of Maryland performed the first such experimental surgery on 57-year-old David Bennett in January 2022. Bennett died two months following the surgery.

While there were no signs of rejection in the initial weeks following the transplant, an autopsy concluded that Bennett ultimately died of heart failure from “a complex array of factors,” including Bennett’s condition prior to the surgery. Bennet had already been hospitalized and kept on a heart lung bypass machine for 6 weeks prior to the transplant. However, a case study by the doctors published in the Lancet also noted there was evidence of pig virus that had not been identified previously.

According to the federal government, there are more than 113,000 people on the organ transplant list, including 3,354 people in need of a heart. The group Donate Life America says that 17 people die each day waiting for a donor organ.

By Nadia Kounang,

[straightlightyagami]

well this is just awesome. I am now reminded rabies exists and I don’t want to go outside ever again!!

[pa-pa-plasma]

my sister would literally rather let our dog go into a diabetic coma & die than ever even consider switching or taking over "my" half (which was decided without me & are non-negotiable) of the pet chores on literally the last day of them being necessary

[adventurebasscamp]

I DIDNT EVEN SEE THAT THE PILLOW ROOM WAS PUT AT THAT DEAD END PATH HELLO HELLO HELLO?!!?!????

[jcmarchi]

Study assesses seizure risk from stimulating the thalamus

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/study-assesses-seizure-risk-from-stimulating-the-thalamus/

Study assesses seizure risk from stimulating the thalamus

The idea of electrically stimulating a brain region called the central thalamus has gained traction among researchers and clinicians because it can help arouse subjects from unconscious states induced by traumatic brain injury or anesthesia, and can boost cognition and performance in awake animals. But the method, called CT-DBS, can have a side effect: seizures. A new study by researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) who were testing the method in awake mice quantifies the probability of seizures at different stimulation currents and cautions that they sometimes occurred even at low levels.

“Understanding production and prevalence of this type of seizure activity is important because brain stimulation-based therapies are becoming more widely used,” says co-senior author Emery N. Brown, Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering and Computational Neuroscience in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and the Center for Brains Minds and Machines (CBMM) at MIT.

In the brain, the seizures associated with CT-DBS occur as “electrographic seizures,” which are bursts of voltage among neurons across a broad spectrum of frequencies. Behaviorally, they manifest as “absence seizures” in which the subject appears to take on a blank stare and freezes for about 10-20 seconds.

In their study, the researchers were hoping to determine a CT-DBS stimulation current — in a clinically relevant range of under 200 microamps — below which seizures could be reliably avoided.

In search of that ideal current, they developed a protocol of starting brief bouts of CT-DBS at 1 microamp and then incrementally ramping the current up to 200 microamps until they found a threshold where an electrographic seizure occurred. Once they found that threshold, then they tested a longer bout of stimulation at the next lowest current level in hopes that an electrographic seizure wouldn’t occur. They did this for a variety of different stimulation frequencies. To their surprise, electrographic seizures still occurred 2.2 percent of the time during those longer stimulation trials (i.e. 22 times out of 996 tests) and in 10 out of 12 mice. At just 20 microamps, mice still experienced seizures in three out of 244 tests, a 1.2 percent rate.

“This is something that we needed to report because this was really surprising,” says co-lead author Francisco Flores, a research affiliate in The Picower Institute and CBMM, and an instructor in anesthesiology at MGH, where Brown is also an anesthesiologist. Isabella Dalla Betta, a technical associate in The Picower Institute, co-led the study published in Brain Stimulation.

Stimulation frequency didn’t matter for seizure risk but the rate of electrographic seizures increased as the current level increased. For instance, it happened in 5 out of 190 tests at 50 microamps, and two out of 65 tests at 100 microamps. The researchers also found that when an electrographic seizure occurred, it did so more quickly at higher currents than at lower levels. Finally, they also saw that seizures happened more quickly if they stimulated the thalamus on both sides of the brain, versus just one side. Some mice exhibited behaviors similar to absence seizure, though others became hyperactive.

It is not clear why some mice experienced electrographic seizures at just 20 microamps while two mice did not experience the seizures even at 200. Flores speculated that there may be different brain states that change the predisposition to seizures amid stimulation of the thalamus. Notably, seizures are not typically observed in humans who receive CT-DBS while in a minimally conscious state after a traumatic brain injury or in animals who are under anesthesia. Flores said the next stage of the research would aim to discern what the relevant brain states may be.

In the meantime, the study authors wrote, “EEG should be closely monitored for electrographic seizures when performing CT-DBS, especially in awake subjects.”

The paper’s co-senior author is Matt Wilson, Sherman Fairchild Professor in The Picower Institute, CBMM, and the departments of Biology and Brain and Cognitive Sciences. In addition to Dalla Betta, Flores, Brown and Wilson, the study’s other authors are John Tauber, David Schreier, and Emily Stephen.

Support for the research came from The JPB Foundation, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory; George J. Elbaum ’59, SM ’63, PhD ’67, Mimi Jensen, Diane B. Greene SM ’78, Mendel Rosenblum, Bill Swanson, annual donors to the Anesthesia Initiative Fund; and the National Institutes of Health.

[rabbitcruiser]

Teddy Day

Teddy Day is an annual event held every February 10. We are ecstatic to be celebrating love and companionship via one fluffy friend that is always there no matter what — Teddies! Teddy bears, as the name implies, are stuffed toys often made to resemble a bear, and bears are known for their hugs, although fatal. But ours is one of love which is what this day is all about.

History of Teddy Day

Stuffed toys have been children’s best toys since ancient times. They are soft, squishy, and a good companion for all. In the Roman Empire, the children of the rich had wooden carved toys in the shape of animals and humans they played with, and it was such that only the children of the rich could afford and get them. So the children of the low class and peasants developed ragdolls made from clothes and straws, and over the years, they evolved into stuffed toys as we know them in the world today.

Teddy bears are soft fluffy toys in the shape of bears that evoke feelings of love and warmth when we hold and hug them. They come in different sizes; small, medium, large, and even plus size. Like all other stuffed toys, Teddy bears have evolved from being toys for children to being toys for everyone, including men and women. So during the cold, lonely nights and when we’re feeling emotionally down or happy, teddy bears serve as a great cuddle companion.

Teddy bears got their name in 1902 after President Theodore Roosevelt in a series of events that happened when he went on a hunting trip. During hunting, they happened upon a bear, and President Roosevelt refused to shoot it. The story soon spread all over, and the first stuffed bears were developed by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S, and Richard Steiff in Germany, and they were named ‘Teddy bears,’ after President Roosevelt’s pet name.

Teddy Day is a time to show love to our special persons and significant others by gifting them teddy bears. It shows how special they are to us and the warm and lovable feelings they bring to us, just like teddies.

Teddy Day timeline

1880 First Stuffed Toy

The first modern stuffed toy in the shape of an elephant is sold as a pincushion by the German Steiff Company.

1902 The Inception of Teddy Bears

After the incident with President Roosevelt where he refused to shoot a bear on a hunting trip, stuffed teddy bears are developed and become popular.

1906 Bear Book

A book on bears is written by Seymour Eaton, a children’s books series called “The Roosevelt Bears.”

1984 Teddy Museum

The first Teddy Bear Museum is set up in England.

Teddy Day FAQs

Why are Teddies so comforting?

Their fluffiness and softness possess a calming ability that eases the mind and emotions. Research has found that cuddling them releases oxytocin which calms the body.

At what age should a child stop sleeping with Teddies?

There is no specific age limit to sleeping with or having teddies. More than just being toys, they are also tools of convenience.

Can a baby sleep with a teddy?

It had been advised not to put stuffed toys beside children below 12 months because of the risks of death by strangulation or suffocation.

Teddy Day Activities

Gift a Teddy

Buy a Teddy

Become a Teddy

How can you observe Teddy Day without a Teddy? Gift your special someone a teddy bear and tell them how much you love them.

Other than giving teddies to your special someone, this is also a good time to get one for yourself. Visit your favorite stores and get yourself a fluffy teddy companion on this day.

Your partner might have lots of teddies already, putting you at a fix, but not to worry. Instead, rent a teddy bear costume to entertain your partner and make their day.

5 Important Facts About Teddies

Winnie the Pooh

Spacefarer bear

Teddy Magazine

Teddy Guinness record

World biggest Teddy

The most famous teddy in the world, Winnie the Pooh, created by author A. A Milne is named after a female bear named Winnipeg in the London zoo he frequented with his son.

The first teddy bear to journey into space is named Magellan T. Bear, which joined the NASA shuttle mission in 1995.

There is a magazine dedicated to teddy bears that has more than 40,000 subscribers called “Teddy Bears and Friends.”

The largest teddy bear collection in the world is 20,367, owned by Istvánné Arnóczki in Hungary on April 27, 2019.

The biggest Teddy bear in the world is located in Estado de Mexico, at 63 feet and eight inches.

Why We Love Teddy Day

Teddies are lovable toys

Helps on cold lonely nights

Teddies can be therapeutic

The fluffiness and cute appearance of teddy bears make us easily fall in love with them. Many manufacturers make them have wide beautiful eyes and innocent-like looks, which warms the heart and sends warm feelings always.

Some nights can be very terrible without a cuddle companion nearby. Teddies are one cuddle companions we can always count on to help us through the cold, lonely nights.

Research has found that cuddling a Teddy bear can be calming. Police, medical and fire officials reiterate the fact that giving a child a teddy during a crisis has calming effects on them.

Source

[juanmillerr]

Murrieta's Leading Animal Medical Center: Quality Care for Your Pets

Discover complete pet care at SoCal Pet Hospital, your all-in-one animal medical center in Murrieta, CA. From regular check-ups and vaccinations to addressing illnesses and dental health, they provide a range of services for your furry companions. Reach out to them now to learn more.

https://socalpethospital.com/

[anthonybesser69]

Every dog needs to be cared for by a qualified veterinarian. As a pet owner, you require a vet who can fulfill both your and your dog's needs. You want to select the proper veterinarian since they are your other family physician. Here's how to pick the best veterinarian for you and your family. Veterinarians come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are several veterinary facilities as well. Remember that your veterinarian at Virginia Beach animal hospital will provide staff as well as facility facilities. Decide what is most important to you. Are you seeking a highly competent veterinarian in a cutting-edge clinic with a personal touch?

[jenny123scm]

Implementing these pet care methods into your daily life will help ensure the overall well-being of your furry friend. By providing a balanced diet, regular exercise, proper grooming, preventive healthcare, emotional support, and a safe environment, you can create a happy and healthy life for your beloved pet. 

As a local veterinarian in Appleton, WI, we care for your pet and plan to keep it with you as long as we can. Call Animal Medical Center of Appleton at 920-749-1717 today to make an appointment with one of our animal health professionals for any and all questions and concerns.

[nyaa]

Iwamizawa Animal Medical Center in Hokkaido, Japan

[savingourfour-leggedfriends]

How Animal Shelters Are Working To Save Dogs

How Animal Shelters Are Working To Save Dogs https://phillipmccloud.com/how-animal-shelters-are-working-to-save-dogs/ #Adoption #AnimalRescueCenters #AnimalShelters #BehavioralTraining #HomelessDogs #MedicalCare #Socialization

[nimata-beroya]

Note: Since my old masterlist is getting notes again (and I'm hosting @tbb-appreciation-week this year), I thought it's a good time to release a new version with a lot more resources. If any of you know another site or thing that it's missing from the list, let me know and I'll include it!! [Altho, I'm getting this close 🤏 to the hyperlinks limit on this thing 😆]

Note 2: To avoid tagging the 3 people from whom I got multiple resources repeatedly, I've placed 1-3 asterisks between square brackets after the links, depending on the OP. I give the respective credit to them in a legend at the end of the post.

PLACES / TIME

Interactive Galaxy Map by Henry Bernberg

Map of the Galaxy

List of planets and moons [Wikipedia /needs expanding]

Planet Name Generator 1 [SciFi Ideas]

Planetary System Generator [Donjon]

Tatooine Location References [*]

Various locations Cross-Sections (Jedi Temple, Palp's office, Tipoca City & more) [**]

Republic - Separatist - Hutt space during the Clone Wars

Hyperspace Travel Times (to calculate how much time would take to go from point A to point B within the GFFA)

Standard Calendar and Holidays [including month names!]

Galactic Standard Calendar [wookiepedia // including week day names]

Date converter according to SWTOR [Google sheet]

Dated Star Wars Chronological Order (Movies + live-action shows + animation)

TCW Chronological Timeline by @mauvrix

Estimated date for: shared by @spectres-fulcrum

Partisans' attack on Onderon

Siege of Lasan

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

General

Star Wars Name Generator 1 [Donjon]

Star Wars OC flow chart by @thefoodwiththedood

Star Wars Name Generator 2 [FantasyNames]

Star Wars Name Generator 3 [FantasyNames]

MetaHuman [Unreal Engine]

The character creator

Droid Name Generator

Star Wars Randomizer by @aureutr

Character Picrew [Twi-leks, Zabraks, Torgutas and Nautolans] @/megaramikaeli

Jedi

Taking a Closer Look at the Jedi Order in Star Wars Canon [Meta/Reference Guide] [**]

Jedi Order Structure Flowchart by @rileys-nest

Mandalorians

Mandalorian Armor design by MandoCreator

Keepers of the Way (Mandalorian Lore) [*]

Clones

Complete List Of Named Clone Troopers shared by @propheticfire (Organized by Unit)

Clone Creator [MandoCreator]

Clone Picrew

Star Wars Character Templates by SmacksArt [the ULTIMATE battery of template for any human/humanoid original character in any era. From troopers to droids, from Jedi to Sith, from KOTOR to the sequel Trilogy. 100% RECOMMENDED]

Basic Guide to Clone Trooper Armour by @odekiisu

GAR structure summary by @intermundia

The Clone Wars Republic Military Hierarchy Flowcharts [***]

Clone Trooper Lore [*] [Ranks, Culture, Training, Organization, etc.]

Clones and Kamino [*]

The Bad Batch Characters Concept Art shared by @shadowthestoryteller

MISCELLANEOUS

Star Wars Character Age Comparison Chart by @the-yearning-astronaut

Tusken Raiders lore by @snarwor

Materials (fabrics, leathers, silks, plastics, construction, metal composites, etc.)

Materials in Star Wars by marvel_dc_heart_throbs

Star Wars Fashion [*]

Leisure, Art, Musical Instruments, Ethnography [*]

Political and Criminal Organizations in the GFFA [**]

Financial reference about credits by @thecoffeelorian

List of TCW Opening Quotes

Transcripts of all the TCW episodes shared by @book-of-baba-fett

Star Wars Crawl Creator [not exactly writing-related, but just for fun]

HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Canon Medical Lore [*]

Real World reference for Field organizational structure for corpsman (medics) [*]

Kaliida Shoals Medical Center (Republic Haven-class medical station) shared by @clonewarsarchives

GAR Battalion Aid Station [*]

GAR Clone Medic Q/A [*]

More combat medicine, shipboard medicine, veteran issues, and military culture [*]

SHIPS AND VEHICLES

Ship Generator 3D

Ship Name Generator

All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE) shared by @stairset

Republic Vessels Reference [*]

Low Altitude Assault Transport/Infantry (LAAT/i) [*]

List of GAR Flagships in the Clone Wars by @meandmyechoes

Layout of the Havoc Marauder

Dimensions of various ships from the Clone Wars [**]

FOOD AND DRINKS

Star Wars Menu Generator

In-Universe Alcoholic beverages

Canon Cocktails (recipes) [*]

Another In-Universe Drinks list shared by @systemic-dreams

Teas in Star Wars by marvel_dc_heart_throbs

Foodstuff [*]

Canon Star Wars Holiday Recipes [*]

Trask Chowder Recipe (from The Mandalorian) [*]

LANGUAGES; PHRASES AND SLANG; VOCABULARY

Languages of the Galaxy [*]

Script of different languages in the GFFA by @lucif-hare-blog

In-Universe phrases and slang [Google sheet]

List of phrases and slang [wookiepedia]

List of equivalents to real-world objects [wookiepidia]

Talk Like a Clone Trooper shared by @archeo-starwars

Aurebesh Translator [Aurebesh.org]

Learning Aurebesh Tools [Aurebesh.org] Reading - Writing.

Mando'a Database [Mando.org]

Mando'a Transcripticon [MandoCreator] (Create your own text in the Mando'a script.)

@project-shereshoy (Blog that collects and posts sources for Mando'a from all over the internet.)

Mando’a Categorized Spreadsheet

Learning Mando'a Tools [MandoCreator] Reading - Writing.

Setting Thesaurus Entry: Spaceport [Writers helping writers]

Fan-created Conlangs

@dai-bendu-conlang (Jedi Culture Explored) (This blog is the home of the Dai Bendu Conlang, invented by the Archive of Our Own Users aroacejoot, @ghostwriterofthemachine, and loosingletters for the Jedi Order in Star Wars.)

Lasana Lexicon by Anath_Tsurugi (fandom lexicon of the Lasat Language)

HELPFUL BLOGS & SITES

The amazing @fox-trot, who not only makes astonishing art and write an amazing fic, she also responds to medical questions and gives all kinds of references for writing medic characters. Check her #medicposting tag and you'll find tons of information. Also check #star wars reference and her art tag while you're at it.

@writebetterstarwars, which seems to be inactive, but there are a bunch of references there.

@howtofightwrite The place to find out how to write a good fight scene.

@scriptmedic no longer active, but it has a great deal of useful information.

@scripttorture for your whump needs. Major trigger warning for all its content.

@sw-anthrobiology A blog dedicated to collecting headcanons about the biology and cultures of Star Wars species.

@archeo-starwars In-universe sources on culture and history.

@clonewarsarchives Resources & Concept Art Blog for The Clone Wars animated series.

Wookiepedia If you don't find something in here, it's probably because it doesn't exist, neither as a canon nor legends reference.

Star Wars Databank: The official Star Wars website's reference guide. All canon.

WRITING IN GENERAL (For those who don't want to die like Stormtroopers)

SlickWrite: Completely free; online. Checks grammar, punctuation, flow, and writing style according to different settings (including fiction writing).

ProWritingAid: [RECOMMENDED] One of the most thorough online proofreader I've ever used. Although when using a free account gives extremely thorough feedback, with +20 different in-depth reports, for only the first 500 words. However, you can earn a premium account license (for a year or for life) if you get 10 or 20 new users signing up for free; (if you wouldn't mind doing so using the link above and help me earn mine, please). The settings allow you to check your writing according to your needs, from general to formal to creative. It has a bonus that you can check depending on the genre you're writing. For example, in creative, you can choose romance or sci-fiction (there are 14 sub-genre in total). And just like google docs, you can share a document, and people can view, comment or edit it too.

LanguageTool: [RECOMMENDED] Another excellent proofreader. It also has a word limit in free accounts, but if you use the add-on for Google Docs, it counts each page as a new document, so hitting the word limit is nearly impossible. It helps you to rewrite a sentence (3 a day), even if it doesn't raise any flags; it's very useful for when your sentence is grammatically correct, but it doesn't feel quite right.

Grammarly, Hemingway Editor: No so great, but they do the basic job.

Legend

[*] Shared by @fox-trot [**] Shared by @gffa [***] Shared by @cacodaemonia.

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - July 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my new(ly repurposed) Patreon!

1. Four new cheetah cubs born in Saudi Arabia after 40 years of extinction

“[T]he discovery of mummified cheetahs in caves […] which ranged in age from 4,000 to as recent as 120 years, proved that the animals […] once called [Saudi Arabia] home. The realisation kick-started the country’s Cheetah Conservation Program to bring back the cats to their historic Arabian range. […] Dr Mohammed Qurban, CEO of the NCW, said: […] “This motivates us to continue our efforts to restore and reintroduce cheetahs, guided by an integrated strategy designed in accordance with best international practices.””

2. In sub-Saharan Africa, ‘forgotten’ foods could boost climate resilience, nutrition

“[A study published in PNAS] examined “forgotten” crops that may help make sub-Saharan food systems more resilient, and more nutritious, as climate change makes it harder to grow [current staple crops.] [… The study identified 138 indigenous] food crops that were “relatively underresearched, underutilized, or underpromoted in an African context,” but which have the nutrient content and growing stability to support healthy diets and local economies in the region. […] In Eswatini, van Zonneveld and the World Vegetable Center are working with schools to introduce hardy, underutilized vegetables to their gardens, which have typically only grown beans and maize.”

3. Here's how $4 billion in government money is being spent to reduce climate pollution

“[New Orleans was awarded] nearly $50 million to help pay for installing solar on low to middle income homes [… and] plans to green up underserved areas with trees and build out its lackluster bike lane system to provide an alternative to cars. […] In Utah, $75 million will fund several measures from expanding electric vehicles to reducing methane emissions from oil and gas production. [… A] coalition of states led by North Carolina will look to store carbon in lands used for agriculture as well as natural places like wetlands, with more than $400 million. [… This funding is] “providing investments in communities, new jobs, cost savings for everyday Americans, improved air quality, … better health outcomes.””

4. From doom scrolling to hope scrolling: this week’s big Democratic vibe shift

“[Democrats] have been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past few weeks: from grim determination as Biden fought to hang on to his push for a second term, to outright exuberance after he stepped aside and Harris launched her campaign. […] In less than a week, the Harris campaign raised record-breaking sums and signed up more than 100,000 new volunteers[….] This honeymoon phase will end, said Democratic strategist Guy Cecil, warning the election will be a close race, despite this newfound exuberance in his party. [… But v]oters are saying they are excited to vote for Harris and not just against Trump. That’s new.”

5. Biodegradable luminescent polymers show promise for reducing electronic waste

“[A team of scientists discovered that a certain] chemical enables the recycling of [luminescent polymers] while maintaining high light-emitting functions. […] At the end of life, this new polymer can be degraded under either mild acidic conditions (near the pH of stomach acid) or relatively low heat treatment (> 410 F). The resulting materials can be isolated and remade into new materials for future applications. […] The researchers predict this new polymer can be applied to existing technologies, such as displays and medical imaging, and enable new applications […] such as cell phones and computer screens with continued testing.”

6. World’s Biggest Dam Removal Project to Open 420 Miles of Salmon Habitat this Fall

“Reconnecting the river will help salmon and steelhead populations survive a warming climate and [natural disasters….] In the long term, dam removal will significantly improve water quality in the Klamath. “Algae problems in the reservoirs behind the dams were so bad that the water was dangerous for contact […] and not drinkable,” says Fluvial Geomorphologist Brian Cluer. [… The project] will begin to reverse decades of habitat degradation, allow threatened salmon species to be resilient in the face of climate change, and restore tribal connections to their traditional food source.”

7. Biden-Harris Administration Awards $45.1 Million to Expand Mental Health and Substance Use Services Across the Lifespan

““Be it fostering wellness in young people, caring for the unhoused, facilitating treatment and more, this funding directly supports the needs of our neighbors,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. [The funding also supports] recovery and reentry services to adults in the criminal justice system who have a substance use disorder[… and clinics which] serve anyone who asks for help for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay.”

8. The World’s Rarest Crow Will Soon Fly Free on Maui

“[… In] the latest attempt to establish a wild crow population, biologists will investigate if this species can thrive on Maui, an island where it may have never lived before. Translocations outside of a species’ known historical range are rare in conservation work, but for a bird on the brink of extinction, it’s a necessary experiment: Scientists believe the crows will be safer from predators in a new locale—a main reason that past reintroduction attempts failed. […] As the release date approaches, the crows have already undergone extensive preparation for life in the wild. […] “We try to give them the respect that you would give if you were caring for someone’s elder.””

9. An optimist’s guide to the EV battery mining challenge

““Battery minerals have a tremendous benefit over oil, and that’s that you can reuse them.” [… T]he report’s authors found there’s evidence to suggest that [improvements in technology] and recycling have already helped limit demand for battery minerals in spite of this rapid growth — and that further improvements can reduce it even more. [… They] envision a scenario in which new mining for battery materials can basically stop by 2050, as battery recycling meets demand. In this fully realized circular battery economy, the world must extract a total of 125 million tons of battery minerals — a sum that, while hefty, is actually 17 times smaller than the oil currently harvested every year to fuel road transport.”

10. Peekaboo! A baby tree kangaroo debuts at the Bronx Zoo

“The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo […] was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008. [… A] Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals. "It's a small population and because of that births are not very common," said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo[, …] adding that baby tree kangaroos are “possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. They look like stuffed animals, it's amazing.””

July 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)