Have you heard of proprioception? Often described as the body’s “built-in GPS,” the concept refers to our ability to orient ourselves in space without using sight. This ability naturally declines with age, but it’s also something you can improve through different balance exercises. Doing so helps prevent falls, protect your joints, and improve athletic performance — learn all about how to train your proprioception (just don’t ask us if we can pronounce it, because the answer is no).
Cesarean sections are a sometimes necessary labor intervention, and the procedures have become significantly safer over time. But they’re still more high-risk than vaginal deliveries, and many U.S. hospitals have C-section rates far above what’s recommended. So how do we change that? Some health care workers are finding the answers. According to a 2020 study, the two key factors are making insurance payments equal for C-sections and vaginal deliveries (they’re typically higher for the former) and changing physicians’ attitudes regarding C-sections. “Any hospital can do this,” Rebecca Clark, a nursing professor at the University of Pennsylvania who authored the study, told The New York Times. The hospitals in New York’s Rochester Regional Health system are proof of that — the institution reformed its payment system in 2020 to make pay equal for natural and surgical labor. That, paired with the leadership of OB-GYN Elizabeth Bostock, has led to a substantial drop in C-sections at three Rochester Regional Health hospitals. Bostock told The Times her efforts have included expanding midwifery care for low-risk patients, instituting a new checklist that promotes vaginal deliveries, and personally talking to doctors with high individual surgery rates. At Rochester General Hospital, the C-section rate for healthy, first-time moms went from 40% in 2019 to 25% this year — just one point above the government-recommended 24%. Learn more about the movement.
Together With EnergyX
Meet America’s Newest $1 Billion Unicorn
A U.S. startup just hit a $1 billion valuation, joining billion-dollar private companies like SpaceX, OpenAI, and ByteDance. Unlike those other unicorns, you can invest. Over 40,000 people already have. So have industry giants like General Motors and POSCO. Why all the interest? EnergyX’s patented tech can recover 300% more lithium than traditional methods. That's a big deal, as demand for lithium is expected to be 18 times the current production levels by 2040. Now, the company is moving towards commercial production, tapping into over 100,000 acres of lithium deposits in Chile, a potential $1.1 billion annual revenue opportunity at projected market prices. Right now, you can invest at this pivotal growth stage. Become an early-stage EnergyX shareholder today.*
“Adopt-a-Ranger” Program Helps Parks Employees Have a Happier Holiday Season
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service oversee some of the country’s most treasured natural resources, from the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone to 154 national forests. Budget cuts and layoffs — more than 4,400 park rangers and other staff were fired in February — have put these lands and their stewards in jeopardy, but a grassroots initiative called “Adopt-a-Ranger” aims to help. Sandra Ramos, known as @nationalparkpatchlady on Instagram, launched the movement when she realized many people wanted to lend a hand but didn’t know how, she said on the Rangers of the Lost Park podcast earlier this month. Built on the “idea of community and mutual aid,” the program allows public lands staff to sign up to be “adopted” by a supporter, while members of the public can sign up to “adopt” an employee. Ramos and her colleagues make the matches, and ensure each adoptee receives a care kit for the winter holidays. More than 500 people signed up to participate when Ramos launched the initiative — far more than the 50 she had initially expected. “Things are rough all around, but the generosity and abundance of spirit we are seeing on this project is so, so good,” Ramos wrote after seeing the response.
Science
Star-Shaped Cells Make a Molecule That Can “Rewire” the Brains of Mice With Down Syndrome
JUAN GAERTNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images
This article was written by Ashley Brandebura, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Virginia, for The Conversation. Delivering a connection-building protein to star-shaped cells in the brain could reverse changes to neural circuits seen in Down syndrome, according to new research my colleagues and I published in the journal Cell Reports. Down syndrome is caused by an error in cell division during development. Individuals receive three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the typical two copies, resulting in duplicates of the genes encoded on chromosome 21. This trisomy leads to a multitude of changes to heart and immune function as well as neurodevelopmental impairments. Changes to the structure of neurons in people with Down syndrome alter how they connect with each other. One major type of brain cell called astrocytes helps form connections between neurons. These star-shaped cells have many thin arms that extend into the spaces between neurons. They also secrete various proteins that are vital to forming the proper neural connections necessary for brain function. Researchers have found that mouse models of several neurodevelopmental disorders, including Down syndrome, have altered levels of astrocyte proteins during development. My colleagues and I hypothesized that these changes might contribute to the changes in neural connections seen in Down syndrome. Could restoring the proper levels of some of these astrocyte proteins “rewire” the brain?
In Other News
“An important moment of hope”: The first home rebuilt after the LA fires was completed in Pacific Palisades (read more)
The Transportation Department is rolling out a new crash test dummy that more closely resembles women (read more)
Today, the Jim Henson Company is auctioning off Miss Piggy’s shoes, among a trove of other Muppets artifacts (read more)
Wicked: For Good is breaking records at thebox office,including beating out last year’s Part 1 (read more)
A pair of snowy owls drew crowds of birdwatchers to a beach on Chicago’s North Side over the weekend (read more)
Inspiring Story
Two miracles
Zach Zarembinski and Isabelle Richard probably have the most unique meet-cute out there. In 2018, both experienced severe injuries that lead to comas, Zarembinski on the football field and Richard in a car accident. They met upon waking up in the hospital and then reconnected years later — and now, they’re engaged.
Photo of the Day
Kevin Voigt/Getty Images
Mikaela Shiffrin is often described as “the best show on snow,” and the American champion lived up to that title at the Alpine Ski World Cup in Gurgl, Austria. The 30-year-old earned not one but two World Cup titles within a week, extending her career record to 103 ahead of February’s Winter Olympics. Watch her slalom on Sunday, described as “flawless” by the commentator.
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