More than 4.2 million Americans live with glaucoma, a leading cause of vision loss in the nation. Although there is no cure for glaucoma, early detection and treatment can stop this condition in its tracks.
“Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States, but it’s estimated that half of people with glaucoma don’t know they have it,” said Michael F. Chiang, M.D. “Glaucoma has no early symptoms, and the only way to check if you have it is to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam. There’s no cure for glaucoma, but starting treatment as early as possible can help stop vision loss.”
Regular eye exams are among the best lines of defense because symptoms may not appear until the disease has progressed significantly. Knowing more about how to spot the condition and what you can do about it may help protect your vision in the long run.
Glaucoma is actually a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve in the back of the eye and cause vision loss and blindness. The most common type in the United States is open-angle glaucoma. Other, less common, types include angle-closure glaucoma and congenital glaucoma.
Learn more about glaucoma from the experts at the National Eye Institute in honor of Glaucoma Awareness Month.
Causes
For some people, glaucoma is the result of another medical condition, but that’s not always the case. While experts still aren’t sure exactly what causes open-angle glaucoma, it’s believed to be related to the pressure that builds in the eye when fluid doesn’t drain fast enough. Over time, the pressure causes nerve damage, which then leads to vision loss.
Risk Factors
Glaucoma is not preventable and can affect anyone. However, some groups of people are at higher risk, including those over age 60 – particularly Hispanic or Latino individuals. African American individuals over age 40 are also at greater risk, as are people with a family history of glaucoma.
Symptoms
Early on, most people do not experience any symptoms of glaucoma. Over time, you may start to notice disruptions to your vision, such as blind spots or decreased peripheral vision (what you see from the sides of your eyes) in one or both eyes. This loss may be especially prevalent closest to your nose. Symptoms typically progress so slowly that people get used to it and don’t realize their vision is changing, which is why so many people with glaucoma don’t know they have it.
Intense eye pain, nausea, red eyes and blurry vision are all potential signs of angle-closure glaucoma, and immediate emergency treatment is necessary.
Diagnosis
The only way to properly diagnose glaucoma is through a dilated eye exam, including visual field testing to check your side vision. This routine test is painless and involves looking straight ahead while your doctor checks how well you can see objects off to the side or at the top or bottom of your field of vision.
Treatment
Without treatment, glaucoma can eventually lead to blindness. Treatment won’t undo any vision damage, but it can stop it from getting worse. Treatment may involve prescription eye drops to reduce eye pressure. Other treatment options include a laser procedure or surgery to help fluid drain. Vision rehabilitation services and devices may help if vision loss affects your everyday activities.
Caminar no solo es bueno para el cuerpo; es una forma sencilla y poderosa de cuidar la mente y el alma. La actividad física, como caminar, reduce el estrés, mejora el estado de ánimo y promueve el bienestar general. Sin embargo, los niveles de actividad física en los Estados Unidos siguen disminuyendo, una tendencia que amenaza tanto la salud mental como la física.
Menos de la mitad de los adultos y menos de 1 de cada 5 niños en los EE. UU. realizan la cantidad recomendada de actividad física necesaria para la salud cardíaca, según la Actualización estadística de enfermedades cardíacas y accidentes cerebrovasculares de 2025 de la American Heart Association.
Las recomendaciones nacionales exigen que los niños realicen al menos una hora de actividad física cada día, pero las últimas estadísticas muestran que menos del 19% de los niños en EE. UU. alcanzan ese objetivo. Mientras tanto, menos de la mitad de los adultos realizan los 150 minutos o más de actividad física semanal recomendada.
Es más, según datos de una Encuesta Nacional de Examen de Salud y Nutrición, 1 de cada 4 adultos estadounidenses permanece sentado más de ocho horas al día, lo que puede tener consecuencias negativas para la salud física y mental.
Durante décadas, la American Heart Association ha defendido la importancia de la actividad física en las comunidades de todo el país. Estos consejos e información pueden ayudarle a comprender cómo una caminata rápida puede marcar una gran diferencia en la salud cardíaca y la claridad mental.
Beneficios de la actividad física
Mantenerse activo es una de las mejores maneras de mantener la mente y el cuerpo saludables.
Los beneficios para la salud física pueden ser obvios, pero las investigaciones sugieren que la actividad física también puede ayudar a traer más alegría a su vida. Según las Pautas de actividad física para estadounidenses de 2019, las personas que realizan la cantidad recomendada de actividad física tienen menos probabilidades de sufrir depresión.
La actividad física regular mejora el estado de ánimo, agudiza la mente, mejora el sueño y aumenta el bienestar general, al mismo tiempo que reduce el riesgo de enfermedades y depresión y aumenta tanto la calidad como la longevidad de vida.
Cómo ser más activo físicamente
Un ejercicio tan simple como una caminata rápida puede darle un impulso importante a su paso. Incluso puede darle energía para terminar otras tareas, ya sea cocinar o hacer mandados. Dele un impulso a su nivel de actividad física diaria con estos consejos:
Hacer ejercicio al aire libre es una excelente manera de moverse. Se ha demostrado que pasar tiempo al aire libre reduce el estrés, promueve un sentido de pertenencia y mejora el estado de ánimo. Es aún mejor si puede disfrutar del sol al aire libre, lo que puede mejorar el estado de ánimo, reforzar su inmunidad y ayudarle a obtener vitamina D.
Invite a un familiar o amigo a que lo acompañe. Es bueno para ellos, es bueno para usted y es buena compañía para todos.
En lugar de preguntarse si se moverá hoy, explore cómo lo hará. Un paseo, un baile o un estiramiento, todo cuenta.
Involucrar a las mascotas
Las mascotas son parte de su familia y pueden ayudar a que todos estén saludables juntos. Las mascotas brindan una razón divertida para pasar más tiempo al aire libre y hacer el ejercicio necesario para reducir el riesgo de enfermedades más adelante en la vida.
Moverse con su mascota agrega más ejercicio a su rutina, lo que significa vivir más tiempo, reducir el riesgo de morir de un ataque cardíaco o un derrame cerebral, reducir el riesgo de diabetes, reducir el estrés e incluso aumentar su felicidad y bienestar general.
Hacer ejercicio con su mascota también puede significar disfrutar de más socialización. Es posible que se encuentre con otros dueños de perros en su zona durante un paseo o en el parque para perros.
Obtenga más información sobre cómo hábitos simples como caminar pueden favorecer su salud general en heart.org/MoveMore.
If you’re thinking about making a career change, re-evaluating your long-term career path or looking for a career with purpose, there is one path you may not have considered – and it might be the perfect fit: funeral service.
Consider this: Funeral service is facing a critical shortage of skilled professionals in the next decade due to retiring funeral home owners and rising death rates. In fact, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) estimates 5,700 openings for funeral service workers during each of the next 10 years.
In a world where Gen Zers said having a sense of purpose is important to their overall job satisfaction and well-being, according to a study by Deloitte, there’s an opportunity for business-minded individuals, young professionals and those seeking second career paths to explore this distinguished and fulfilling profession. While 1 in 10 (12%) adults would consider a career as a funeral director, Gen Zers (44%) and Millennials (38%) admit they do not know enough about the profession based on a survey by the NFDA.
There are several reasons to consider funeral service as a career, whether you’re a new grad, a young professional looking to get your foot in the door or someone with years of experience who’d like to test your transferable skills in a new career.
1. Fulfillment and Purpose
Funerals and memorial services are an important part of the grieving process and an opportunity for family and friends to gather to comfort one another and say goodbye to their loved one.
Funeral directors are not just in charge of logistics. They play a vital role in helping families navigate one of the most challenging times in their lives. They provide emotional support, guide families through funeral arrangements and ensure the service honors the deceased’s life.
2. Community Involvement
Funeral directors are often deeply involved in the communities they serve, volunteering with local nonprofit and community organizations, sponsoring little league teams and organizing collections for troops overseas. This sense of community extends beyond the immediate responsibilities of the job, as many funeral directors take on the role of mentors and leaders, guiding the next generation of professionals.
“As I look ahead to the next 15 years of my career and beyond, I ask myself one question and encourage others to do the same, no matter what career they are in: Are you doing the work to inspire a new generation of leaders and being the person you needed when you first started out?” said Allyse Worland, CFSP, licensed funeral director. “For me, the answer is always yes, and I am excited to see what the future holds.”
3. Ability to Own a Business
A career in funeral service offers the opportunity to own your own funeral home. With experience and business skills, you can manage and grow a company that provides essential services to your community. It’s a unique blend of compassion and entrepreneurship, allowing you to make a meaningful impact while running a successful business.
If you’re looking for a meaningful career that combines purpose, community and the opportunity for growth, funeral service might be the path for you. With the occupation’s demand for skilled professionals on the rise, now is the time to consider how you can make a difference in the lives of others while shaping the future of a growing profession.
Learn more about the career path and take a quiz to determine whether it’s right for you by visiting rememberingalife.com/careers.
If your idea of street tacos includes standing over a hot skillet, wipe that sweat off your brow and give these Savory Street Tacos a try. They put the slow cooker and oven to work for you, providing that delicious street taco taste without the hassle. For more ways to simplify cooking at home, visit Culinary.net.
Cover chuck roast with taco seasoning then place in slow cooker. Pour beef consommé over roast and cook on low 6 hours to braise.
Heat oven to 425 F.
Use fork to shred roast.
Brush outside of tortillas with avocado oil and fill with meat and shredded cheese. Place in casserole dish and bake 10-15 minutes until tacos reach desired crispiness.
Place on tray and serve with salsa, guacamole and queso.
Dr. Julio Fernandez-Mendoza is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral health, neuroscience and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine. He discusses the need for sleep, why teenagers require more sleep than adults, and how you can get a good night’s sleep without medications.
Julio Fernandez-Mendoza discusses heart health and sleep.
The Conversation has collaborated with SciLine to bring you highlights from the discussion that have been edited for brevity and clarity.
How much sleep is enough for adults and for adolescents?
Julio Fernandez-Mendoza: Adults who report getting about seven to eight hours of sleep per night generally have the best health, in terms of both physical and mental health, and longevity.
But that recommendation changes with age. Adults over age 65 may need just six to seven hours of sleep per night. So older people, if otherwise healthy, should not feel anxious if they’re getting just six hours. Young people need the most – at least nine hours – and some younger children may need more.
How can insufficient sleep harm our health?
Fernandez-Mendoza: Our team was the first to show that those complaining about insomnia – difficulty falling or staying asleep – were more likely to have high blood pressure and be at risk for heart disease.
What about people who have more serious sleep problems?
Fernandez-Mendoza:Good sleep hygiene habits include cutting down on caffeine and alcohol, quitting smoking and exercising regularly. I also recommend not skipping meals, not eating too late at night and not eating too much.
But people with a persistent sleep problem may need to make more behavioral changes. Research studies point to a set of six rules that can improve your sleep. You can follow these changes consistently in the short term, and then choose how to adapt them into your lifestyle down the road.
First, get up at the same time no matter what. No matter how much sleep you get. This will anchor your sleep/wake cycle, called your circadian rhythm.
Second, do not use your bed for anything except sleep and sexual activity.
Third, when you can’t sleep, don’t lie in bed awake. Instead, get out of bed, go into another room if you can, and do an activity that’s enjoyable or relaxing. Go back to bed only when you’re ready to sleep.
Fourth, get going with daily activities even after a poor night’s sleep. Don’t try to compensate for sleep loss. If you have chronic insomnia, don’t nap, sleep in, or doze during the day or evening even after poor sleep the previous night.
Fifth, go to bed only when you’re actually sleepy enough to fall asleep.
And sixth, start with the amount of sleep you’re now getting – with the lowest limit at five hours – and then increase it weekly by 15 minutes.
These six rules are evidence-based and go above and beyond simple sleep hygiene habits. If they don’t work, see a provider who can help you.
Your teen isn’t lazy. There are reasons why adolescents sleep in.
Do you have advice specifically for adolescents?
Fernandez-Mendoza: Adolescence is a unique developmental period. It’s not just the obvious physical, emotional and behavioral changes that occur during adolescence and puberty – there are changes in a teenager’s brain that can alter their sleep patterns.
When an adolescent goes through puberty, their internal clock changes so that their sleep schedule shifts to later hours. While it’s true that adolescents are more engaged at night because of their social relationships, there’s also biology behind why they want to stay up late – their internal clocks have shifted. It’s not just choice.
Parents can help their teens get better sleep. Set a time for kids to stop doing homework and put away electronics. Instead, they can watch TV with the family or read – something relaxing and enjoyable that will help them wind down before bed.
You can also gradually move back their wake-up time. Start on weekends, waking them up 30 minutes earlier every day, including school days, until the child reaches the desired wake-up time. Don’t try to reshift them suddenly – for example, waking up a teenager at 5 a.m. like it’s the military – because that doesn’t work. They won’t get used to it, since it’s at odds with their internal clock. So, do it little by little. If that doesn’t work, see a clinical provider.
What kind of treatments can a sleep clinician provide?
Fernandez-Mendoza: People should get help if they feel they sleep poorly, if they’re fatigued during the day, or if they snore or grind their teeth. All these issues deserve attention.
Some people may think a sleep provider just prescribes expensive medication, but that’s not true. There are behavioral, non-drug-based treatments that work. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the first-line treatment recommended for insomnia. Light therapy may also help, which is the use of a bright light therapy lamp at a given time during the day or evening, depending on the person’s sleep problem.
SciLine is a free service based at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a nonprofit that helps journalists include scientific evidence and experts in their news stories.
Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Neuroscience, and Public Health Sciences, Penn State
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Artificial intelligence is expected to generate a growing share of the world’s creative work.
karetoria/Moment via Getty ImagesMartin Abel, Bowdoin College and Reed Johnson, Bowdoin College
People say they prefer a short story written by a human over one composed by artificial intelligence, yet most still invest the same amount of time and money reading both stories regardless of whether it is labeled as AI-generated.
That was the main finding of a study we conducted recently to test whether this preference of humans over AI in creative works actually translates into consumer behavior. Amid the coming avalanche of AI-generated work, it is a question of real livelihoods for the millions of people worldwide employed in creative industries.
To investigate, we asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4 to generate a short story in the style of the critically acclaimed fiction author Jason Brown. We then recruited a nationally representative sample of over 650 people and offered participants US$3.50 to read and assess the AI-generated story. Crucially, only half the participants were told that the story was written by AI, while the other half was misled into believing it was the work of Jason Brown.
After reading the first half of the AI-generated story, participants were asked to rate the quality of the work along various dimensions, such as whether they found it predictable, emotionally engaging, evocative and so on. We also measured participants’ willingness to pay in order to read to the end of the story in two ways: how much of their study compensation they’d be willing to give up, and how much time they’d agree to spend transcribing some text we gave them.
So, were there differences between the two groups? The short answer: yes. But a closer analysis reveals some startling results.
To begin with, the group that knew the story was AI-generated had a much more negative assessment of the work, rating it more harshly on dimensions like predictability, authenticity and how evocative it is. These results are largely in keeping with a nascent but growing body of research that shows bias against AI in areas like visual art, music and poetry.
Nonetheless, participants were ready to spend the same amount of money and time to finish reading the story whether or not it was labeled as AI. Participants also did not spend less time on average actually reading the AI-labeled story.
When asked afterward, almost 40% of participants said they would have paid less if the same story was written by AI versus a human, highlighting that many are not aware of the discrepancies between their subjective assessments and actual choices.
The potential implications for the future of human-created work are profound, especially in market conditions in which AI-generated work can be orders of magnitude cheaper to produce.
Our research raises questions whether these labels are effective in stemming the tide.
What’s next
Attitudes toward AI are still forming. Future research could investigate whether there will be a backlash against AI-generated creative works, especially if people witness mass layoffs. After all, similar shifts occurred in the wake of mass industrialization, such as the arts and crafts movement in the late 19th century, which emerged as a response to the growing automation of labor.
A related question is whether the market will segment, where some consumers will be willing to pay more based on the process of creation, while others may be interested only in the product.
Regardless of how these scenarios play out, our findings indicate that the road ahead for human creative labor might be more uphill than previous research suggested. At the very least, while consumers may hold beliefs about the intrinsic value of human labor, many seem unwilling to put their money where their beliefs are.
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.
Martin Abel, Assistant Professor of Economics, Bowdoin College and Reed Johnson, Senior Lecturer in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, Bowdoin College
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Mold growths are common in homes, and unless the damage is widespread, they usually aren’t harmful.
AP Photo/Matt RourkeNicholas Money, Miami University
Mold growth in your home can be unsettling. Blackened spots and dusty patches on the walls are signs that something is amiss, but it is important to distinguish between mold growth that is a nuisance and mold growth that may be harmful.
There are more than 1 million species of fungi. Some are used to produce important medications. Others can cause life-threatening infections when they grow in the body.
Microscopic fungi that grow in homes are a problem because they can trigger asthma and other allergies. In my work as a fungal biologist, however, I have yet to encounter robust scientific evidence to support claims that indoor molds are responsible for other serious illnesses.
What are molds?
Molds are microscopic fungi that grow on everything. This may sound like an exaggeration, but pick any material and a mold will be there, from the leaves on your houseplant to the grain in your pantry and every pinch of soil on the ground. They form splotches on the outside of buildings, grow in crevices on concrete paths and roads, and even live peacefully on our bodies.
Molds are important players in life on Earth. They’re great recyclers that fertilize the planet with fresh nutrients as they rot organic materials. Mildew is another word for mold.
Fungi, including molds, produce microscopic, seed-like particles called spores that spread in the air. Mold spores are produced on stalks. There are so many of these spores that you inhale them with every breath. Thousands could fit within the period at the end of this sentence.
When these spores land on surfaces, they germinate to form threads that elongate, and they branch to create spidery colonies that expand into circular patches. After mold colonies have grown for a few days, they start producing a new generation of spores.
Where do indoor molds grow?
Molds can grow in any building. Even in the cleanest homes, there will be traces of mold growth beneath bathroom and kitchen sinks. They’re also likely to grow on shower curtains, as well as in sink drains, dishwashers and washing machines.
Molds grow wherever water collects, but they become a problem in buildings only when there is a persistent plumbing leak, or in flooded homes.
There are many species of indoor molds, which an expert can identify by looking at their spores with a microscope.
The types of molds that grow in homes include species of Aspergillus and Penicillium, which are difficult to tell apart. These are joined by Cladosporium and Chaetomium, which loves to grow on wet carpets.
Stachybotrys is another common fungus in homes. I’ve found it under plant pots in my living room.
When does mold growth become a problem?
Problematic mold growth occurs when drywall becomes soaked through and mold colonies develop into large, brown or black patches. If the damaged area is smaller than a pizza box, you can probably clean it yourself. But more extensive mold growth often requires removing and replacing the drywall. Either way, solving the plumbing leak or protecting the home from flooding is essential to prevent the mold from returning.
A home with a serious mold problem caused by a plumbing leak.Nicholas Money
In cases of severe mold growth, you can hire an indoor air quality specialist to measure the concentration of airborne spores in the home. Low concentrations of spores are normal and present no hazard, but high concentrations of spores can cause allergies.
During air testing, a specialist will sample the air inside and outside the home on the same day. If the level of spores measured in indoor air is much higher than the level measured in the outdoor air, molds are likely growing somewhere inside the home.
Another indication of mold growth inside the home is the presence of different kinds of molds in the outdoor and indoor air. Professional air sampling will identify both of these issues.
Why are indoor molds a problem?
Indoor molds present three problems. First, they create an unappealing living space by discoloring surfaces and creating unpleasant, moldy smells. Second, their spores, which float in the air, can cause asthma and allergic rhinitis, or hay fever.
Finally, some molds produce poisonous chemicals called mycotoxins. There is no scientific evidence linking mycotoxins produced by indoor molds to illnesses among homeowners. But mycotoxins could cause problems in the most severe cases of mold damage – usually in flooded homes. Irrespective of mycotoxin problems, you should treat mold growth in these more severe situations to prevent allergies.
The black mold Stachybotrys is a common indoor mold.Nicholas Money
The mold called Stachybotrys has been called the toxic black mold since its growth was linked to lung bleeding in infants in Cleveland in the 1990s. This fungus grows on drywall when it becomes soaked with water and produces a range of mycotoxins.
Black mold spores are sticky and are not blown into the air very easily. This behavior limits the number of spores that anyone around will likely inhale, and it means that any dose of the toxins you might absorb from indoor mold is vanishingly small. But the developing lungs of babies and children are particularly vulnerable to damage. This is why it is important to limit mold growth in homes and address the sources of moisture that stimulate its development.
Knowing when indoor molds require attention is a useful skill for every homeowner and can allow them to avoid unnecessary stress.
Nicholas Money, Professor of Biology, Miami University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
The Sun periodically ejects huge bubbles of plasma from its surface that contain an intense magnetic field. These events are called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. When two of these ejections collide, they can generate powerful geomagnetic storms that can lead to beautiful auroras but may disrupt satellites and GPS back on Earth.
The northern lights, as seen here from Michigan in May 2024, are caused by geomagnetic storms in the atmosphere.Shirsh Lata Soni
Two merging CMEs triggered the largest geomagnetic storm in two decades, which manifested in brightly colored auroras visible across the sky.
I’m a solar physicist. My colleagues and I aim to track and better understand colliding CMEs with the goal of improving space weather forecasts. In the modern era, where technological systems are increasingly vulnerable to space weather disruptions, understanding how CMEs interact with each other has never been more crucial.
Coronal mass ejections
CMEs are long and twisted – kind of like ropes – and how often they happen varies with an 11-year cycle. At the solar minimum, researchers observe about one a week, but near the solar maximum, they can observe, on average, two or three per day.
During the solar maximum, solar flares and coronal mass ejections are more common.
When two or more CMEs interact, they generate massive clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields that may compress, merge or reconnect with each other during the collision. These interactions can amplify the impact of the CMEs on Earth’s magnetic field, sometimes creating geomagnetic storms.
In my research team’s study, published in May 2024, we found that CMEs that do interact or collide with each other are much more likely to cause a geomagnetic storm – two times more likely than an individual CME. The mix of strong magnetic fields and high pressure in these CME collisions is likely what causes them to generate storms.
During solar maxima, when there can be more than 10 CMEs per day, the likelihood of CMEs interacting with each other increases. But researchers aren’t sure whether they become more likely to generate a geomagnetic storm during these periods.
Scientists can study interacting CMEs as they move through space and watch them contribute to geomagnetic storms using observations from space- and ground-based observatories.
In this study, we looked at three CMEs that interacted with each other as they traveled through space using the space-based observatory STEREO. We validated these observations with three-dimensional simulations.
The CME interactions we studied generated a complex magnetic field and a compressed plasma sheath, which is a layer of charged particles that, once they reach the upper atmosphere of Earth from space, interacts with its magnetic field.
When this complex structure encountered Earth’s magnetosphere, it compressed the magnetosphere and triggered an intense geomagnetic storm.
Four images show three interacting CMEs, based on observations from the STEREO telescope. In images C and D, you can see the northeast flank of CME-1 and CME-2 that interact with the southwest part of CME-3.Shirsh Lata Soni
This same process generated the geomagnetic storm from May 2024.
Between May 8-9, multiple Earth-directed CMEs erupted from the Sun. When these CMEs merged, they formed a massive, combined structure that arrived at Earth late on May 10, 2024. This structure triggered the extraordinary geomagnetic storm many people observed. People even in parts of the southern U.S. were able to see the northern lights in the sky that night.
More technology and higher stakes
Scientists have an expansive network of space- and ground-based observatories, such as the Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, the Solar Dynamics Observatory and others, available to monitor the heliosphere – the region surrounding the Sun – from a variety of vantage points.
These resources, coupled with advanced modeling capabilities, provide timely and effective ways to investigate how CMEs cause geomagnetic storms. The Sun will reach its solar maximum in the years 2024 and 2025. So, with more complex CMEs coming from the Sun in the next few years and an increasing reliance on space-based infrastructure for communication, navigation and scientific exploration, monitoring these events is more important than ever.
Integrating the observational data from space-based missions such as Wind and ACE and data from ground-based facilities such as the e-Callisto network and radio observatories with state-of-the-art simulation tools allows researchers to analyze the data in real time. That way, they can quickly make predictions about what the CMEs are doing.
These advancements are important for keeping infrastructure safe and preparing for the next solar maximum. Addressing these challenges today ensures resilience against future space weather.
This article was updated to clarify how a compressed plasma sheath interacts with the Earth’s upper atmosphere and magnetic field.
Shirsh Lata Soni, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Freshen up your St. Patrick’s Day menu with easy, light sandwiches inspired by the traditional color of the festivities. These open-faced noshes can be perfect for lunch, snack time or even as an appetizer for get-togethers with friends and family.
Layered with a smooth cream cheese and mozzarella mixture then topped with crisp cucumber and a stem of green bell pepper, these St. Patrick’s Day Sandwiches are easy and cute, which makes them a fan favorite at nearly any green gathering. They’re also sprinkled with lemon juice to add a little acidity and create a nice, light bite.
Plus, this recipe is quick to make. When you’re in a rush to get everything on the table for the party, it’s easy to throw together and get on the platter in next to no time.
The sandwiches pop off the plate with their bright, seasonal garnishes. While sure to attract attention and have your loved ones asking “Where did you get this idea?” they’re also an easy way to sneak a few vegetables into your kids’ diets.
For more festive recipes and ideas at Culinary.net.
Watch video to see how to make this recipe!
St. Patrick’s Day Sandwiches
Yield: 8 sandwiches
8 ounces plain cream cheese spread, softened
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
salt
4 English muffins
24 slices cucumber
8 thin slices green pepper
fresh cilantro leaves
lemon juice
lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
In bowl, mix cream cheese spread, mozzarella cheese and salt well.
Split English muffins in half. Cut each muffin half into shamrock shape.
Spread cheese mixture over each muffin half.
Place three cucumbers on each “shamrock,” one on each “leaf.” Use green pepper slice as stem. Place cilantro leaf on top of each sandwich.
Sprinkle sandwiches with lemon juice and add lemon slices, for garnish, if desired.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow on Feb. 23, 2025.
Sergei Bobylyov/AFP via Getty ImagesAdam Lenton, Wake Forest University
At face value, the Kremlin has plenty to celebrate after U.S. and Russian officials held high-level bilateral talks on the war in Ukraine for the first time since the full-scale conflict began in 2022.
Russian delegates at the meeting, which took place on Feb. 18 in Saudi Arabia, struck an ebullient tone. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov concluded that “the American side has begun to better understand our position,” while Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and an envoy for Moscow, noted that the delegates managed to loosen up enough to laugh and joke. President Vladimir Putin did not attend the meeting, but he characterized it the following day as “very friendly,” going as far as to describe the American delegation as “completely different people” who were “ready to negotiate with an open mind and without any judgment over what was done in the past.”
And the talks are far from the only reason for optimism in Moscow. In statements that echoed Kremlin propaganda, U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for being invaded and described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator.” The U.S. then sided with Russia in two United Nations votes on the conflict and opposed language describing Russia as the aggressor in a draft G7 statement marking the anniversary of the war.
This perceived rapprochement between Washington and Moscow has many critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
Within Russia the reaction has been mixed. And not everybody in Moscow is celebrating the apparent shift in U.S. policy.
Favoring pragmatism
Of course, many Russians would welcome a thaw in relations. In January, Russia’s leading independent polling group found that 61% of Russians favored peace talks over continuing the war in Ukraine – the highest level yet. Meanwhile, the number of web searches for “When will the ‘Special Military Operation’ end?” on Yandex, a Russian tech firm, reached its highest-ever weekly total in the wake of the U.S.-Russia talks.
While public opinion is unlikely to shape the Kremlin’s approach given Putin’s sole control over major foreign policy decisions, evidence suggests that a rapprochement with the United States could also be a boon for Putin at home.
In a recently published article in the peer-reviewed journal International Security, my co-author Henry Hale and I found that while most Russians view the U.S. and NATO as threats, they largely prefer a pragmatic, measured response from the Kremlin – an approach they believed Putin delivered prior to the war in 2022.
High-level summits between Russia and the U.S. have tended to be well received, we found. This is because they tap into a widely held preference for cooperation as well as depicting Russia as a geopolitical “equal” to the U.S.
Pro-war hardliners speak out
Yet not everyone is pleased with the prospect of closer U.S. ties. Russia’s vocal minority of tub-thumping war supporters is already angry.
This loose community of so-called “Z-patriots” – a reference to the large “Z” letters marking Russian military equipment at the beginning of the war – has been a double-edged sword for the Kremlin.
While they have been helpful in mobilizing grassroots support for the war, they have also lambasted Moscow’s execution and made pointed criticisms of top military brass. Such attacks are, in effect, a way of making veiled attacks on Putin himself.
And we are talking about a sizable minority. Estimates indicate that Z-patriots – the more hawkish and ideologically committed segment of war supporters – represent 13% to 27% of the Russian population.
One of this group’s most prominent ideologues, Zakhar Prilepin, didn’t pull any punches in a recent interview. He described as “humiliating” the fact that “the Russian media community, political scientists and politicians are dancing with joy and telling us how wonderful everything is (now that) Trump has arrived.”
There are reasons to take this group seriously. According to Marlène Laruelle, an expert on nationalism and ideology in Russia, the Z-patriots are emerging as key opinion leaders.
Unlike other ideological camps in Russia, the Z-patriots are very much a product of the war, having emerged from the popular military blogging community and with deep connections to paramilitary and veterans organizations. Indeed, many sympathized with former mercenary Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s anti-elite rants, while Igor Girkin, a former Donbas warlord who claimed to have sparked the initial war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, openly mocked Putin to his almost million-strong Telegram followers.
The Kremlin partially cracked down on some of the Z-patriots in 2023. Prigozhin’s ill-fated mutiny in June was followed by his suspicious death in a plane crash later that summer, while Girkin was jailed and handed a four-year prison sentence for “inciting extremism.”
Yet the Z-patriots remain a force. Girkin, commenting on the U.S.-Russia talks from prison, lamented the “egregious managerial and command failure” over the past three years and sarcastically concluded that Moscow’s political elites, aware of their own weakness, are likely to “‘drag their heels’ in their inimitable style – and with their well-known genius.”
Some of the sharpest criticisms of the Kremlin have been about the economy.
Recent weeks have seen renewed optimism among many in Russia that sanctions relief is on the horizon and that sought-after Western brands may return. Russia – since 2022 the most sanctioned country in the world – had previously appeared to accept that sanctions would remain for decades to come.
A few days later, Putin announced a willingness to develop Russia’s rare earth minerals with foreign partners, including the United States, in what appeared to be an attempt to outbid Zelenskyy.
This, too, provoked a populist backlash among Z-patriots.
Another displayed dismay that “stealing Russia’s natural resources once again became a prospect for mutually beneficial cooperation with American partners.”
“We’ve barely begun to develop small and medium businesses,” Prilepin noted, deriding the “unbearable” excitement around the possibility of Western brands returning.
These sentiments have struck a chord with other parts of society. After all, some Russian businesses have benefited from Western brands’ exit from the Russian market. The government is attempting to fend off these criticisms with a new bill proposed to Russia’s parliament on Feb. 27 calling to ban Western companies that had financially supported Ukraine.
What to do about veterans?
Perhaps most consequential will be what happens to the hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers currently on the front lines.
While runaway military spending and lavish payouts to soldiers continue to strain the Russian economy, demobilization also poses risks.
A report from the Institute for the Study of War recently concluded that demobilization would be politically risky for the Kremlin, fearful that masses of disgruntled veterans might constitute a potential challenge.
That said, many of the estimated 700,000 Russian troops in Ukraine will eventually return to civilian life and likely become an important constituency in Russian politics moving forward.
The Z-patriots may be a product of war, but they will have an afterlife beyond it. Meanwhile, regardless of any Russian rapprochement with the White House – or perhaps because of it – Russia’s hawks won’t be turning into doves anytime soon.
Adam Lenton, Assistant Professor of Politics & International Affairs, Wake Forest University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
