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Experimental drug reverses severe fatty liver disease by repairing the gut
An experimental drug developed at Michigan Medicine has shown the ability to reverse severe fatty liver disease in animal studies by restoring gut health. The findings, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest that targeting the connection between the gut and liver could offer a promising new approach for treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
MASH is a serious form of fatty liver disease that affects about 7% of people worldwide. It can progress to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure, yet effective treatment options remain limited.
The investigational compound, known as DT-109, is a glycine-based tripeptide. Researchers found that it reversed MASH in animal models by interrupting a harmful biological process linking the gut and liver.
“We see clear evidence that DT-109 protects the gut epithelial barrier, reducing the systemic influx of harmful microbial products that are thought to contribute to MASH development and progression,” said Eugene Chen, M.D., Ph.D., senior author of the study and Frederick G. L. Huetwell Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.
“This compound shows benefits to the gastrointestinal system and has great potential as a treatment for MASH.”
How Gut Bacteria Can Drive Liver Disease
Earlier studies from Chen’s laboratory had already shown that DT-109 could improve MASH in animals. The new research explains how the compound produces those benefits.
The team first identified a major contributor to the disease: an overgrowth of the bacterium Clostridium perfringens, which generates ammonia inside the gut.
High ammonia levels damage the lining of the digestive tract, weakening the intestinal barrier. Once that protective barrier is compromised, harmful microbial products can enter the bloodstream, reach the liver, and trigger inflammatory immune responses, including excessive activation of CD8+ T cells.
Through a series of experiments, the researchers found that DT-109 disrupted this chain of events, helping restore the health of both the gut and the liver.
DT-109 Restores the Gut Barrier
In both mice and nonhuman primates, DT-109 reduced Clostridium perfringens levels and lowered ammonia production in the intestines. As a result, the intestinal barrier became stronger, limiting the movement of harmful substances from the gut into the body.
The results were especially encouraging in nonhuman primates, whose liver biology and gut microbiota more closely resemble those of humans. In these animals, DT-109 reduced liver inflammation and significantly improved the severity of MASH.
“DT-109 connects microbiota modulation with liver protection by restoring gut barrier integrity and limiting the systemic translocation of ammonia and other pro-inflammatory microbial products within the gut-liver axis,” said Jifeng Zhang, Ph.D., co-author and research professor of cardiovascular medicine at U-M Medical School.
“We also found that DT-109 primarily acts in the gastrointestinal tract, but its reach stretches much further.”
Potential Benefits Beyond MASH
The researchers believe DT-109 may have uses beyond treating fatty liver disease.
Previous studies have shown that the compound can reduce the formation of atherosclerosis plaques and prevent vascular calcification in nonhuman primates, suggesting it could also become a treatment for cardiovascular disease.
Because breakdown of the intestinal barrier has also been linked to several digestive disorders, the team believes DT-109 could eventually be explored as a treatment for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Future research will focus on additional testing needed to move DT-109 into clinical trials and evaluate its safety and effectiveness in people.
“This study presents novel evidence about the pathogenesis of MASH and provides excitement about a therapeutic avenue to explore for a condition that remains difficult to treat,” said Elliot Tapper, M.D., Academic Director of Hepatology at Michigan Medicine.
“What patients with MASH need is a safe and effective therapy capable of improving their liver and heart health — of course we are excited about these developments.”
Additional authors include Yang Zhao, Ph.D., Ying Zhao M.S., and Yanhong Guo, MD., Ph.D., all of the University of Michigan. Additional co-authors are listed in the published study.
Funding and Disclosures
Ying Zhao, Oren Rom, Jifeng Zhang, and Y. Eugene Chen are inventors on the patent application (Tripeptides and treatment of metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory disorders).
Chen is also an inventor of DT-109. The University of Michigan has patented the compound and licensed it to Diapin Therapeutics. Chen and the university hold an ownership interest in the company. Diapin Therapeutics supplied DT-109 for the study and is continuing to develop the compound.
The study protocol involving humans, all amendments and the informed consent form were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Boards at each site, including the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University (approval number: XJTU1AF2023LSK330), and the Institutional Review Board of Jinan University (approval number: 2016-017) and the University of Hong Kong/Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster (approval number: UW 20-700). All experimental protocols involving non-human primates were approved by the Laboratory Animal Care Committee of Xi’an Jiaotong University (approval number: 20191278) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Spring Biological Technology Development Co., Ltd. (approval number: 201901). The study was performed in accordance with the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
US pays out $3m to victims of mystery Havana Syndrome condition reported by spies
US officials and diplomats and their families began reporting a mysterious illness a decade ago.
Second pregnancy changes the brain in surprising new ways
A second pregnancy changes the brain in ways that are both familiar and distinct from a first pregnancy, according to new research from Amsterdam UMC published in Nature Communications. Building on earlier work showing that a first pregnancy reshapes the brain, the researchers found that each pregnancy leaves its own unique imprint on the maternal brain.
In an earlier study, Elseline Hoekzema and colleagues became the first to demonstrate that pregnancy changes the structure of the human brain. They also showed that pregnancy affects how the brain functions. For this latest research, the team followed 110 women over time. Some were expecting their first child, some were pregnant with their second, and others remained childless. By performing repeated brain scans, the researchers tracked how the brain changed throughout the study.
“With this, we have shown for the first time that the brain not only changes during the first pregnancy, but also during a second,” says Hoekzema, head of the Pregnancy Brain Lab at Amsterdam UMC. “During a first and second pregnancy, the brain changes in both similar and unique ways. Each pregnancy leaves a unique mark on the female brain.”
Brain Networks Shift in Different Ways
The researchers found that a first pregnancy produced the largest changes in the structure and activity of the brain’s Default Mode Network, a system involved in self reflection, social thinking, and other important mental functions.
During a second pregnancy, this same network changed again, although to a lesser degree. Instead, the most noticeable changes occurred in brain networks responsible for directing attention and responding to sensory information.
“It appears that during a second pregnancy, the brain is more strongly altered in networks involved in reacting to sensory cues and in controlling your attention,” explains researcher Milou Straathof, who analyzed the data. “These processes may be beneficial when caring for multiple children.”
Brain Changes Linked to Maternal Bonding and Mental Health
The study also uncovered a relationship between pregnancy related brain changes and the emotional bond between mother and child. This connection was stronger after a first pregnancy than after a second.
Researchers also identified links between structural changes in the brain and peripartum depression during both first and second pregnancies. According to the team, this is the first evidence that changes occurring in the brain’s cortex during pregnancy are associated with maternal depression.
The timing of these associations differed depending on pregnancy history. Among first time mothers, they were most apparent after childbirth. For women expecting a second child, they were more noticeable during pregnancy.
“This knowledge can help to better understand and recognize mental health problems in mothers. It is important that we understand how the brain adapts to motherhood.”
Understanding the Maternal Brain
The findings offer new insight into the remarkable adaptability of the maternal brain. Although most women experience one or more pregnancies during their lifetime, scientists are only beginning to understand how pregnancy influences the brain over the long term.
The researchers say these discoveries help fill an important gap in knowledge about women’s biology and could eventually improve care for mothers, including efforts to prevent and treat postpartum depression. The study also highlights the brain’s remarkable ability to continually adapt to major life experiences such as pregnancy and motherhood.
Doctors Say ‘Embarrassing’ Symptom Could Be A Warning Sign Of Colorectal Cancer
The statistics for colon cancer and rectal cancer – often combined and referred to as colorectal cancer – are both scary and important to know.
For example, colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the U.S. and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Additionally, colorectal cancer rates in young people are rising, nearly doubling since 1995.
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We also need to be especially conscientious because many signs of colorectal cancer – such as constipation, diarrhea and fatigue – are easily dismissed. You might assume they’re just another case of irritable bowel syndrome, a food sensitivity or an undercooked meal.
All of this emphasises the importance of knowing what symptoms can indicate colorectal cancer and identifying them ASAP. As a colorectal cancer doctor will tell you, prevention and early intervention are key. That can entail learning your family history, getting regular screenings and paying attention to symptoms.
On that note, there’s a certain symptom doctors want to make sure you’re aware of: bowel incontinence.
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While it might feel embarrassing to talk about, we need to. Ahead, doctors explain the concerning sign, other common signs of colorectal cancer, and what prevention and treatment look like. After all, the more information you have, the better prepared you are.
Bowel incontinence as a sign of colorectal cancer
For what it’s worth, this sign isn’t super common – and that can be a good thing and a bad thing.
“Bowel leakage, also called faecal incontinence, is not something most patients with colorectal cancer experience, but it can occur, particularly with cancers involving the rectum,” said Dr. Jason B. Carter, a urologist and medical adviser with Aeroflow Urology who’s board-certified by the American Board of Urology.
That’s a good reminder that even though a symptom isn’t common or necessarily listed on a website, it’s still an indication that seeing a doctor is crucial.
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There are several reasons colorectal cancer causes bowel leakage, according to Dr. Ketan Thanki, a board-certified colorectal surgeon who specialises in benign and malignant disease of the colon, rectum and anus with the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in California:
- Rectal cancer can decrease the rectum’s ability to sense and accommodate stool when it arrives.
- Rectal cancer can invade and weaken or disrupt nerve signals to the anal sphincter, decreasing your ability to hold in the stool.
- Colon and rectal cancers can secrete large amounts of mucus, which produces diarrhea, which is harder to hold in than solid stool.
- Colon and rectal cancer can cause a narrowing of the colon/rectum, in which solid stool can’t pass, and pressurised liquid stool is squeezed through and can cause unexpected leakage.
It’s worth noting that this typically isn’t the first sign you’ll experience.
“Most patients diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer present with other symptoms first, such as rectal bleeding, blood in the stool, changes in bowel habits, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, iron deficiency anaemia or persistent fatigue,” Carter said.
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So, this symptom can indicate a more advanced cancer.
“Unfortunately, faecal incontinence often presents later in the course of a colorectal cancer because obstruction usually develops once a cancerous lesion becomes large enough to physically block passage of formed stool,” said Dr. Nikiya Asamoah, a gastroenterologist and inflammatory bowel disease specialist in Washington, D.C.
At the same time, this symptom isn’t a 100% clear sign that you have cancer, by any means.
“The important thing for patients to understand is that bowel leakage is much more commonly caused by non-cancerous conditions,” Carter said. He listed ageing, pelvic floor dysfunction, chronic diarrhoea, prior anorectal surgery, childbirth-related injury, neurologic disorders, haemorrhoids, rectal prolapse and inflammatory bowel disease as frequent contributors.
Antonio Hugo Photo via Getty Images
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Other signs of colorectal cancer
As mentioned above, other symptoms of colorectal cancer (that usually show up earlier) can include:
- Rectal bleeding
- Blood mixed in the stool
- Persistent changes in bowel habits
- New constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Narrowing of stool calibre
- Abdominal pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- Unexplained iron-deficiency anaemia
- Excessive fatigue
- A feeling of incomplete bowel emptying after a bowel movement
- Pencil-thin stools or a sudden change in stool size
You can also have colorectal cancer without those signs.
“Many patients are surprised to learn that colorectal cancer can be present for quite some time before symptoms become obvious,” Carter added. “That is one reason screening is so important.”
Thanki agreed. “Right-sided colorectal cancer (furthest from the anus) frequently causes no bowel changes at all, showing up only as fatigue or weight loss, which is exactly why screening starting at 45 matters even when you feel fine,” he said.
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How to prevent or treat colorectal cancer
“The American Cancer Society has identified several preventable lifestyle habits that might increase an individual’s risk of colorectal cancer, including alcohol and tobacco use,” Asamoah said.
“In general, gastroenterologists recommend that people avoid processed foods, limit excessive intake of red meat, increase their intake of dietary fibre and remain physically active to prevent colorectal cancer.”
If you’re at a higher risk or have a family history, regular colorectal cancer screenings with a colonoscopy are an important prevention strategy, she added.
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Thanki agreed, saying that eating nutritious foods, moving your body and getting early, regular screenings are best.
Here’s more good news: “We have never had as many good treatments for colorectal cancer available to us as we do now,” Thanki said. “Colorectal cancer that is caught early is usually surgically treatable.”
If the cancer is advanced or spreads, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and/or targeted immunotherapies are needed in addition to surgery.
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“Usually, some combination of these modalities is tailored to fit the individual patient and cancer,” he added.
When to see a doctor
Since seemingly “normal” symptoms can be signs of cancer – and since early detection is so helpful – seeing a doctor sooner rather than later is paramount.
Thanki and Asamoah recommended making an appointment when you experience an onset of any of those symptoms mentioned above.
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“If anything feels off about your GI tract and digestion and doesn’t get better within a few weeks, go see a doctor,” Thanki said. “The last thing you want to do is ignore a change in your bowel habits for months or years and then realize it is from an advanced cancer that could have been curable when you first noticed symptoms.”
Even if it’s not cancer, he continued, it could be several other treatable conditions that could also have negative long-term effects if left untreated.
“The biggest message I would share is that colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers we face today,” Carter said. “Early detection dramatically improves outcomes.”
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I’ve Filed For ‘Airport Divorce’ On My Next Holiday – You Should Too
You’ve probably heard about “Scandinavian divorce” – which happens when couples sleep apart for better kip and more space.
Some swear by it during heatwaves like the one we’re facing now.
But a new term – airport divorce – has been taking over.
So what does that look like, and how can it help your relationship?
What is an “airport divorce”?
It means you and your partner go through the sometimes-stressful processes of security, check-in, and even arriving at the airport separately.
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A colleague told me that their partner likes to reach the travel hub far, far earlier than she likes. My own beau can get a little flustered in airports, while I would rather crawl across the ocean floor myself than publicly stress out.
Some people love a leisurely duty-free browse. Others like to march through security with laser focus, their passports and boarding passes constantly ready for inspection.
An early-queuer and late-queuer relationship can feel impossible to manage in times like these, too.
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So, some, like Times writer Huw Oliver, have found a solution: just do your own thing, and regroup on the plane.
Won’t that feel a bit… splintering?
Not necessarily. An “airport divorce” can be selective.
Maybe you agree on some things, like arriving about two hours before the flight and/or having a pre-plane tipple. These can, and I’d argue should, still be shared.
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But I reckon most of us can agree that our airport self is not representative of our true character. Nobody needs to see the beast I become when the boarding gate changes last minute, least of all someone I’m about to share a hotel room with.
Besides, if you’re mostly enduring your partner’s dangerously leisurely shopping time or over-keen boarding queue approach out of a vague sense of duty, why not let that go (travel duty-free, if you will?).
It might make your holiday together even more relaxing and enjoyable – and it means that finally, you’ll both be able to do it The Only Right Way.
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I Turned 60 And Felt Flat. But A Simple Little Idea Has Made Me Feel More Joyful And Alive Than Ever.
I thought I wouldn’t mind turning 60 one little bit. After all, my 50s had been my best decade ever. Yes, my face was saggier, my memory iffier and my body didn’t bounce back from late nights or lengthy walks like it used to. However, I felt more confident and content than I’d ever felt in my 20s, 30s or 40s. I was finally happy with who I was and where all the pieces of my life had landed. I had more zest for life than ever! So turning 60 wouldn’t make any difference. It really was just a number.
I was wrong.
My 60th birthday landed with an unexpected thud. Almost overnight, I felt older and uglier, stiffer in my movements and foggier in my mind. It turned out I wasn’t even imagining it. According to an article I stumbled across online, new research showed that there really is a sudden “burst” of aging at age 60 — a fast-forwarding of the disintegration process. But that wasn’t what was bothering me the most.
What really bothered me was that now that I’d tipped over into my 60s, people were starting to respond to me differently. I had to work a lot harder at parties to get people younger than me to engage in conversation — or even notice me in the first place. And teens and 20-somethings often brushed against me in the street now as if I literally wasn’t there. I was becoming invisible.
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My confidence started to shrivel. Before I knew it, I was caught in a negative feedback loop. The less readily people noticed or engaged with me, the less readily I did anything to make them notice or engage with me. I could feel myself turning into a meeker, milder, mediocre version of myself.
Was this the beginning of the end? Was I just meant to let myself shrink into my 60s? I wasn’t ready for that.
I needed an antidote.
An idea started to form. Let’s make 60 count, I thought. Let’s take that number and play with it. Turn it into something positive and meaningful, fun and fulfilling, something that would let me reclaim my confidence and connection with people — whoever they were, whatever their age.
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So I hatched a plan.
I decided to invite 60 random people to sit down and have a cup of tea with me. Some would be total strangers. Some would be people I’d noticed and was curious about from a distance. Others would be people I knew a tiny bit and wanted to know more. And I’d also include friends and family I knew well — or thought I did!
Because I wasn’t just looking for small talk, there needed to be a bit more to it, though. I decided I’d ask each person the same set of tea-themed questions — yes, tea! — that I hoped would gently springboard us into meaningful conversation and connection. After all, I was an English person living in England, a country steeped in the tradition of “a nice cup of tea.” The drink is intertwined with our rituals, families, relationships and memories.
My own deep enjoyment of tea, I’m sure, has very little to do with the taste of it, and everything to do with the fact that the only consistent act of love my dad showed me as a child was to bring me a cup of it in bed — with milk, two sugars, and two biscuits — every single morning.
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Still, my new, shyer, 60-year-old self wavered. Would people even say yes to my invites, or just think I was a batty old lady? Would I really dare to ask strangers? Would the questions actually work?
Before I could change my mind, Cup of Tea No.1 fell into my hands.
“I hear you’ve had a big birthday!” said a guy I bumped into in the street. He was a friend of a friend of a friend, and before I knew it, I was babbling out my 60-Cups-of-Tea idea, testing how it sounded when I said it out loud. He pounced immediately.
“I’ll be your guinea pig!” he said, and just a few days later, I was sitting in his garden in the sunshine, sharing a pot of fresh mint tea with homemade honey and semolina cake. We chatted for almost two whole hours.
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“You know,” he confessed as I got up to leave, “Before you arrived, I told myself I’d hold my cards close to my chest… but I’ve told you everything — and really enjoyed it!”
At that moment, I knew I was on to a winning formula. I walked home feeling uplifted already.
From there, it just got better and better. I bounced from cup of tea to cup of tea, getting braver and braver about who I asked.
A Buddhist nun at a Buddhist temple.
The boss who fired me in my 20s.
A truck driver at a truck stop.
My hairdresser. We’ve only shared the tiniest of talk in the salon up until now.
Two street performers I encountered in the city center.
By Cup of Tea No. 6, I was getting invites. Word was out.
“Would you have a cup of tea with me on the beach in front of my house?” messaged a woman I barely knew. She lived on a tiny, isolated peninsula cut off by the tide for hours every day. Absolutely, I would! Part of the fun of this was mixing up where or how I had these cups of tea: I drank it up in a tree, wearing tutus, cruising on a houseboat up the canal, sitting in comfortable velvet armchairs on the edge of a cliff.
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Courtesy of Claire Potter
And suddenly I’m exploding with the possibilities of who I could ask.
I wonder who the artist of that painting I love on my living room wall is? Let’s track them down!
How about that man I see out my window every day in his thobe on his way to prayer at the local mosque?
Why not ask my 96-year-old father-in-law? I’ve never had a proper one-to-one chat with him — quite bizarre when you consider that he produced 50% of my husband and I produced 50% of his grandchildren.
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Didn’t that man I was introduced to the other day say he worked at the mortuary at the hospital? Let’s stare death in the eye with him. After all, that’s almost certainly where I’m going to end up.
Cup of Tea No.15 was with an ex-boyfriend I hadn’t seen for over 30 years — and he told me that he was coming dressed as a woman. He and I were together for three years at university in the ’80s. His cross-dressing, which had been secret back then (I’d only discovered it when I came home unexpectedly early from a lecture and caught him in my clothes and make-up) was, without doubt, a catalyst in our break-up. I’m so pleased that he can now openly present as a woman when he wants to, but I find the thought of meeting him as a female mind-boggling and nerve-wracking nonetheless.
This person who sat down opposite me was unrecognizable. Then I caught that familiar, super-cheeky grin, and we relaxed into sharing memories — memories that belong only to us.
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I’ve often thought how sad it is that we often never again get the chance to see someone from our past we loved intensely, someone we chose to share a precious chunk of our life with. I’m so happy we’ve had this opportunity to reminisce and reconnect. I think I’ve made a new girlfriend.
Courtesy of Claire Potter
And the cups of tea just kept coming.
An old friend I haven’t seen for years who is now sober.
An anti-female genital mutilation activist.
My cousins.
They were such big characters in my childhood, yet as adults, we’d only really seen each other at funerals. We recaptured the sleepovers we had as kids by having our cup of tea in pajamas on the bed!
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When I went on holiday to Thailand to reunite with my 18-year-old daughter, who had just finished three months of voluntary work there, I had a cup of tea with her at a tea plantation. Over the best green tea we’d ever tasted, she started to reflect on the experience she’d just had, but was soon opening up to me about her childhood, her romantic relationships and her dreams. I realized how rarely we’d have such an honest conversation, because so rarely do I listen without a part of me wanting to pounce in with parental advice or opinion. I realized how many times I must have stifled her with that you’ll-understand-when-you’re-older undertone.
“Ask me more questions!” she said at the end. A similar thing happened when I had a cup of tea with my 25-year-old son. The conversation cut through the mother-son dynamic we’d been stuck in since he left home at 18. And I realized how much I’d “fossilized” him — automatically assuming I knew and understood him just because he was my son. I’m so glad I had that chance to tune into how he’s changed and catch up with who he has become.
Without exception, every single cup of tea was wonderful — and the people I invited seemed to enjoy it as much as me.
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“Thank you. That really made me have a good think about things,” said one person.
“That felt like therapy!” said someone else.
“Such small prompts to such big conversations!” another told me.
Indeed, the tea-themed questions unlocked more than I could have imagined. The stories poured out — sometimes heart-warming, sometimes heart-breaking.
Climbing into bed with their mum and dad on a Saturday morning and feeling special because they were allowed tiny sips of their tea.
Always dreaming of treating their mum to a posh afternoon tea in London when they grew up but never getting to. She died before they grew up.
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Having to keep their Sunday afternoon cups of tea at a department store with their grandad secret because he always brought along his mistress.
Sitting up a tree with their friends drinking tea and watching the sun rise at the end of university, so full of joy and optimism for the future.
Marrying a woman because the morning after the first night they slept together, they discovered she was the only person to ever make them a cup of tea exactly as they liked it.
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Feeling soothed and touched by the flask of tea that a hotel receptionist in China brought to their room when they were anxious and exhausted with their newly adopted baby.
Writing the words of their wife’s obituary after she died by suicide: “I will forever love you. Rest in peace and we’ll meet again. Have a cup of tea waiting for me.”
Tea, it seems, really is tangled up with our lives.
Courtesy of Claire Potter
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On a weekend trip to Zagreb, I was excited to sit down and share a cup of tea with the creator of the Museum of Broken Relationships, somewhere I’d wanted to go for a very long time. As we parted, she told me she’d been thinking about having a slogan printed on the takeaway cups in the museum cafe, something jokey like HOW ABOUT CAKE? However, after our chat, she wondered if an open invitation like WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE A CUP OF TEA WITH ME? might be better — something to nudge people to take the risk of reaching out to someone new.
“An unexpected encounter between two humans, sharing something intimate — that’s when magic happens,” she told me.
I couldn’t agree more.
My 57 cups of tea (only three to go!) have worked their spell on me for sure. I’m full to bursting with the warmth and joy of human-to-human connection, and my confidence has bounced right back. I’ve learned that it’s never too late to make new friends, reignite old ones and strengthen — or adjust — the relationships you already have. And I now know that even if I can’t stop my age from making me less visible, I don’t need to let that stop me from being brave, curious and playful.
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I’m going into my 60s full blast after all.
Claire Potter is an author of parenting books and children’s picture books. Her online program, Tiny Bites, leads parents through a three-step process to turn their child from a picky to an unpicky eater. You can see all the cups of tea she’s done at Sixty Cups of Tea.
Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com.
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When My Husband Died, I Thought My Life Was Winding Down. I Couldn’t Have Been More Wrong.
Three years ago, I stood beside my husband Al’s bed and prepared to say goodbye.
After 25 years of marriage, cancer was taking him where I could not follow. Before he died, he looked at me and said something that shocked me at the time.
“Diane, you’ll need another man.”
I immediately dismissed the idea. I was 80 years old. I had already experienced a full life. What on earth would I need another man for? I certainly wasn’t looking for one.
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Then life did what life often does. It ignored my plans.
Just a few months after Al died, friends introduced me to a man named Bob. I welcomed it because I was experiencing what I later discovered, after many late-night Google searches, was called “widow’s fire,” a fierce longing for intimacy and closeness after losing a spouse that, despite being surprisingly common, few people talk about.
Some people, including some of my children, thought it was too soon for me to begin dating. But grief doesn’t follow a timeline.
I wasn’t looking to replace Al. No one could. But for 25 years of marriage, I had been part of a pair. Suddenly, I was standing alone. The silence and loneliness were overwhelming.
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What I realised was that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life alone. I wanted companionship, laughter, conversation and, yes, physical attraction. And to my surprise, I found that in Bob, a kind, funny and handsome man who understood that loving him didn’t mean I loved Al any less.
Bob and I have been together for more than two years. We are deeply committed to one another, but marriage isn’t part of our equation. At our age, we’ve learned that relationships don’t need to look a certain way to be meaningful. What works for us is love, honesty and a healthy dose of practicality.
That practicality was put to the test recently when Bob and I embarked on a 22-day adventure through Norway, France and Spain. With me at 82 and Bob at 83, travelling halfway around the world requires a little more planning than it did a few decades ago.
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Before we left, I sent an email introducing my daughter and son-in-law to Bob’s brother and sister. Not because we were planning a family reunion. Because we were 82 and 83 years old and about to cross an ocean together.
“Should we get lost along the way and need your assistance,” I wrote, “you now can connect with one another and try to retrieve, grieve or rejoice from our far distant travels.”
I also informed everyone that I had travel insurance in case my body needed to be shipped home and that Bob had thoughtfully prepared his own end-of-life arrangements. My children thought it was hilarious. Bob’s family may have thought I was crazy. They’re not entirely wrong.
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But if you’re going to travel the world in your 80s, you learn to laugh about the realities that come with it. Like money. People don’t like talking about finances in matters of romance, but they should.
In our case, I happen to have a larger wallet than Bob. Before we left, we talked openly about expectations. I agreed to pay for the trip itself, including the airline tickets. Bob was perfectly willing to fly economy. I was perfectly unwilling to sit in first class without him. The good Lord knows I’m spoiled, and I wasn’t going to be up front sipping champagne while the man I loved was squeezed into seat 34B. Besides, I like him next to me.
We agreed that he would cover many of the extras along the way, including meals, excursions and spontaneous treats. There were no complicated contracts. Just two adults having an honest conversation.
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Widowhood taught me many things. Like I wish more people understood that discussing money isn’t unromantic. Avoiding it is.
Photo Courtesy Of Diane Heiler
The trip itself became a lesson in something even bigger. Standing in Norway, surrounded by glaciers that looked as though they belonged on another planet, I found myself thinking about Al. He loved to travel.
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The glacier train rides were breathtaking. The scenery was so beautiful it almost didn’t seem real. It was colder than a witch’s teat but magnificent. Al and I had never made it to Norway together, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how much he would have loved it.
Unexpectedly, I didn’t feel guilty. For a long time, widows are made to feel that happiness somehow betrays grief. It doesn’t. Missing Al and loving Bob can occupy the same space. Both things are true.
Bob understood that. He never tried to compete with my memories. He simply stood beside me while I carried them. That’s one of the many reasons I love him.
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Norway also introduced me to two things I never expected: iced cider and brown cheese.
The cider was delicious.
The cheese was downright addictive.
I liked it so much that I packed half a pound of it in my suitcase and hauled it through France, Spain and all the way back home to Florida.
At 82 years old, apparently, I travel internationally with contraband cheese.
Photo Courtesy Of Diane Heiler
Then there was Bergen.
The minute we arrived, I announced to Bob, “I could live here.”
It had everything I love: beauty, charm, walkability and friendly people. We spent our days wandering old streets, taking in spectacular views and pretending, just for a moment, that we belonged there.
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Next came France.
Of all the places we visited, Normandy affected me the most.
Standing among the endless rows of white crosses at the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, I felt humbled in a way that is difficult to describe.
The older I get, the more familiar loss becomes. Friends die. My spouse died. Parents die. Even pieces of ourselves disappear. The woman I was at 40 no longer exists. Neither does the woman I was before widowhood.
Yet there I was, halfway around the world, still creating memories. Still laughing. Still planning. Still living.
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Spain brought its own lessons.
I use wheelchair assistance because of a painful foot. Bob uses a cane. Airport assistance services managed to leave us at the wrong gate on two separate occasions, causing us to miss our flights.
After missing our second flight, I told Bob I could have learned to become a professional tango dancer in less time than it took airport personnel to move my behind through that airport. For two days we were shuffled from gate to gate while trying not to lose our sense of humour. Thankfully, we succeeded.
By the time we reached Mallorca after nearly three weeks abroad, we realised something. We may have been tourists, but we didn’t particularly want to be around tourists anymore.
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Maybe we were tired. Maybe we missed our own beds. Or maybe we had officially become old people. Either way, home was sounding awfully good.
Traveling at 82 also comes with one unexpected advantage: I no longer care about impressing anyone.
Photo Courtesy Of Diane Heiler
When I was younger, I packed as though every day required a completely different outfit, matching shoes, jewellery and accessories. These days, I pack for comfort, practicality and the occasional nice dinner.
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For 22 days abroad, Bob and I shared one checked suitcase, and we each carried a small bag. It wasn’t because we were trying to prove anything. It’s simply that we’ve learned what matters and what doesn’t.
I’ve discovered that one scarf, one pair of comfortable shoes and a little confidence can carry you remarkably far. That’s one of the gifts of ageing. You spend less time worrying about how you look and more time enjoying where you are.
At this age, I’ve learned that nobody really cares what you’re wearing, whether your hair is perfect or if you’ve packed the right shoes. What people remember is whether you laughed, loved, showed up and enjoyed the journey.
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And that’s true whether you’re standing on a glacier in Norway, wandering the streets of Barcelona or simply sitting beside a koi pond at home with someone you love.
The greatest surprise of the trip wasn’t Norway’s glaciers, Normandy’s history or Barcelona’s architecture. It was realising how comfortable I have become with this unexpected chapter of my life.
If you had told me three years ago, while I was sitting beside Al’s hospital bed, that I’d be crossing Europe with another man, I would have told you that you were out of your mind.
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If widowhood has taught me anything, it’s that we don’t honour those we’ve lost by stopping our lives. We honour them by continuing to live them.
When Al died, I thought my story was winding down. Instead, it simply changed genres.
Photo Courtesy Of Diane Heiler
These days, I’m perfectly content sitting beside that pond with Bob discussing books, sports, grandchildren, politics or whatever we’re streaming on Netflix. Twenty years ago, I would have called that boring. Now I call it happiness.
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One of the most damaging myths about ageing is that life becomes smaller. I’ve found the opposite. Life becomes more precious. At some point, every one of us realises our time is finite. The horizon becomes visible. Oddly enough, that’s what makes each day matter more.
At 82, the future looks different than I imagined. It includes a new love. A few more aches and pains. Occasionally a wheelchair. And gratitude for every single day I still get to wake up and see what comes next.
Al knew all this before I did. He knew I would need companionship. He knew I would need laughter. He knew I would need someone to sit beside me on airplanes and hold my hand during life’s inevitable turbulence. Most of all, he knew I would need a future.
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As it turns out, he knew me better than I knew myself.
Diane Heiler is the author of “A Widow’s Fire: An Intimate Memoir of Heartbreak, Survival and Moving On.” Widowed in 2023 after caring for her husband through his battle with cancer, she writes about grief, resilience and finding joy again after profound loss.
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Physicists finally build a quantum material predicted more than a decade ago
Physicists from the University of Jyväskylä and Aalto University in Finland have successfully created a two dimensional topological crystalline insulator, marking the first experimental realization of a quantum material that scientists had predicted for more than a decade. Until now, attempts to produce it had been held back by difficulties in developing the right materials.
The breakthrough was led by Associate Professor Kezilbeiek Shawulienu in collaboration with Aalto University researchers, including Professor Peter Liljeroth and Professor Jose Lado. The team fabricated the material by growing an atomically thin film consisting of just two layers of tin telluride (SnTe) on top of a niobium diselenide (NbSe2) substrate.
Atomically Thin Crystal Reveals Unique Quantum States
To examine the material’s properties, the researchers used molecular beam epitaxy together with low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, allowing them to probe its electronic behavior with atomic level precision.
Their measurements revealed pairs of conducting edge states, a defining feature of topological crystalline insulators. These special pathways allow electrons to travel along the edges of the material and are protected by the symmetry of the crystal lattice.
Strain Controls the Material’s Quantum Properties
The conducting edge states appear within a large electronic band gap of more than 0.2 electron volts (eV). The team found that the tin telluride film is compressed by the underlying substrate, creating strain that is essential for stabilizing the material’s topological state.
Even more importantly, the researchers demonstrated that these edge states can be adjusted by changing the strain, offering a practical way to tune the material’s electronic behavior for future technologies.
Potential for Future Quantum Electronics
First principles quantum mechanical calculations confirmed that the observed edge states have a topological origin. The team also examined how neighboring edge states interact, finding that their energy levels shift because of a combination of electrostatic interactions and quantum tunneling.
Because the material has a relatively large band gap, its topological properties are expected to remain stable even at room temperature. That makes it a promising platform for exploring strain tunable two dimensional topological states and could support future advances in spin based electronics and nanoscale devices.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
People in 50s urged to complete bowel cancer screening
Health officials warn little over half of 54-year-olds completed free at-home test kits.
