Research

The Microbiome of the Lung

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I came across this research paper recently:

Maltz MR, Topacio TM, Lo DD, Zaza M, Freund L, Botthoff J, Swenson M, Cocker D, Biddle T, Yisrael K, del Castillo D, Drover RW, Aronson E.0. Lung microbiomes’ variable responses to dust exposure in mouse models of asthma.  mSphere0:e00209-25. https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00209-25

Of course, microbial ecology extends far beyond the digestive tract.  Researchers have identified distinct microbial communities throughout the human body (collectively known as the human microbiome). These include the oral microbiome, skin microbiome, respiratory microbiome, urogenital microbiome, and reproductive microbiomes, among others.

It’s not common, however, to hear the lung microbiome spoken about.  This was an animal study done on mice so we can’t go extrapolating the findings too quickly to humans, but it was concerning how quickly the inhalation of the dust from this area resulted in alterations in the microbiome and an immune responses.

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Heatwaves May Accelerate Aging

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The link of extreme heat to biological aging has not been looked into with great depth.  By contrast, the effects of extreme heat on health are much better understood.  New research in 2025, first from the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and then from the University of Hong Kong, point to the appearance that heatwaves accelerate aging, especially for manual labourers.

See the studies for more information:

Chen, S., Liu, Y., Yi, Y. et al. Long-term impacts of heatwaves on accelerated ageing. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02407-w

Eun Young Choi, Jennifer A. Ailshire. Ambient outdoor heat and accelerated epigenetic aging among older adults in the US.Sci. Adv.11,eadr0616(2025) .DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adr0616 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adr0616

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Living Near an Ocean Might Extend Lifespan

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“…proximity to coastal waters (within 50 km) was positively associated with life expectancy, while proximity to inland water bodies (≥20 km2) was negatively associated with life expectancy.”

This study found a statistical assoctiation between living near the ocean and a longer a life expectancy. They mention potential cofactors like how living near the ocean correlates with a higher socioeconomic status and results in exposure to less extrememe weather, amongst other significant factors. And this inverse finding, the reduction in life expetancy with proximity to inland water bodies, at first may be counterintuitive but when you consider it’s being compared against the advantages of living near an ocean, significant differences arise (this is explained in the paper).

Do read the study for additional information:

Yanni Cao, Ria Martins, Jianyong Wu. Unveiling complexity in blue spaces and life expectancy. Environmental Research, 2025; 281: 121981 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121981

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