It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Study suggests lemurs age differently than humans
Research can offer clues into why we suffer from age-related conditions
What can lemurs tell us about inflammation and aging, aka “inflammaging” in humans? That’s the question Elaine Guevara, a biological anthropologist who studies the evolution of life history and aging in primates, set out to understand.
In newly published research on age-related inflammation in ring-tailed and sifaka lemurs, Guevara discovered that perhaps we should rethink the inevitability of inflammaging in humans.
Although similar in many ways, ring-tailed and sifaka lemurs show differences in life pacing and lifespan, making useful comparisons. Because lemurs and humans are primates and share a common ancestor that lived millions of years ago, they offer valuable insights into human evolution.
Her findings, she said, were “surprising.”
“Contrary to our predictions, neither species showed age-related change in either marker of oxidative stress. Neither lemur species exhibited age-related change in inflammation; if anything, contrary to our prediction, ring-tailed lemurs showed marginal declines in inflammation with age,” Guevara said.
This finding, consistent with a few recent studies of other non-human primates, suggests that lemurs avoid the phenomenon of “inflammaging” widely observed in humans.
The study shows inflammaging is not a universal feature of primates, pointing to some differences that might suggest it turns out it's not even a universal feature of humans, according to Christine Drea, a professor of evolutionary anthropology who was one of the researchers working with Guevara.
What is Inflammaging?
As we grow older, low-grade chronic inflammation sets in, which in turn can cause health problems such as heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer and osteoarthritis.
Why inflammaging increases with age in humans, what causes it and how it can be prevented are answers to questions that can unlock critical information to help humans live longer and healthier lives.
Collecting Data from Lemurs
Drea said the team first had to find a way to measure oxidative stress, which can be found in blood, urine and saliva. They settled on urine.
“Our role at the beginning was planning, designing, brainstorming, comparing and getting these samples,” said Drea, who has worked with the Duke Lemur Center since 1999. The Lemur Center does not allow research that will harm the animals.
The next step says Guevara is to conduct similar research with lemurs in the wild.
“There are a lot of good reasons to think that aging can be quite different in captivity and in the wild, and that in itself, is informative to evaluating the degree to which human inflammation is intrinsic versus environmental,” she said.
In the meantime, Guevara says this study serves as the first step in unraveling the question of why humans are suffering from inflammatory-related and age-related conditions and finding ways to treat them.
With a rapidly aging global population, “these insights are essential for mitigating disability and improving quality of life in later years,” she said.
Citation: “Comparison of age-related inflammation and oxidative stress in two lemur species,” Elaine E. Guevara, Nicholas M. Grebe, Richard R. Lawler, Anne Crowley, Savannah Lo, Elise N. Paietta, Janet L. Huebner, Virginia B. Kraus & Christine M. Drea, Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 2 Jul 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-025-01619-y
Understanding whether lakes are fed predominantly by groundwater or rainwater is critical to managing our water resources in the face of droughts and shortages, new research has found.
The study drew on data from 350 lakes across 18 European countries, collected between 2022 and 2024, to provide a comprehensive picture of how the continent’s lakes are coping with climate change. The research is presented today [Wednesday 9 July, 2025] at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague.
The researchers, from the Czech Academy of Sciences, analysed the proportions of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes (18O and 2H) in the lakes’ water. These isotopic signatures help reveal the influence of rainfall, assess the potential connection between groundwater and lakes, and determine the extent to which incoming water offsets losses from evaporation.
The team combined these variables with open access environmental data, including meteorological variables (mean annual temperature and precipitation, climate type, relative humidity), percentage of land use (bare land, cropland, forest, grassland, snow, urban), and catchment characteristics (lake type, size, maximum depth and altitude). Using a machine learning model, they identified the key factors sustaining a healthy water balance for each lake and predicted the impact in 2050 of changes in rainfall and temperature linked to climate change.
The study found that lakes with high potential connection from groundwater maintain more stable water levels and are more likely to be able to buffer the impacts of climate change. Shallow lakes, which tend to have a high surface area in relation to their volume, experience high evaporation rates compared to inflow, making them more vulnerable to rising temperatures and reduced rainfall.
The modelling highlighted that lakes in lowland areas are the most likely to reach critical evaporation to inflow ratios by 2050, leading to water scarcity and contamination, with artificial lakes such as reservoirs most at risk. This is because lakes in lowland areas tend to be shallower and often less connected to groundwater, which destabilises the balance between evaporation and inflow. Additionally, these lakes are more likely to be located in regions of intensive agriculture, where runoff from fertilizers and other inputs can lead to elevated nutrient levels and degraded water quality.
Lakes in higher-altitude or alpine areas were found to be most resilient, benefiting from lower temperatures, reduced evaporation rates, and often better connections to groundwater inflow. These lakes are currently less exposed to surrounding agricultural activity and so face fewer issues related to nutrient runoff. However, the researchers caution that agricultural land use is migrating to higher altitude, which could affect the water quality and availability of these lakes in the future.
Dr Ma. Cristina Paule-Mercado, from the Biology Centre, at the Czech Academy of Sciences, is presenting the research at the Goldschmidt Conference. She said: “We initially expected the same controlling factors to apply across all lakes, but that wasn't the case. While we can draw some general insights from the analysis, we also observed how each region has different dynamics driven by the interaction of multiple variables. This highlights the importance of considering all these factors – and particularly groundwater-lake connectivity – when designing sustainable management strategies to address climate change and water scarcity.”
The team continues to expand their dataset – now incorporating over 400 lakes – with an ambition to make this a global resource. While some of the environmental data come from open-access sources, the researchers also collect samples annually from hundreds of lakes, collaborate with other scientists, an engage in citizen science initiatives. These efforts help broaden their coverage and strengthen community involvement.
The Goldschmidt Conference is the world’s foremost geochemistry conference. It is a joint congress of the European Association of Geochemistry and the Geochemical Society (US), and over 4000 delegates attend. It takes place in Prague, Czech Republic, from 6-11 July 2025.
WSU study provides detailed look at the declining groundwater in regional aquifer system
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Groundwater is declining across Eastern Washington’s complex, interconnected aquifer system, as people draw on it for irrigation, drinking and other uses at a pace that threatens its sustainability, according to a new study by a Washington State University researcher.
In certain “hot spots” – such as the Odessa region and the Yakima Basin – the rates of decline are particularly significant, with groundwater levels dropping two to three feet a year or more.
The data is built upon a new metric of water vulnerability; rather than simply calculating how much groundwater there is, it measures how much is actually accessible with current wells.
“With these numbers we can say, ‘Hey, this is a problem now,’” said Sasha McLarty, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at WSU and the corresponding author of the new study. “It’s not a problem in the future, it’s a problem now.”
The research, published in the journal Groundwater for Sustainable Development, provides a detailed new picture of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System. Although not all areas in the system showed declines, the study lends urgency to the need for increased water supplies, for example through water conservation, additional use of surface water, and aquifer-recharging projects.
The paper focuses on a little-studied element of the aquifer system – its variability in both geographic location and depth below the surface. The system underlies the Columbia River Basin in Washington, Idaho and Oregon, providing a quarter to a third of irrigation water across the region.
It is comprised of four main geological layers—three basalt layers formed at different periods in history, and a top layer of sedimentary materials.
“Imagine a layer cake, where you have these chunks of actual cake, which is mostly fractured basalt in this case, and then there’s frosting in between, the parts where water moves more easily,” McLarty said. “That’s our aquifer.”
Unlike a layer cake, however, the layers don’t sit atop each other in a neat, orderly pattern.
“From location to location, that layering looks different,” she said. “Our paper is the first to really quantify that variability, based on observations, in both trends in water level and vulnerability across the entire aquifer.”
Previous groundwater studies have compared the rate of water usage with the volume of water in the aquifer layers, a metric known as saturated thickness. But a lot of that water lies below the depth of current wells. McLarty’s paper measures the water accessible to the current well infrastructure, which they define as available drawdown (ADD), and is a more useful metric to assess how vulnerable groundwater users may be to declines.
“If you have groundwater 15,000 feet deep, that doesn’t help anybody,” McLarty said.
Using state Department of Ecology data collected from nearly 3,000 wells drawing water from the aquifers, researchers calculated trends in the four aquifer layers. The thickest basalt layer—known as the Grand Ronde—had the steepest declines in groundwater, at 1.86 feet per year on average and up to about 7 feet per year. The top layer of sedimentary materials, known as the Overburden layer, had the smallest annual decreases, at 0.22 feet per year.
But the Overburden layer is still vulnerable because it has less available drawdown, the study shows.
Most but not all are in decline
McLarty focused on 15 geographic subareas within the state, which highlighted the points of greatest concern. One of these is the Odessa area in Eastern Washington, which is on a pace to consume 10% of available drawdown by 2040—and half within 70 years.
Wells in the Yakima Basin showed a similar trend to those in Odessa, and most subareas showed a pattern of declining groundwater. However, not every area did. The Spokane Aquifer is gaining water, one of three subareas with a positive trend. McLarty said that this is thanks to very active management and monitoring efforts, including a designated Aquifer Protection Area. Other areas are more complex with some layers declining and some increasing even in the same area, like in the Rock Glade Water Resources Inventory Area. The study shows that you can’t just view groundwater as a single bucket.
McLarty hopes that the new research will encourage efforts to improve groundwater sustainability.
“What I care about most is will people and ecosystems have groundwater in the future to the extent that they need it?” she said. “I hope these data can be used to help prioritize investments in improving water security, by showing where that effort is needed.”
McLarty partners with conservation districts in the aquifer area for groundwater monitoring. If you are interested in having your groundwater monitored, please reach out to McLarty (sasha.richey@wsu.edu) to learn more.
Study shows more support needed for police mental health
A new study finds rising levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related mental health challenges across police organisations in three countries.
Child abuse, murder, domestic violence. A glance at newspaper headlines is enough to highlight the challenging situations faced by police officers daily.
A new study finds rising levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related mental health challenges across three countries.
A lack of proper mental health support for police officers contributes to increased sick leave, early retirement and reduced job satisfaction. It can also impact judgement and performance in high-stakes moments, increasing risks to public safety.
The researchers examined demographic factors, trauma exposure and occupational stressors contributing to mental health outcomes in Australia, New Zealand, England and Wales. They identify key trends and insights into how policing organisations can enhance support systems.
“Every police officer has things in their memory that are traumatic, that they would prefer they didn't experience. Some learn to live with it and to cope with those memories, while others find it more difficult,” said Dr Beckley.
“Policing is an inherently risky and dangerous occupation. However, more must be done to reduce mental health injuries. The growing number of police officers medically retired due to mental health underscores the urgent need for effective interventions and support systems.”
The study, which compares and synthesises previous research, finds that variations in support structures, training and organisational culture can influence mental health outcomes.
It outlines implications for practice, including the adoption of evidence-based interventions, addressing stigma around mental health, training and support for managers to recognise signs of distress and PTSD, and continuous monitoring and evaluation of programs.
The findings are particularly relevant to policymakers, administrators and mental health professionals supporting law enforcement.
The paper emphasises that a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient. Instead, it recommends that “tailored, evidence-based strategies should be developed to align with the specific needs of police forces in different jurisdictions”.
“Our research shows there are some things being done well, but there's still quite a way to go to address the problem satisfactorily.
"It's clear there are still too many police officers who are suffering and not getting support for mental health issues.
“The attrition rate – the number of police officers who are retiring early – is very high in all three countries. In some cases, it is difficult to recruit enough people to even replace those who are leaving,” said Dr Beckley.
“Our study underscores the importance of balancing job demands with adequate resources, including peer support, resilience and leadership training and evidence-based policies to reduce the negative impact of policing on mental wellbeing.”
Recently, the research team led by Professor CUI Wenyu from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with the research groups from Institute of Mechanics, CAS, specifically advances the simulation of optical scattering imaging from disturbed density fields and the analysis of signal characteristics.
"When a high-speed aircraft flies through the sky, it leaves behind invisible ripples in the air,” explained Prof. CUI, "and our method is to detect these atmospheric disturbances.”
The results have been published in the Chinese Journal of Aeronautics.
Atmospheric disturbance fields caused by high-speed aircraft are complex, unsteady phenomena that affect flight performance. Due to their wide influence and detectable nature, they offer great potential for indirect remote sensing.
In this study, the team proposed a novel approach: using active light sources to remotely detect the density field characteristics of atmospheric disturbances—thereby enabling long-range sensing of aircraft presence.
They designed a 3D optical tomography system to capture scattered light signals from disturbed regions. Based on fluid dynamics simulations, they built a model of the aircraft-induced density field and developed a framework to simulate scattering echo images.
To validate this concept, the team constructed a spatial distribution model of the aircraft-induced density field, along with a simulation framework for scattered light echo imaging. Based on this, they simulated ground-based observations of scattering echoes over distances exceeding 100 kilometers.
To extract useful information from these signals, the researchers also developed a signal extraction method. They conducted a detailed analysis of the relationship between optical signal strength and spatial detection resolution, revealing the principles governing the transformation of density field features into detectable optical signatures.
The results demonstrate that this detection scheme can theoretically capture sharp spatial variations in atmospheric density within disturbed regions, thus verifying the feasibility of long-range optical detection of aircraft-induced atmospheric disturbance fields.
Journal
Chinese Journal of Aeronautics
Article Title
Optical signal characteristics analysis of atmospheric disturbance density fields generated by high-speed aircraft
What environmental factors determine fish life history strategies in a river?
Credit: Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
How do fish respond to changing hydrological and climatic conditions? This question lies at the core of ecological research. Previous studies have shown that life history traits in fish represent adaptive evolutionary responses shaped by long-term natural selection, and the life history theory offers a theoretical framework for understanding how environmental changes influence the composition and distribution of fish communities.
Recently, a multinational research team compiled life history trait data for 1,613 fish species across 14 major rivers worldwide. Their analysis revealed significant variation in the proportion of opportunistic, periodic, and equilibrium strategies among river systems. These differences were strongly associated with key environmental variables, including mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, annual variation in river discharge, and latitude.
“We found that opportunistic strategists are better adapted to warm, precipitation-rich rivers with high hydrological variability, whereas periodic strategists tend to thrive in systems with more predictable flow regimes,” explained Lan Zhu, lead author of the study published in Water Biology and Security.
In addition, the researchers conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of 230 fish species from the Yangtze River to reconstruct the evolutionary history of their life history strategies.
“The results showed that before the Paleocene, it was dominated by periodic strategists,” shares Zhu. “However, since the prevalence of a monsoon climate and the overall alteration of precipitation patterns in the Miocene, the proportion of opportunistic strategists increased, suggesting a life history shift driven by climate-induced environmental instability.”
The team’s not only reveals the evolutionary pattern of life history strategies of Yangtze fishes, but also provides a theoretical foundation for ecological monitoring and management of riverine ecosystems in the future.
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Contact the author: Lan Zhu, State Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, zhulan@ihb.ac.cn.
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 200 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
Key environmental factors determining life history strategies of river fishes and their historical changes in the Yangtze River.
COI Statement
Huanzhang Liu and Martin Reichard are editorial board members of Water Biology and Security and were not involved in the editorial review or decision to publish this article. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
