Holocaust Survivor Discovers Long-Lost Cousin After 80 Years

Daily Upsider on February 12, 2024

Ann Meddin Hellman had pretty much given up on finding out more about her dad’s family, thinking she lost them all during the Holocaust. But then, about five months ago, she found out she has an 83-year-old second cousin and Holocaust survivor in Israel.

“We knew his family was wiped out in the Holocaust,” the South Carolina mom and grandma told NBC News. “That’s been the family story I heard forever.” Thanks to a MyHeritage DNA test, she found Shalom Koray and learned about his tough survival story, adding a new chapter to their family history.

“We would have never found him,” she said. “No way I could have looked him up in a phone book or found him any other way. … I bet there would have been no other way besides DNA.”

Koray, who moved to Israel in 1949, was found abandoned in a potato sack in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1941 at 2 years old. Lena Küchler-Silberman, a well-known Jewish teacher and psychologist, saved him and around 100 other kids during the war. Now, more than three-quarters of a century later, a researcher digging into the history of those kids got Koray to take a DNA test, and Hellman got a second cousin alert.

“That’s pretty high up for not knowing who this person is. That’s a close relation,” she said. Hellman screamed when she heard about the discovery.

“My brother [Stuart] looked just like him,” she said. “He is definitely a Meddin.”

The plan is for them to meet in person, along with a bunch of other family members, this summer in Charleston. In a MyHeritage video, Koray said, “I was born into this reality and never knew anything else. I didn’t even know the concept of parents.” Now, Hellman is promising “the biggest hug” when they all get together, defying the odds that once seemed impossible.

How to Cut Your Risk of Prostate Cancer by a Third

Daily Upsider on February 12, 2024

A study conducted by a Swedish research team, and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, discovered a significant link between increased cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) activity and a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Specifically, men who enhanced their CRF by 3% or more annually were found to be up to 35% less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The research aims to motivate men to boost their fitness levels as a preventive measure against the disease, especially considering the limited known risk factors for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer stands as the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths among American men, trailing only behind lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, this year alone, prostate cancer will claim the lives of 35,000 men and nearly 300,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States.

Although the link between physical activity and decreased risk for several types of cancer is well-documented, the relationship between exercise and prostate cancer has remained ambiguous. Prior research primarily focused on assessing fitness at a single moment, without examining the effects of fitness improvement on prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates.

To fill this gap, the team from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH) set out to investigate if enhancements in men’s fitness levels could reduce their risk of contracting the disease. “This is the largest study to examine the relationships between change in CRF and cancer incidence and mortality, and the first study to examine change in CRF specifically on prostate cancer incidence and mortality,” explained Dr. Kate Bolam, one of the study’s lead authors from the Department of Physical Activity and Health at GIH. She emphasized the importance of promoting cardiorespiratory fitness improvements among adult men to potentially lower their prostate cancer risk.

The researchers analyzed data from Sweden’s national occupational health records, which included details on physical activity, lifestyle habits, health perceptions, body measurements, and results from at least two CRF tests involving stationary bike exercises to measure CRF performance in Zone 2 and VO2 max among 57,652 Swedish men.

Participants were categorized based on changes in their fitness levels and monitored from their last fitness assessment until their prostate cancer diagnosis, death, or the end of the study on December 31, 2019. Over an average follow-up period of nearly seven years, 592 men, or 1% of the participants, were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 46 succumbed to the disease.

The findings revealed that men whose CRF improved by 3% or more annually had a 35% lower risk of developing prostate cancer compared to those whose fitness levels declined, after adjusting for other influential factors. However, the observational nature of the study means it could not determine causative or genetic influences linking CRF and cancer risk.

Futuristic Food Scanner

Daily Upsider on February 8, 2024

A balding man once sagely remarked, “Fruit is a gamble.” (Seinfeld reference fyi). Imagine if producers and retailers could assess the odds before fruits hit supermarket shelves.

A new device developed by a British company, now available in supermarkets, distribution centers, and supply-chain hubs, uses light to scan fruit and detect its molecular freshness. Algorithms analyze water, sugars, and other compounds, such as ethyls and alcohols, to calculate the remaining days of freshness accurately. This enables suppliers and retailers to make informed decisions about the optimal utilization of each piece of fruit.

The company, named OneThird, aims to address the significant issue of food waste, which accounts for one-third of the food produced by humans. The extensive transportation of produce contributes to unpredictably perishable goods. OneThird’s food scanner aims to reduce this waste, benefiting not only those facing hunger globally but also minimizing financial losses for major grocery chains. Additionally, the technology helps mitigate the environmental impact of wasted produce, which contributes to increased methane levels in landfills, potentially affecting the planet over nine years.

OneThird’s portable scanners, initially developed in the medical sector, are now deployed to tackle challenges in the food supply chain. Marco Snikkers, the founder and CEO, highlighted the broken nature of the current system, where 40% of food waste is attributed to fresh produce due to a lack of knowledge about shelf life.

Currently capable of determining the shelf life of strawberries, tomatoes, avocados, and blueberries, OneThird plans to release an update to include grapes, bananas, mangoes, and raspberries. Each fruit requires individual study to establish its unique molecular fingerprint indicating proximity to rotting.

Accurate readings from the scanner empower grocery store workers to discount fruit at the right time or assign precise best-by dates to produce. In cases of impending spoilage, the store can proactively collaborate with food banks to redistribute items before they go bad.

Not Everything is as Bad as it Seems Part 1

Daily Upsider on February 8, 2024

There are a lot of things that are less than ideal in the world. Luckily, not everything is as bad as it is made out to be by doom and gloom clickbait articles. Mainstream news and culture have perpetuated a lot of myths, and we would like to dispel one of those today.

We recently ran an article about the surprisingly sharp drop in deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. This is great news in our opinion, but not because of the misconception that many people push, that the Amazon produces 20% of the oxygen in the world and that if it is cut down we will lose all of that air.

The truth is that while the Amazon does produce a lot of oxygen, it is so densely packed and teeming with life that it uses up all that it creates. While it is impossible to know exactly, it is calculated that its net oxygen output is around 0%.

The Amazon does do some helpful things. The rainforest helps recycle the water in the region, extending the wet season ensuring that plants in the area can grow without drying out and dying during the dry season.

The Amazon (and all forests) also helps improve air quality. Trees and plants feed on carbon dioxide to grow. If you have trees near to where carbon dioxide is being produced, the trees can absorb the gas and use it as fuel. The Amazon is able to pull in and absorb around 1.7 billion tons of CO2 per year, which is nearly 5% of the world’s annual emissions.

Hopefully you can come out of this article with a few positives. We will not all suffocate to death because of Amazon deforestation. We also have seen a large drop in deforestation. Armed with this knowledge, we all have some fun facts to repeat at our next social event.

Japan’s Moon Lander Comes Back to Life

Daily Upsider on February 8, 2024

The Japanese space program encountered a significant challenge when their lunar craft, intended to secure Japan’s position as the fifth nation to land on the Moon, experienced issues during its landing. The craft ended up in a sideways position with its solar panels facing away from the Sun, leading to a shutdown that jeopardized the entire mission.

Despite the setback, a solution was found, allowing the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) to achieve a successful landing, making Japan the fifth nation to accomplish a soft landing on the Moon, joining the ranks of the USA, Soviet Union, China, and India.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reported that a change in lighting conditions facilitated the recharge of the lander’s batteries, which had been intentionally shut down at the beginning of the mission on January 20th.

This development was crucial for the mission, as the spacecraft executed a pinpoint landing with unprecedented precision, reaching just 180 feet from the target. The success would have been compromised if the craft had remained in its sideways position, losing power immediately.

Moreover, the landing technology used by SLIM holds potential for safely landing spacecraft on lunar hilltops, strategically important for exploring various chemicals like oxygen and hydrogen. These substances could be valuable for future missions, supporting the production of water and air for astronauts.