—Emma Gometz, Newsletter Editor
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Containing nearly 800,000 galaxies, this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is overlaid with a map of dark matter, represented in blue. NASA/STScI/J. DePasquale/A. Pagan
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- For discussion: Some tech giants think wearables like glasses and watches are the future of AI. But do people actually want them? We want to know: would you use AI wearables? Share your thoughts on this article by scrolling down to the tan box and clicking “Join the Discussion.” We’d love to hear from you!
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The brown blotches are the result of an Aspergillus penicilloides mold infestation that has caused extensive staining on the walls of King Tut’s burial chamber. DeAgostini/G. Dagli Orti/Getty Images
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Mold is a perennial scourge in museums that can disfigure and destroy art and artifacts. Most institutions keep the humidity low to root out mold, but some extremophile molds, called xerophiles, can thrive in those conditions—and elude detection. Museum officials keep their mold status hush-hush presumably to preserve an immaculate, competent public image. But not talking about the mold doesn’t make it go away. So, a small international group of mold-busting conservators are racing to learn how to identify and stop xerophilic molds from destroying priceless pieces of cultural heritage.
Meet the mold: Xerophilic molds turn dry environments into an oasis by living off tiny amounts of water and nutrients in the air and on surfaces. They can function like tiny alchemists: Some xerophilic molds can produce a salty brine that preserves trace amounts of water around them—just enough to survive. Others can tunnel into gorgeous frescoes, turning the plaster’s calcium, which appears to be harmful to the mold, into discolored calcium malate crystals.
The overtones: The story of this mold is cloaked in stigma and embarrassment. Only recently have some museums decided to share their struggle with the press, and with each other. One museum, the Roskilde in Denmark, has just started to address a quarantined collection after nine years of locking it away. “We’ve been afraid of it,” says Isabella No’omi Fuglø, the museum’s chief of collections.
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Every week, people around the world wake up with the familiar “Monday blues.” A recent study has shown that our long-term stress levels are impacted by how we feel about the dreaded day. Out of a survey of more than 3,000 people, those who responded that they were anxious on Mondays had, on average, 23 percent higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than those who felt anxious on other days. In other words, feeling anxious on the first day of the workweek has a much larger effect on your body’s stress hormones than feeling anxious on other days. Why this happens: According to two experts, one possibility is that the transition from the weekend to the demands of the week is inherently stressful, and when some can’t adapt, scientists can see that reflected in biomarkers like cortisol. Another explanation is that Mondays present a higher level of uncertainty, which research has shown is a key driver of stress and anxiety.
What this means for health: It’s not all in your head—the repeated stress of Mondays may accumulate over the course of a lifetime. Practices like meditation, mindfulness, regular exercise and good sleep hygiene may help recondition the brain’s weekly cycle and reduce stress-related health risks.
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