Scientific news in small doses

A few milligrams of all the scientific news of the week

Eric-Pierre Champagne
The Press

Ostrich necks could lengthen

Ostriches, recognizable by their long necks, could see this part of their anatomy lengthen due… to global warming. This is one of the conclusions of a team of Swedish researchers from the University of Lund who were interested in the largest bird in the world. Their work revealed that the neck of the ostrich serves in particular as a thermal regulator. It evacuates excess heat when temperatures are warmer or retains heat when they cool down. Due to climate change, the necks of ostriches are likely to lengthen, say the scientists, whose study was published on the bioRxiv broadcasting platform.

Quiz

How many people have a headache every day?

According to a meta-analysis conducted by Norwegian researchers, 15.8% of the world’s population suffers from a headache every day. Scientists analyzed 350 scientific studies on the issue and concluded that 52% of the world’s population suffered from headaches last year. The data also revealed that women (57.8%) were more often affected than men (44.4%). Women are also more often affected by migraines than men (17% compared to 8.6%). The study was published in The Journal of Headache and Pain. Now, if you want to know exactly how many people get headaches, we’ll let you do the math…we get headaches just thinking about it!

1895.5

In 2021, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere amounted to 1895.5 parts per billion (go per trillion or ppb in English). A calculation method that differs from that of CO₂, measured in ppm or parts per million. For methane, this is the highest value since 1983, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began its official records. Although it is present in less quantity in the atmosphere than CO₂, methane has a much higher warming potential. Its concentration in the atmosphere has increased by 162% since the beginning of the industrial era.

Chronic pain more common in black people

Blacks are more likely to suffer from chronic pain than whites. This is the finding of a team of scientists from the University of Alabama whose research was published in the journal Neurobiology of Pain. The researchers were able to analyze blood samples that revealed the presence of small molecules called methyl in the DNA of black people participating in the study. They suffered from chronic pain, unlike the other participants. These molecules appear in particular due to aging and chronic stress. The researchers believe that several negative experiences related to racism could be the cause of this methylation and that it could also be reversible.

Heat and wetlands

A joint study by Ducks Unlimited and the University of Saskatchewan found that wetlands in the Canadian prairies cool the temperature by 1 to 3 ^ohC during the hottest days of summer. These must remain intact and retain their ecological functions to act in this way on the weather. These environments are unfortunately increasingly rare. More than 70% of wetlands in Canada have been destroyed over the past century.