A new study shows that climate change is making it harder to fall asleep. The study, published in Cell Press over the weekend, shows that millions of people are already sleeping less because of higher overnight temperatures. The study looked at people in 68 countries and found that when nights were hotter than 86 degrees, people slept 14 minutes less. That averages out to over 44 hours per year. Here in the U.S., at least 30 percent of adults in most areas reported sleeping less than 7 hours per night, with as many as 43 percent in areas of the south and west. The elderly and people in low-income countries were the most impacted, with the study citing a lack of air conditioning as an issue.
MOSQUITO STUDY
Finally, a couple weeks ago we told you about the study showing that your coconut body wash might stop mosquitoes from biting you. Well now, there's new research showing that your body odor is also a major factor. The study, published in Current Biology, showed that carboxylic acids, a compound that's produced by bacteria on your skin, was the most attractive to mosquitoes. On the flipside, one subject who had higher levels of eucalyptol, a chemical found in the eucalyptus tree, repelled the mosquitoes the most. Unfortunately, these scents can be so subtle that showering or wearing stronger deodorant probably won't be enough to trick the flying pests, but this research could help develop better repellants or traps for mosquitoes in the future.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Founder of Unlimited Tomorrow breaks down how he is creating completely 3D printed prosthetics to make them more affordable, customizable, and accessible; Chief Technology Officer of Zebra Technologies explains what the future of collaboration between robots and humans may look like; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'Mystery of the Roman Skulls.'
Each year about 5,000 people are diagnosed with ALS. This is such an important conversation. A disease that can weaken a patient's muscles and impact physical function. However, one research company says that could all change soon. Coya Therapeutics has developed a way to isolate a patient problematic T-cells in order to help ultimately slow the decline of not just ALS, but potentially Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases as well. Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Coya Therapeutics, Dr. Howard Berman, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
In the fight against climate change, much of the conversation revolves around reducing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide or methane - and attempting to raise oxygen levels. But there's another gas - hydrogen - that could play a big role in the fight for the climate. Marco Alvera, CEO of Italian energy infrastructure company Snam and author of the book, 'The Hydrogen Revolution,' joined Cheddar Climate to explain the role hydrogen plays in helping achieve a net-zero future.
Americans looking to purchase at-home COVID-19 tests will now have to shell out a bit more money after an agreement expired between the White House and companies to sell the tests at cost. The price of Abbot's BinaxNow test kit from October to December was $14 apiece; on Tuesday, Walmart's website listed the test for $19.88, and Kroger listed the tests for $23.99. Carbon Health Regional Clinical Director Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the impact higher prices will have as the nation experiences another surge in cases.
As millions of kids go back to school, districts across the country are determined to keep class in person, despite a surge in COVID cases. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has vowed to keep the nation's largest school system open amid Omicron, citing the disastrous effect of remote learning on students. Oswald Feliz, NYC council member who sits on the health and education committee, joined Cheddar to discuss the city's plan to combat the recent surge and keep kids in school.
Schools across the country are determined to keep class in session, despite the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant. While many parents prefer in-person learning, they also worry whether the current public health guidelines will be enough to protect their kids. Erin Richards, national education reporter for USA Today, joined Cheddar to discuss how are schools are preparing for the surge to avoid another round of remote learning.
With the annual CES convention underway amid COVID, HP unveiled rolled out a number of new products virtually this year, including new gaming PCs and 4K display monitors. But as industries look toward a greener future, HP is working with the climate crisis in mind. James McCall, chief sustainability officer at HP, joined Cheddar's Kristen Scholer to discuss the company's climate goals, which includes reducing its carbon footprint to net-zero by 2040. He admitted that reaching the ambitious goal will be difficult because much of the company's emissions totals come from third parties. "A large part of our footprint is outside of HP's direct control. A lot of it comes either from our incoming supply chain, the materials, our manufacturing process, or about 30 to 40 percent of it comes from our consumer-use base," McCall told Cheddar.
Pfizer and BioNTech are working to develop an mRNA-based shingles vaccine following the success of the COVID-19 shot. This latest collaboration will mark the third time the pharmaceutical companies have worked together on a vaccine.
The potential collapse of the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica has been deemed a potential "doomsday event" — researchers and scientists say its melting and collapse could raise global sea levels by at least two feet, enough to destroy coastal communities around the world. One team of scientists is traveling to the Thwaites glacier to drill below in order to gauge current ocean temperatures and attempt to model possible outcomes. David Holland, professor at NYU and Principal Investigator for the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, joins Cheddar Climate to discuss the glacier's potential collapse, his team's research plan, and more.
As winter break wraps up and COVID-19 cases hit record levels, the majority of school districts are returning to in-person classes. While some public schools in large cities have shifted to remote learning for the beginning of the year, the schools that are reopening campuses are determined to avoid the academic, social, and logistical challenges that come with a virtual classroom. Cheddar News is joined by Keith Powers, NYC Council Member, to discuss.
