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The misty páramos in the Andes that supply water to tens of millions of people are under threat. Now their mystery could be solved

by Damian Carrington in Páramo de la Rusia, Colombia.

In the land where the legend of El Dorado began, the race is on to solve the mystery of a vital 21st-century treasure – the water that tens of millions of people rely upon across northern South America. “It’s blue gold, and we are looking for it,” says Mauricio Diazgranados, a Colombian botanist.

The misty and marshy páramo landscapes that sit above the tree line and below the snow caps of the soaring Andes peaks are known as the living factories that ensure a steady flow of clean water to the region’s growing population.

But after many centuries of protection as sacred places, the páramos face a battery of threats: destruction by farming and mining, rapidly rising temperatures and a triple plague attacking the exotic frailejones plants that stand like silent armies defending the land.

Healthy páramos are covered with plants adapted to the extreme conditions in the high-altitude tropics, where scorching sun is followed by freezing nights. They are highly efficient at capturing huge quantities of water from the thick rolling fogs and rains, then trapping it in rich peat soils and slowly releasing it, preventing floods in the wet season and drought in the dry months. This steady supply provides virtually all the water for big cities such as Bogotá and Quito in Ecuador, where water shortages strike regularly.

“It really is a sponge!” says Diazgranados, from Kew Gardens in west London, picking up a fistful of moss in the Paramo de la Rusia in northern Colombia. It’s the end of the dry season but water still drips out as he squeezes.

Despite the critical importance of the páramos, until recently it was one of the least known ecosystems in the world. Now a team of researchers have set out to give the paramos the most thorough and hi-tech examination yet, from above, on and below the ground, aiming to reveal exactly how the giant water towers work and can be protected.

Reference:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/09/land-el-dorado-clean-water-blue-gold-paramos-colombia-andes

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A young gymnast has announced her retirement from the sport after breaking both of her legs during a competition.

Samantha Cerio of Auburn University was performing her floor routine at Friday's NCAA regional event in Baton Rouge when she fell on a blind landing.

Cerio, a senior on the team, was attempting a handspring double front but let out a scream of pain as she landed at an awkward angle, causing her legs to buckle amidst gasps from the crowd.

The crowd was initially stunned into silence but gave the gymnast a standing ovation when paramedics carted her out of the arena on a stretcher a few moments later.

Cerio reportedly dislocated both of her knees and broke both of her legs as a result of the fall.

Watch te video!

Reference:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/horrifying-moment-gymnast-breaks-both-14252243

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Even light-to-moderate drinking increases blood pressure and the chances of having a stroke, according to a large genetic study in The Lancet, countering previous claims that one or two drinks a day could be protective.

The UK and Chinese researchers followed 500,000 Chinese people for 10 years.

They say the findings are relevant to all populations and the best evidence yet on the direct effects of alcohol.

Experts said people should limit their alcohol consumption.

It is already known that heavy drinking is harmful to health and increases stroke risk - but some studies have suggested drinking small amounts can be good for the health, while others indicate there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.

What did the research find?

The researchers, from the University of Oxford, Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, found that:

drinking one to two alcoholic drinks every day increased stroke risk by 10-15%

drinking four drinks every day increased the risk of having a stroke by 35%

For the purposes of their study, one drink was defined as either:

a small glass of wine

a bottle of beer

a single measure of spirits

About 16 in 100 men and 20 in 100 women will have a stroke in their lifetime in the UK.

So, if a group of 100 non-drinkers started drinking a glass or two every day, there would be an extra two strokes - a small increase.

According to Prof David Spiegelhalter, from the University of Cambridge, that's an increase in total stroke risk of 38% for every half a bottle of wine drunk per day.

Referencia:
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47817650