The brightest take on this week’s science
This week in Spark, we’re exploring a new study from the World Health Organization that could help you avoid cancer.
Also in this issue:
🤯 A mind-blowing fact about Olympic ice skaters
❤️ A cosmic Valentine’s Day extravaganza
🔬 A microscope mystery
Happy scrolling!
LOOK IN
Most Preventable Cancers Linked to 2 Habits
(Thom Leach/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)
A remarkable percentage of cancer cases are entirely preventable.
A new analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that more than a third of all cancer cases globally can potentially be avoided.
Many are lung, stomach, and cervical cancers.
Two lifestyle habits in particular were tied to the most cancer cases:
Smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol.
Smoking was linked to 15 percent of all cancer cases in 2022.
Alcohol, meanwhile, was linked to 3 percent of all new cases that same year.
And that’s not all. There are 28 other changeable factors to consider as well…
HEADLINES
What Else We're Watching
🏅This week’s most read: 47-Year Study Reveals The Age We Hit Our Physical Peak
LOOK OUT
A Universal Kidney Matches Any Blood Type
After a decade of work, scientists have achieved a breakthrough in kidney transplantation.
Last year, an international team announced they had made a 'universal' kidney that can theoretically be accepted by any patient – no matter their blood type.
In a major first, their test organ survived and functioned in the body of a brain-dead recipient for several days.
There’s still more work to be done, but researchers are hopeful the invention will save lives down the road.
Each day, 11 people in the US die waiting for a kidney transplant, most waiting for a matching type O organ.
A universal organ transplant could save numerous lives.
ZOOM ZONE
Microscope Mystery: What Do You See?
(Steve GSchmeissner/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)
A) Fern spore
B) Diatom
C) Fish egg
D) Eye lens
Answer at the bottom.
LOOK UP
Love In the Cosmos Is Breathtaking
The Heart Nebula. (s58y/Flickr/CC BY 2.0)
Love is in the air… and it’s also in the cosmos if you know where to look.
Ahead of this Valentine’s Day, our head journalist, Michelle Starr, is taking us on a journey through space to remind us that love really is all around.
From heartbeat stars that pulse like the organs in our chest, to giant star-forming clouds that resemble the very floral symbol of romantic love: the rose.
Or maybe you’re a cynic and think Valentine’s Day is all about expensive jewelry. The Universe has you covered there, too.
The Necklace Nebula and the Ring Nebula are glittering gems that say “I love you THIIIIIIIS much” on an absolutely cosmic scale.
Wanna see them all in gorgeous detail? Go on, fall in love with the stars…
WOW FACTOR
Science Fact of The Week
caption
When a figure skater lands on the ice after a jump, it’s a high-impact event similar to experiencing a football tackle.
The athlete’s leg absorbs a collision force between five and eight times their body weight, according to some estimates.
DOPAMINE HIT
Before You Go…
Staring contest…
Microscope answer: Eye lens.
The lens of your eye somewhat resembles an onion. Its concentric rings of densely packed fibers can flex to become flatter or rounder, thereby bending incoming light to the retina.
That’s all for today… see you next week!
- Carly
