Seeing the Changes 1886

It's an odd time, in Loughor, for Primrose (Primula vulgaris) to be flowering again.

Plants We Used to Use 14. Wild thyme

Wild thyme (Thymus polytrichus) Formerly used in the UK as seasoning, especially for beef stews.

Follow the Money!

More than 50% of UK and USA diets consist of Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs). These items are produced by big food manufacturers including Coca-cola, General Mills, Mondelez, Nestle, Pepsicola and Unilever. UPFs share the characteristic of being subject to lots mechanical and chemical procedures. There's ample evidence that UPFs are strongly linked to a variety of health conditions. An 'expert panel' was set up with the avowed aim of evaluating the claim that UPFs have been unfairly 'demonised'. The panel concluded that UPFs are nutritionally just as healthy as fresh foods. The panel's conclusions generated lots of positive headlines for the 'big food' manufacturers. It's now been revealed, however, that 3 out of 5 'scientists' on the panel, have financial ties to the world's largest manufacturers of UPFs. Some had senior positions in certain companies and others had received 'research funding' from them (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/sep/28/scientists-on-panel-defending-ultra-processed-foods-linked-to-food-firms). These scientists might well have had a vested interest in giving UPFs a clean bill of health. Any financial links should be high-lighted in media treatment. Otherwise, it's akin to 'greenwashing'. This currently doesn't look at all good. Another nail in the coffin of the public's belief in science?

Seeing the Changes 1885

Wet enough in Bynea for the land-based cyanobacterium Nostoc!

Eco-friendly Mini Vacuum Cleaners

Current wastewater treatment plants don't remove all the drug, pesticide and industrial chemical contaminants, before discharge. It's been suggested that a tiny, freshwater crustacean could do the final clean. Daphnia or 'Water fleas' filter out (like little vacuum cleaners) wastewater contaminants (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/26/scientists-use-water-fleas-to-filter-pollutants-out-of-wastewater). It's suggested that Water fleas could provide an ecofriendly, low cost solution for wastewater purification. Daphnia could also be especially useful, in filtering out microplastics. These organisms could, of course, only be used to treat freshwater. There are, however, many marine filter feeders that might be used in a similar way for salt water.

East of Eden

There's increasing evidence that swimming in UK can prove a health hazard. Numerous competitors in the World Triathlon Championship Sunderland event went down with diarrhoea and vomiting, after the sea swimming stage. Now, many folk participating in Kent's Hever Castle lake triathlon, have also been plagued by diarrhoea and vomiting. The waters of that lake are fed by the river Eden. It's notable that, in 2022, this river was subjected to almost 500 hours of sewerage release from Southern Water's storm drains (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/01/competitors-report-falling-ill-after-triathlon-event-in-waters-of-river-eden). It's, of course, almost impossible to establish that outbreaks of illness are linked to particular pollution events. Naturally, the Hever Castle competition's waters had been rigorously tested in the days and weeks leading up to the events themselves. It would only take, however, a brief release of sewage on the day of the competition, to completely change water quality. Microbiological tests take days to complete. Outbreaks of gastrointestinal disturbances are now happening too frequently, for one to have confidence that UK waters can remain uncontaminated for the duration of a competition. It seems likely that the incidence of diarhoea and vomiting only become newsworthy, after mass participation events. What's their current incidence in occasional bathers?

Plants We used to Use 13. Rosebay willowherb

Rosebay willowherb or 'Fireweed' (Epilobium augustifolium). Historically, in the UK, young shoots were eaten, tubers roasted and sweets made. Some native Americans used the fresh-cut stems to treat pus-filled boils and cuts.