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A Cuviers beaked whale, pursuing excellence, probably. Photo: Heiti Paves/Getty Images/iStockphoto

It feels fair to say that, for humanity, things are not going so well generally speaking. But for whales? Also not great, thanks humanity! But for the Cuviers beaked whale, specifically? Well, I cannot speak for all of them, but what I can say is that they have reason to be proud. One Cuviers beaked whale has managed to shatter the record for longest deep dive by a marine mammal, holding its breath underwater for nearly four hours, which is really something. Gizmodo calls the achievement mind-bending, but I call it another example of cetacean excellence to add to the pile.

To be clear, Cuviers beaked whales are as a rule very good at holding their breath while they hunt deep sea squid. In fact, their proficiency in this category earned Cuviers beaked whales the coveted number 10 spot on our comprehensive whale power ranking. But whereas the previous record-holder for long dives logged two hours and 17 minutes below the surface, a new champion (tagged ZcTag066) has now reset that bar twice.

In 2017, researchers with Duke University and the Cascadia Research Collective saw ZcTag066 execute two impressive dives: one that lasted nearly three hours, and another, a week later, that lasted just over three hours and 42 minutes. The scientists published their findings in the Journal of Experimental Biology on Wednesday. Ultimately, though, these two data points wound up excluded from their set, amassed over the course of five years with an eye toward ballparking the Cuviers aerobic dive limits, because they followed a known [one-hour] exposure to a Navy mid-frequency active sonar signal, per Gizmodo. That exposure may have affected their typical foraging style.

But still, the dives happened, and I think thats whats important here. To quote Duke University Marine Laboratory animal behaviorist Nicola Quick, These guys blow our expectations! According to Gizmodo, the researchers approached their study expecting the whales would need to come up for air after about 33 minutes, a calculation they reportedly based on seals internal oxygen stores and diving limits. The median duration of the Cuviers beaked whales they tracked worked out to just under 78 minutes, so: Great job all around, whales, outstanding work per usual.

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Good Job, Whale - The Cut

By Jacob Pellegrino 9/22/20 8:16pm

Rating:

Top Tracks: Mother Please Don't Be Sad, God and the Policeman (featuring Kacey Musgraves), Assassins of Youth

One of the most influential experimental psychedelic rock groups since the 1980s, The Flaming Lips have never been a band to bow to convention. Their new album American Head continues the groups tradition of strong narrative songs sublimated by ethereal vocals and psychedelic musical experimentation. It follows their 2019 concept album Kings Mouth, an effort inspired by frontman Wayne Coynes art exhibit of the same name and narrated by Mick Jones of The Clash.

One of the highlights of the album is the haunting meditation of Mother Please Dont Be Sad. The song reflects on 17-year-old Coynes experience of working at a Long John Silvers that was robbed at gunpoint. Coyne described the track as what [he] was saying to [himself] while [he] laid on the floor, waiting to be shot in the head. He tries to console his mother in the song by reminding her that there's so much [she] still [has] and to remember all the others that are still alive. Sung from beyond the grave, as if Wayne had died that night, Mother Please Dont Be Sad paints a startling portrait of his state of mind in that traumatic moment embellished by lush instrumentation.

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The almost fully instrumental When We Die When Were High continues directly from Mother Please Dont Be Sad with no pause or break between the songs. The effortless but complex drum part is emphasized by sparse notes that slowly grow to create a sense of brutal minimalism that complements the other songs on the album and the albums effect as a whole.

Another standout track is the subtle storytelling of God and the Policemen. The song features transcendent vocal contributions from Kacey Musgraves that complement Waynes vocals. Wayne revealed in a segment for Apple Music that the song was based on a friend who got caught up in a bad drug deal and had to kill the dealer to avoid being killed. Calling to mind someone who is on the run from both the law and their conscience, the song conveys a complex emotional situation with entrancing vocals.

Coynes overtly personal lyricism is contrasted by songs written by multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd, especially Brother Eye. While Drozd drew on personal experiences while writing for the album, his tend to be less directly obvious. In the song, Drozd begs his brother to live forever, an expression made all the more poignant by the loss of both of his own brothers. Brother Eye is a melancholy tribute to Drozds family and the effect his brothers had on his life.

In contrast to all of these deeply personal elements, the album is also influenced by the death of Tom Petty in 2017. In a documentary, Coyne learned that Petty and the band Mudcrutch (his pre-Heartbreakers group) spent some time in Oklahoma City, The Flaming Lips home. The group began to imagine a world where Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had fail[ed] because of [a] connection to drugs and the seedier side of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rather than try to emulate Pettys style, the group focused on embodying the characters they had imagined and created an album with a sense of homesickness and nostalgia permeating the tracks. Even as the Lips put themselves in someone elses shoes, they used that idea to create an album that bares their own emotions and experiences.

Overall, American Head is a strong effort from The Flaming Lips that plays to their strengths as a group. Wayne Coynes and Steven Drozds vocals and storytelling help to create a composition that is both a unique change and continuation of their style. The bands instrumentation highlights the music and increases the effect of the album as a whole. Its pervading sadness creates one of the groups most personal and powerful compositions. Although a far cry from The Flaming Lips most experimental moments, American Head is something unique that delves deep into the American psyche while embracing the bands personal experiences.

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Review: The Flaming Lips dig deep with American Head - The Rice Thresher

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If 2020 is responsible for anything positive at all, serving as a reminder to look after your health is one of them.

As we face the prospect of a second wave of the virus, there is no better time to start prioritising your emotional and physical wellbeing - and your gut is a good place to start.

Gut health has been the buzzword du jour among the wellness set for a while now, so you may already be familiar with the stat that 70 per cent of your immune system is found in your gut.

But did you also know that more than 90 per cent of the neurotransmitter serotonin - dubbed the happy "chemical" because it plays a vital role in your mood - is produced in your gut too?

"It's quite a startling statistic," says Eve Kalinik, nutritional therapist and author of Happy Gut, Happy Mind. "It's our gut microbiome (the trillions of good and bad bacteria that live in the gut) that has a direct and indirect influence on the levels of serotonin in our body. It helps to manage how much of the precursor tryptophan - that we take in through our diet - is available to be converted into serotonin in the brain." Tryptophan is an amino acid found in protein-rich foods like turkey, chicken, eggs, oily fish, peanuts and pumpkin seeds.

In her new book Kalinik explains how the state of our guts can affect how we feel emotionally (and vice versa). The gut produces and manages the same neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers - like serotonin, GABA and dopamine which govern physical processes and emotions - that the brain does.

"We've all felt butterflies in our stomachs when we're feeling nervous or anxious about something, but what surprises most people is that the relationship between the gut and brain is bidirectional," Kalinik explains, and there is often a mirroring of symptoms, "for example, people with a sluggish gut may suffer with a low mood, and equally when you're feeling more anxious you might feel more urgency to go."

Research suggests having a healthy gut may also help you to deal with stress and even sleep better, she adds.

So, how best to look after your gut? Here, Kalinik has shared some simple and practical tips (and most will cost you absolutely nothing) towards getting back on track.

When people consider improving their gut health, people often miss the basics, according to Kalinik: "They jump straight to fermenting scobies and think it's got to be that complicated."

But taking a simpler approach may benefit you more in the long run, and it'll be easier to be consistent with.

"One of the most common misperceptions is that you need to cut things out to improve your gut health when it's actually the complete opposite for most people," she continues. "Rather than restricting yourself, and focusing on potential intolerances, instead add in enriching and nourishing foods. Ironically, a lot of the anxiety that surrounds perceived intolerances also creates more stress mentally which then effects the gut."

The single most important thing you can do to promote good gut health is eating a diverse range of fibre sources every day.

"Fibre is found in all plant-based carbs, it provides fuel for all of our gut microbes and current research suggests that the more diverse and heterogeneous our microbiome is, the stronger and healthier it is," Kalinik says.

In return for being fed, these microbes "give back generously by producing substances and messengers that help us to manage inflammation, support the health of the gut barrier, synthesise vitamins, supply mood-influencing neurotransmitters like 'happy' serotonin and also train our immune system so that it knows how to react appropriately," she writes in her book.

"The easiest way to achieve this is by taking in different sources of fibre and rotating your intake of vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, because different types of fibre feed different microbes, which cultivates a more diverse gut microbiome. We naturally gravitate to the same things but I encourage my clients to have in mind eating the rainbow, and to try and get different colours into every meal."

There are easy ways to do this without having to constantly invest in piles of fresh produce, she adds. "If you like having porridge or overnight oats every morning, have a few different grains like spelt flakes or quinoa flakes stored in the cupboard so you're not always having oats. Have a good nut and seed mix to hand or several types of nut butters to add to dishes and buy frozen berries to store in the freezer."

Slow your mealtimes down. "One good thing to have come out of lockdown is it gave us more time to tune in and slow down. Take time to sit and really chew your food, this will help to alleviate symptoms like bloating, reflux gas and feeling really hungry soon after you've finished a meal. By not inhaling your food and eating rapidly, it allows your gut to function properly and also creates pockets of recovery in the day, where your body can switch into 'rest and digest' mode."

"Our guts are really thirsty and need regular watering. If you're working from home get a jug on your workstation and put some fresh herbs or fresh lemon or cucumber so it tastes better and looks more appealing."

Upping your water intake can help to relieve constipation and boost energy levels.

"Most of us breathe quite high up into the diaphragm, but taking time out at the end of the day to breathe properly - or practice any form of mindfulness - can help to relieve stress which is a massive trigger for people with gut issues." Kalinik recommends deep belly breathing, when you breathe deep into the belly for a count of five and hold for five more before breathing out for five again.

"Use that pre-bedtime hour to switch off from your devices and wind down, doing that consistently is going to help bubble wrap your mind, just like going to the gym, it's accumulative and will really help with managing stress."

Eve Kalinik's Harissa Chicken dish from her book Happy Gut, Happy Mind

Dishes dont come much more restorative and nourishing than this. The flavours are amazing and its so easy to make; you can sit back and relax while it cooks. Chicken is a good source of tryptophan, while the celeriac and leeks offer abundant fibre fuel for our microbes. With the bold flavours of harissa, jewel-like pomegranate seeds and vibrant herbs, its a delight for the senses, the mind and the microbiome.

Ingredients

Method

1. Mix together the harissa, butter, cumin, coriander, lemon juice and salt to create the marinade.

2. Put the chicken in a large bowl, add the celeriac and leeks and pour over the marinade.

3. Massage well and leave for at least 20 minutes to an hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

5. Place the chicken, celeriac and leeks on the baking tray and bake for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking time so that everything bakes evenly.

6. To make the dressing, combine the yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic oil and water in a small bowl with a pinch of sea salt.

7. Remove the baking tray from the oven and sprinkle over the chopped herbs, haphazardly dollop over the dressing and top with the pomegranate seeds.

8. You can serve at the table in the pan or divide between two plates.

Wine Pairing: Enjoy this dish with a white Assyrtiko or a Languedoc red such as Corbires, Minervois or St-Chinian.

Happy Gut, Happy Mind (Little, Brown Book Group, 25) is available to buy at couvertureandthegarbstore.com

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Happy Gut, Happy Mind: how the state of your gut affects your mental health - Evening Standard