Curious Cook: Hot summer tidbits

The best flavanols for the diets of the elderly may be in foods like apples, berries, hazelnuts and kidney beans, to name a few. — SUZY HAZELWOOD/Pexels

First tidbit - heat

Wednesday, the 5th of July 2023 was the hottest day ever recorded on our planet, beating the records set the two consecutive days before. According to paleoclimate scientists, this record very probably stretches back to the Eemian period, between 130,000 and 115,000 years ago. Global temperatures then were estimated to be 2C higher than pre-industrial times, and we are currently getting perilously close to matching those temperatures, with all the attendant consequences, such as sea levels 5-8 metres higher than at present, and vast changes in the distribution of vegetation.