Alzheimer's Research

Kilauea Volcano’s Ash Triggers Largest Open Ocean Phytoplankton Bloom

A new study by an international team of researchers revealed that a rare and large summertime phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre in the summer of 2018 was prompted by ash from Kilauea falling on the ocean surface approximately 1,200 miles west of the volcano.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 11, 2025

Veronic D.

When the Kīlauea Volcano erupted in May 2018, an enormous amount of ash was released into the atmosphere in a plume nearly five miles high. A new study by an international team of researchers revealed that a rare and large summertime phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre in the summer of 2018 was prompted by ash from Kīlauea falling on the ocean surface approximately 1,200 miles west of the volcano.

The research was published recently in JGR Oceans. “The scale and duration of this bloom were both massive, and probably the largest ever reported for the North Pacific,” said David Karl, study co-author, Victor and Peggy Brandstrom Pavel Professor, and director of the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education in the University of Hawai’i (UH) at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.

Despite being one of the most active volcanoes in the world with multiple eruptions in the past 40 years, volcanic ash released from Kīlauea on Hawai’i Island had not previously been linked to open ocean phytoplankton blooms. The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea was one of the largest in more than 200 years, injecting millions of cubic feet of molten lava into the waters off the Big Island of Hawai’i and releasing an estimated 50 kilotons per day of sulfur dioxide and about 77 kilotons per day of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Kīlauea’s impact near and far
Previous research led by UH Manoa oceanographers showed that as lava flowed into the ocean, it warmed nutrient-rich bottom waters, making them more buoyant. The nutrient-rich deep water rising to the sunlit surface stimulated phytoplankton growth, resulting in an extensive plume of microbes offshore of Hawai’i Island.

Volcanic ash can be transported much farther distances by winds, especially during explosive eruptions that inject materials high into the atmosphere. “After the 2018 eruption, the prevailing winds transported ash particles to the west,” said Wee Cheah, study corresponding-author and Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences at Universiti Malaya.

The trajectories of the ash were recorded by Earth-orbiting satellites that detect changes in the optical clarity of the atmosphere, the so-called aerosol optical depth. Depending on the density, size, and shape of the particulate matter and local atmospheric conditions, especially rainfall, the ash eventually falls out of the atmosphere and into the surface ocean.

In addition to tracking atmospheric transport of ash across the Pacific Ocean, study lead author Chun Hoe Chow, Associate Professor in the Department of Marine Environmental Informatics at the National Taiwan Ocean University, and co-authors also used satellite data to detect ocean color, an indirect measure of the presence or absence of phytoplankton, which revealed a massive bloom near the dateline.

The team conducted a comprehensive analysis of the observations and investigated physical conditions to explain both the timing and the location of the surface bloom, a feature that is not typical in this region. “The waters in the open ocean of the Pacific are nutrient depleted and the addition of volcanic ash, especially iron in the ash, and to a lesser extent other trace elements and possibly phosphate, can stimulate the growth of marine phytoplankton,” said Karl.

Carbon out, carbon in
The growth of these specialized phytoplankton produced a lot of organic matter. When the organisms die and sink to the deep ocean, a large amount of organic carbon is exported from the surface, essentially removing carbon from the upper ocean and atmosphere.

“Our estimates are that export of organic carbon may be equivalent to about half of the carbon dioxide initially released from the eruption,” said Karl. “This marine carbon dioxide sequestration is a natural process that probably occurs whenever volcanic eruptions inject ash into the atmosphere and carry that particulate matter out to sea.”

The research team is prepared to track future volcanic eruptions and their effects on phytoplankton blooms. If another major eruption occurs, they plan to deploy a research vessel to study the bloom’s development and response in real-time.

Source:University of Hawaii at Manoa

Original Link:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250409115406.htm

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The Surprising Link Between Curiosity and Healthy Aging

Psychology literature has shown that curiosity tends to decline with age. Psychologists shows one type of curiosity can increase well into old age, contradicting prior research. Older adults who maintain curiosity and want to learn new things relevant to their interests may be able to offset or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Conversely, those who show muted curiosity and disinterest may be at risk for dementia.

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1 day ago

May 8, 2025

Veronic D.

The secret to aging successfully may not be what you think. Instead of focusing on physical exercise or mental stimulation alone, research suggests that cultivating curiosity can play a significant role in maintaining cognitive health and even preventing Alzheimer’s disease. An international team of psychologists has found that older adults who maintain a curious mindset and seek out new knowledge relevant to their interests may be able to offset or prevent dementia.

This finding challenges prior research that suggested curiosity decreases with age. The study, published in the journal PLOS One, was led by UCLA psychologist Alan Castel and involved a large sample of participants between the ages of 20 and 84. The researchers aimed to tease apart two types of curiosity: trait curiosity (a general level of inquisitiveness) and state curiosity (a momentary feeling of curiosity experienced when engaging with specific topics).

To assess these forms of curiosity, the researchers asked participants to complete an online questionnaire and guess answers to hard trivia questions. Analysis showed that while trait curiosity did decline across the adult lifespan, state curiosity increased sharply after middle age and continued upward well into old age.

The study’s lead author, Mary Whatley, notes that this finding may be related to selectivity theory, which suggests that as people get older, they become more selective about what they want to learn. This aligns with research on lifelong learning, where many older adults engage in activities like taking classes or picking up hobbies.

Castel’s own work on memory has shown that people tend to quickly forget information that doesn’t engage their curiosity. Anecdotally, many older adults report that staying curious is crucial for maintaining cognitive health and preventing dementia.

This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging, the Leverhulme Trust, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The findings suggest that cultivating curiosity can be a key factor in healthy aging and may even help prevent or offset Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer's

“Unlocking Brain Resilience: Researchers Discover CLU Protein’s Potential to Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease”

Recently approved Alzheimer’s drugs offer a step forward for treating the disease, but new therapeutic strategies are needed to complement them and provide personalized therapeutic approaches. Researchers have identified a potential strategy to protect against Alzheimer’s disease by increasing the clusterin protein (CLU).

Published

6 days ago

May 3, 2025

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As scientists continue to search for effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, a recent study has shed light on a promising new approach. Researchers at Mass General Brigham have discovered that increasing levels of the “CLU” (clusterin) protein may protect against cognitive decline and potentially provide a complementary therapy to existing treatments.

Led by Dr. Tracy Young-Pearse, the research team used various models, including human brain tissue from over 700 participants and animal models, to uncover the molecular role of CLU in protecting against neurodegeneration. Their findings suggest that increasing CLU can prevent inflammatory interactions between brain cells called astrocytes and microglia, which are associated with heightened inflammation.

The study’s results have significant implications for the design and testing of new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease. As Dr. Young-Pearse noted, “Increasing clusterin has the potential to prevent cognitive decline in a way that is different than and complementary to anti-amyloid therapies to promote brain resilience.”

CLU may also be beneficial for treating other age-related brain diseases, many of which share similar mechanisms of neuroinflammatory dysregulation. The researchers emphasize the importance of personalized therapeutic approaches, as individuals’ responses to CLU upregulation vary based on their genetics.

The study’s findings provide a crucial step forward in the search for effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related brain diseases. By understanding the role of CLU in protecting against neurodegeneration, researchers can develop new strategies to promote brain resilience and potentially prevent cognitive decline.

In conclusion, the discovery of CLU’s potential therapeutic benefits offers new hope for individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related brain disorders. Further research is necessary to fully explore this promising approach, but the findings of this study mark an important milestone in the pursuit of effective treatments for these debilitating diseases.

Alzheimer's

Physical Activity in Middle Age May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

An increase in physical activity between the ages of 45 and 65 could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, while inactivity may be detrimental to brain health.

Published

1 week ago

May 2, 2025

Veronic D.

Physical Activity in Middle Age May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

A recent scientific study has shed light on the importance of physical activity in middle age for preventing Alzheimer’s disease. The research, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, highlights the need to promote physical activity among adults aged 45-65.

The study found that increasing physical activity during this period can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, while a sedentary lifestyle may be detrimental to brain health. In fact, it is estimated that 13% of Alzheimer’s disease cases worldwide can be attributed to physical inactivity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 150-300 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity per week. While extensive research has shown that exercise reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by improving cardiovascular and mental health, this study suggests that physical activity may have a direct impact on the development of brain pathology associated with the disease.

The research team conducted a four-year follow-up of middle-aged residents of Catalonia with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease. Participants were classified as adherent (meeting WHO recommendations), non-adherent (doing less than the recommended amount of physical activity), and sedentary (doing zero minutes of physical activity per week).

The study found that participants who increased their physical activity to meet WHO-recommended levels showed less beta-amyloid accumulation, a protein that can impair neural communication when it accumulates in the brain. Moreover, this effect appeared to be dose-dependent; the greater the increase in activity, the greater the reduction in amyloid burden.

Non-sedentary participants also showed a greater cortical thickness in brain regions associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Cortical thickness is crucial for memory, and its thinning or atrophy (loss of volume) is an early sign of neurodegeneration.

“The findings reinforce the importance of promoting physical activity in middle age as a public health strategy for Alzheimer’s prevention,” emphasizes Eider Arenaza-Urquijo, ISGlobal researcher and lead investigator of the study. “Interventions aimed at promoting increased physical activity could be key to reducing the incidence of the disease in the future.”