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Inflation: It’s Not Just for Prices Anymore
Lately, headlines are full of talk about inflation — a response to the economy and the looming tariffs. I’ve experienced many inflationary periods, but it feels different in retirement. When I was earning a paycheque, inflation was just an annoyance, something I needed to pay attention to and maybe buy a cheaper cut of steak. Now, as someone on a “fixed income,” it feels like a real threat. Recently, Ben McCabe, CEO of Bloom Financial, appeared on Breakfast Television and delivered a truth bomb: “We’re approaching a perfect storm. Longer life expectancy, fewer defined benefit pensions, and rising inflation.” Well, that storm has arrived — and it’s inflating more than just prices. It’s also expanding our waistlines, prescription lists, and emotional baggage. Inflation, at its core, means “the condition of being inflated.” And it turns out that definition applies to more than the grocery bill. So, grab a cup of green tea (or a celery stick if you’re feeling virtuous). Let’s explore the three sneaky forms of inflation threatening your retirement — and what you can do about them. This blog will appeal to individuals who have retired or aspire to retire in the future. Let’s light this candle! 1. Financial Inflation: The Usual Suspect Let’s start with the obvious: inflation means your money won’t stretch as far as it used to. In 2022, Canada’s Consumer Price Index increased by 6.8% — the highest rise in 40 years. Although it slowed down a bit in 2023, essentials such as food, rent, and fuel continue to grow. Your retirement income might be fixed, but prices definitely aren’t. Retirement Risks from Financial Inflation: • Longer lives mean longer bills. A 65-year-old woman today has a 50% chance of living past 90 years old. That’s over 25 years of expenses. • Vanishing pensions. Defined benefit pensions are disappearing faster than good manners on Twitter. • Healthcare creep. Public healthcare doesn’t cover everything, especially if you want care that wasn’t designed in 1978. As Ben McCabe aptly put it: “We need to stay healthy so our health span matches our lifespan,” huh?— “otherwise, inflation will affect us through the cost of medications, home care, and long-term care facilities.” What You Can Do: • Review your income sources. Prioritize indexed income sources, such as CPP, OAS, and annuities with COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) riders. • Use home equity sensibly. If you’re house-rich but cash-poor, consider a reverse mortgage or other equity release products. • Adjust your spending habits. Host themed nights, like “Tuna Tuesdays” — a nostalgic, fun, and budget-friendly option. How to Support Others: • Discuss money matters with kindness. Many retirees feel ashamed of their finances. Show compassion, listen more, talk less. • Bring food, not judgment. A regular Saturday brunch with Sadie can make a significant difference, not just financially. • Foster social connections. Financial stress can cause isolation. Encourage hosting potlucks, card nights, or joining a community group. 2. Physical Inflation: The Expanding Middle Retirement brings more free time… and more room. Waistlines, cholesterol, and prescriptions all seem to rise in tandem. Signs you’re experiencing physical inflation: • Pants that used to be snug are now aspirational • Your Fitbit died months ago — and so did your motivation • Your pharmacy knows you by name... and birthday The bad news? Poor physical health is expensive. Chronic illness can deplete savings faster than a grandchild with your credit card. What You Can Do: • Keep moving. Walk, garden, spin — whatever gets you vertical and vibrant. • Lift weights. Muscle mass starts declining at 40. Resistance training isn’t just for 20-somethings. Strong is the new sexy, pass it on! • Meal plan smart. Grocery inflation peaked at 8.9% — eat better, waste less, save more. Consider shopping daily and buying only the amount of food needed for that day. Your health span should align with your lifespan. Stay strong, stay mobile, and yes, stretching counts — but not if you’re reaching for the TV remote. Inflammation — The Silent Saboteur If inflation is bad, inflammation is worse. Chronic inflammation contributes to: • Heart disease and stroke • Type 2 diabetes • Alzheimer’s disease and brain fog • Arthritis, osteoporosis, and varicose veins • Mood disorders such as anxiety and depression • Certain Cancers Even CNN and Al Jazeera recently reported that Donald Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) — a common, often overlooked condition among those over 55. Small veins, big problem. (Insert your own “tiny vein, tiny…” joke — I’m staying classy.) Inflammation is the unwelcome guest that never departs. If inflammation had a personality, it would be the dinner guest who drinks all your wine, insults your cat, and brings up politics at dessert. Whether it's fueling joint pain, causing swelling in your ankles, or messing with your metabolism, chronic inflammation is one of the biggest saboteurs of aging gracefully. It often hides in plain sight, presenting itself as: • Low-grade fatigue • Weight gain (especially belly fat) • Mood swings or brain fog • Increased pain and stiffness • Slow healing. What You Can Do: • Eat anti-inflammatory foods, such as leafy greens, whole grains, and healthy fats. Cut out the sugar. • Move each day. Yes, again. It’s that important. • Lower stress to improve sleep. Stress and poor sleep fuel inflammation. • Maintain social and emotional bonds. Loneliness and inflammation are frequently connected — break the link. De-Inflation — The Great Slowdown • So, we’ve discussed inflation... but what about its quieter, sneakier cousin: deflation? • No, not the economic kind. We’re talking about the physical “poof” that occurs when we reach our late 70s and 80s — when the padding diminishes, posture declines, and everything else… well, just seems a little less buoyant. • Suddenly, you’re shrinking. Your weight drops — but not in a sexy, "I’ve been intermittent fasting" kind of way. More like "my pants are falling down and my doctor says I’m 2 inches shorter" sort of vibe. Welcome to the gravitational pull of aging. Signs of De-Inflation: • Pants fit strangely, but not in a bragging way • You’re hunched over as if you’re forever bowing to the Queen • Your arms and legs have that crepey, crinkly look — like tissue paper with a gym membership • And let’s not forget the wrinkles on your face — a stunning topographical map of your life Let’s be honest: gravity always wins. Biology always wins. And yes, our skin thins — insert your own joke about being “thin-skinned” here. But we are not entirely powerless. Here’s How to Push Back (Gently — you don’t want to break a hip): • Check your posture monthly. Have a friend take a quick side photo. Are you upright and confident — or resembling a question mark? • Stretch regularly. Yoga, fascia stretching, and massage can help combat the hunch. • Move intentionally. Gentle strength training and balance exercises can maintain muscle and stability. • Moisturize and hydrate. For your skin, your joints, and your soul. • Celebrate your lines. They’re not “flaws” — they’re proof you’ve felt joy, sorrow, surprise, and a few good martinis. They’re not signs of aging; they’re signs you’ve been living. Remember: frowning only causes more wrinkles. So, smile — or better yet, laugh. Loudly. Often. Preferably at inappropriate moments. Oh — and take my advice on this: never (and I mean never) open your eyes during downward-facing dog. Some things just can’t be unseen. 3. Emotional Inflation: When Grudges Accumulate Like Interest Here’s the sneaky one. Emotional inflation appears as: • Bitterness over who got what in Mom’s will • Inflated egos and “right-titis” (a chronic need to be right) • Replaying 1983 arguments in your head like they’re Oscar contenders. • Giving not-so-nice nicknames to your former coworkers (and using them… publicly) • Keeping a mental spreadsheet of injustices — now colour-coded for quick reference (who says seniors are not tech-savvy?) Here’s the thing: emotional inflation isn’t just about what others have done. It’s also about how we interpret our role in those stories. Ready for a bold idea that can free you from decades of emotional baggage? What if we stopped keeping score and instead focused on how we want to show up in our relationships? What if you chose, intentionally, to be a generous sister, a supportive friend, a gracious parent, or a collaborative co-worker — not because they "deserve it," but because that's who you want to be? It’s not easy. It may require deep breathing and the occasional muttering in the car. However, for those willing, this mental reframe can be a total game-changer. What to do: • Let go. You can’t carry joy and a grudge at the same time — and joy is lighter. Lighten the emotional load. You don’t need to wait for someone to say sorry to feel free. • Choose your character. Think of it as casting yourself in the movie of your life. Be the wise one, the peacemaker, the person who breaks the cycle, not the one still angry about a forgotten birthday in 1996. • Write your own story. Present yourself as the person you want to be, even if others haven’t read the same script. You can’t control other people, but you can control how much space they occupy in your mind (especially if they’re not even paying for snacks). • Reframe your perspective. Instead of keeping score, focus on who you want to be: a generous sibling, a gracious friend, or a person at peace. Let go of the scorekeeping. It rarely results in a tie, and even if you win… You still feel empty. • Define your role. Be the big-hearted sibling, the calm presence, the one who lets go, not the person who stores bitterness in Tupperware containers. • Invest in joy. Dance classes, martinis, laughter — choose your remedy. • Talk it out. Therapy is more affordable than wine-fuelled Facebook rants and far more effective. Take the high road. There’s less traffic and better scenery. You can’t always avoid emotional hurt, but you can avoid living in a constant state of emotional inflation. And trust me, nothing deflates retirement faster than a bloated list of resentments. And if you’re feeling weighed down by the bloat of what life has thrown at you, remember: you can’t control inflation, but you can choose your response. Choose grace over grudges. Choose strength over stagnation. Choose the version of yourself that makes you proud. Because guess what? You’re still becoming who you are. Trust me — it’s better than a juice cleanse and more affordable than therapy. Some people age like fine wine; others age like vinegar. Emotional inflation is the burden you carry that doesn't show on the scale, but it weighs everything down. You can’t rewrite someone else’s story, but you can decide how to present yourself in your own. Taking the high road is less crowded and provides better perspectives. Inflation May Be Inevitable — But Misery? That’s Optional. Inflation has seeped into our lives like glitter at a craft table — impossible to contain and popping up in the most unexpected spots. It’s not just your budget that’s swollen (thanks to blueberries and Botox), but also your belly, your prescription drawer, and — if you’re not careful — your resentment list. But here’s the good news: While you can’t control how high prices go, how slow your metabolism becomes, or how long Uncle Jerry holds a grudge… You can control your response. So, here’s your call to calm, intentional, fabulous action: 1. Reclaim your power — in your spending, your body, and your mindset. 2. Choose curiosity instead of crankiness. Move more instead of staying still. Salad rather than salt (well… sometimes). 3. Be the kind of person who ages like disco — a little dramatic, slightly sparkly, and always ready to dance. And if you absolutely must inflate something… make it your sense of humour. Because in the grand game of Retirement Inflation Nation, laughter is your best hedge — and it’s fully indexed to joy. Oh — and if you're wondering whether I practice what I preach: I'm a certified fitness instructor and teach 5 jam-packed fitness classes a week at Canada’s largest gym. Movement isn’t just medicine — it’s music, community, and yes, a fabulous way to earn the right to your next martini. So, take it from someone still riding the rhythm of life — gravity is real, but so is joy. And we’re still dancing under the stars. (Here’s proof from the Coldplay concert — yes, I was the one yelling “Fix You” with both hands in the air and not a single regret.) Keep inflating the things that matter: your laugh lines, your playlist, and your purpose. With love, lunges, and a little glitter, Sue Don’t Retire... Rewire!
Yes, Ringo Starr just turned 85. Let that sink in. I read this in the Washington Post and felt like a bag of Beatles vinyl had walloped me. How is this possible? How can the mop-top drummer be 85 when I was dancing to “Yellow Submarine” in bell-bottoms with a brush for a microphone? More urgently: how old does this make me?! Ringo isn’t slowing down. He’s still touring with two bands, making music, flashing that cheeky Liverpudlian smile, and preaching peace and love as if he’s got nowhere else to be. No plans to retire. No plans to fade away. Just a rockstar with a great attitude... and maybe a titanium hip (unconfirmed). This made me realize that, as the birthday candles on my cake now need a fire permit, “attitude” plays a huge role in how we age. Based on the feedback I received from my last post, “What’s Your Brand, Boomer?”, it’s clear that many people are genuinely interested in managing their personal brand as they age. This week, I want to go deeper—because whether you’re 45 or 85, you are Old People in Training. That’s right. Every one of us is aging in real-time, and understanding the stages ahead—either for ourselves or our aging loved ones—helps us walk this path with humour, grace, and fewer surprises. So, here they are: The 8 (Unofficial but Uncannily Accurate) Stages of Aging 1. The Stand-Up-and-Forget-Why Stage (Kicks in around mid-to-late 50s) You walk into a room with purpose, then wonder: was I here to fold laundry, pay a bill, or practice my slow blink? Bonus points if you’re already wearing the glasses you’re hunting for. How it helps: Eases forgetfulness. It’s not early dementia; it’s early distraction. Keep a notebook or use Voice Memos. Or do what I do: shrug, laugh, and keep walking until something jogs the memory (usually coffee). 2. The “Senior? Not Unless There’s a Discount” Stage (Hits in your early 60s) You bristle at the word “senior,” unless it saves you $2.50 at the movies or 15% at Shoppers. Suddenly, age becomes a tool, not a label. How it helps: Celebrate the advantages! You’ve earned them. And remember: owning your age is the new anti-aging remedy. Confidence looks good on everyone. Remember, you are still that age, whether you admit it or not. You might as well save some money! 3. The “Yes, I Really Am That Age” Reminder Stage (Kicks in around 65) You find yourself saying your age out loud like it’s a riddle. "I’m 65. Sixty-five! Isn’t that wild?" You’re still trying to catch up with the numbers, or maybe you’re worried you’ll forget your age. How it helps: Accept the number without letting it define you. It’s not a limit — it’s a launchpad. Bonus: Use it as an excuse to do something you’ve always put off. 4. The Replacement Parts Stage (Hits in the early to mid-70s) Welcome to orthopedic roulette: knees, hips, maybe a shoulder. You collect joint replacements like frequent-flyer miles. Fortunately, modern medicine allows for joint replacements to be performed more quickly than ordering takeout. Still waiting for Staples to offer 3D-printed hips. How it helps: Embrace science instead of fighting it. Biology always prevails! Mobility equals independence. And nothing embodies “active aging” like beating your grandkids at pickleball with a shiny new titanium knee. 5. The “I’ve Run Out of F*cks to Give” Stage (Kicked in the late 70s into the early 80’s) You’ve earned the right to speak your mind—and wear socks with sandals. You say what you want, mean what you say, and anyone who doesn’t like it can take a number. Opinions? Too many! Filters? Deleted. Freedom? Glorious. Friends? Running for cover! How it helps: This is peak freedom. Use it wisely. Advocate, participate, mentor, and model what unapologetic living looks like. You’re the elder statesperson now—be bold, not bitter. 6. The Cataract Conspiracy Stage (Kicks in mid-to-late 70s) Lights appear like halos, and reading menus becomes an Olympic event. But don’t worry—cataract surgery is so common it’s practically an oil change. And voilà: brighter colours, more precise lines, less squinting. Spoiler Alert: You will now be able to see how poor your housekeeping skills are! How it helps: Get your eyes checked. Don’t delay. Seeing clearly again can literally brighten your outlook—and maybe even your attitude. 7. The “Say What?” Stage – The Hard-of-Hearing Stage (Late 70’s+) This one sneaks up like a whisper… which is ironic, because you probably won’t hear it. At some point, for most of us, hearing begins to decline like old payphones and eight-track tapes. It might start with missing parts of conversations in noisy restaurants or asking people to repeat themselves (just once… or five times). Eventually, it’s full-blown “Say what?” territory. Many avoid wearing hearing aids because—let’s face it—they feel like a flashing neon sign that says, "I’m old!" But here’s the real issue: pretending to hear is much worse. It can lead to social withdrawal, isolation, and even strained relationships. And we’re not just making this up for dramatic effect—studies at John Hopkins School of Medicine show that untreated hearing loss is linked to a higher risk of dementia, depression, and cognitive decline. There’s also the loud TV effect—when your neighbours across the street can hear your Netflix queue, it’s time to see an audiologist, not to mention the safety concern: driving with impaired hearing is risky; sirens, honking horns, or even a warning from a passenger might go unnoticed. So, if your “What?” count is rising and your TV volume is climbing towards aircraft-engine decibels, take action. Getting your hearing tested doesn’t mean you’re old—it means you’re informed (and honestly, more enjoyable to be around). Because nothing celebrates “vibrant aging” more than staying connected to the world—and actually hearing it. Stage 8: The Long Goodbye – When Friends Start to Leave the Stage I’ve heard from seniors about Stage 8… and without exception, they say it’s one of the toughest parts of aging. This is the stage when the long goodbye starts—quietly at first, then with increasingly frequent moments. Your phone rings less often. The chairs at the coffee group gradually empty. One day, you realize you’re not just losing friends—you’re outliving them. It’s part of the circle of life, for sure—but no Lion King soundtrack can ease the heartbreak. This stage exposes some of our deepest fears: Will I be next? Who will mourn me? Does anyone even know I’m still here? It’s a time of grief, loneliness, and silent despair. And while you can’t fast-forward through it, you don’t have to walk it alone. If you’re an “Old Person in Training” (which, reminder: we all are), listen up. This stage isn’t just something that happens to others—it’s your future self, waving from down the road. Learning about it now prepares you to guide others through it with grace and to soften your own landing when the time arrives. And if someone you love is already there? This is your cue. Show up. Don’t wait to be invited—grief rarely sends formal RSVPs. Phrases or clichés like “they’re in a better place” won’t suffice here. These are nothing burgers—all bun, no meat—empty calories in a moment that needs nourishment. Show up. Stay steady. Be the evidence that they are still recognized, still cared for, still part of something meaningful. What they truly need is presence, not presents. Time, not timelines. They need to feel they are not alone. Sit with them. Walk with them. Watch Jeopardy in silence if that’s what the day calls for. But whatever you do, don’t disappear. Because one of the most profound gifts we can give in this stage isn’t a cure—it’s companionship. Science Confirms It: Attitude Is a Lifespan Strategy Tongue-in-cheek aside, these aging observations are backed by science: Positive beliefs about aging can extend life by 7–8.5 years. (Source: PubMed – Levy et al.) Optimism correlates with lower heart disease, stroke, and a 70% greater likelihood of reaching age 85. (Source: Harvard Health) Positive mindset boosts recovery, brain health, and resilience after illness. (Source: Harvard Health) So, what can we learn from Ringo? Keep creating – Music, art, businesses, bad poetry. It keeps the brain limber and the soul alight. Stay curious – Sign up for that course. Take the trip. Ask questions. Enrol in the MBA. (Looking at you, 69-year-old rockstars.) Lean into joy – Laugh like nobody’s judging. Dance like your knees aren’t watching. Surround yourself with good vibes – Optimism costs nothing and glows brighter than Botox. Remember, it’s not your age—it’s your outlook. So next time you stand up and forget why you did, just grin and say: ‘I’m aging like a Beatle. Still standing. Still grooving. Still fabulous.” And if you ever need a pep talk, ask yourself: “What would Ringo do?” Don’t’ Retire Re-wire Sue
Picture this: a group of women in their 50s and 60s who've collectively decided to stop caring about chin hairs, laundry schedules, and everyone else's opinions. Sound liberating? It should. The New York Times recently profiled Melani Sanders, founder of the "We Do Not Care Club"—a crew of perimenopausal and menopausal women living by one fabulous rule: NO RULES! Their motto might as well be "Chin Hair, Laundry, Your Opinion: We Don't Care." While targeted at a younger demographic, the spirit of this movement resonates loudly among retirees, especially those dancing into their 70s and 80s, with less concern for public opinion and a greater commitment to living life to the fullest. But here's the thing—this "liberation" isn't just about attitude. There's actual neuroscience behind why we become more authentic versions of ourselves (and sometimes more blunt) as we age. Brain Aging & Inhibitory Control Let’s start with the science before we move into sass. Frontal lobe shrinkage: Researchers, including Stephanie Wong, a Research Fellow and Clinical Neuropsychologist, are studying how changes in the brain impact inhibitory control and social cognition as we age. Research shows that as we age, the prefrontal cortex—the brain’s internal social bouncer—begins to shrink. That means less inhibition, more "Oops, did I say that out loud?" moments. Inhibition deficits: Research published in the APA Journal of Neuropsychology shows that older adults find it more challenging to ignore distractions or hold back their impulses. Tasks like "stop-signal" tests reveal a clear decline in impulse control. Disinhibition causes behaviour shifts. Sometimes charming, sometimes awkward. If it's just being unusually honest, that’s one thing. If it's full-on undressing in the produce aisle, it might be time to see a doctor. Particularly with frontotemporal dementia, disinhibition can be a serious warning sign. Emotional Wisdom: Who Cares? Here’s the upgrade part of aging: • Less shame, more self-acceptance. Turns out, as you get older, you care less if Karen from yoga thinks you talk too much. • Socioemotional selectivity theory. As we become aware that time is limited, we stop pretending. Why waste valuable hours pretending to enjoy kale chips or dull book clubs? When to Be Concerned • Normal aging: Some verbal slips, occasional public flatulence, and quirky jokes. • Red flags: Rude outbursts, memory lapses, risky behaviour, and dramatic personality shifts. That might signal more than "aging into your truth." • Impulsivity warning: High impulsivity in older adults can sometimes be associated with early-stage cognitive decline. When uncertain, discuss it—preferably with a professional. TL;DR • Physical: Brain shrinkage leads to fewer filters. • Emotional: Less time means less pretending. • Caution: Disinhibition and cognitive issues suggest it's time for a check-up. Crafting Your Identity After 60 (Before Someone Else Does It for You) Let’s be honest: You already have a brand. Even if you never wrote a tagline or hired a designer, your brand is what people whisper (or shout) about you when you leave the room. It’s how you show up, how you age, and whether you become known as: "The Cranky Codger Complaining About the Price of Lettuce" or "The Glamorous Grandma with a TikTok Following." If you don’t brand yourself, trust me—someone else will. And they might not be as flattering. The Branding Trap of Aging Aging often loosens the filter and tightens the waistband. That’s just biology. But if we’re going to become more blunt, forgetful, and comfortable saying whatever pops into our head, shouldn’t we decide who we want to be first? Instead of becoming The Know-It-All, The Debbie Downer, or The Hovering Grandparent, why not become: • The Mentor • The Lifelong Learner • The Sexy Sensei with Killer Dance Moves And let’s not forget: most of us swore we’d never become our parents. Spoiler alert: unless you act intentionally, you’re heading in that direction, with even worse tech skills. Timing Is Everything (And Also Totally Forgiving) The best time to plant a tree? 30 years ago. The second best? Right after you finish this blog, brush Dorito dust off your fingers, and take action. It’s never too early or too late to develop your personal brand. Think of it as building compound interest, but for your character. Start now before you need a doctor’s note for skinny jeans. Build a Brand That Outlasts Your Wi-Fi Password The goal? Shape a brand that becomes your legacy. Something grandkids remember, communities admire, and mirrors reflect with pride. I’m aiming for Hip, Fit & Financially Free. That means: • Eating like I care • Moving daily • Sleeping like it’s my side hustle • Managing money like I want it to stick around • And fiercely guarding my energy from sugar crashes and toxic people Avoid These Unintentional "Elder Brands" • The Cranky Codger: Complains constantly, hates oat milk, gives paper cuts with sarcasm. • The Sweet Old Lady: Harmless and charming—and almost invisible. So sweet, she could give you cavities. Stands for nothing, falls for everything. • The Know-It-All: Believes Google exists solely to confirm their opinions. • The Nona/Nono: Helicopter grandparenting, over-involved, uses spit to clean your face in public. Attract These Brands Instead: 1. Glammy or Glampa 2. Wise Old Owl 3. Sexy Sensei 4. Unstoppable Opa Tips for Maintaining Youth in Mind, Body & Spirit 1. Hang out with younger people—use their slang, apps, and playlists. 2. Volunteer—Gratitude is more effective than Botox. 3. Mentor—your wisdom is not meant for hoarding. 4. Move every day—your joints might protest now, but they'll thank you later. 5. Protect your energy—eat healthy, sleep well, say no to nonsense. 6. Be mindful of your screen time—doomscrolling drains your spirit. 7. Keep learning—new languages, new tech, and new ways to be awesome. Legacy is the Long Game You don’t need to run marathons at 85 (though if you do, I’ll cheer wildly). But you should ask: "How do I want to be remembered?" Learn Italian at age 70. Take a gap year at 65. Get an MBA at 69 (worked for me!). Write your eulogy and then live it. Age isn’t a liability. It’s your proof of resilience. Now’s your opportunity to demonstrate that to the world. So, what’s your brand, Boomer? Because like it or not, you’ve got one. It’s showing up in every family dinner, work Zoom, golf game, and passive-aggressive Facebook post. The only question is — did you choose it… or did you just inherit the ‘We Do Not Care Club’ starter pack? Maybe we don't care about chin hair, laundry, or your opinion — but we do care about how we’re remembered. That’s your real brand, Boomer. So, you can either define it — or let your grandkids do it for you… and trust me, they’ve already got the group chat ready! So go ahead. Print those business cards that say something fabulous. Brand Strategy at Any Age: Intend it. Live it. Leave it behind. Stay hip. Stay fit. Stay financially free. And stay tuned. There’s more coming next week. Spoiler: There will be laugh lines and a squat rack. Don’t Retire … Re-Wire! Sue
Meet “The Beast”: The Rare Flower That Smells Like Death and Draws Crowds
When a corpse flower, one of the world’s rarest and most extraordinary blooming plants, bursts into bloom, it’s more than a quirky spectacle. It’s a moment that invites deeper stories about plant biology, conservation, biodiversity, and the science that helps preserve rare species. Last season, Wendy Overbeck Dunham, Senior Horticulture Manager at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, was interviewed by reporters from ABC News and ARC West Michigan (CBS News) covering this rare event. Wendy Overbeck Dunham is the Director of Horticulture at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She leads the horticulture team that oversees the care and presentation of the organization’s living collections - ranging from tropical conservatories and outdoor gardens to seasonal displays - connecting guests to art, design, and the natural environment. View her profile Why This Bloom Is So Rare and Newsworthy Corpse flowers (Amorphophallus titanum) are famous for their massive size, unpredictable bloom cycles, and powerful odor that mimics rotting flesh , an evolutionary strategy for attracting specific pollinators. These blooms can take many years to develop, and their spectacular emergence - open only for a short window -attracts crowds and widespread attention. Last year, as one such plant prepared to bloom at Frederik Meijer Gardens, anticipation built across West Michigan and beyond, with extended visiting hours so the public could witness, and smell, this rare phenomenon. Wendy Overbeck Dunham offered a vivid description of what made this bloom such an unforgettable experience and also showed both the humor and educational value of the moment, a reminder that science can be fun, fascinating, and even a bit funky. “No matter how you describe it, this plant, which we've nicknamed ‘The Beast,’ is definitely going to stink here in the next few days.” Wendy Overbeck Dunham leads horticultural strategy and rare plant cultivation at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Her leadership focuses on nurturing exceptional plant specimens, interpreting botanical phenomena for the public, and providing an expert voice on topics ranging from plant biology to conservation and ecological storytelling.
Hormone Supplementation in Rhesus Monkeys Points to Potential Autism Treatment
For years, Florida Tech’s Catherine Talbot, assistant professor of psychology, has worked to understand the sociality of male rhesus monkeys and how low-social monkeys can serve as a model for humans with autism. Her most recent findings show that replenishing a deficient hormone, vasopressin, helped the monkeys become more social without increasing their aggression – a discovery that could change autism treatment. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that one in 36 children in the United States is affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD). That’s an increase from one in 44 children reported in 2018. Two FDA-approved treatments currently exist, Talbot said, but they only address associated symptoms, not the root of ASD. The boost in both prevalence and awareness of the disorder prompts the following question: What is the cause? Some rhesus monkeys are naturally low-social, meaning they demonstrate poor social cognitive skills, while others are highly social. Their individual variation in sociality is comparable to how human sociality varies, ranging from people we consider social butterflies to those who are not interested in social interactions, similar to some people diagnosed with ASD, Talbot said. Her goal has been to understand how variations in biology and behavior influence social cognition. In the recent research paper published in the journal PNAS, “Nebulized vasopressin penetrates CSF [cerebral spinal fluid] and improves social cognition without inducing aggression in a rhesus monkey model of autism,” Talbot and researchers with Stanford, the University of California, Davis and the California National Primate Research Center explored vasopressin, a hormone that is known to contribute to mammalian social behavior, as a potential therapeutic treatment that may ultimately help people with autism better function in society. Previous work from this research group found that vasopressin levels are lower in their low-social rhesus monkey model, as well as in a select group of people with ASD. Previous studies testing vasopressin in rodents found that increased hormone levels caused more aggression. As a result, researchers warned against administering vasopressin as treatment, Talbot said. However, she argued that in those studies, vasopressin induced aggression in contexts where aggression is the socially appropriate response, such as guarding mates in their home territory, so the hormone may promote species-typical behavior. She also noted that the previous studies tested vasopressin in “neurotypical” rodents, as opposed to animals with low-social tendencies. “It may be that individuals with the lowest levels of vasopressin may benefit the most from it – that is the step forward toward precision medicine that we now need to study,” Talbot said. In her latest paper, Talbot and her co-authors tested how low-social monkeys, with low vasopressin levels and high autistic-like trait burden, responded to vasopressin supplementation to make up for their natural deficiency. They administered the hormone through a nebulizer, which the monkeys could opt into. For a few minutes each week, the monkeys voluntarily held their face up to a nebulizer to receive their dose while sipping white grape juice – a favorite among the monkeys, Talbot said. After administering the hormone and verifying that it increased vasopressin levels in the central nervous system, the researchers wanted to see how the monkeys responded to both affiliative and aggressive stimuli by showing them videos depicting these behaviors. They also compared their ability to recognize and remember new objects and faces, which is another important social skill. They found that normally low-social monkeys do not respond to social communication and were better at recognizing and remembering objects compared to faces, similar to some humans diagnosed with ASD. When the monkeys were given vasopressin, they began reciprocating affiliative, pro-social behaviors, but not aggression. It also improved their facial recognition memory, making it equivalent to their recognition memory of objects. In other words, vasopressin “rescued” low-social monkeys’ ability to respond prosocially to others and to remember new faces. The treatment was successful – vasopressin selectively improved the social cognition of these low-social monkeys. “It was really exciting to see this come to fruition after pouring so much work into this project and overcoming so many challenges,” Talbot said of her findings. One of Talbot’s co-authors has already begun translating this work to cohorts of autism patients. She expects more clinical trials to follow. In the immediate future, Talbot is examining how other, more complex social cognitive abilities like theory of mind – the ability to take the perspective of another – may differ in low-social monkeys compared to more social monkeys and how this relates to their underlying biology. Beyond that, Talbot hopes that they can target young monkeys who are “at-risk” of developing social deficits related to autism for vasopressin treatment to see if early intervention might help change their developmental trajectory and eventually translate this therapy to targeted human trials. Catherine F. Talbot is an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at Florida Tech and co-director of the Animal Cognitive Research Center at Brevard Zoo. Dr. Talbot joined Florida Tech from the Neuroscience and Behavior Unit at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis, where she worked as a postdoc on a collaborative bio-behavioral project examining naturally occurring low-sociability in rhesus monkeys as a model for the core social deficits seen in people with autism spectrum disorder, specifically targeting the underlying mechanisms of social functioning. If you're interested in connecting with Catherine Talbot - simply contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.
Name: Linxia Gu Title: Professor of biomedical engineering and science, department head Department/college: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Science/College of Engineering and Science Current research funding: $5 million as co-PI of ASCEND General research focus: My research focuses on developing physically based computational models and conducting mechanical testing to investigate how mechanical stimuli influence cell and tissue responses, providing new insights into the interplay between mechanics and biology. Dr. Gu’s research expertise lies in the biomechanics and biomaterials using both computational and experimental methods. The specific application areas include vascular mechanics and indirect traumatic injury to the brain and eye. Her group is particularly interested in developing multi-scale multi-physics models to study and exploit tissue responses and cellular mechanotransduction, and to gain new mechanistic insights into the interplay of mechanics and human body. The multidisciplinary effort has resulted in > 130 journal papers, and $11 million research funding from NIH, NSF, ARO, and NASA. Q: What has you excited about your current research? The opportunity to bridge the gap between mechanics and biology drives my research. By integrating computational models with experimental data, we are uncovering how mechanical forces influence tissue and cellular responses, particularly in the areas of vascular stenting and traumatic injury to the eye and brain. This had the potential to drive breakthroughs in understanding, prevention and treatment. Q: Why is it important to conduct research? Conducting research is vital for addressing pressing societal challenges and advancing our understanding of complex biomedical systems. Linxia Gu is available to speak with media. Contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology, at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.
Chemical and Life Science Engineering Professor Michael “Pete” Peters, Ph.D., is investigating more efficient ways to manufacture biologic pharmaceuticals using a radial flow bioreactor he developed. With applications in vaccines and other personalized therapeutic treatments, biologics are versatile. Their genetic base can be manipulated to create a variety of effects from fighting infections by stimulating an immune response to weight loss by producing a specific hormone in the body. Ozempic, Wegovy and Victoza are some of the brand names for Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists used to treat diabetes. These drugs mimic the GLP-1 peptide, a hormone naturally produced in the body that regulates appetite, hunger and blood sugar. “I have a lot of experience with helical peptides like GLP-1 from my work with COVID therapeutics,” says Peters. “When it was discovered that these biologic pharmaceuticals can help with weight loss, demand spiked. These drug types were designed for people with type-2 diabetes and those diabetic patients couldn’t get their GLP-1 treatments. We wanted to find a way for manufacturers to scale up production to meet demand, especially now that further study of GLP-1 has revealed other applications for the drug, like smoking cessation.” Continuous Manufacturing of Biologic Pharmaceuticals Pharmaceuticals come in two basic forms: small-molecule and biologic. Small-molecule medicines are synthetically produced via chemical reactions while biologics are produced from microorganisms. Both types of medications are traditionally produced in a batch process, where base materials are fed into a staged system that produces “batches” of the small-molecule or biologic medication. This process is similar to a chef baking a single cake. Once these materials are exhausted, the batch is complete and the entire system needs to be reset before the next batch begins. “ The batch process can be cumbersome,” says Peters. “Shutting the whole process down and starting it up costs time and money. And if you want a second batch, you have to go through the entire process again after sterilization. Scaling the manufacturing process up is another problem because doubling the system size doesn’t equate to doubling the product. In engineering, that’s called nonlinear phenomena.” Continuous manufacturing improves efficiency and scalability by creating a system where production is ongoing over time rather than staged. These manufacturing techniques can lead to “end-to-end” continuous manufacturing, which is ideal for producing high-demand biologic pharmaceuticals like Ozempic, Wegovy and Victoza. Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medicines for All Institute is also focused on these production innovations. Peters’ continuous manufacturing system for biologics is called a radial flow bioreactor. A disk containing the microorganisms used for production sits on a fixture with a tube coming up through the center of the disk. As the transport fluid comes up the tube, the laminar flow created by its exiting the tube spreads it evenly and continuously over the disk. The interaction between the transport medium coming up the tube and the microorganisms on the disk creates the biological pharmaceutical, which is then taken away by the flow of the transport medium for continuous collection. Flowing the transport medium liquid over a disc coated with biologic-producing microorganisms allows the radial flow bioreactor to continuously produce biologic pharmaceuticals. “There are many advantages to a radial flow bioreactor,” says Peters. “It takes minutes to switch out the disk with the biologic-producing microorganisms. While continuously producing your biologic pharmaceutical, a manufacturer could have another disk in an incubator. Once the microorganisms in the incubator have grown to completely cover the disk, flow of the transport medium liquid to the radial flow bioreactor is shut off. The disk is replaced and then the transport medium flow resumes. That’s minutes for a production changeover instead of the many hours it takes to reset a system in the batch flow process.” The Building Blocks of Biologic Pharmaceuticals Biologic pharmaceuticals are natural molecules created by genetically manipulating microorganisms, like bacteria or mammalian cells. The technology involves designing and inserting a DNA plasmid that carries genetic instructions to the cells. This genetic code is a nucleotide sequence used by the cell to create proteins capable of performing a diverse range of functions within the body. Like musical notes, each nucleotide represents specific genetic information. The arrangement of these sequences, like notes in a song, changes what the cell is instructed to do. In the same way notes can be arranged to create different musical compositions, nucleotide sequences can completely alter a cell’s behavior. Microorganisms transcribe the inserted DNA into a much smaller, mRNA coded molecule. Then the mRNA molecule has its nucleotide code translated into a chain of amino acids, forming a polypeptide that eventually folds into a protein that can act within the body. “One of the disadvantages of biologic design is the wide range of molecular conformations biological molecules can adopt,” says Peters. “Small-molecule medications, on the other hand, are typically more rigid, but difficult to design via first-principle engineering methods. A lot of my focus has been on helical peptides, like GLP-1, that are a programmable biologic pharmaceutical designed from first principles and have the stability of a small-molecule.” The stability Peters describes comes from the helical peptide’s structure, an alpha helix where the amino acid chain coils into a spiral that twists clockwise. Hydrogen bonds that occur between the peptide’s backbone creates a repeating pattern that pulls the helix tightly together to resist conformational changes. “It’s why we used it in our COVID therapeutic and makes it an excellent candidate for GLP-1 continuous production because of its relative stability,” says Peters. Programming The Cell Chemical and Life Science Engineering Assistant Professor Leah Spangler, Ph.D., is an expert at instructing cells to make specific things. Her material science background employs proteins to build or manipulate products not found in nature, like purifying rare-earth elements for use in electronics. “My lab’s function is to make proteins every day,” says Spangler. “The kind of proteins we make depends entirely on the project they are for. More specifically I use proteins to make things that don’t occur in nature. The reason proteins don’t build things like solar cells or the quantum dots used in LCD TVs is because nature is not going to evolve a solar cell or a display surface. Nature doesn’t know what either of those things are. However, proteins can be instructed to build these items, if we code them to.” Spangler is collaborating with Peters in the development of his radial flow bioreactor, specifically to engineer a microorganismal bacteria cell capable of continuously producing biologic pharmaceuticals. “We build proteins by leveraging bacteria to make them for us,” says Spangler. “It’s a well known technology. For this project, we’re hypothesizing that Escherichia coli (E. coli) can be modified to make GLP-1. Personally, I like working with E. coli because it’s a simple bacteria that has been thoroughly studied, so there’s lots of tools available for working with it compared to other cell types.” Development of the process and technique to use E. coli with the radial flow bioreactor is ongoing. “Working with Dr. Spangler has been a game changer for me,” says Peters. “She came to the College of Engineering with a background in protein engineering and an expertise with bacteria. Most of my work was in mammalian cells, so it’s been a great collaboration. We’ve been able to work together and develop this bioreactor to produce GLP-1.” Other Radial Flow Bioreactor Applications Similar to how the GLP-1 peptide has found applications beyond diabetes treatment, the radial flow bioreactor can also be used in different roles. Peters is currently exploring the reactor’s viability for harnessing solar energy. “One of the things we’ve done with the internal disc is to use it as a solar panel,” says Peters. “The disk can be a black body that absorbs light and gets warm. If you run water through the system, water also absorbs the radiation’s energy. The radial flow pattern automatically optimizes energy driving forces with fluid residence time. That makes for a very effective solar heating system. This heating system is a simple proof of concept. Our next step is to determine a method that harnesses solar radiation to create electricity in a continuous manner.” The radial flow bioreactor can also be implemented for environmental cleanup. With a disk tailored for water filtration, desalination or bioremediation, untreated water can be pushed through the system until it reaches a satisfactory level of purification. “The continuous bioreactor design is based on first principles of engineering that our students are learning through their undergraduate education,” says Peters. “The nonlinear scaling laws and performance predictions are fundamentally based. In this day of continued emphasis on empirical AI algorithms, the diminishing understanding of fundamental physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics that underlie engineering principles is a challenge. It’s important we not let first-principles and fundamental understanding be degraded from our educational mission, and projects like the radial flow bioreactor help students see these important fundamentals in action.”
Protect yourself: Scammed by a QR Code? It didn’t have to happen
QR codes are used everywhere nowadays – to pay for metered parking, to read menus at restaurants, to win a free cup of coffee. Cybercriminals are using them, too – redirecting users to harmful websites that harvest their data. The practice is known as “quishing,” derived from QR code phishing, and it is a fast-growing cybercrime. But it doesn’t have to be. University of Rochester engineers Gaurav Sharma and Irving Barron have devised a new form of QR code – called a self-authenticating dual-modulated QR (SDMQR) – that protects smartphone users from quishing attacks by signaling when users are being directed to a safe link or a potential scam. Gaurav is a professor of electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and biostatistics and computational biology. Barron is an assistant professor of instruction in electrical computer engineering. Their creation involves allowing companies to register their websites and embed a cryptographic signature in a QR code. When the code is scanned, the user is notified that the code is from an official source and safe. Gaurav and Barron recently wrote about their technology in the journal IEEE Security and Privacy, and spoke about their work on the National Science Foundation's Discovery Files podcast. They can be reached by email at gaurav.sharma@rochester.edu and ibarron@ur.rochester.edu.
University of Delaware researchers have found that measuring brain stiffness is a reliable way to predict brain age. This information could be used to identify structural differences that indicate departure from the normal aging process, potentially identifying and addressing disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In recent findings, Curtis Johnson, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Austin Brockmeier, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, show that measuring both brain stiffness and brain volume produces the most accurate predictions of chronological age. Their findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Biology Methods and Protocols. The pair worked with three current and former UD students to reach their conclusions. “Brain volume is a common measure that we use to study the brain,” Johnson said. “But something has to be happening to cause a brain to shrink. Something is happening at the microscale that causes it to shrink — changes in the tissue that also cause stiffness to change. And that precedes whatever happens when the volume changes.” “The stiffness maps all seem kind of random — until we see a large number of images and the randomness fades away and we start to see common patterns in stiffness,” Johnson said. “We sort of knew there was more [information] in there than what we were extracting." A cutting-edge magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner at UD’s Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging handled the brain scanning. On the artificial intelligence side, the brain maps were analyzed by three-dimensional “convolutional neural networks,” which — as the name suggests — are convoluted and complicated, incorporating many layers and dimensions. To arrange and interview with Johnson or Brockmeier, send an email to mediarelations@udel.edu
Expert Research: The Surprising Source of Next-Gen Antibiotics: Oyster Blood
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing concern across the world and it has doctors worried and scientists working hard to find a solution Basically, AMR is when bacteria and viruses no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. The result is making infections harder to treat and increases the risk of spreading disease. Recently, Texas Christian University researcher Shauna McGillivray commented on exciting new research in this area that was featured in the media: The search for a solution to antimicrobial resistance found something. And researchers found it in a true “it’s always the last place you look” location. Australian oysters. Or more specifically, Australian oyster blood. Antimicrobial proteins and peptides (AMPPs) “… are an exciting area with a lot of potential,” said Shauna McGillivray, professor of biology at TCU with an emphasis on host-pathogen interactions. “[They] are by themselves very potent but, as has been noted in multiple studies, they can also synergize with existing antibiotics, thereby improving efficacy of antibiotics, even in some cases to antibiotics to which there are high levels of resistance.” Feb. 22 -Phamed.com This is an amazing find and could be groundbreaking for the pharmaceutical industry and health care. And if you're looking to know more about this research and what it means for health care - then let us help. Shauna McGillivray, associate professor of biology is available to speak with media about her recent research - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
