The Wolverine Wake-Up Issue 78
3-10-23
Picture Created by Crew Member Mason Strawn
That Assistance Dogs Help Improve Mental Health
Almost 90 per cent of veterans reported improvements in their post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety 12 months after being matched to an assistance dog. Of the 16 returned veterans who took part in the study, 63 per cent reported significant clinical improvements. Previous studies have shown that existing treatments for post-traumatic stress among returned veterans are not ideal, with high dropout rates and poor adherence. This study provides clear evidence that assistance dogs can play a key role in a veteran's recovery from post-traumatic stress and other mental health conditions. Of the 5000 ADF members who transition from the forces to civilian life every year, 46 per cent experience mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and depression. Almost a quarter of them are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress in their lifetime. A constant companion, and helped returned veterans to increase their social interactions. "For many veterans, an assistance dog gave them a sense of purpose and a reason to live. Veterans reported their dog helped them reclaim their life. Some participants described their dog as a comfort or security blanket. The study showed a slight drop in participants still reporting suicidal feelings after 12 months, but the reduction was not significant. The main benefits were a large reduction in depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms.
-Leatta McKeon
Deep Earthquakes Could Reveal Secrets of the Earth's Mantle
We still know surprisingly little about the Earth beneath our feet. The furthest anyone has managed to dig down is about seven and a half miles before the increasing heat literally melts the drill. Thus scientists have had to use clues like how seismic waves move to infer the different layers that make up the planet, including the crust, mantle, and core. One thing that has stymied scientists is a precise measurement of how viscous the mantle layer is. The mantle is the layer below the crust. Its made of rock, but at the intense temperature and pressures at that depth, the rock actually becomes viscous -- flowing very slowly like honey or tar. We want to know exactly how fast the mantle flows, because that influences the evolution of the entire Earth -- it affects how much heat the planet retains for how long, and how the Earths materials are cycled over time, explained Park. But our current understanding is very limited and includes a lot of assumptions. Park thought there might be a unique way to get a measurement of the mantles properties by studying the aftermath of very deep earthquakes. Most of the earthquakes we hear about on the news are relatively shallow, originating in the top crust of the Earth. But occasionally, there are earthquakes that originate deep within the Earth -- down to 450 miles below the surface. These earthquakes are not as well-studied as shallower ones, because they're not as destructive to human settlements. But because they reach down into the mantle, Park thought they might offer a way to understand the behavior of the mantle. Park and her colleagues looked at one particular such earthquake, which occurred off the coast of Fiji in 2018.
-Carson Ososki
The switch made from a singular molecule
Project Researcher Hirofumi Yanagisawa and his team theorized how the emission of electrons from excited molecules of fullerene should behave when exposed to specific kinds of laser light, and when testing their predictions, found they were correct.But equally important is that if we can tune the laser to coax the fullerene molecule to switch in multiple ways at the same time, it could be like having multiple microscopic transistors in a single molecule.Fast laser pulses on the scale of femtoseconds, quadrillionths of a second, or even attoseconds, quintillionths of a second, are focused on the fullerene molecules to trigger the emission of electrons.In principle, as multiple ultrafast electron switches can be combined into a single molecule, it would only take a small network of fullerene switches to perform computational tasks potentially much faster than conventional microchips.
-Nathan Dewald
Exercise More Effective than Medicines to Manage Mental Health
University of South Australia researchers are calling for exercise to be a mainstay approach for managing depression as a new study shows that physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than counselling or the leading medications. It shows that physical activity is extremely beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress. Specifically, the review showed that exercise interventions that were 12 weeks or shorter were most the effective at reducing mental health symptoms. The largest benefits were seen among people with depression, pregnant and postpartum women, healthy individuals, and people diagnosed with HIV or kidney disease. One in every eight people worldwide live with a mental disorder. Australia, an estimated one in five people (aged 16-85) have experienced a mental disorder in the past 12 months. Our review shows that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations, with some groups showing even greater signs of improvement. We also found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercise such as walking, resistance training, Pilates, and yoga. Importantly, the research shows that it doesn't take much for exercise to make a positive change to your mental health.
-Oliver McKeon
