Stickin' to it

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. How you brew your tea could determine heart health benefits; Loons are at risk; and maxxing is the word of the year.

Let’s get into it!

A study published last week in the Journal of Internal Medicine suggests the way tea is prepared and how it’s consumed can impact the degree to which you may benefit from drinking it.

Specifically, the strength of how it’s brewed, the type of tea you use, and how hot it is are just some of the variables that impact how much it can lower the risk of stroke, dementia, and cardiovascular health issues.

The study involved over 485,000 Chinese adults between 30 and 79 years of age, all of whose health records included answers to questions about their tea-drinking habits.

“One major result was that people who drank tea at least three days a week had a roughly 11% lower risk of developing vascular disease compared with those who drank it less frequently,” said Dr. Leana Wen. Wen, an emergency physician and clinical associate professor at George Washington University.

“This was after accounting for factors including age, smoking, physical activity, body weight and existing medical conditions—though nonsmokers who habitually consumed tea and had high physical activity had the lowest cardiovascular risk.”

A report published last week featured a three-year study conducted by researchers from both Canada and the United States. It examined 12 distinct regions throughout Canada—where 94% of breeding loons reside—and found the loon is in decline in 11 of them.

Published in FACETS, the study analyzed data from 3,421 lakes over three decades and found an average 40% drop in loon chick productivity in 10 of 12 regions studied. The steepest declines occurred in the Prairies (65%) and Atlantic Canada (74%), while Quebec and Maine remained relatively stable.

Researchers warn that declining chick survival could lead to future population declines. Climate change is considered a major factor, contributing to increased storms, flooding, water acidification, and reduced water clarity, all of which affect nesting success and food availability.

Scientists and conservationists urge action, including protecting natural shorelines, using lead-free fishing tackle, and minimizing disturbances from boating.

Dictionary.com has announced “maxxing” is its 2026 word of the year.

"Maxxing (sometimes -maxxing) is short for 'maximizing,'" said the website. "This trendy term can be used on its own or added to the end of any word to convey you're doing something to the fullest or optimizing it as much as possible." 

"Maxxing really stood out this year because not only was it everywhere, in all types of articles, but it crossed a lot of different domains," said Steve Johnson, the director of lexicography for Dictionary Media Group, which runs Dictionary.com.

Like most pop culture references these days, this word’s popularity began as an internet trend, and though it was first detected in Reddit and 4chan threads over a decade ago, its popularity soared in recent years, peaking this year as it penetrated into what some may consider the mainstream.

Johnson said the site’s lexicographers don’t exclusively look at hard data, but track how often a word appears in news articles and how much ground it appears to cover across the landscape of pop culture.

The Shanghai Grand Opera House opened later than expected, but that hasn’t stopped it from attracting international attention and praise for its grand staircase.

Reminiscent of the Penrose Staircase featured in the movie Inception, this one seemingly defies gravity.

The 1.6 million-square-foot building was designed by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta, which set a goal ten years ago when it was given the contract. That goal was to remove the barriers typical of most opera houses called “thresholds,” which prevent the general public from interacting with the building’s most jaw-dropping components.

It’s hard to overstate how much the firm succeeding in removing such thresholds. Opera patrons must climb the staircase in order to enter the hallowed halls, but it also attracts visitors who have no interest in the performance.

Think of it like the “Rocky Steps” featured in the classic Sylvester Stallone films. Stallone himself even jokes that he never knew there was an art museum at the top of the iconic staircase near the end of Rocky V.

Spooktacular part 2

The scary stuff continues with today’s trivia! This time we’re quizzin’ you on spooky movies!