MI weekly selection #603

Starch bioplastic as toxic as conventional plastic

Starch-based bioplastic, often deemed a sustainable alternative, may be as toxic as petroleum-based plastic. The research highlights potential health issues, including organ damage and metabolic changes, from long-term exposure to bioplastic microplastics, raising concerns about their safety.

Full Story: The Guardian

Heat waves, pollution drive premature deaths

A new study highlights the deadly impact of concurrent heat waves and small particulate matter pollution, particularly in the Global South. Researchers found that such events caused nearly 700,000 premature deaths globally from 1990 to 2019, with India experiencing the highest mortality.

Full Story: Eos

Theory explains how our brains sync with music

A new model called neural resonance theory suggests that our brains synchronize with music, resonating with elements such as rhythm and pitch. “This theory suggests that music is powerful not just because we hear it, but because our brains and bodies become it,” says Caroline Palmer, a neuroscientist at McGill University. “That has big implications for therapy, education and technology.”

Full Story: ScienceAlert

AI identifies ancient tegu species in Florida

A half-inch fossil vertebra discovered in the early 2000s at the Florida Museum of Natural History has been identified as a new species, Wautaugategu formidus, using AI. The fossil, from the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, shows that tegus existed in North America much earlier than previously thought.

Full Story: Earth

Ancient river, volcano may have carved Yosemite

A new study proposes that Yosemite Valley was formed by a long-vanished river and an ancient volcano, challenging the prevailing theory of uplift and glacial activity. The study suggests the river significantly increased the flow of the Merced River and Tenaya Creek, cutting through the Sierra Nevada to create the valley’s depth.

Full Story: Live Science