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Explore GSO app lets users tour URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography from anywhere

Cool tools at your fingertips

Peter J. Hanlon

Users of the Explore GSO app can read or listen to a wealth of information on the Explore GSO app, including historical data about research vessels and the role the military played at the Narragansett Bay Campus. (Explore GSO screenshots)

The University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) has launched Explore GSO, a free multimedia app that lets anyone tour the school’s campus, research facilities, and history from anywhere in the world.

Located on 153 acres overlooking Narragansett Bay, URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus is home to GSO, the URI Department of Ocean Engineering, and other marine programs and organizations. Explore GSO brings the campus to a wider audience through two tours: one showcasing today’s research and the people behind it, and another tracing the history of the school and the land it occupies.

Because the Bay Campus sits at the far end of South Ferry Road in Narragansett, few people will ever stumble upon it. And for prospective students or ocean science enthusiasts who live far away, visiting GSO in person might not be an option. The app brings the school to them.

Explore GSO highlights the campus with descriptions, photos, audio recordings, and videos of the latest marine research and the people leading it. The app also traces the school’s history and that of the land it occupies, including the early steps that led to an oceanography school at URI through its continued growth today.

The app highlights some of the campus’s lesser-known features including its use as a World War II prisoner-of-war camp for German soldiers, the collection of 66,000 volumes on ocean and coastal research in the Pell Marine Science Laboratory, and Studio Blue, GSO’s own art gallery.

Real men eat tofu

Animal vs. Plant Protein: New Study Reveals Unexpected Testosterone Differences

By University of Eastern Finland

An observational study of middle-aged men links animal protein to lower testosterone and plant protein to higher levels, but the differences are small, and their health effects remain unclear.

A protein-rich meal gives the body amino acids, the building blocks it needs to make and repair tissues, including muscle. Testosterone helps regulate muscle growth and also supports bones and sexual function. Food provides essential materials, while hormones help direct what the body does with them.

That connection makes diet a reasonable place to look when studying testosterone, yet relatively few studies have examined its relationship with protein intake.

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland found that men who consumed more animal protein tended to have lower total testosterone levels in their blood. Those who consumed more plant protein tended to have higher levels. The findings do not mean that higher testosterone is necessarily healthier or that one protein source improves hormone function.

Dairy and meat show different hormone links

The research, published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, included 2,546 men aged 42 to 60 living in eastern Finland. 

Does Pete eat enough tofu?

It drew on the university’s ongoing Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Researchers assessed the men’s diets using four-day food records collected between 1984 and 1989 and measured total testosterone in blood samples. They also measured sex hormone-binding globulin, or SHBG, a protein that binds to sex hormones and influences total testosterone concentrations in the blood.

Looking at individual foods revealed a distinction that the broad category of animal protein could obscure. Higher dairy protein intake was associated with lower total testosterone and SHBG levels. Meat protein intake was associated with lower SHBG, but it had no association with total testosterone. Among plant foods, higher protein intake from vegetables and sources other than cereal products was associated with higher total testosterone.

To compare the differences, the researchers divided the men into four groups according to their protein intake. Those in the highest animal protein group had total testosterone concentrations averaging 1.2 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) below those in the lowest group. For plant protein, the highest intake group averaged 1.1 nmol/L above the lowest group. SHBG showed similar opposing associations with animal and plant protein intake.

“Although the observed differences in testosterone concentrations were statistically significant, they were relatively small. Based on this study, it is not possible to infer whether these differences have implications for health,” says Doctoral Researcher Miika Wynne-Ellis from the University of Eastern Finland.

Flu and COVID Are Both Surging Early This Year in Rhode Island and US

Now is the time to take precautions to stay healthy

By Nick Landekic, contributing writer/RINewsToday News Team

As much as we would all like to forget about COVID, it’s still very much with us and will be for a long time. Right now, we are experiencing an atypical COVID surge with outbreaks reported in 47 states. COVID levels (as measured by wastewater monitoring) are Very High in Rhode Island with several areas reporting the highest levels seen all year, including Jamestown and the East Bay communities of Bristol, Warren, and Newport.

The rate of COVID infections right now is higher than it was than at any time during the first two years of the pandemic. Over 1 million people are becoming infected with COVID every day, and increasing. The Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative estimates that between 1,900 and 3,300 Americans are dying of COVID every week.

Flu has also come early this year. Every part of the U.S. is showing high flu test positivity which means we are in ‘flu season.’ Flu rates are climbing in almost every state including Rhode Island.

If you haven’t yet gotten COVID and flu vaccine shots, now would be a good time to talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

How serious are COVID and the flu?

COVID and influenza are the only infectious diseases that regularly kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. They are both serious infectious diseases. The severity of infection can be reduced by vaccination.

For both flu and COVID, the most vulnerable people are the very young and the very old. COVID is especially dangerous for seniors, while the flu is more dangerous for infants.

One of the most damaging myths is that COVID has somehow become ‘milder.’ It has not.  If anything some studies have shown it has become worse. It most definitely is not like a cold or even the flu. It’s much more serious.

Repeat COVID infections take an increasing toll on the body. Studies have shown repeat infections have 2 to 3 times the risk of a worse outcome, organ, tissue, and system damage, than the previous infection.

Even if you are lucky enough to have had a relatively mild acute course of infection you can still develop Long COVID. Studies have shown that most Long COVID cases started with initially mild infections. It’s estimated that right now between 389,000 to 1,560,000 people are getting Long COVID every week.

COVID isn’t something your body can handle getting over and over again. Ask someone with Long COVID what it’s like.

What’s happening in Rhode Island?

The Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative rates Rhode Island, as well as neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut, as currently having Very High levels of infection. 26 states currently are at High or Very High levels. They also estimate that 1 out of every 24 people in Rhode Island are actively infectious with COVID. This also means if you are in a room with 10 people, there is a 34% chance someone has COVID – and could infect everyone else in the room.

The Rhode Island Department of Health also rates our current wastewater viral activity level as High.

CCA declares overwhelming victory as predicted

Except it’s B.S.

By Will Collette

In past election cycles, you could expect the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) to recruit a full slate of candidates to run for town office. This year, it was different. 

The best the CCA could do was offer a partial slate of only two Town Council candidates along with their usual bunch of acolytes of Planning Commissar Ruth Platner to run for Planning Commission.

They padded their numbers by adding people to their slate who never asked to be added, including Democrat Cynthia Drummond and incumbent Republican Steve Stokes (who received the CCA’s coveted “conditional” endorsement, both running for Town Council, as well as the three-member Democratic slate for the Chariho School Committee.

I predicted that the CCA would use their sleezy ploy of awarding unsolicited endorsements so they could claim an overwhelming victory in the November 3 General Election.

After closely monitoring the way the CCA operates, it’s almost too easy. Sure enough, here’s the CCA’s “victory” statement:

“Thank you to each of the over 4000 voters who took the time to vote this year and congratulations to all the winners! The election may be over, but Charlestown Citizens Alliance will continue to engage the public to encourage Charlestown’s government to protect our environment, economy, and future….Ten out of eleven local candidates that CCA supported in the November 3 election were elected, and we are grateful to the voters. Sadly, Sasha Puchalski, who we supported for Town Council, missed being elected by just 24 votes. We hope she will continue to serve the town and be involved in Charlestown’s government. Charlestown would benefit from her continued involvement.”

Except half of those claimed CCA wins are people who did not ask to be endorsed by the CCA. They still only have Bonnie Van Slyke on the Town Council making this the third election cycle the CCA has been out of power. Their only achievement was to tighten Ruth Platner's control of the Planning Commission, though without the Council, the Planning Commission has no power except the power to obstruct. But obstruction is what Platner is all about.

Since the CCA first emerged from Charlestown’s swamps in 2008, they have never seemed to master the skill of telling the truth. This has continually gotten them into trouble and led voters to kick them out of power in 2022.

Trump hopes his faith will save him

‘Please Guide Me In My Darkest Hour Lord,’ Prays Trump Kneeling Before Portrait Of Himself - The Onion

And the nation utters a collective sigh

More trout in local ponds

DEM to Stock Selected Waterbodies for Veterans Day

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is conducting a special trout stocking in advance of Veterans Day in honor of our veterans. Rainbow and Brook trout will be stocked in 14 waterbodies today through Tuesday, Nov. 10. The following areas will be stocked:

• Barber Pond, South Kingstown
• Carbuncle Pond, Coventry 
• Meadow Brook Pond, Richmond
• Olney Pond, Lincoln Woods State Park, Lincoln 
• Round Top Ponds, Burrillville 
• Shippee Sawmill Pond, Foster 
• Silver Spring Lake, North Kingstown 
• Simmons Mill Pond, Little Compton 
• Stafford Pond, Tiverton 
• Tarkiln Pond, Burrillville 
• Tucker Pond, South Kingstown 
• Watchaug Pond, Charlestown 
• Willett Pond, East Providence
• Wood River, Rt 165 Check Station, and "The Pines", Exeter

Regular stocking updates will be available on DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife's (DFW) Facebook Page and www.dem.ri.gov/troutwaters. See freshwater fisheries updates and FAQs at www.dem.ri.gov/fishing.

Freshwater fishing rules, regulations, size, and creel limits for freshwater fishing are available in the 2026-2027 Freshwater Fishing Abstract. A 2026 fishing license is required for anglers 15 years of age and older and a Trout Conservation Stamp is required to keep or possess trout. 

Scientists discover a surprising link between vitamin C and cancer survival

Could help in the treatment of cancer

Van Andel Research Institute

A surprising clinical trial suggests that taking vitamin C daily could improve survival in people with precancerous blood disorders and early-stage blood cancers. Patients receiving the supplement had fewer adverse events and showed a promising survival advantage, raising hopes that a common vitamin could help protect against leukemia-related complications.

Vitamin C plays an important role in keeping the immune system healthy, helping wounds heal, and protecting cells from damage. However, people with precancerous blood disorders and blood cancers often have persistently low vitamin C levels. Researchers have been investigating whether correcting this deficiency could improve their health and treatment outcomes.

New findings from the phase 2 EVITA clinical trial suggest that vitamin C supplementation may offer important benefits for people with precancerous blood conditions and early-stage blood cancers. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted by the Van Andel Institute-Stand Up To Cancer® Epigenetics Dream Team.

Despite Trump, third major US offshore wind farm is now fully operational

More green energy for Rhode Island

By Maria Gallucci, Rhode Island Current

The service vessel ECO Edison sails toward the Revolution
Wind project near New England. (Photo by Ørsted)

This story was originally published by Canary Media. Read the original version here.

The offshore wind farm Revolution Wind is completely up and running — despite the Trump administration’s repeated and ongoing efforts to halt development of the $6.2 billion project.

On November 5, the Danish energy giant Ørsted said its 704-megawatt wind farm near Connecticut and Rhode Island began ​“generating up to its full capacity” in October. Revolution Wind began producing smaller amounts of power in the spring, and the company installed the last of 65 turbines in September.

The project is the third U.S. utility-scale offshore wind farm to reach full commercial operations, after South Fork Wind near New York and Vineyard Wind near Massachusetts.

Rhode Island’s congressional delegation prepares for more influence in Washington

Blue Wave benefits Rhode Island

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo was an 18-year-old field organizer for Sheldon Whitehouse’s first U.S. Senate campaign in 2006 when he celebrated inside Providence’s Biltmore Hotel as Democrats won back both chambers of Congress.

Two decades later, Amo returned to the same hotel Tuesday night celebrating another Democratic takeover of Congress — one that will put him and Rhode Island’s other House member in the majority for the first time in their careers. 

“This is seismic,” Amo said in an interview outside L’Artisan Cafe in Providence’s Wayland Square Wednesday morning. 

Amo was first elected to Congress in a 2023 special election a year after his colleague, U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, was elected, just as Republicans were taking control of the House. 

Despite their relatively short tenures, both could find themselves among the more senior members of the House Democratic caucus next year when a large group of new Democrats arrives, Adam Myers, a political science professor at Providence College, said.

“There’s no doubt that the state’s profile on Capitol Hill will be greatly enhanced starting next year,” Myers said in a phone interview.

Magaziner said he hopes the new majority will move quickly to address voters’ concerns about the economy and the conduct of the Trump administration.

“I don’t think the message should be that Democrats won big because people love Democrats and think that we’re awesome,” Magaziner said in a phone interview. “They were trying to send the message that they expect us to bring change to Washington.”

Both of Rhode Island’s congressional representatives identified lowering costs as a priority for the incoming Democratic majority, pointing to reversing President Donald Trump’s tariffs and restoring enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that lapsed last year. 

Another new name

Thanksgiving? USDA says start now.

A simple blood test could detect cancer

Canadian advance toward earlier cancer detection

Alexandre Pellan Cheng, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)

American Association for Cancer Research

Cancer is now the leading cause of death in Canada. Two in five Canadians will develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in four will die from it. Every day, nearly 700 people across the country are diagnosed with cancer. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, the most commonly diagnosed cancers are lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.

These figures mask a key reality: survival rates vary greatly depending on the type of cancer and, above all, how advanced it is at the time of diagnosis.

The statistical data clearly show that survival rates decrease when the cancer is detected early. These data highlight the urgent need to improve detection of the disease and, above all, to detect it earlier.

A blood test instead of a scalpel

This is the context where my research takes place. As a professor of systems engineering at ÉTS Montréal and principal investigator in the cancer research division at the CHUM Research Centre, I am working on liquid biopsy. This approach aims to detect cancer from a simple blood test by analyzing the DNA that tumor cells release into the bloodstream.

Unlike conventional biopsies, which require removing a tissue sample from the tumor, liquid biopsy relies on a simple, minimally invasive procedure: a blood test is all that’s needed.

The advantages of this approach include reduced pain, lower risks for the patient and less logistical burden associated with hospital procedures. The simplicity of the test also allows for more frequent testing. And finally, unlike many diagnostic procedures, taking a blood sample does not require specialized facilities. Blood can be taken in any health-care setting, whether it’s a local clinic or a community health center.

In medicine, the term “biomarkers” is often used to refer to measurable indicators that provide information about a person’s state of health. The PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, which has been used for decades to monitor prostate cancer, is a well-known example. Elevated PSA levels in the blood may indicate the presence of cancer, its progression, or a recurrence after treatment.

However, the biomarker approach does have limits: PSA is not specific to cancer and test levels can rise for other reasons, which can complicate the interpretation of results.

Four Red Flags and One Truth Amid the Peptide Hype

Another RFK health fad

By Amy Maxmen

Experimental peptides have become darlings among influencers, chiropractors, and doctors focused on longevity, antiaging, or “body optimization,” even though the FDA hasn’t approved them for safety or effectiveness. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement have pushed to make unproven peptides more accessible — and they’ve gained traction.

On Oct. 14, a temporary “access policy” appeared on a White House docket, proposing to allow licensed pharmacies to make and sell certain unapproved peptides to people. Scientists at the FDA had advised against the measure at a meeting in July, warning that the drugs hadn’t been adequately vetted in clinical trials.

A panel that advises the FDA disagreed, however, voting to loosen restrictions. Many of the panel members are new appointees with financial stakes in the peptide industry. In an email, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard said that every committee member satisfies the FDA’s ethics requirements.

“I voted ‘yes’ for patient safety, the greater good, and medical freedom,” Haleem Mohammed, one of the new committee members, said at the FDA meeting. He’s the chief medical officer of a men’s clinic that sells peptides, Gameday Men’s Health.

To make good decisions, consumers need to rely on accurate information, but much of the hype around peptides is misleading. KFF Health News flags four misleading phrases commonly used by those promoting peptides — and one truth.