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She is setting a good example for others to follow. It is believed that people will follow suit.

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Taylor Swift's " Eras Tour" is predicted to earn a record-breaking $1 billion, and the singer-songwriter has already been sharing the wealth.

Aside from her headline-making move to give $ 100,000 bonuses to her tour truck drivers, Swift has been quietly donating to local food banks and hunger relief organizations in the areas she visits on her tour.

Swift's donations have made possible additional resources for these organizations but also drawn widespread attention to the issue of food insecurity in the U.S.

TODAY.com spoke with several of Swift's beneficiaries across the country - who declined to share the size of her gifts - about the impact of her charitability.

A call from out of the blue

For many hunger relief organizations, getting a call from Swift's people was a shock.

"We thought, 'Are we getting punked?'" says Michelle Beck, chief development officer of Three Square Food Bank in Southern Nevada.

Swift's team contacted Three Square Food Bank when the singer was in Las Vegas for her second "Eras Tour" performance.

"They said they wanted to make a gift to help the areas that they were performing in," Beck tells TODAY.com. "For us, that was a pretty amazing day."

News of Swift's donation quickly made the rounds.

"Pretty soon news media picked it up," Beck recalls, "And they were calling us. And then, we were in national news - a little food bank in Las Vegas, Nevada, getting some national coverage."

According to Beck, one in eight Southern Nevada residents are experiencing food insecurity. She hopes that the media attention around Swift's gift will raise awareness about food insecurity.

"Everybody should have dignified access to food," she says. "If you're in a position to help in any way, take some action."

Food insecurity has increased since the pandemic

Swift's donations have provided crucial relief for food banks struggling with the aftermath of the pandemic.

Mark Coleman, a spokesperson for Seattle hunger relief organization Food Lifeline, says that the rates of food insecurity have outpaced donations to food banks.

"Donation streams have gone down post-pandemic and we're having to purchase more food," he tells TODAY.com.

According to Coleman, 1.1 million people in Western Washington are currently experiencing food insecurity.

"I don't think most people understand how many people face food insecurity," he says. "Right now, one in five children are growing up in food insecure homes. That's 20%. That just shouldn't happen."

Swift donated to Food Lifeline during her Seattle "Eras Tour" performance in July. With Swift's contribution, Food Lifeline says it will be able to provide "hundreds of thousands of pounds" of fresh produce to families in Western Washington.

"Cash donations like Taylor's are really critical right now," Coleman says.

Shobana Gubbi, chief philanthropy officer of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley in San Jose, California - another organization Swift donated to - says her organization has also felt the post-pandemic pinch.

"Everything costs more than it did three years ago and donations are not at the same level as they were, but the need is at the same level as it was at the peak of the pandemic," she tells TODAY.com. "So all of the food banks are feeling the squeeze. And the clients that we serve are not getting a lot of the government supports that they were during the pandemic."

In March, the pandemic-era aid program that boosted SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits ended, leaving many who rely on food stamps scrambling for their next meal.

Meanwhile, according to a July report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of food consumed at home has risen by 3.6% over the last year.

Amy Ragan, the chief development officer at Houston Food Bank, says economic challenges have exacerbated the demand for hunger relief.

"I'm just so glad (Swift) supports food banks, because the need is high, especially with inflation now," Ragan tells TODAY.com. "Food banks are working hard every day. And you know, it's been tough getting food donations at some points."

Swift has now donated to the Houston Food Bank twice: First in 2017, during Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, and again in April of this year when she stopped in Houston on her tour.

"Someone like Taylor, when she's bringing this much attention, certainly helped us gain more awareness, which is what we need to drive up donations again," she continued.

Attracting Swift's attention in Texas

Some organizations took a proactive approach to reaching Swift.

The Tarrant Area Food Bank, located in Fort Worth, Texas, had heard about Swift's food bank donations at other "Eras Tour" stops.

"We have a lot of Swifties at the Tarrant Area Food Bank," Stephen Raeside, the organization's chief development and external affairs officer, tells TODAY.com.

In hopes of catching Swift's attention when she performed in nearby Arlington, the Tarrant Area Food Bank launched an Instagram campaign, temporarily changing their name to the "Taylor Area Food Bank."

The organization received a phone call from Swift's representatives with the news that Swift would donate to the food bank on the day of her first Arlington concert.

"It was a very generous donation," shares Raeside.

Swift's contribution was used to support the food bank's summer hunger campaign, Raeside says. During the summer, children don't have access to the free and reduced school meal programs, putting a greater burden on families facing food insecurity.

"An endorsement from Taylor is more than we could ever ask for, and it led to a very successful fundraising campaign to provide those greatly needed summer meals," Raeside says.

Tarrant Area Food Bank provided 600,000 meals each week before the pandemic, according to Raeside, but increased to one million weekly meals during and after the pandemic.

"It put so many of our working families back over the edge," Raeside says, "But thankfully, along with partners like Taylor Swift, Tarrant Area Food Bank and all the Swifties here on staff are ready to meet that need."

Crucially, Swift's involvement brought the Tarrant Area Food Bank some much-needed public attention.

"Taylor is absolutely a catalyst for social change," Raeside says. "When Taylor donates, people follow."

Swift also contributed the "gift of awareness"

For hunger relief organizations, having Swift's name attached to their work is priceless publicity.

"The best part of this is that Taylor Swift has one of the biggest voices on the planet," Coleman says. "When Taylor Swift talks about something, everybody talks about something. And that's what we're trying to do with hunger. We're trying to make everybody aware of the size and scope of the problem, and then we can address it."

"The cash gift was incredible," he adds. "But the real lasting gift of that was the gift of awareness that she gave to her fans."

Beck echoes this sentiment: "It's just that awareness she has. She has such a beautiful reputation with the public for doing good things. And to be attached to that for us was priceless."

Gubbi says Swift's high-profile donation has encouraged others to contribute.

"More people are becoming aware," she says. "And we are seeing more people talking to us and donating to us. I think over time, it'll generate more interest and more donations."

While celebrity attention is certainly a boon to food banks, Gubbi hopes people will be inspired to make a difference on a local level.

"You don't have to be a celebrity to do what you can in your own community," she says. "I think when celebrities do this, it reminds all of us to pause and do what we can. We all get so busy and caught up in our lives. I think it just reminds all of us that each of us can make a difference in our community."

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Taylor Swift donates to food banks on 'Eras Tour' route: 'When Taylor donates, people follow'

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Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" is predicted to earn $1 billion in profits, and she has been donating to food banks and hunger relief organizations across the country.

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Bubble curtains are being used to protect marine life from noisy wind farm construction

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Bubble curtains are being used to protect marine life from noisy wind farm construction

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Bubble curtains were used to limit oil spills - now they’re safeguarding porpoises from wind farm noise in the North Sea.

Giant rings of bubbles are being used to protect marine animals from the sound of wind turbine construction.

There are few humans around to complain about the noise, but marine wildlife lives in a world of sound - and all the commotion can take a deadly toll.

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Researchers found a link between the gut microbiome and expression of miRNAs in breast tissue in mice, one influenced by flaxseed lignans.

miRNAs are molecules that regulate the expression of genes, which affects the kinds and amounts of proteins made in cells.

Experts caution that while animal studies can help us understand connections like this, the results may not apply directly to humans.

Flaxseeds and other foods rich in lignans may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, suggest preliminary results from an animal study.

More research is needed, though, including clinical trials in people.

In the study, published Dec. 7 in Microbiology Spectrum, researchers focused on how lignans influenced the relationship between the gut microbiome - bacteria and other microbes living in the gastrointestinal tract - and the generation of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the mammary gland.

miRNAs are noncoding RNAs that regulate the expression of genes in cells, which affects the kinds and amounts of proteins made there.

"If these findings are confirmed, the microbiota becomes a new target to prevent breast cancer through dietary intervention," study author Elena M. Comelli, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto in Canada, said in a news release.

In the study, researchers examined the effect of flaxseed lignans on the gut microbiome of young female mice. In particular, they looked at the amounts and types of microbes in the cecum, the first part of the colon.

Flaxseeds are the richest dietary source of lignan precursors, but these compounds are also found in other seeds, whole grains, legumes, fruit and vegetables.

When plant lignans are ingested, they can be converted by intestinal bacteria to other compounds that are absorbed into the bloodstream.

Some research has found that postmenopausal women who consume higher amounts of lignans in their diet have a lower risk of breast cancer. Another 2010 study found that dietary intake of lignan was associated with a lower risk of dying from breast cancer.

Jo L. Freudenheim, PhD, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in the University at Buffalo's School of Public Health and Health Professions, the lead author of 2010 study, said the findings of the new research might provide a potential mechanism for the results seen in her study.

In the new study, researchers found a relationship between the cecal microbiome and mammary gland miRNA expression, which was altered by a diet containing flaxseed lignan components.

In particular, mice fed lignan components generated specific miRNA responses in the mammary gland, including the production of miRNAs related to the regulation of genes involved in breast cancer.

"[This study] shows changes in the expression of miRNAs in the breast with changes in the gut microbiome, with possible changes in metabolic processes that could be important in breast cancer," Fruedenheim told Healthline.

"This provides some evidence for another potential mechanism linking the gut microbiome with breast cancer," she said.

However, she said there are a large number of steps that must occur in the body between the changes in miRNAs and the development of cancer, both in mice and in people.

In addition, "it is not clear to what extent the microbiota profiles that [the researchers] are studying in a laboratory setting are relevant to humans living in a more complex environment," she said.

Freudenheim pointed out that several possible mechanisms for how the gut microbiome might affect breast cancer risk have been explored. For example, the gut microbiome may affect the levels of estrogen circulating in the bloodstream.

Or bacterial products may pass from the intestines into the blood and impact other organs, including breast tissue. Additionally, bacteria in the gut may lead to inflammation throughout the body.

However, it's not just gut microbes that can affect breast tissue.

"[My colleagues and I] did a study looking at periodontal disease, a disease with an altered oral microbiome, and showed that it was associated with increased breast cancer risk," said Freudenheim.

She cautions that while animal studies, like the new one and others, can provide insight into biological processes, there can be significant differences between experimental animals and humans.

So the findings of the new study may not directly apply to people. Additional research, including randomized clinical trials in people, are needed to show whether supplementing the diet with lignans can protect against breast cancer.

Freudenheim points out that a person's microbiome is constantly interacting with their body, so it can have a big impact on health.

As a result, studies like this have "enormous potential to impact our understanding of the processes of health and disease, and potential to provide insight for health and disease prevention," she said.

In a new study, researchers fed flaxseed lignans to female mice, and found that this changed the composition of the gut microbiome and the miRNAs produced in breast tissue.

miRNAs are a non-coding type of RNA that regulate the expression of genes, which affects which proteins are made by cells.

Mice fed flaxseed lignans produced miRNAs in breast tissue that are involved in the development of breast cancer. This suggests dietary changes may be able to reduce breast cancer risk. However, clinical trials in people are needed.

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Flaxseeds Influence Gut Microbiome and May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

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In a new study, finds flaxseed lignans may impact the composition of the gut microbiome and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer. More research is needed to confirm these early findings.

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With the growing number of visitors to the Spanish capital, more and more travellers are discovering Madrid´s many historical sites including its 17th century Plaza Mayor.

The square has recently been voted as the 3rd most picturesque square in Europe, just behind London´s Trafalgar Square and Berlin´s Alexanderplatz and well ahead of any rivals in the rest Spain.

Online searches for 'European culture traditions' and 'most beautiful places to go in Europe' have increased by +200% in the last year and the study by UK-based travel agent, loveholidays has revealed the most picturesque squares in Europe by analysing just how many times the square has been photographed and shared by visitors on social media.

The Plaza Mayor was posted over 610,000 times - well ahead of its closest rival in Spain -the Plaza de España which had 430,000 posts.

The No1 spot of Trafalgar Square was posted 670,000 times.

The Plaza Mayor (literally main or big square) is in the heart of Madrid´s historic Hapsburg district - the oldest part of the city.

Popular with visitors and locals alike who come to sit out and enjoy a coffee or meal the square also plays host to events such as the drum parade at Easter, outdoor concerts, and the city's traditional Christmas market in December.

The present square was erected on the former Plaza del Arrabal, where Madrid's most popular market was held till the late 16th century.

When King Philip II moved the Spanish court from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, he began to plan a remodelling of the square, although it wasn't till his son and successor Philip III was in power, that the new square was built.

It was designed by architect Juan Gómez de Mora and was the beating heart of the then small walled city of Madrid complete with local festivities,bullfights to beatifications, coronations and even auto-da-fé during the Spanish Inquisition.

Its most famous building is the Casa de la Panadería which houses the city´s main tourist Information Centre.

The façade is covered by exquisite frescoes painted in 1992 by the artist Carlos Franco, and which feature mythological figures that are linked to the history of Madrid.

Its other famous features are the Arco de los Cuchilleros whose steep steps lead down to Calle de los Cuchilleros, which was where Madrid ´s famous knife makers had their workshops and would supply knives to the butchers on the Plaza Mayor and the equestrian statue of King Philip III in the centre of the square.

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Madrid´s Plaza Mayor Third Most Picturesque Square In Europe ⋆ Madrid Metropolitan

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With the growing number of visitors to the Spanish capital, more and more travellers are discovering Madrid´s many historical sites