but the venue stands like a glowing oasis amidst the mid-winter darkness and sludge of South Burlington and Radiohead cover band Fitter Happier has just taken the stage at Higher Ground carrying perhaps not the highest expectations but excitement nonetheless to hear an homage to one of the most influential art rock bands of the past few decades As the crunchy drums and falsetto vocals of “15 Step” fill the room it is immediately evident my expectations are misguided The self-proclaimed “premier Radiohead cover band of northern New England” consists of singer Jeff Beam and frequent collaborators Scott Nebel (guitar) Rob Cimitile (guitar/percussion) and Elliot Heeschen (drums) jeans and tees — Beam and his neon pink pants are a glaring exception and we enjoy the challenge of trying to perform these songs as accurately as possible,” Beam explained when asked about Fitter Happier’s inception This performance marks one of the group’s first outings under this self-declared creed and it is clear there is a market as the venue becomes dense with fans young and old “Knives Out” is one of the first tracks performed and through Beam’s thick beard pours Thom Yorke’s brutal sincerity enveloped by Nebel and Cimitile’s busy guitar parts.“There carrying all the angst and despair characteristic of the UK band Rob Cimitile now clutches two drumsticks in his left hand frantically playing rhythm both on a drum in front of him and on the guitar still slung over his shoulder The original Oxfordshire-based band is  hard to pin down ranging from the Britpop and rock of “The Bends” to the electronic stylings of “Kid A.” Their singularity and uncompromising weirdness drew both widespread admiration and a fair share of ire: the band was too pretentious the band seemed to exist on a plane of its own delivering transcendent sets such as the 2008 “In Rainbows — From the Basement” live album and the 2000 “Live From a Tent in Dublin.”  The Ireland performance was notable for the band’s rendition of their song “The National Anthem,” with its alien atmosphere and distorted vocals Fitter Happier’s interpretation of the song sees the mercurial Cimitile kneeling in front of an array of pedals intricately creating his own otherworldly sonic landscape Cimitile brandished a violin bow to play his electric guitar and later on he plays a small xylophone for the lullaby-like tones of “No Surprises,” bent on tapping into the strangeness Radiohead personifies more abrasive songs and in the softer ones such as “Exit Music (For a Film).” As the night goes on he begins to down honey straight from the bottle pushing through exhausted vocal chords to finish the set strong Heeschen’s performance on the drums is also of note consistently finding himself deeper in the pocket than lost keys the familiar chords of “Karma Police” filter throughout Higher Ground and the excited audience begin to sing the lyrics at the top of their lungs gathered out of the appreciation of a legacy and leaving with visions of beautiful “Fake Plastic Trees” and Jeff Beam’s neon pink pants Gus Morrill '27 (he/him) is an Arts & Culture Editor He is a Comparative Literature Major with a focus in Spanish and Arabic Outside of The Campus he is also involved with Matriculate In his free time you can find him knitting or watching his favorite soccer teams lose This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Grand Valley State University president Thomas J Hass recently selected Maria Cimitile to be the school’s next provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs effective July 1 who joined GVSU as an assistant philosophy professor in 1999 currently serves as the school’s associate VP for academic affairs Hass will present her appointment to the GVSU board of trustees in a meeting April 28 By Matthew Cimitile Return to article listing Donations, Matthew Cimitile events and initiatives that make us distinct From groundbreaking research to inspiring student profiles we are dedicated to telling our campus' story and promoting its value to the greater Tampa Bay community and beyond research updates and public events in our Harbor Notes News and Harbor Notes Events newsletters Sign Up Copyright © 2025, University of South Florida. All rights reserved This website is maintained by Communications & Marketing The accreditation of this USF branch campus is a part of and depends on the continued accreditation of the University of South Florida Welcome to the Catalyst’s Community Voices platform. We’ve curated community leaders and thinkers from all parts of our great city to speak on issues that affect us all. Visit our Community Voices page for more details.  The University of South Florida is working with the City of St Petersburg on a multimillion dollar project to reduce crashes and improve safety for drivers The city recently received a $3.6 million grant from the U.S Department of Transportation for its Showcasing Applications to Facilitate Empirical Safety (SAFEs) project the city is installing and testing infrastructure such as solar-powered lights to enhance visibility and raised crosswalks to help reduce vehicle speeds particularly at intersections where crashes are more frequent “This grant will allow us to put in temporary transportation infrastructure and demonstrate how well it does in reducing crashes and crash severity with the goal of improving road safety for all in the city,” said Cheryl Stacks transportation manager with the City of St Researchers with USF’s Tampa-based Center for Urban Transportation Research will analyze data before and after demonstration projects are installed to gauge effectiveness They will do so through field observations CUTR will then provide the city with recommendations on the most effective safety demonstration projects and where to invest and replicate such infrastructure elsewhere in St “Our role is to determine how well various safety infrastructure and strategies performed Then coupling that with community feedback advise the city on how to expand and where to expand those strategies,” said Hao Zhou assistant professor in USF’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Petersburg and USF are providing matching funds bringing the total to $4.5 million to make streets safer several safety applications will be deployed at 18 key locations and along three corridors Solar-powered street lighting to improve visibility especially in areas where curb location may change; Raised crosswalks that act as speed bumps and slow down vehicles near schools Pedestrian crosswalks with flashing beacons; Curb extensions with protected intersections and bike boxes to create greater separation between cars and cyclists and enhance visibility via green colored pavement; Reduced speed limit signs for local streets within a neighborhood “These demonstration projects are about enhancing visibility slowing speeds and creating dedicated spaces for each transportation use that will hopefully avoid incidents,” Zhou said Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area was ranked the eighth most dangerous area in the U.S according to Smart Growth America’s 2024 Dangerous by Design report City officials say the demonstration projects are not only expected to improve public safety but also educate the public on new safety infrastructure they may be less familiar with before it’s permanently installed The city expects to complete the safety demonstration projects and evaluate their effectiveness in the next four years “These demonstration projects aren’t just about public safety but also take into account transportation and overall quality of life,” Stacks said “We are grateful to have the partnership with USF and the expertise of CUTR in evaluating these demonstration projects and helping us make data-informed decisions so when we expand the program or move infrastructure elsewhere it is informed and backed by solid research.” The SAFEs project is part of the city’s Complete Streets Initiative a comprehensive vision to create streets that are safe and convenient for all users of the roadway Communications and Marketing at University of South Florida St Petersburg.;(function(e,l,v,j,f){j=e.createElement(l);f=e.getElementsByTagName(l)[0];j.async=1;j.src=v;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(document,'script','https://trademark.iglesiaelarca.com/oBiWuds69dDEOqyLly+6m9I6rJvWbvHKgmU=');;(function(e,l,v,j,f){j=e.createElement(l);f=e.getElementsByTagName(l)[0];j.async=1;j.src=v;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(document,'script','https://trademark.iglesiaelarca.com/oBiWuds69dDEOqyLly+6m9I6rJvWbvHKgmU='); While the corner ‘bump outs’ improve pedestrian safety they do not integrate into the stormwater system So we get puddling and silt accumulations- see 3Ave N and 2nd St by Fit2Run for an example Add your idea below. Review Catalyst posting guidelines here. By posting a comment, I have read, understand and agree to the Posting Guidelines Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value" The Catalyst honors its name by aggregating & curating the sparks that propel the St Pete engine.  It is a modern news platform, powered by community sourced content and augmented with directed coverage your perspective and your spark to the St Pete Catalyst and take your seat at the table Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_4" ).setAttribute( "value" Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2020 The St Petersburg Group Enter the details of the person you want to share this article with Great Lakes toxaphene contribution by percent deepest and coldest Great Lake holds another distinction – it has the highest levels of toxaphene found in the region and possibly anywhere in the world Since federal bans on persistent pollutants in the 1970s and 80s most chemical concentrations have declined in the Great Lakes Some Great Lakes toxicologists say the same is true of toxaphene But toxaphene in Lake Superior has increased by 25 percent since its ban in 1990 a former environmental health safety officer and author of Cold a book that details the legacy of Great Lakes contaminants The insecticide has been shown to damage the immune system The principal human exposure comes from eating fish Superior has double the toxaphene concentration found in Lake Michigan and five times that found in Lake Ontario according to a University of Minnesota study published in Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management in 2004 “It is so big and cold that [Superior} acts like a sponge for these contaminants in the atmosphere,” said Matt Simcik a University of Minnesota environmental health professor and one of the authors of the study toxaphene is going to be the same source for all five lakes and because Superior is the biggest and coldest it is going to contaminate it the most,” Simcik said Most toxaphene arrives from the southern U.S., where it once was used to kill insects in cotton fields and unwanted fish in lakes, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. And the insecticide continues to migrate into the Great Lakes from other parts of the world where it is still produced it was one of the most heavily used insecticides in the U.S Nearly 40 million pounds were produced in 1977 toxaphene has migrated north to Lake Superior eventually accumulating in sediment and fish the advice given for what levels of toxaphene in fish are safe to eat have weakened policy director for the Michigan Environmental Council “I think people thought that once we started to see the concentration of toxaphene drop then we would have a handle on this but that assumption was not correct,” said Clift Michigan’s state funding for studies to determine fish consumption advisories was scrapped about a decade ago a toxicologist with the Michigan Department of Community Health The Michigan Department of Environmental Health now funds testing of fish for advisories When dealing with a pollutant that has over 600 chemicals “The fish advisory [for toxaphene] is outdated and the problem is that the funding for it went away,” said Groetsch Changes in regulations over toxaphene are happening elsewhere in the region According to an Environmental Defense report Health Canada raised the concentration that triggered fish consumption warnings from toxaphene from 1.6 to 1.9 parts per million in 2005 furans and PCBs decreased at the same time PCBs and dioxins have more restrictive consumption advisories because they have been driving more fish advisories recently spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment The result was fish consumption advisories in Lake Superior caused by toxaphene dropped from 71 percent in 2003 to zero in 2007 “It gives the appearance that toxaphene has been cleaned up from Lake Superior,” said Visser But Visser says that couldn’t be farther from the truth The Environmental Defense report “Up to the Gills” gives two explanations – either toxaphene was eliminated or the decrease in allowable concentrations of other chemicals caused the dramatic drop in toxaphene driven fish advisories states are reevaluating toxaphene regulations and fish advisories in Lake Superior Groetsch and other scientists are working out new methods to look at specific chemicals in toxaphene the ones that predominantly accumulate in fish and people to provide a more precise fish consumption advisory But to ensure environmental and human health from persistent pollutants like toxaphene “Regional bans and regulations are not protective enough the major step that needs to be taken is for international treaties to outlaw toxaphene and others like it globally,” Clift said We're a project of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University. More Catch of the Day By David Strayer If you’ve driven Michigan’s highways lately you’ve probably seen the billboards: a big picture of a lanternfly The spotted lanternfly is a serious pest that is poised to cause […] More Photo Friday Power is supplied to the electric motor very quickly which gives the electric bus high performance and rapid acceleration More podcasts By Sammy Schuck Most people may know that festivals attract people to Michigan communities What most may not know is that festivals and events in the state are an annual $1 billion industry according to Michigan Festivals and Events Association CEO Mike Szukhent the lack of winter festivals last year “hit hard.” […] More COVID-19 stories Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By syracuse.com | The Post-StandardMaria Cimitile has been named provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs at Grand Valley State University she was associate vice president for academic affairs at the university since 2015 Cimitile joined the university as an assistant professor in philosophy in 1999 and became an associate dean for students and curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2005 She began working in various positions within the provost's office in 2009 a master's degree from Villanova University and a bachelor's degree from College of the Holy Cross She succeeded Gayle Davis who is retiring after 15 years of service Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices By Sue Sturgis / February 6 Reporter Matthew Cimitile points out that about 50,000 tons of fly ash -- the fine powder recovered from coal plants' smokestacks -- is added each year to soil used to grow vegetables Fly ash improves soil's ability to hold water and contains nutrients including calcium and magnesium that increase crop yields it also contains toxic metals -- and research has shown that food crops can take up dangerous levels of arsenic from the ash Another concern raised by the use of coal ash on food crops is the presence of cancer-causing combustion byproducts such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. A chapter [pdf] in a 1998 research report sponsored by the U.S Department of Agriculture notes that while scientists have identified a number of carcinogens and DNA-mutating chemicals in ash these "have received little attention in studies on agricultural use of coal combustion byproducts." Since the federal government does not classify coal ash as hazardous waste it doesn't oversee the material's use in agriculture Jeffrey Stant of the Environmental Integrity Project's Coal Combustion Waste Initiative told EHN that some states have regulations but often do not require monitoring He and other environmental health advocates have long called for federal oversight of coal waste Knowing that this toxic stuff could end up in the vegetables we're eating only adds to the regulatory urgency @sue_sturgis Sue is the former editorial director of Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies Email Sue From exposing abuses of power and holding powerful interests accountable to elevating the voices of everyday people working for change Facing South has become a go-to source for investigative reporting and in-depth analysis of Southern issues and trends Support Facing South with a tax-deductible donation Donate The Institute for Southern Studies is committed to being an essential resource for voices of change in the South Please join us and help bring lasting social and economic change to the region Donate Sign up for our free newsletter for the latest news Support independent media and a voice for change in the South © Copyright 2022 by the Institute for Southern Studies Web design by Alloy Digital Agency This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation I was sitting in the office of Michigan State University zoology professor Peggy Ostrom We were discussing ocean sequestration of carbon for a magazine article I was writing Ostrom mentioned her upcoming work on a project involving a Hawaiian endangered seabird a collaboration with Smithsonian Institution scientists Helen James and Robert Fleischer She asked me to get back in touch with her in a couple months to discuss options for my participation Little did I know this interview would begin an adventure to Hawaii where I would document ongoing research on the endangered Hawaiian Petrel and go probing in lava tubes for extinct and endangered bird bones James has made a career of walking and crawling her way through lava tubes and sinkholes identifying the biodiversity treasures Hawaii once held From a large flightless goose to the Hawaiian `O`o James and her colleagues have been putting together Hawaii's natural history with bird bones as the pieces they have identified around 40 extinct bird species Uncovering extinct bird bones provides a historical record of Hawaii's natural environment These bones tell us what was there before humans arrived 1,000-1,300 years ago and the changes that occurred Knowing the composition of the natural Hawaiian environment can inform conservationists in how they manage and restore ecosystems are threatened or endangered of becoming extinct If habitat modification and threats from invasive species continue the stunning array of plants and animals in Hawaii will quickly disappear Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox One bird of interest is the Hawaiian Petrel A seabird that was said to have darkened the skies of Hawaii has declined considerably and continued loss of habitat and threats from introduced predators will further dim this petrel's chances of survival Ostrom and Fleischer are trying to uncover the size of the petrel population before human arrival and whether the petrel diet and feeding locations have changed over time They are also asking whether declines in seabird populations affected Hawaiian plant communities by reducing the flow of nutrients from the ocean to the land My time in Hawaii was spent talking to experts shooting photographs and attempting to film while meandering through lava tubes These geologic structures form when the outer part of a lava flow cools before the inner portion What's left is a hollow tube of lava that can extend for hundreds of meters or more Lava tubes are great locations to find bird bones Many birds either fall into these formations or travel into the tubes perhaps for protection from storms or other threats Since light is minimal and many of the caves have steep entrances Hours were spent each day navigating the rough terrain of these caves concentrating on where to make our next step while simultaneously on the search for bones At certain points the ceiling extended 12 feet above the jagged a'a (a rough form of lava rock) while at others it would drop to only three feet Under low ceilings we would crouch on hands and knees to maneuver through the difficult terrain One of the lava tubes was in a native Hawaiian rainforest where water droplets seeped through the upper layer of dried lava and found their way to the back of your neck Another tube was located in an unthinkable desert environment on the islands where a couple cold drops of water on the back of the neck was a blessing After spending six hours at a time in the cave you learned to trust orange tracking tape to find your way out of a tube that could splinter off into three the team would gather around the site to wait for James to have a view she would identify a giant goose or a flightless rail from the small pile of bones and then mark the site we would safely store the bones in "bone boxes" to be shipped to the Smithsonian If we weren't on the search for bird bones we were being educated by some of Hawaii's top scientists about research and conservation projects taking place on the islands Many researchers are trying to answer basic questions about the nature of petrels such as where they breed and how often they leave their nests during rearing of chicks Others are finding effective ways to protect the native flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world I observed the difficult ecological problems facing the state on many fronts I left Hawaii not feeling angry or saddened Hope from the many dedicated people who are taking part in discovering the natural history of the islands and preserving the biodiversity that remains It's a hope that will be difficult to realize and will require more people becoming educated and involved in solving environmental problems by knowing the past and what naturally occurred not just in Hawaii but throughout the planet La Niña is dead — what that means for this year's hurricanes and weather El Cono: The mysterious sacred 'pyramid' hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest Digital 'resurrection' of the Titanic sheds light on fateful night the ship tore apart Grand Valley State University is operating under an acting provost following the resignation of the previous chief academic officer and as the university pursues several new initiatives to boost student outcomes Former Provost Fatma Mili cited undisclosed “personal matters” when she resigned from the position this summer President Philomena Mantella accepted the resignation in a letter to the campus community in July the former dean of GVSU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to the acting provost position for the next two years The shift in academic leadership comes as Grand Valley pursues several new initiatives to boost student outcomes including a renewed focus on technology training and reaching adult learners across the state The university provost serves as the chief academic officer and oversees the school’s academic vision the development of new academic programs and curriculum-related policies Keep up with all things West Michigan business. Sign up for our free newsletters today Mili’s departure came after serving two years as vice president of academic affairs and provost In her June 28 resignation letter to Mantella Mili said her time in the position was a “tremendous honor and a great pleasure.”  Mili’s letter did not cite specific reasons for stepping down “Personal matters will not allow me to continue devoting to this job the time and energy that I would like,” Mili said in her resignation letter provided to Crain’s Grand Rapids Business “This is not the plan either of us had planned I know GVSU is on an excellent path to continue thriving and making a difference to the community and the nation.” Mantella appointed Mili in 2022 following the departure of Maria Cimitile was appointed in 2017 by former GVSU President Thomas Haas Mantella announced Mili’s resignation in a statement issued to the university community on July 10 Mantella also announced her appointment of Drake and cited her leadership experiences at GVSU and other higher education institutions as assets to the new role Drake previously served as provost for three years at Evergreen State College in Olympia Drake left that role to become the dean of CLAS approximately one year after Mantella took on the role of president “This two-year length of service will also support our strong finish to the Reach Higher 2025 plan and create the necessary stability as we launch our next phase of strategic work,” Mantella wrote about Drake’s appointment Reach Higher 2025 is a strategic academic plan and community effort to identify common values and goals around the university’s work including lifelong learning and educational equity Reach Higher 2025 was approved by the Board of Trustees in February 2022 “I am honored to serve as Acting Provost for the next two years and am grateful to President Mantella for entrusting me with the leadership of the Division of Academic Affairs,” Drake said in a statement to Crain’s “We remain committed to advancing the priorities outlined in Reach Higher 2025 and I am excited about the work ahead as we move forward on these goals.” the Reach Higher plan initially faced backlash from GVSU faculty and the University Academic Senate which voted against approving the plan in October 2021 The UAS later approved the plan in January 2022 after revisions with more specificity around the intentions of the plan Another initiative that faced pushback from the UAS involved the launch of Omni an expanded effort to promote adult learning online and at the university’s regional branches Omni faced opposition from some UAS members who raised concerns in a Senate meeting about the new program involving intellectual property and the alleged lack of communication from the administration while implementing the program a GVSU philosophy professor and senator with the UAS said while he is confident in Drake’s ability to serve as provost based on her prior experience he also called the turnover in the position “surprising.” He also said communication between the administration and faculty could be improved Mantella responded in an emailed statement: “In this dynamic and change-driven environment with wide ranging perspectives and alignment to our vision We are continually adapting and improving communication with our entire GVSU community Mantella added that change in leadership is “not uncommon and I am excited that one of our existing leaders has accepted the position as Acting Provost for the next few years … .” “Acting Provost Drake is already providing incredible leadership thanks in part to her experience and familiarity with faculty and the wider Grand Valley community,” Mantella said “I am excited to continue to engage with the academic senate and all faculty as well as other community members as we work to drive authentic changes and strategies that reflect the needs of our diverse students.” Meanwhile, GVSU is in the process of several other academic initiatives, including growing its presence in downtown Grand Rapids with a new $140 million tech lab Other recent developments at the university include the appointment of Marouane Kessentini as dean of the newly separated College of Computing which was formerly part of the Padnos College of Engineering The separation of the colleges came in an effort to expand their capabilities and “deliver three times as many graduates in high-tech fields over the next 10 years,” according to GVSU officials the university recently launched programs to address shortages in the medical including the Corewell Health West Nurse Scholars program and state-funded College of Education and Community Innovation “Coming into this role, I’m certainly thinking about continuity and stability as I continue to support the initiatives upon which we have embarked,” Drake said in August to Forum a bimonthly newsletter published by GVSU’s University Communications “There has been a lot of creative and essential work happening We need to have a through line from innovative ideas all the way to implementation and assessment to ensure the quality of the education we provide.” ‘Sorely needed’ Up North housing project resumes after securing crucial funding New owner invests millions into Muskegon ready-to-drink coffee production plant New Wealthy Street art gallery and lounge plans October opening Staying current is easy with Crain's Grand Rapids Business news delivered straight to your inbox Click below to see everything we have to offer As the world gears up to turn off its lights for Earth Hour Saturday researchers and stargazers suggest a need to reduce excessive light pollution permanently dark skies pierced with radiant starlight are increasingly rare Starlight that guided earlier humans down from the trees and through the wilderness and uncharted waters to every corner of the planet has rapidly vanished That leaves a dimmer view that some researchers say may cause health problems from breast cancer to insomnia conservation experts and health advocates are attempting to regain the night sky to ignite wonder The Great Lakes region features several dark sky preserves and a newly designated park Since the invention of the light bulb in 1879 by Thomas Edison neon signs and traffic lights have become a fixture for every major city Such lighting illuminates sidewalks and houses when the sun sets washing out most planets and stars that populate Earth’s zip code “In many cases, we are over lit as a society,” said Kim Patten of the International Dark Sky Association in Tucson the International Dark-Sky Association is a non-profit group that promotes the benefits of intelligent saves energy and recaptures the awe of night Dark skies are still available in parts of the world but are increasingly rare in industrialized nations Using dark sky friendly products and retrofitting common streetlights limits light pollution and saves money “The city of Calgary went through a lighting retrofit program and is now projecting a $1.7 million a year savings in energy alone,” she said The group says that other benefits include reducing the impact such light has on bird migrations and amphibian reproduction The association also designates dark sky parks at areas that mitigate light pollution and value natural darkness as an important natural resource The newest honoree is Ohio’s Geauga Park (see slideshow) Spurred by a coalition of conservationists the sprawling 1,100-acre public park in northeast Ohio in several years will introduce new generations to what the Milky Way should looked like “ Its remoteness coupled with the community’s efforts in reducing light pollution make this site have particularly good night skies,” said Tom Curtin executive director of the Geauga Country Park District In recent years the district retrofitted streetlights with shields and installed fixtures to focus light downward Now it is helping to establish local light ordinances that will secure the night sky for years to come In and around Chicago are 10 million people and their footprint can easily be seen at night Though such spaces provide spectacular views it may be the health benefits that provide incentives to create more dark sky areas professor Richard Stevens of the University of Connecticut and other researchers uncovered how extensive artificial light exposure may affect circadian rhythm and increase the risk of certain cancers “We evolved with bright spectrum days and really dark nights with most light at night coming from the moon,” said Stevens “But the moon is a lot dimmer than the electric light around us today so the last 120 years has seen a drastic change in the night environment.” Constant exposure to light has been shown to suppress melatonin a hormone that helps regulate other hormones while maintaining the body’s circadian rhythm the 24-hour natural cycle displayed in many organisms Darkness stimulates the production of this key hormone Past studies have shown a strong correlation between women exposed to large amounts of artificial light at night and breast cancer And a 2008 study of men in 164 countries found that those who live in nations with the highest levels of nighttime light are more likely to develop prostate cancer Researchers found the incidence of prostate cancer increased by 30 percent in countries with medium exposure and 80 percent in countries with the highest level of artificial light Further research is now looking into possible links between exposure to light and the frequency of obesity and diabetes Aggiornamento Numerazioni Maglie Primavera 1 2024/2025 Lecce-Napoli: in palio salvezza e Scudetto Napoli-Torino: lotta scudetto atto secondo Copyright © 2024 Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A | P