James' World 2

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At a latitude of 78 degrees north lies the northernmost city in the world. It is an odd place. Way above the Arctic Circle—a mere 814 miles from the North Pole—Longyearbyen, in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, is home to only 2,400 people but more than 1.3 million seeds.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is an underground storage facility designed to secure seeds to “ensure that food crop varieties are not lost” in the event of a global crisis such as war, terrorism, or climate change. Touted as “our insurance policy that we’re going to be able to feed the world in 50 years,” the vault has been situated at a location and depth in the Arctic intended to ensure that the seeds will not rot or sprout and will be available for use when needed. For further safety, the vault is refrigerated to zero de­­grees Fahrenheit and designed to withstand a magnitude 10 earthquake. (For comparison, the quake that produced the tsunami that devastated Fukushima, Ja­­pan, was magnitude 9.) On the surface, the seed repository sounds like a very solid idea. But it rests on shaky foundations.

The vault opened in 2008, following on an earlier iteration in which seeds were stored in a nearby coal mine. It is not specifically a response to the threat of climate change, but it is an epitome of climate-­adaptation thinking. The logic behind it goes like this: Climate change is underway, and our political systems seem to be incapable of meaningful action to stop it, so we have little choice but to plan for a fu­ture when we will face serious climate disruption.

Chief among the disturbances will be disruptions to the food supply as punishing droughts and heat waves lead to widespread seasonal crop failures and important individual food species become impossible to grow in the places where people are used to growing them. When that happens, a supply of diverse seeds—including some adapted to hotter, harsher climates—may be just the thing we need to protect our food systems and stave off disaster.

It’s good to be realistic about the climate future we are facing, but the seed vault embeds a conceit common to many adaptation plans: we know what we are facing, so if we plan well, things will go well. But already chinks in the vault’s armor have appeared. In 2017 the vault suffered a flood caused, ironically, by climate change. A very warm (but increasingly not exceptional) winter combined with heavy spring rain to thaw part of the surrounding permafrost, flooding the entrance and threatening the safety of the seeds. Changes have been made to the vault’s entrance to lessen this particular risk, but the breach—less than a decade after the vault opened—shows that we humans are not very good at anticipating change, even in the short run.

Boosters of the seed vault sustain the logic of their effort in part by effacing the embarrassment of the flood. The timeline of the vault on the website of the vault’s partner, CropTrust, does not mention it. When asked about the flood by a reporter for the Guardian, a representative of the Norwegian government, which owns and operates the vault, said: “It was not in our plans to think that the permafrost would not be there and that it would experience extreme weather like that … The question is whether this is just happening now, or will it escalate?”

You don’t have to be a climate scientist to know the Arctic is losing permafrost; in Svalbard, the dislocation is obvious even to an untrained eye. And it’s long been known that the Arctic would warm more rapidly than the rest of the globe: Princeton University geophysicist Syukuro Manabe predicted this effect—known as polar amplification—in the 1970s (he belatedly won a Nobel Prize in 2021 for this work). Today the Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet. Even if the en­­tire world were to stop burning fossil fuels now, global temperatures would not return to normal for decades or centuries to come. Given the state of action (or inaction) on climate, we don’t have to ask whether Arctic warming and permafrost loss will escalate. It is a near certainty.

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Scott Brundage

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The best areas to see vivid fall foliage this year will be outside of the traditionally popular tourist destinations due to the weather across the United States leading up to peak leaf-peeping season.

Meteorological fall is underway, pumpkin spice flavors are being infused into food and drinks, and college football season has kicked off. However, there’s no better sign that autumn has arrived than a hillside of trees transformed into an ocean of yellow, orange, and red

Due to recent and upcoming weather patterns across the United States, the most breathtaking displays of fall foliage may emerge in regions beyond the usual hotspots that have captivated leaf-peepers in recent years.

Ingredients for brilliant fall foliage

The vibrancy of fall foliage is significantly influenced by the weather during the summer and early fall.

One of the key factors is consistent rainfall throughout the summer. Drought can stress the trees, causing them to shed their leaves early, as well as resulting in duller colors. Too much rain can also be detrimental. “If there’s a lot of rain from late summer into the early fall, you can get mold to develop on some of the trees and also invite lots of insects,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Paselok said.

Additionally, sunny days paired with cool nights in early autumn can enhance the colors. This weather pattern accelerates the breakdown of green chlorophyll in leaves, revealing brilliant shades of orange, red, and yellow. However, while cool weather is beneficial, frost can be harmful since it halts the production of colorful pigments in the leaves, abruptly ending the leaf-peeping season.

Where will the best fall foliage be this year?

All of the ingredients are coming together to make 2024 a great year for fall foliage from the Great Lakes through the Mississippi River Valley, including areas in more than a dozen states.

“I think the best places to go are parts of the Midwest,” Pastelok said, adding, “The trees should have nice reds and oranges, and that could extend all the way down to parts of the Ozarks and parts of southern Missouri.”

In the Northeast, the best displays are expected across upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania, including popular destinations such as the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes, and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.

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Colorful trees lining a lake in White Mountains National Forest, New Hampshire. (Getty Images/Cappi Thompson)

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Teaching Kids How to Make Nutritious Meals

When your kids get down and dirty in the kitchen, not only do they learn about food but they also have fun! It’s even more fun when they get to eat what they have prepared with their own two hands. Parents and caregivers can use this moment to show kids how to increase the nutritional value of their lunches. Here are several best practices when showing kids how to create well-rounded meals.

• Add calcium. Pediatric nutrition expert Malina Malkani, MS, RDN, CDN and author of Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention reminds parents to include a good source of calcium at lunch. “As kids exit the toddler years, calcium intake tends to decrease. According to data from NHANES, 49% of children between ages 4-18 are not meeting their daily needs for this essential, bone-building nutrient.”1 Yogurt, cheese, kefir, cottage cheese, edamame, fortified soy milk, and chia seeds all offer a good amount of calcium in lunch foods that are easy to pack.
• Include a combination of protein, fiber, and fat. These three nutrients—whether including all or some of them at a meal—”can help slow the rate of digestion and prevent the dips and spikes in blood sugar that lead to low energy, irritability, and lack of focus,” explains Malkani.
• Let the child choose between two options. Jill Castle, MS, RDN is the founder of The Nourished Child and author of Kids Thrive at Every Size: How to Nourish Your Big, Small, or In-Between Child for a Lifetime of Health and Happiness. Castle recommends providing your child with two options when negotiating foods to pack for lunch. For example, you can include both strawberries and a clementine that way they can select which one they prefer during their lunch.
• Choose at least four food groups to pack for lunch. Castle provides the example of turkey and cheese on whole grain bread paired with grapes and pretzels. There are endless possibilities, but teach your child to count the foods that come from each food group.
• Let your child do the work: Castle says letting your child do most of the work “will encourage their independence, [teach them to] engage with hands-on tasks, and [help them] learn while doing.”
• Use a school lunch planner: Another smart tip from Castle is to create a school lunch planner. “A planner can help you map out a week of lunch meals with input from your child, and make the process of lunch packing easier.”
• Use after-school snack time wisely: Castle says to take advantage of this time for discussing, planning, and preparing for the next day’s lunch ideas.

Nutritious Ingredients to Stock Up On

Start with simple recipes that focus on nutritious ingredients when your kids are younger and build on their skills as they evolve in the kitchen. Consider stocking up on these ten nutritious ingredients that are simple for young kids to meal prep for lunch.

1. Frozen, shelled edamame: Thaw and have your kids pack it as a side or snack, they can also use it as a base for “hummus” when they’re ready to use the blender. 

2. Chia seeds: Your child can mix chia seeds into yogurt parfaits, use it as a base for a nutrient-rich pudding, toss it into salads, or sprinkle it into nut butter sandwiches.

3. Yogurt tubes or pouches: Include this grab-and-go food as a calcium-rich side or base for yogurt parfaits that kids can assemble during lunchtime if they prefer not to assemble in advance. You can also try freezing a yogurt pouch in advance as it helps to keep the rest of the packed foods cold and it will still be chilled by the time kids are ready to eat them.

4. Peanut butter or nut-free butter (like sunflower, yellow split pea, soy): Use nut butter for sandwiches or as a topping for toast or bagel. You can also have your child melt nut butter in the microwave and drizzle it on plain yogurt, or they can mix it with soy sauce and toss with warm noodles.

5. Eggs: Either purchase hard-cooked eggs for younger kids or older kids can learn to boil them stovetop. Use for an egg sandwich with cheese and ham.

6. Pasta or noodles: Pasta is simple to make for older kids who know how to use the stove (or you can pre-cook them for younger kids). Kids can toss the pasta with chopped veggies to create a cold salad, or they can toss with a tomato, Alfredo, or vodka sauce for a hot lunch (and bring it to school in a thermos). You can also show them how to serve it plain or with butter for picky eaters.

7. Cheese: Have your child add slices to sandwiches or pack some cheese as a side in their lunchbox. Shredded cheese can be sprinkled over veggies and cubes can be skewered with fruit.

8. Carrots: Kids can choose from sliced canned carrots, baby carrots, or peeled and sliced carrots. It’s a simple side to add to lunches, and a veggie that kids love to dip.

9. Mandarins or clementines: These easy-to-peel fruit are a simple snack even for the littlest hands and can help add fiber and vitamin C to their diet.

10. Raisins: Dried fruit has a long shelf-life and is easy to grab and pack in any lunch box. It can be topped over yogurt or eaten right out of the mini box.

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Rachel Vanni for Parents

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Henry, a carpenter in his late 50s who worked for a small business, had been making and refinishing furniture for years. Then he started having difficulty using tools. The quality of his work rapidly declined, and eventually, he was fired. At home, his wife grew frustrated with him for forgetting their conversations. He was not doing a good job with chores such as loading and unloading the dishwasher. 

Henry went to see a doctor, who referred him for cognitive testing. The results came back “invalid.” Among the potential diagnoses the neuropsychologist came up with was “malingering”—basically faking his cognitive impairment. The specialist apparently did not anticipate that someone so young might have dementia. As a result, Henry’s application for disability benefits was denied.  

By the time Henry walked into my clinic at Washington University in St. Louis, he and his family were confused and desperate. His wife thought perhaps Henry was being lazy and didn’t want to work or help around the house. But he seemed to struggle with simple tasks, such as dressing himself, and his problems were getting worse. She was worried.

As a cognitive neurologist, many patients come to see me because they’ve noticed subtle changes in their memory and thinking. Their major question is, “Do my symptoms represent the beginning of a progressive neurological illness like Alzheimer’s disease?” The answer is often not clear at their first visit, even after I take a detailed history, do brain imaging, and check routine blood work. Mild problems with memory and thinking are relatively common and can have many causes, such as poor sleep, stress, sleep apnea, various medical conditions, and certain medications. 

When patients with subtle changes in memory and thinking come to our clinic and the cause is unclear, a common strategy has been “cognitive monitoring”—watching patients over time to see if their problems get better, stay the same, or get worse. Some patients improve after interventions such as stopping a medication or starting treatment for sleep apnea. Some patients continue to experience cognitive difficulties but never really worsen. And some patients progressively decline until it becomes clear that they have a neurological disorder. Which leads to another difficult question: Are their symptoms caused by Alzheimer’s disease? 

Clinicians define dementia as a decline in memory and thinking that affects a patient’s function in everyday activities. There is a continuum of dementia, from being unnoticeable by people who do not know the patient well to causing complete dependence on others for dressing, bathing, eating, toileting and other simple tasks. Dementia, particularly when very mild, can have many causes, some of which are treatable. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia in patients older than 65 years. It is characterized by specific brain changes, including the deposition of amyloid plaques. These brain changes slowly worsen over time and can be detected 10 to 20 years before the onset of symptoms. 

Not long ago, it was impossible to know for sure whether a patient with cognitive impairment had Alzheimer’s disease or some other cause of dementia without an autopsy. In recent years, we have vastly improved our diagnostic capabilities. We can now offer blood tests that can enable earlier and more accurate diagnoses of large numbers of people.

Spinal taps and amyloid PET scans

In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  approved amyloid PET scans, which can reveal the presence of the amyloid plaques characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease and which are thought to initiate a cascade of brain changes that culminate in dementia. In 2022, the FDA approved the first test for Alzheimer’s disease that measured amyloid proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid or CSF.

For more than a decade, neurologists like me had been using CSF tests to determine whether patients with cognitive impairment were likely to have Alzheimer’s brain changes. While neurologists perform spinal taps to collect CSF to test for a variety of conditions, and it is safe and well-tolerated, most people have never had a spinal tap and it may seem scary. Even if the CSF testing provides a more certain diagnosis, patients often aren’t interested in having a spinal tap unless it has a major impact on their care. Patients will ask, “If I test positive, is there anything you would do differently?” For years, in most cases, I have said, “Probably not,” and that I would still treat them with the same medications and follow them in the same way. For this reason, we didn’t do many tests for Alzheimer’s—as my patients put it, “There’s nothing we can do about it anyway.”

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