Curio Cabinet

Six more weeks of winter weather! That’s what America’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, predicted just days ago. But even after Groundhog day, groundhogs themselves remain fascinating. These chunky creatures, once considered nothing more than pests to be exterminated, are finally being appreciated for the vital role they play in their ecosystems.
 
Groundhogs are, technically, a type of squirrel—just not the type that climb trees. They belong to the family Sciuridae, as do all squirrels, but they’re part of the genus Marmota, which includes 15 species of ground squirrels collectively known as marmots. Thus, groundhogs are sometimes simply referred to as marmots, and in some places they’re called woodchucks. No matter what you call them, though, groundhogs are extraordinarily resilient despite their small size. They only grow to be around 25 inches long, and typically weigh between 7 to 14 pounds, but their physical adaptations and tunnelling abilities allow them to escape from predators and endure harsh weather.
 
Groundhogs dig tunnels that can reach 50 feet in length. These tunnels have multiple openings and entrances, making it nearly impossible for predators to know where a groundhog will pop in or out. Many groundhogs live on open plains or in mountainous areas with harsh winters, but the temperatures in their underground tunnels remain more stable than those on the surface. This allows groundhogs to hunker down through harsh winter storms and gives them a safe place to hibernate. Speaking of hibernation, groundhogs’ chubby appearance isn’t the result of overeating—it’s yet another adaptation to help them endure the cold. Their extra layer of fat insulates their organs and supplies their bodies with nutrients during hibernation, which can last up to six months.
 
Until rather recently, groundhogs were considered pests due to their habit of tunneling under fields and gardens, eating vegetables as they go. Recently, though, ecological activists have launched public education campaigns to teach people about groundhogs’ more helpful habits. Their tunnels, for example, don’t just allow them to steal food; they also aerate the soil and deliver groundhog droppings directly into the dirt, helping it remain fertile. Whatever veggies they steal are really just a payment for their service.

 
[Image description: A groundhog looking up as it stands in grass] Credit & copyright: National Park Service, Asset ID: 7ed50f29-42ad-4a08-91f8-85ba693c3ef7. Public domain: Full Granting Rights

Water those? Signs of water, of course! Using data and imagery from orbiters, scientists at the Natural History Museum in London have discovered clay mounds on Mars, and they’re proving to be some of the most convincing evidence yet that water once covered the red planet’s surface. The search for water on Mars has been going on for decades, but evidence for large bodies of it has been sparse. While Mars certainly had some water at one point, it’s been difficult to discern exactly how much. Now, scientists are pointing to mounds of Martian clay as evidence that, at one time, water was not only present but plentiful on the Red Planet. In all, around 15,000 clay mounds have been found covering an area roughly the size of Texas, and some of them are 1,600 feet tall. They contain clay minerals that could have only formed in the presence of running water.
 
Researcher Joe McNeil and his colleagues at the Natural History Museum in London used images collected by three separate orbiters: NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, European Space Agency's Mars Express, and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which offered spectral composition data in addition to high-resolution images of the Martian surface. The data not only showed the presence of clay, but how much of it there was. Based on this, scientists estimate that the clay minerals were deposited between 3.7 and 4.2 billion years ago, when there were possibly oceans of water on the Red Planet. While the clay mounds indicate the presence of abundant water in the distant past, exactly how much of it there was and what parts of the planet it covered are still matters of debate. As McNeil said in a statement through the museum, "It's possible that this might have come from an ancient northern ocean on Mars, but this is an idea that's still controversial." Hopefully the clay mounds have more watery secrets to share.

 
[Image description: A starry sky with some purple light visible.] Credit & copyright: Felix Mittermeier, Pexels

It may sound like something out of science fiction, but breathing xenon gas might be good for your brain. Researchers at Mass General Brigham and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the gas may have the potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease. While xenon gas sounds like an exotic substance, it's actually a commonly used anesthetic. Some mountaineers have found that the noble gas may be useful in conquering mountains, as it increases erythropoietin levels in the body. Erythropoietin is the hormone that regulates red blood cell production, and more red blood cells means more oxygen for the body to use at high altitudes.
 
Now, it seems that xenon could have neuroprotective properties as well. Researchers began looking into xenon gas because of previous studies showing its potential neuroprotective properties, but also because it can cross the blood-brain barrier, something that few drugs can do safely. When they placed mice with Alzheimer’s disease in a chamber filled with 30 percent xenon gas for around 40 minutes, they found decreased amounts of amyloid plaques in the rodents’ brains. Amyloid plaques are misfolded proteins that build up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The mice also showed decreased brain inflammation and brain shrinkage, as well as improved cognitive functions, with mice returning to their regular behaviors like nest-building. The findings were so promising that human clinical trials are set to begin soon, but of course, there’s no guarantee that the gas will have the same effect on people. Alzheimer’s disease seems to work a little differently in people than it does in rodents. In the U.S. alone, there are 6.9 million people who suffer from the disease. Worldwide, it accounts for around 70 percent of dementia cases. If this new treatment does work, it could literally change the world. If it doesn’t, at least xenon is harmless. A noble gas, indeed.

 
[Image description: A digital illustration of a brain against a black background.] Credit & copyright: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA, Pexels

There’s no pain in the neck quite like chronic pain. On top of the fact that it hurts, chronic pain can be difficult since different patients have varying degrees of pain tolerance. However, researchers at Western University, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD), and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) have identified biomarkers that might help professionals identify a patient’s pain sensitivity, according to a study published in JAMA Neurology. Chronic pain is any type of pain that lasts for three months or longer. It can be caused by a variety of issues, from diseases to injuries to nerve disorders. Unfortunately, chronic pain is extremely common, with around 20 percent of Americans experiencing some degree of chronic pain in 2021 alone. Things often get complicated when it comes to diagnosing and treating the pain, since it can have so many different causes. The problem is compounded by the fact that it’s hard for patients and doctors to objectively describe pain and its severity. Thankfully, there may soon be a way to quantifiably determine how pain is experienced by different people. Using 150 participants suffering from temporomandibular disorders (problems in the joint or muscles of the jaw), researchers measured two biomarkers. PAF, which is associated with cognitive performance, was measured using electroencephalography (EEG) recording, while CME, associated with excitability, was measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation. According to their findings, those who have slow PAF before an episode of prolonged pain and low CME after are more likely to experience pain for a longer period of time. Hopefully, doctors could check those with chronic pain for these biomarker responses and use that information to create better treatment plans. The measurements aren’t perfect, but they have an 88 percent accuracy rate, which is pretty impressive. That’s accurate enough to be a bane to pain.

[Image description: A digital illustration of a brain against a black background.] Credit & copyright: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA, Pexels