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It’s International Youth Day, the perfect opportunity to apprise our readers of trends being popularized by young people. One of note? Perms are back, in their own 2024 way. The so-called broccoli haircut is all the rage for teen boys at the moment, an example of how all that’s old becomes new again.
Tech
“Cutting-Edge” Medical Devices to Be Eligible for Medicare Coverage
We write a lot about exciting health-focused technology in the works, but getting these types of innovative devices into practical, real-life settings can be another story. This process may soon speed up for some older adults in the U.S., as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid finalized a new Transitional Coverage for Emerging Technologies, or TCET, plan last week.
The program will make certain “cutting-edge” medical devices eligible for Medicare coverage while manufacturers keep gathering data on their performance, Axios reports. This could include tech like artificial intelligence-powered cancer diagnostic tools and brain implants.
Beginning this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service will annually accept up to five technologies for temporary coverage, and they must have “breakthrough” status — a designation awarded by the Food and Drug Administration that expedites the development and review of drugs or devices that treat serious or life-threatening conditions. Read more about the new plan.
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Health
To Help Kids Sleep Better, Limit Screens at Bedtime (Parents Included)
Keeping with the theme of International Youth Day, we bring you a story on two common afflictions for parents of young people — screens and sleep.
In a study published last month, researchers highlighted the correlation between bedtime screen usage and poor sleep habits of tweens. The three-year study followed 9,398 U.S. early adolescents, ages 11 and 12, with participants reporting the type of screen activity they engaged in and how much time was spent on each in the run-up before bedtime each evening.
After one year, researchers assessed the sleeping habits of the kids, including times they went to bed, fell asleep, woke up, and if they awoke during the night. While an encouraging 54.9% of them reported turning their phones off when they went to sleep, 16.2% reported waking up upon receipt of a text, call, or email, and 19.3% said they used their device during the night if they woke up.
The findings were clear: The use of any type of screen was associated with lower self-reported sleep duration and an increase in disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep. The good news is there are ways to help improve tween sleep — and it may start with parents taking a look at their own screen time. Learn some takeaways from the lead study author.
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Science
Ocean Mapping Study Put Sea Lions in Control of the Camera
It’s one thing to watch a nature documentary about an animal. It’s another to watch footage taken by an animal. A recent study did just that, capturing a treasure trove of unprecedented ocean footage with the help of sea lions fitted with cameras.
For the study, researchers used neoprene patches to glue “small and lightweight cameras” and tracking devices to the backs of eight adult female Australian sea lions. They returned with no shortage of material: The mammals captured nearly 90 hours of footage, including recordings of parts of the ocean that have never been mapped.
In addition to gathering cost-effective data about habitats and ecosystems in the waters of southern Australia, this research method put sea lions in the driver’s seat instead of humans.
“Traditionally, assessing the quality of different habitats and marine environments is done from an anthropocentric perspective,” the study’s lead author, Nathan Angelakis, told Science. “Whereas here, we’re using the sea lions as the tool to assess the marine environment, and they provide us information on the areas that are important to them.” Check out some of the footage.
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In Other News
- Mortgage rates fell to a 15-month low, dropping to 6.47% last week. And they’re likely to fall even further in the coming months.
- In a first, scientists extracted a more than 4,000-foot-long section of rocks that originated in Earth’s mantle.
- A new blood cancer therapy was approved by the FDA to treat certain adult patients with a rare form of the disease.
- Novelist Barbara Kingsolver wrote the pledge for the new American Climate Corps. Read it here.
- The world’s oldest common loon had a fruitful breeding season, bringing her lifetime offspring count to at least 42.
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Inspiring Story
Cruising for change
Motorcycle racing, or motorsport, is a male-dominated field, but trailblazers like Mikayla Moore are trying to change that. “In this sport currently, right now, there is not someone that looks like me, in terms of female that I can look up to,” the 20-year-old said. “I’m hoping to inspire the next generation.”
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Photo of the Day
What could be more wholesome than counting butterflies? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska recently teamed up with the Bureau of Land Management for the state’s 26th annual butterfly count. It was “a fluttering success,” the department said, with nine different species counted. Watch a video from the event.
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ButcherBox Keeps Sustainable Sourcing Top of Mind
We know how stressful it can be to plan, shop for, and cook nutritious meals day in and day out — ButcherBox helps take some of the pressure off. The brand offers a range of high-quality, sustainably sourced meat and seafood options, from grass-fed beef to wild-caught salmon, and delivers right to your door for free.
Please support our sponsors! They help us keep Nice News free. ♡
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Quote of the Day
“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it is a comfort to go hand in hand.”
– EMILY KIMBROUGH
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