Wishing everyone a 2026 New Year
that is reasonably stress free and less polarized
from neighbors, friends and countrymen/women.
Additionally, I hope that each of my readers will share
at least one of my content posts this coming year
with friends, family or others.
Time Again! I’m not sure whether I look forward to this particular annual blog or fear looking dim-witted as I pick out things of which others might be quite aware. Additionally, as I’ve shared before, it’s tough picking and sharing short blurbs and not getting involved with dissertations on each. I’ve tried.
We read daily. Most of us feel constantly overwhelmed with emails, podcasts and materials from many sources, maybe even social media. So, while the goal for my New Year’s blogs has always been “Never Stop Learning,” this time I’m suggesting it as a game.
The ‘What You Knew” Game
Game points. Make note of the facts and factoids you already know. If you reach 11 or 12, wow, I’m awed. If you range from 7-10, I’m humbled before you. If you gather up anywhere from 4-9 points, you are pretty brilliant and if you reach at least 2-3, you knew more than I did.
There is one bonus point hidden in here which everyone on Aging_With_Pizzazz should get. Hence the belief that you should start with at least one point.
The Game Begins
1. UCLA’s Health Tip of the Year
I am not totally cheating on #1. I didn’t know it was UCLAs tip of the year AND I wasn’t aware of one particular factoid. Their top tip (I admit not new to ANY of us) is ‘Stay Hydrated.’ We’ve covered this before, including how much of your body is water (approximately 60%) but what I didn’t know was that losing just 1% of that fluid can cause noticeable and annoying side effects. These include headaches, dry skin, dry mouth, brittle bones, tiredness and sluggishness as well as cravings that mimic hunger.
You can check in with their other tips as well: 8 UCLA Health experts offer tips for a healthy 2025 | UCLA Health
2. From Light-Years to Light-Day
Did you see this? Shockingly, in November of 2026 one of the NASA probes launched in 1977 will need 24 hours to ‘correspond’ with the earth. For the first time in world history, Voyager 1 deep-space probe, while exploring space over 15.8 billion miles away, will require one full day to signal transmission back to earth. Voyager is the farthest spacecraft away from us in interstellar space. According to NASA “The term light-day refers to the distance at which it will take 24 hours for a signal or command traveling at the speed of light to reach the spacecraft from Earth.” Indeed, this Light-Day will be historic.
3. Carapace
I learned a new vocabulary word that while related to nature, has a useful application to describe people as well. Technically, Carapace is a scientific term for something functioning as a protective covering (such as for turtles). Some sources make a distinction between it and a shell, but in common terms there’s little difference. Since humans don’t have a shell, we often use external guards, like bike helmets when we ride or elbow pads if we are silly enough to rollerblade (I admit that used to be me.) Perhaps a more versatile use of the word is when describing people who hide their thoughts, grief or feelings, basically hide their “real” self. You might portray them as building a carapace around themselves. [Hmmm, I could use a Carapace around my Parking Space to avoid a Scratch-in-place. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.]
4. Smallpox around the World
Ok, so I knew that the deadly Smallpox disease has been long with the world. There are histories in India and Africa from the 7th century, in Japan in the 6th century, in China from the 4th century. Even centuries before Christ it has been a plague (as noted in Egyptian tombs and mummies). Trade and exploration made it a global menace with its astonishing rates of mortality affecting and killing both adults and children, as well as leaving people blind or severely scared. In the Americas I knew the story of how the European white man (perhaps purposefully) exposed the indigenous population to smallpox through infected blankets. What I did not know was the profound role it played in the American Revolutionary War. While we learn of the war’s short supplies, out-manned troops and brutal weather, we don’t hear so much about the disease of smallpox. Thanks to Ken Burns for another great project and teaching us a good deal more about the Revolutionary War (which might be called our first civil war).
5. Never Before Seen EcoSystem on Sea Floor
At the beginning of 2025, an immense iceberg, described as the size of Chicago broke off a floating glacier (George VI Ice shelf) in Antarctica. One team was lucky enough to be less than 100 miles away. They changed their expedition plans and hurried to the spot, arriving in less than a day to view a part of the seabed that has never before been seen by the human eye. By operating a remote submergible vehicle below the previous iceberg, they discovered an ecosystem of sponges, hydroids, corals and anemones. All thriving somehow, which is a question still unanswered, hopefully to be news for another year.
For more information, see: Smithsonian Magazine: A Chicago-Sized Iceberg Broke Off From Antarctica, Revealing a Hidden Ecosystem Never Seen Before or Science Alert: Antarctic Iceberg Breaks Away to Reveal a Never-Before-Seen Ecosystem. Video at: https://youtu.be/0F4HtjIpW7U
6. Is Epidemic of Diabetes from Obesity getting worse or not?
Globally we understand that there is a relationship between obesity and diabetes. But it may depend on how the obesity is measured. It’s been clear for a few years that BMI (Body Mass Index) may not be enough to measure the seriousness of our fat. Measuring adipose (fat) directly can be difficult and our body composition and structure may be more important. Treatment for obesity might take on a new approach if more than BMI is measured. It gets back to that old axiom I learned in pre-med that it matters whether you are an ‘apple’ or ‘pear’ shape and how your body is functioning. View an opinion from another part of the world in this video.
7. Do Only Good People Make their Beds?
If you are like me, you grew up being told that you must make your bed. Otherwise, you are “messy.” That’s still entrenched in my mind. At least enough, not to let anyone see if my bed is unmade. (Confession – it often is.) Why do some people make their beds and others neglect to do so? Actually, I don’t believe all I read about the different personalities, but who knows?
On the neat side, according to psychologists, making your bed every day has several advantages (other than noticeable good housekeeping). Those who make their beds are establishing a routine, and routine is important for our mental health. Further, along that same avenue of behavior, maintaining a routine is likely to remind you to practice other good habits. Evidently, making your bed can also improve your mood. I guess those are fairly constructive justifications to encourage us to make our beds. So, why do some of us not do it?
What are the personality traits of those who don’t make their beds? Aside from the trite ideas that they are procrastinators or not “morning people,” there are other descriptors. They may be ‘big-picture thinkers,’ introspective, have creative nature, demand lower maintenance, prioritize comfort and not care about following rules. On the clearly negative side, they may be anxious and lack motivation. One odd physical benefit was that evidently some researchers have discovered that less dust is found in the bedroom of those who don’t shake their bedding every day. Think I’ll stop there. FINALLY, an excuse I can live with.
Read more: How Making Your Bed Can Improve Your Mood | Psychology Today
Leaving Your Bed Unmade In The Morning Can Say A Lot About Your Personality
8. Lagom – Just Right
Lagom is a Swedish word, pronounced as ‘law-gom’ or ‘lah-gom.’ Basically, it means just the right amount. Some describe it as ‘in moderation’ or when something is in balance. Friends or family come and stay lagom (not too long but not too short a time). Whether we are talking about food, recreation, work, socializing, or even just resting, lagom is perfect.
9. What Goes a Round….
Admittedly, I know little of guns. When I was a wee girl, my dad taught me to shoot a revolver and a small rifle at the Moffat farm across the way. I think the rifle was almost as tall as I was at the time. Nevertheless, my father did not like hunting anything more than tin cans and his predilection was inherited. While I understood little about the working of guns back then, I don’t know much more now. That is, other than my support for stricter gun laws especially for automatic and large capacity weapons. My ignorance was revealed to me recently while reading a news report about another shooting and the “rounds fired.” Even if I’m not a gun-enthusiast, a simple amount of knowledge is warranted in today’s world.
Naively, I assumed, other than when a weapon is modified, that all those handguns were 6 rounds. Such is not the case at all. Yes, 6-round models are common (such as Colt Single Action.45, Smith & Wesson .38 Special or a Ruger .357 Magnum, all which have other round capacity as well). ‘Revolvers’ are considered to have a simple design and be reliable, but they normally hold between 5 and 8 rounds. However, what really surprised me was the various models of a “Glock” which everyone knows the name of from detective stories. Strangely enough, while a Glock 17 holds 17 rounds, a Glock 19 holds 15 and Glock 26 only 10 rounds (and extended semi-automatic magazines can hold up to 33).
Those who dislike the subject or the idea of ownership might at least be interested to know what some of the research says about recommended capacity for self-defense. Obviously for you the answer would be zero. Still, studies show that the typical Defensive Gun Use (or DGU) involves the discharge of approximately 2 to 3 rounds. Similarly, in severe police situations, 5-6 rounds are “usually” enough. To me this demonstrates that even for gun owners focused solely on DGU they would be protected with much lower capacity than many weapons currently sold. For more information see: Justified Shooters | Concealed Carry Inc. [Note: for those knowledgeable on the subjects of guns, please be assured that any inaccuracies regarding different models was unintended.]
10. Shinrin-yoku from Antiquity
If you carefully read other posts on AgingWithPizzazz, you just got a free point in the ‘What you Knew’ game. Shinrin-yoku is also known as Japanese Forest Bathing. The ancient therapeutic practice of concentrating on the smell, feel and sense of the forest or other natural environment was believed to be relaxing and to encourage healthful responses. Clothes are optional.
11. CRISPR Technology and Cholesterol
My husband’s family always keep their eyes sharp regarding maintenance of cholesterol levels, whether it be natural supplements, lifestyle changes or drugs. This year there were two interesting gene therapy studies on lipid disorders, one out of Cleveland Clinic Healthy Sciences and Wellness and the other from Scribe Therapeutics. Both short, they were testing treatments that ultimately would mitigate compliance issues of long-term medication adherence (since we all know compliance is easier directed by the doc than accomplished by the patient).
The Scribe study was a demonstration of the therapy using primates. The Cleveland study had only 15 subjects (although in sites around the world) and was about a year (with 60 day follow ups for the one-time treatment). The study attempted to turn off one of the genes in the liver and then track results on levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein). At first there were only relatively mild side effects, but at day 179 one subject died suddenly after treatment; it cannot be ruled out that there was a connection.
On the brighter side, the treatment appeared to reduce LDL by 50% and triglycerides by approximately 55%. Being a one-time treatment would eliminate daily medications regimes. Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine this November. [Phase 1 Trial of CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing Targeting ANGPTL3 | New England Journal of Medicine.] They offer promise for a different way of treating lipid diseases, other than lifestyle changes with which people often do not comply; perhaps even less so than medication.
I will note that there have been other studies indicating that LDL levels are not necessarily, in and of themselves, a direct correlation to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (AVCVD).
Read more: Cleveland Clinic Newsroom. Cleveland Clinic First-In-Human Trial of CRISPR Gene-Editing Therapy Shown to Safely Lower Cholesterol and Triglycerides Or ‘The Healthy’ Breaking study: An experimental new drug could cut cholesterol for life
12. Traditional Rings
Every year my husband and I repeat our wedding vows. Part of that is the exchange of rings. Rings are traditional, but where did that that tradition start? Turns out they harken back to ancient Egypt. The belief at the time was that there was a particular “vein of love” and it ran from the heart to the fourth finger of the left hand. It was known as the vena amoris (vein of love) and we basically still honor it today. Let me leave you with a choice of love (or not) songs about rings for whatever mood you are in now – take your pick with a simple click, or just sing along with mine.
“This Ring” by Anthony W. Carter, if you want a touching song of commitment.
“Single Ladies – Put a Ring on it” just fun with Beyonce and dancers.
“Burning Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash, live performance of stressful love.
“This Diamond Ring” by Gary Lewis and the Playboys to sing along with his 1960s lament.
Game Points
Don’t forget to add up your game points and determine just how smart you were this year. Adding to our knowledge base is just one more way to Age with Pizzazz.
Best of New Years to Everyone in the reading distance.
drb
