Crackin' up

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Trade talks with Canada collapse, 50% tariffs imposed, “dollar-for-dollar” retaliation coming; U.S. debt hits $40 trillion; the rare communication skill that helps reinforce understanding

Let’s get into it!

A study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe suggests colorectal cancer screening doesn’t have to be all that complicated or invasive at all. In fact, it can be conducted by taking a simple sample of saliva.

"Many species of microbes associated with the mouth are also present in the gut and may flourish there," said Jihyun Kim, systems biologist at Yonsei University in South Korea and lead author of the new study.

"These observations made us wonder whether oral microbes reach and persist in the gastrointestinal tract differently in people with cancer."

The researchers recruited 507 participants for the study, 77 people with stomach cancer, 86 with colorectal cancer, and 215 with metabolic disorders such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The rest were considered healthy.

They tested the participants using a method that analyzed microbe content in their salvia and feces, which generated what they awkwardly called the mouth-to-feces index. They determined the MF index jumped for those who already had colorectal cancer.

The researchers admitted they don’t fully understand why certain microbial presence rises for oral tests taken by those with colorectal cancer, which means the method can’t yet be used as a diagnostic tool. However, they did determine there are grounds for further investigation and the potential for future less invasive testing.

Humans have been naming things since they began saying things. Language is meant to establish a common understanding of the world around us, though when it comes to naming things like hurricanes and military operations, there’s even more to the story.

“Look around in your home. Who or what has a name? Your family members, your pets. You may even have named certain objects of significance,” says Shannon Murphy, CEO of Nameistry.

Hurricanes are on a rotating male/female, alphabetical cycle of naming convention, which allows for the minimization of confusion and the most efficient way of communicating imminent threat in a crisis, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Modern military operation naming was adopted during World War 2, mostly due to the leadership of Winston Churchill in rallying the Allied Forces through coded planning.

While the U.K. continues to have automatically generated, one-word names for operations, the United States tends to use names that evoke images of military dominance, often regardless of the size or significance of an operation.

Listening is one thing, but comprehending and understanding rise to another level. In most cases of misunderstanding, the speaker isn’t being clear, or the listener isn’t listening.

However, there are times when there’s a misunderstanding, even when the speaker is being eloquent and the listener is fully paying attention. These often go unaddressed, leading potentially to larger problems.

Luckily, there’s a skill that can be honed pretty easily to avoid such types of impasses, and it’s called looping. It’s a tried and true method of internally replaying what you heard from the person, and when necessary, repeating the uncertain part in the form of a question.

“Are you saying you’re mad because you weren’t consulted about the plans changing?” or “Are you looking to see if someone will offer a different perspective on this decision?”

These are examples of looping, where not only is an opportunity presented to obtain clarity for the listener, but also for the speaker to obtain and establish understanding.

Be careful, though; looping can sometimes be interpreted as interrogating when emotions are amplified. Tone and language are important, so as to make it clear you’re looking to understand for the sake of understanding, rather than to dismantle an argument.

Always more in ‘84

It’s not secret that 1984 was an iconic year for pop culture, and we’ll be quizzing you on everything that was going on back then during this week with today’s trivia 😎