A list of curious facts
One: Climate change is also changing national borders—between Switzerland and Italy. The reason: Parts of these borders are defined by the watershed or ridge lines of glaciers—which are melting. When the glacier shrinks, the border moves, like so:
Reminder: Europe is the fastest warming continent on the planet. And Swiss glaciers lost 6% of their volume in 2022. (The Guardian)
Two: The hottest medical term these days is ‘inflammagation’—as in, inflammation plus ageing: “the term describes a simmering form of inflammation—the immune system’s response to a perceived threat—that is chronic and low-grade, and builds stealthily as you age.” Yes, it sounds like a new phrase to express what we all know—everything gets worse as you get older. But here’s the surprising bit: Inflammagation is higher among white men living in advanced countries—who have greater access to high calorie foods and are less exposed to microbes. For a counterview: Institute for Policy Research on three things we get wrong about inflammation. (Wall Street Journal)
Three: Among the things guaranteed to trigger some kind of inflammation—putting crazy shit in your Diet Coke. Like Dua Lipa who offered up this concoction:
For inexplicable reasons, Diet Coke is now a social media obsession. There are ‘cocktails’ with coconut, milk (vomit!), red wine… and even ‘Diet Cokagne’ (which is named after Tom Hanks). Wait, there is more. We now also have Diet Coke tasting challenges staged by ‘purists’. Enjoy! (New York Times)
Bonus fact: The fashion gods have officially declared open season for pjs. ‘Sleepwear’ has become A-okay everywhere—except for “an important first-impression business meeting.” We’ve long been sneakily wearing nighties in public—pretending they’re flowy maxis. Loose, flowy pyjama pants? Break out the champagne—just hold the Diet Coke:) (Wall Street Journal via Mint)