Hurricanes are Off the Charts
Plus: What’s in Your Eyelashes? Probably Lots of Mites.
Hurricane Helene is intensifying rapidly as it approaches Florida’s Big Bend coast, where it’s expected to make landfall this evening as a Category 3 storm, possibly even stronger. Helene is expected to create a storm surge up to 20 feet—an “unsurvivable scenario,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.
Helene is just the latest example of hurricanes intensifying rapidly and becoming stronger, on average, than in the past. Atlantic hurricanes in the modern era are more than twice as likely to strengthen from Category 1 to Category 3 in a 24-hour period than in the previous era, one study found.
The change in hurricane behavior is so stark that experts have begun pondering addition of a 6th category to the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale, as the era of superstorms is expected to bring even more storms that are literally off the charts.
In my deep dive today, I explain how stronger winds, heavier rains, and rapid intensification are fueled by warmer seas, creating superstorms that promise to get even worse.
(The link above and those below are “friend links,” so you can read the story even if you’re not a Medium member.)
On to some other recent Aha! stories…
What’s in Your Eyelashes? Probably Lots of Mites.
Human skin is covered in tiny little organisms, from millions of microscopic bacteria, fungi and viruses to nearly invisible mites, a teensy member of the spider family. Try not to think about it too much. But one species of mite fancies your eyelashes. They are what scientists call beneficial parasites, so the best thing to do is live with it. Unless they overwhelm your eyes. Here’s what to know.
Itchy red eyes plagued a Chinese woman for more than two years before she finally sought treatment. Doctors were shocked to find more than 100 Demodex mites living in her lashes and along her inner eyelids.
—Annie Foley
Annie explains what to do if you have symptoms of a mite overload, and how to prevent such an infestation in the first place.
Why Is My Belly Button Shaped Like This?
I had a hernia operation at birth, and I’ve been told that’s why I have an outie. Whether that’s true or not, there are other reasons people have outies. Most, however, have innies. And I’ve always wondered why. Turns out your belly button, like everyone else’s, is nothing more than a scar. This writer does some serious navel gazing, and somehow manages to also address the age-old question about what belly button lint is actually made of. And here’s something I bet you didn’t know:
Behind the scenes, a ligament still connects the belly button to the bladder and liver. This is why overweight people usually have a deeper belly button (that ligament can’t stretch much) and why pregnant women often have a shallower belly button (the bladder is pressed outward by the growing fetus).
— Sam Westreich, PhD
The Many Surprising Things Your Fingernails Can Tell You
Our resident dermatologist explains more than a handful of diseases, conditions and even past experiences that can be revealed by a detailed look at fingernails. This isn’t hocus-pocus palm reading. This is serious science. We’re talking stress, nutritional deficiencies, liver disease—even trips to space. What?!
Whether you keep your nails long or short, painted or plain, keep an eye on them for clues to your underlying health, and see a physician with any concerning changes.
—Annie Foley
Annie goes on to explain how to best care for your nails, of course.
Will Sleeping Under Trees at Night Suffocate You to Death?
The writer, a scientist, ran across this odd claim in a Google search. Thinking it totally ridiculous, he researched the possibility. Turns out there’s an acorn of truth, which leads to a fascinating explanation of what trees do (including making carbon dioxide, which is toxic to humans in sufficient concentration). But there are far bigger dangers to worry about if you’re sleeping in a forest.