"Abstract. The impacts of sea-level rise and other hazards on the coasts of the world are determined by coastal sea-level height and land elevation. Correct integration of both aspects is fundamental for reliable sea-level rise and coastal hazard impact assessments, but is often not carefully considered or properly performed. Here we show that more than 99% of the evaluated impact assessments handled sea-level and land elevation data inadequately, thereby misjudging sea level relative to coastal elevation. Based on our literature evaluation, 90% of the hazard assessments assume coastal sea levels based on geoid models, rather than using actual sea-level measurements. Our meta-analyses on global scale show that measured coastal sea level is higher than assumed in most hazard assessments (mean offsets [standard deviation] of 0.27 m [0.76 m] and 0.24 m [0.52 m] for two commonly-used geoids). Regionally, predominantly in the Global South, measured mean sea level can be more than 1 m above global geoids, with the largest differences in the Indo-Pacific. Compared with geoid-based assumptions of coastal sea level, the measured values suggest that with a hypothetical 1 m of relative sea-level rise, 31–37% more land and 48–68% more people (increasing estimates to 77–132 million) would fall below sea level. Our results highlight the need for re-evaluation of existing coastal impact assessments and improvement of research community standards, with possible implications for policymakers, climate finance and coastal adaptation."
(Wikipedia) The geoid is the shape that the ocean surface would take under the influence of the gravity of Earth, including gravitational attraction and Earth's rotation, if other influences such as winds and tides were absent.
I assume that's a bot that helps us not have to click on articles for basic information. Personally, I find it quite useful. I'd love to have that built into HN.
Ars's recent issues with fabricated quotes were very disappointing. But
Beth Mole is consistently excellent. She has a PhD in microbiology, and is a very careful writer. In the linked article, she cites the following studies. The evidence for a reduced dementia risk seems pretty convincing, particularly given the "natural cutoff" studies:
* Cited research: "Herpes zoster vaccination and the risk of dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis" - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38687552/
* Cited research: "A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia" - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08800-x
* Cited research: "Herpes Zoster Vaccination and Dementia Occurrence" - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2833335?
* Cited research: "Herpes zoster vaccination and incident dementia in Canada: an analysis of natural experiments" - https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(25)00455-7/fulltext
* Cited research: "The recombinant shingles vaccine is associated with lower risk of dementia" - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03201-5
* Cited research: "Recombinant zoster vaccine is associated with a reduced risk of dementia" - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69289-0
* Cited research: "Association between shingles vaccination and slower biological aging: Evidence from a U.S. population-based cohort study" - https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/advance-article/doi/10.1093/gerona/glag008/8430804?login=false
"Abstract. Extreme humid heat is projected to increase markedly by the end of the century, particularly in the tropics. Yet, the case of small islands is ambiguous because the available studies are based on coarse global climate models (GCMs) that ignore them. Here, statistically downscaled, bias-corrected GCMs at weather station sites are used to assess present and future extreme humid heat conditions on various tropical islands. The latter are estimated with the Heat Index (HI) combining temperature and humidity. Similarly to continents, extreme humid heat intensity is projected to reach particularly dangerous levels by the end of the century, with higher HI values for islands located closer to the equator. Longer, more common humid heatwaves are also notably projected to increase in frequency, with more pronounced increases equatorward, because of the lower seasonal variability of HI. Such severe conditions threaten the lives of millions of island inhabitants across the tropics."
Abstract: "The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) has experienced a strong intensification of summer surface melting, with extreme events becoming more frequent, extensive, and severe. Despite its importance for global sea-level rise, the mechanisms driving these extremes remain incompletely understood. We analyze extreme melting events over 1950–2023 using an analog-based framework combined with a regional climate model to disentangle thermodynamic and dynamic contributions. Thermodynamic processes intensify meltwater production by 25% relative to 1950–1975 when circulation analog events are included, increasing to 63% when circulation-analog events are included, with the strongest increases in northern Greenland. Seven of the ten most extreme events occurred after 2000, with meltwater anomalies reaching up to three times their synoptic average. Record-breaking events such as August 2012, July 2019, and July 2021 show no dynamic precedents. Future projections under high-emission scenarios suggest that extreme meltwater anomalies could increase by up to +372% by 2100 (SSP5-8.5, CMIP6), highlighting the profound impact of climate change on GrIS melt extremes."
Summary: "High-altitude conditions improve glucose tolerance and reduce diabetes risk, but the physiological mechanism is not well understood. Using mouse models, we found that hypoxia alone robustly improved glucose tolerance and that the effect persisted for weeks after returning to normal oxygen levels. PET/CT imaging suggested a significant, unknown glucose sink beyond major internal organs. We hypothesized that hypoxia-induced red blood cells (RBCs) serve as this sink. Manipulating RBC numbers through phlebotomy or transfusion directly altered blood glucose, establishing RBCs as necessary and sufficient for this effect. In chronic hypoxia, RBCs showed a sustained ∼3-fold increase in glucose uptake and ∼2-fold increase in GLUT1 protein abundance, specifically in newly synthesized RBCs, which ultimately contributes to increased glycolytic flux toward 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG). Mechanistically, acute hypoxia displaces GAPDH from inhibitory band 3 binding through competitive interactions with deoxyhemoglobin, thereby boosting glycolytic flux and driving 2,3-DPG production. We also found that hypoxia or our small-molecule hypoxia mimetic, HypoxyStat, rescued hyperglycemia in mouse models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Our findings identify RBCs as key regulators of systemic glucose metabolism, highlighting a novel therapeutic approach for hyperglycemic disorders."
The 10 insights:
- Insight 1. Explaining the record warm years 2023/2024 – evidence, uncertainty, and remaining questions
- Insight 2. Sea surface warming is accelerating and marine heatwaves are intensifying
- Insight 3. Permafrost and boreal forests show signs of strain, raising concerns about the global land carbon sink
- Insight 4. Climate change and biodiversity loss reinforce one another
- Insight 5. Accelerating depletion of groundwater
- Insight 6. Climate-driven increase in global dengue – observed and projected (Dengue fever is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease.)
- Insight 7. Global labour productivity and income loss due to climate change
- Insight 8. Carbon dioxide removal needs to be safely and significantly scaled to tackle hard-to-abate emissions and climate risks
- Insight 9. Carbon credit markets – Persistent integrity challenges and emerging responses
- Insight 10. Policy mixes outperform standalone measures in advancing emissions reductions
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