6.12.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Radioized Diary of Science and Nature. Your reader's
Kelly Taylor. I have some articles related to the topics
of science and nature. But first a reminder that RADIOI
is a reading service intended for people who are blind
or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
pern in material. Our first article is going to come

(00:21):
from BuzzFeed and the date on this is June fourth.
The headline reads, so that's why mosquitoes bite some people
more than others. If you've ever been in an outdoor
party or barbecue during the fading hours of daylight and
don't personally notice an increase in the number of mosquitoes,
you'll probably hear someone complaining about it. That's because mosquitos

(00:45):
are selective insects, and some people are more likely to
get bites than others. There are a few factors that
could contribute to why this happens. In one controlled study
by the Journal of Medical Entomology, the bugs landed on
people with blood type OH nearly twice as frequently as
those with type A. The researchers noted this has to
do with secretions we produce, which tips mosquitoes off on

(01:09):
a person's blood type. More research needs to be conducted
on mosquito's potential preferences for certain blood types over others,
said Jonathan F. Day, entomology professor at the Versity of Florida.
But he agreed that mosquitoes do pick up on some
cues we give off that make the bugs more likely
to land on certain people. Quote. These cues let them

(01:32):
know they are going to a blood source, they said.
Perhaps CO two is the most important. The amount of
CO two you produce, like people with high metabolic rates, genetic,
other factors, increases the amount of carbon dioxide to give off.
The more you give off, the more attractive you are
to these arthropods. But what separates us from the non

(01:54):
living entities that give off carbon dioxide like cars? Mosquitoes
look for primary cues in conjunction with what Day calls
secondary cues. Lactic acid, the stuff that causes our muscles
to cramp during exercise, is one of those secondary cues.
For example, lactic acid is released through the skin, signaling

(02:14):
to mosquitos that we are a target. Mosquitos also have
other qualities that help them pick up on secondary cues. Quote,
Mosquitoes have excellent vision, but they fly close to the
ground to stay out of the wind. Day said, they
are able to contrast you with the horizon, so how
you are dressed matters. If you have on dark clothes,

(02:36):
you're going to attract more because you'll stand out from
the horizon, whereas those wearing light colors won't as much.
A mosquito also takes in tactile cues once it is
landed on you. Quote. Body heat is a really important
tactile cue. Day said that comes into play with genetic
differences or physiological differences. Some people tend to run a

(02:58):
little warmer when they land. They're looking for a place
where blood is close to the skin. That means those
whose temperatures are a little higher are more likely to
get the bite. Lifestyle or other health factors may also
play a role, said Melissa P. Lang, a dermatologistic Cleveland Clinic. Quote.
If body temperature is higher, you're exercising and moving around

(03:21):
a lot, or if you're drinking alcohol, you are more
attractive to mosquitoes, to Lang, sid being pregnant or being
overweight also increases metabolic rate. One study showed that people
who consume just one can of beer were more at
risk of attracting mosquitoes than those who didn't. Of course,
drinking outside is a popular summer in fall activity. If

(03:43):
you've been moving around all day doing yard work and
then you stop around dusk and drink a beer on
your patio, you're definitely at risk of bites. Pi Lang
sid Well how to prevent mosquito bites. Just because you
might be more prone to bytes doesn't mean they have
to be and inevitability. One of the very best things

(04:04):
to do is to avoid peak activity times for mosquitos.
Day said. There are very very few species that are
active in the middle of the day. They are very
selective sunrise and sunset or when you'll see peak activity.
Switching your early morning run to an after work run
could help here. Of course, this tip won't help if
you are, say, throwing a barbecue for friends later at night.

(04:26):
Try to cover as much skin as you can in
these cases, Day said, especially in areas or at times
mosquitoes are most likely to be present. I love the
fishing shirts and the long legged outdoor pants that are breathable,
but they prevent mosquitoes. Day said. A repellent that has
a good protection time defined is the time for when
you apply to when you get the first bite is

(04:48):
also great. Roughly five percent deep sprays that's d e
T gives you ninety minutes of complete coverage. Deet is
a common gredient in insect repellents, and sprays with deat
are probably the way to go if you know you're
at risk of bites. Despite the controversy over the health
effects of deat, a twenty fourteen review by the EPA

(05:12):
reconcluded that normal use of deep products does not pose
a risk to one's health, including children, pregnant women, and
breastfeeding women. Deet is the most effective Pilliang said. If
you're going to be in a mosquito prone place, knowing
that they can carry disease, it is your best bet.
Take a shower later to wash it off and put

(05:32):
on just a little bit. Always read the directions on
the spray before using it, and help children apply products
by following the United States Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention guidelines. And while you may have heard the candles
containing natural repellents like citronella oil can be useful, there
is no research to support it yet. Instead, keep the

(05:53):
fan on or hang out in a breezy area. Mosquitoes
can't get around very much, especially in wind. To fill
Leang said, you can run a fan to keep air moving.
If you do end up with a bite, you may
or may not be bothered. This all depends on how
allergic you are to the chemicals and the saliva of
the mosquito, and that can vary based on the type

(06:14):
of the mosquito or how reactive you and your skin
are to things in the environment. If it is itchy,
the worst possible thing you can do is scratch it.
If you do, then more histamine is released and it
gets itchier, she says Pilliang. If you scratch it, you're
also more likely to break skin. You can get bleeding

(06:35):
scabs and put yourself at risk for infection and scarring.
But there are a few simple things you can do
to alleviate the itch, like putting an ice cube on it.
The sensation of cold travels on the same nerve as itch,
so you cannot feel both at the same time. Piliang
said even a drink with ice on it will help
relieve itch immediately if you've received several bites after a

(06:59):
morning or even outside. She also recommended over the counter
anti itch creams with a mild topical steroid like hydrocortisome.
You can apply that two or three times a day
to reduce itch, she said. And the last thing you
can do if you're really bit up is take an antihistamine.
It can counteract the reaction a bit. While over the

(07:21):
counter types that make you drowsy, like benadryll are more common,
you can take non drowsing antihistamines like Xertec or Allegra
for daytime relief. Of course, prevention is always better than treatments.
Of use these tips to stave off bites in the
first place as you head out for the season's remaining
barbecues and tailgates. Turning now to USA Today, and this

(07:44):
headline reads where are the hurricanes? Top forecast says a
busy season is still on the way. This is from
June eleventh. In USA Today, the tropics may be relatively
quiet for the moment, but the latest forecast outlook for
the twenty two twenty five Atlantic hurricane season doesn't expect
that to last. A more active than normal season is

(08:06):
still expected, reports the Tropical Research Team at Colorado State University.
The forecast is unchanged from its initial April release. Which
calls for seventeen named storms, nine hurricanes, and four major hurricanes.
Activity is expected to be about one hundred and twenty
five percent of the average hurricane season from nineteen ninety

(08:29):
one to twenty twenty. Activity in twenty twenty four, with
five landfalling hurricanes in the mainland United States was about
one hundred and thirty percent of average. The Colorado State
team also sees an above average probability of major hurricanes
making landfall along the continental United States coastline and in
the Caribbean. So far, the twenty twenty five hurricane season

(08:53):
is exhibiting characteristics similar to nineteen ninety six, ninety nine,
two thousand and eight, one eleven, and twenty twenty one,
says the lead author, Phil Klotzback, senior research scientist at
Colorado State's Atmospheric Science Department. His co authors are CSU
Professor Michael Bell and research scientists Levi Silvers. The risk

(09:15):
of a major hurricane with winds of more than one
hundred and eleven miles per hour making landfall somewhere along
the entire US mainland coast is about fifty one percent.
Hurricane season outlooks provide clues for emergency responders and risk managers.
Forecast experts say it's important to remember that even just

(09:39):
one hurricane or tropical storm can be disastrous, regardless of
what happens the rest of the season. The Colorado State
update included this reminder. Thorough preparations should be made for
every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted. No
tropical storm activity is indicated over the next seven days

(09:59):
by the National Hurricane Center. A longer range outlook through
July first shows the risk of tropical development elevated only
in the waters just to the north of Mexico's Yukatam Peninsula,
according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center.
Now to National Geographic and This is an article headlined

(10:23):
Everything you Need to Know about Joshua Tree National Park.
This is from June to fourth, written by Joe Yoghurst.
Joshua Tree National Park is often described as an out
of this world experience or healing for one soul, says
Donovan Smith, the park's public information officer. With sunny skies

(10:46):
almost all year round, the wide open vistas allow the
visitor to experience the true vastness of the landscape from
almost anywhere in the park. It's an extraordinary place to
connect with the beauty and reliance nature as to offer.
Newcomers among the three million visitors who pass through each
year are often surprised by the abrupt transition between the

(11:08):
park's Mojave and Colorado deserts. The Mohave or high desert,
claims the park's western half, where giant, branching yuccas thrive
on sandy plains studied by massive granite monoliths and rock
piles there. Among these are among the most intriguing and

(11:31):
photogenic geological phenomena found in California's many desert regions. The
Colorado or low desert, thrives on the parks gently declining
eastern flank, where temperatures are usually higher. It often seems
sparse and forbidding, yet here and there are colorful desert
gardens of flowering up cootillo and choya cactus. Dozens of

(11:58):
trails are open to high biking and horseback riding, and
the stony terrain makes it one of America's rock climbing meccas.
Spring brings a carpet of wildflowers and the super clear
desert night sky makes the park at oasis for stargazing.
Joshua Tree is open to the public year round. Temperatures

(12:19):
are most comfortable in the spring and fall, with an
average high of eighty five fahrenheit and a low of
fifty fahrenheit. When winter brings cooler days around sixty fahrenheit,
freezing nights and the possibility of snow. At the park's
higher elevations, summer's swelter, with midday temperatures frequently above one

(12:40):
hundred degrees fahrenheit. The spring wildflower bloom usually starts in
January or February at lower elevations and peaks part wide
in April through June. October through May is our busiest
time of year, especially holiday weekends, says Donovan Smith. During
this busy time, some parking lots and first come, first

(13:02):
serve campgrounds can fill up as early as eight am.
We often see extended entrance station lines from ten am
until two pm. Park's premiere attractions, forests of giant branching
Yuccas known as Joshua Trees, massive rock formations, fan palm oases,

(13:22):
and seasonal gardens of Choya and Ukto I'm sorry Alkokiyo
can be enjoyed on a leisurely half day auto tour
along the main park roads. Starting from the main visitor
center in the town of Joshua, Tree Park Boulevard crosses
the western half of the park to Hidden Valley. Along

(13:43):
the way, there's a trailhead for the short hike up
Cap Rock and Ranger led tours of historic Ryan Ranch,
as well as the turnoff to Panoramic Keys View. Continuing
over Sheep Pass, the boulevard drops into Queen Valley and
a huge Joshua Tree Forest. The eighteen mile Geology Tour
road runs south through the valley, with sixteen stops along

(14:06):
the way that explain how the park's dramatic landscape was formed.
Along the valley's eastern edge are the Jumbo Rocks and
Erie Skull Rock, a natural formation that looks like a
skeleton's head. Reaching the t junction at Pinto Y, drivers
turn left and explore the lush oasis of Mara Palm

(14:27):
Grove beside the Oasis visitor center, or hang a right
and follow Pinto Basin Road into the park's lesser known
eastern expanse, where other iconic desert plants Choya cactus, Okotellyo
cottonwood trees and California fan palms overshadow the famous trees.
The most popular stop along this route is the gorgeous

(14:48):
Choya Cactus Garden. Cottonwood Visitor Center anchors the park's southeast
corner and a hiking area that includes trails to Mastodon
Park and the remote Lass Palm's Oasis. Just outside the park.
The General Patton Memorial Museum at Cheriaco Summit includes a
large collection of battle tanks and mementos of the general's

(15:12):
military exploits from World War II. Keys View is one
of the most iconic panoramas in the entire park system.
Is located on the crest of the Little San Bernardino
Mountains and offers a mile high vista of Coachella Valley
and at a distance the Salt and Sea mount sanyacinto
Sanadrea's Fault and the Ansa Orega Desert. The view is

(15:35):
especially enchanting at dusk, when Palm Springs, Indio and other
valley cities sparkle with millions of lights. In the heart
of the park, and fifty six foot Ryan Mountain renders
bird's eye views of Hidden Valley and Queen Valley at
the top of a steep, difficult hike that totals three
miles from the San Francisco Chronicle comes this article California's

(16:04):
massive dam removal hit a key milestone. Now there's a problem.
This is dated June eleventh, ridden by Curtis Alexander. Last year,
after the historic removal of four dams on the Klamath River,
thousands of salmon rushed upstream into the long blocked waters
along the California Oregon border, seeking out the cold, plentiful

(16:27):
flows considered crucial to the fish's future. The return of
salmon to their ancestral home was a fundamental goal of
dam removal and a measure of the project's success. However,
a problem emerged. The returning salmon only got so far.
Eight miles upriver from the former dam sites lies a

(16:49):
still existing dam, the forty one foot tall Keno Dam
in southern Oregon. The dam has a fish ladder that's
supposed to help with fish passage, but it did proved
to work. While many proponents of dam removal say they're
thrilled with just how far the salmon got, most of
the four hundred and twenty miles of waterways that salmon

(17:10):
couldn't reach before the damned demolition still appear largely unreachable.
This stands to keep the fish from spreading and reproducing
in the high numbers anticipated with the project. Other migratory fish,
including steelhead trout and Pacific lamb prey, may face similar streets.
The shortcoming has opened a new chapter in the decades's

(17:33):
long effort to liberate the Klamath River, this one focused
on Keno Dam. It has also left some people frustrated
that the dam wasn't undressed sooner when the other dams
were dealt with. It's too bad that there wasn't enough forethought,
says William Ray, Junior chairman of the Klamath Tribes, who
represent the native communities in the upper section of the

(17:56):
Klamath Basin where salmon haven't been able to get to.
The fish have gone a lot farther, and that was
the whole point. The job just wasn't done. Far from it.
The five hundred million dollar dam project, considered the largest
in U S history, was overseen by the states of
California and Oregon in partnership with tribes and environmental groups,

(18:18):
which initiated the effort to restore the two hundred fifty
mile wide or two hundred fifty mile long Klamath River
to its natural conditions. The former owner of the power
generating dams, Pacific Corp, agreed to dam removal to rid
itself of the river's aging and increasingly costly hydroelectric operations.

(18:41):
The Portland based utility and state of California paid for
the work. Pacific Corp. Also owned Keno Dam, but because
the dam provides flood control unlike the others, it was
transferred to the federal government's Bureau of Reclamation for continued
operation as part of the dam removal agreement. In recent months, federal, state,

(19:04):
and tribal officials have been evaluating Keno Dam to see
what might be done to make sure it's passable for salmon.
The possibilities range from rebuilding the old fish ladder to
removing the dam. Making changes, though, will be complicated by
the facility's role in regulating river flows, and it could

(19:24):
be years, if not decades, before there's permanent fix. Restoration
is not a flip of the switch and everything is
fine endeavor, said Philip Millburn, district manager at the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife. It took hundreds of years
for the basin to get to the way it is
now and is going to take time to modify it

(19:44):
to suit fish above Keno Dam, where migratory fish haven't
been for more than a century because of the dam's
three hundred and fifty miles of rivers, lakes and creeks,
Let's see, lakes and creeks are believed to be key
for the struggling salmon population. Salmons spend most of their

(20:06):
short lives at sea, but they need fresh water to spawn.
With the warming climate, the cold water springs, higher elevations,
and nutrient rich waters of the Upper Klamat Basin are
particularly important for reproduction. The revival of the basin salmon
would be a boon for the commercial fishing industry and
culinary world, as well as for the many tribes that

(20:28):
see the fish as a spiritual force in their communities.
We haven't had the fish for a long time, said
Ray Junior. It harms the culture and the health of
our people. We're becoming impatient. The apparent problem that Keno
Dam became clear late last year following what many federal, state,
and tribal officials considered an immediate success with the dam

(20:51):
removal project, The number of salmon swimming in the newly
opened up waters of the Klamath River downstream of Keno
Dam was generally more than what was anticipated so soon.
Roughly two thousand chinook salmon were counted after the last
of the dams was raised in August. In surveys recently
released by a multi jurisdictional team of scientists, Sonar Reports

(21:15):
suggests the number could have been thousands more. The fish
were part of the river's fall run, its most populous run.
The salmon journeyed from the mouth of the Klamath River
in California's redwood filled north to the sunny rolling hills
of Siskiyou County, a total of one hundred and ninety
miles to the first of the former dam sites. Beyond

(21:39):
going the distance, the ability of the salmon to enter
a new stretch of river inged on navigating cloudy waters
whipped up temporarily with the damned demolition, as well as
resisting the urge to stay in familiar territory. Salmon are
built to return to their place of birth, though they
sometimes stray when it's in their interest. A lot of

(22:00):
people expected it would take years for the fish to
show up in these numbers, said Mike Belchik, a senior
fisheries biologists for the Northern California's Irok tribe. That was wrong.
He says, Coho salmon, steel had trout, and Pacific lamprey
also have been documented in the footprint of the old dams.

(22:21):
The fall run chinook. Once they got above the former
dam sites, spawned either in the Klamath's main stem or
in a tributary such as Ginny or Shovel Creeks. This spring,
newly born salmon began migrating to the sea. The adults
die after spawning. I don't know if the fish ran

(22:42):
out a room or not. Belchik said. Some of the
habitats seemed fully occupied, but we're pretty stoked that so
many went up there. More than five hundred adults were
estimated to have gone as far as Oregon, with the
unknown number making it to Qino Dam. At least a
few were observed in the dam's fish ladder, which is
a series of more than twenty step pools designed to

(23:03):
help fish bypass the dam, but none were documented to
have reached the top. While a lack of monitoring could
explain the complete absence of fish above the dam. The
challenges at the dam are unmistakable. One issue is believed
to be a component called the trash racks. The vertical
bars at the intakes of the fish ladder, which keep

(23:25):
logs from clogging the passageway, were too narrow for salmon,
an obstruction that federal officials at the View of Reclamation
have since worked on. But the larger problem, according to
Oregon Wildlife officials, is that the fish ladder a Kino,
dates to when the dam was built in nineteen sixty
seven and simply doesn't work well. The openings between the

(23:46):
pools where fish pass are too small, the gates controlling
the flow of water or faulty. The ladder is located
too far from where fish approach. To provide fish passage
that meets current State of WA Oregon and federal fish
passage criteria, a new passage facility would be required, Wildlife

(24:07):
officials wrote. In twenty twenty three, the Bureau of Reclamation
confirmed in a statement to the Chronicle that it was
working on fish passage solutions at the dam. The agency, however,
declined a request for an interview about the details of
the work. And the timing. While the Bureau of Reclamations

(24:27):
acquisition of Keno Dam last summer meant that the agency
was enable to address fish passage until recently, state and
tribal officials say there were other reasons the issue wasn't
taken up sooner. One was uncertainty about whether the dam
removal project downriver would ever get done after years of delays.

(24:48):
Another was skepticism that SAMA would make it to Keno
Dam even if the dams below came down. Furthermore, the
focus on the removal of the four dams left little
time and resources to figure out what to do with
potential hurdles upstream. There just wasn't the capacity to do
everything at once, said Milburn. Now we're tackling the things

(25:09):
that were sidelined during the initial project. With two new
grants from the federal government, Oregon Wildlife officials have been
tasked with identifying both short term and long term fixes
for Keno Dam. The state recently received the first one
hundred thousand dollars of a four and a half million
dollar grant for immediate repairs, such as making sure the

(25:31):
trash racks on the fish ladder don't block salmon state
officials have also convened a group of experts to study
and recommend a permanent solution over the next three years.
With the second one point nine million dollar grant, the
recommendation will be forwarded to the Bureau of Reclamation for
consideration and now from USA Today dated June the eleventh,

(25:55):
the headline is which US cities report forever chemicals in
drinking water? Water pouring from the faucets of at least
forty two million Americans is contaminated with unacceptable levels of
forever chemicals. Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFA's, are a

(26:17):
family of chemicals engineered to be nearly indestructible. Studies have
shown they can accumulate over time in human bodies, leading
to certain cancers and other health complications. Over the past
two years, the EPA has collected complete sets of test
results from about sixty nine hundred drinking water systems, and

(26:37):
thousands more are expected as the PFA's testing initiative continues
another year. USA Today's analysis of these systems with complete
results shows nearly a quarter of large water utilities serving
at least one hundred thousand customers exceeded limits that the
EPA approved last year on two chemicals, pfo S and PFOA.

(27:02):
Water systems in Fairfax County, Virginia and San Juan, Puerto
Rico have now joined the list of utilities with test
results that averaged over the limits in EPA's latest data.
USA Today's analysis also shows that Tempier, Arizona, which provides
water to more than one hundred and sixty five thousand people,
has joined that list. Multiple test locations there failed to

(27:26):
meet the standards. Pfos at one sample site averaged fifty
five parts per trillion, several times higher than the acceptable
limit of four parts per trillion. Altogether, USA Today found
seven hundred and seventy four systems don't meet the limits
for forever chemicals. Those utilities probably will need to install

(27:47):
advanced filtration systems or find other sources of drinking water
by twenty thirty one. Well, that's it for today's Diary
of Science and Nature. Your reader was Kelly Taylor. Now
stay tuned for the Health Corner on RADIOI