How Does Your City’s Air Compare with the World’s Most Polluted? + Other Stories
Every week, we corral our favorite wellness stories from around the internet—just in time for your weekend reading.
Longevity Linked to Proteins That Calm Overexcited Neurons
Quanta Magazine
In a new study published in Nature, Harvard researcher Bruce Yanker and his team discovered that a protein called REST—which dampens the activity of the brain’s neurons—is unusually high in people with longer life spans. Writer Veronique Greenwood examines how this new study may help us better understand human longevity and cognitive decline.
MRIs Can Better Detect Cancer in Women with Dense Breasts, Study Finds
The New York Times
Mammograms are the standard of care in detecting breast cancer. But dense breast tissue makes it harder to read a mammogram, which can leave cancer undetected. A promising new study suggests supplemental MRIs could prove to be a lifesaving tool for women with denser breast tissue.
See How the World’s Most Polluted Air Compares with Your City’s
The New York Times
When things burn, whether they are fossil fuels or forests, that combustion creates air pollution particles called PM2.5. These particles are deadly at high levels, and even moderate levels can be hazardous to long-term health. Here, The New York Times helps us visualize how severe PM2.5 pollution got into our own communities—and communities around the world—in the past year.
Nail Products Expose Salon Workers to Hazardous Chemicals
Undark
A study published in the journal Environmental Pollution found that the level of harmful chemicals in six Colorado nail salons were similar to those in auto shops and oil refineries—and that many nail technicians in those salons reported suffering from issues like headaches, eye and skin irritation, and an increased risk of cancer.