‘Time is running out’ to save sharks and rays
The BBC reported that sharks and rays are disappearing from the world’s oceans at an “alarming rate”.
A new study suggests that the number of sharks found in open ocean has dropped by up to 71% over 50 years, with three quarters of the species studied now threatened with extinction.
Researchers have said that immediate action is necessary to secure a more optimistic future for the “extraordinary, irreplaceable animals”.
Speaking to the BBC, one of the study’s researchers Dr Richard Sherley of the University of Exeter, said the decline appears to have been driven by pressure from fishing.
“That’s the driver for the 70% reduction in the last 50 years. For every 10 sharks you had in the open ocean in the 1970s, you would have three today, across these species, on average,” Dr Sherley said.
Sharks and rays are usually fished for their fins, meat and liver oil.
One in five adults aged over 60 depressed during pandemic
At least one in five adults aged over 60 have reported symptoms of depression during the Covid-19 pandemic, which is twice the level seen previously, according to a study.
The latest publication from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (Tilda) states that older people who lived alone and those with low levels of physical activity were the most likely to report experiencing symptoms of depression during the pandemic.
The Irish Times reported that the study, which is carried out by Trinity College Dublin researchers, observed around 4,000 people aged 60 and over about their lives during the pandemic.
Around 80% of those surveyed said they had not travelled to visit friends since last spring, while 62% had not travelled to see family members.
There was a high level of compliance among respondents, with four out of five responding that they adhered to social-distancing and other requirements.
Growing evidence that exercise improves health by transforming cells
A new study which examines the molecular effects of being active has suggested that we raise and lower the levels of hundreds of molecules in our blood that are related to our metabolic health, even if the work out only lasts for a few minutes.
The study involved over 1,000 men and women, and added to an increasing body of evidence which suggests that one of the primary ways exercise improves our health is by transforming the number and type of cells inside us.
Many studies have concluded at this stage that those who take part in even moderate exercise are less likely to suffer from a range of health ailments, including obesity, diabetes, heart issues and cancer.
The study’s authors suggest that this research provides future pathways for study into the “beneficial cardiometabolic effects of exercise”.