Determining when an old dog really is “old” is a bit tricky. Aging can vary by breed and dogs grow old very differently than humans, so it is not really easy to draw comparisons between our ages and theirs. Now, a team of scientists has pinpointed exactly when vets can consider a canine to be in “old age.” While it can depend on the breed, a dog can generally be old at 12.5 years, according to a study published December 12 in the Journal of Small Animal Practice.

The calculation of seven dog years to one human year is a common and persistent myth regarding dog age. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 15 human years is equal to the first year of a medium-sized dog’s life. The second year of life is about nine years for a person. After age two, each human year approximately five years for a dog. This more staggered year comparison and the breed-specific differences in aging, makes comparing our ages with dogs even more tricky. 

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In the new study, a team from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom analyzed a database of veterinary electronic health records called the Small Animal Surveillance Network. They found that smaller breeds–such as Jack Russell terriers–tend to age more slowly. They might be considered old when they are closer to 14. Larger breeds like labrador retrievers, are considered older almost two years earlier at 12. 

The team also identified the top five health concerns that affect older dogs. The first concern was weight related issues (35 percent), including weight loss and being too heavy or underweight. Musculoskeletal problems including mobility challenges and stiffness came in second at 33 percent. Tartar buildup, periodontal disease, and other dental conditions came in at 31 percent. Skin related problems–lumps, infections, and hair loss was a concern for 28 percent of the records sampled. Finally, digestive issues such as diarrhea and vomiting were a concern for 22 percent. 

[ Related: Dogs really are communicating via button boards, new research suggests. ]

“This study allowed us for the first time to examine when vets start noting that dogs are now in a stage of their life where they consider them to be ‘elderly’ or ‘senior,’” study co-author and University of Liverpool animal-human interaction researcher Carri Westgarth said in a statement. “By analysing what signs owners were noticing and conditions the vets were diagnosing, we can improve our understanding of how to provide the best care for our dogs.”

The authors used these results to develop an Ageing Canine Toolkit. The free online resource includes a checklist of signs to look out for as your dog grows older. It recommends that dog owners watch out for signs of lethargy, if a dog appears more wobbly when walking, and if a dog is walking around at night more and appearing more anxious. 

Some of the common signs of aging in dogs to look out for include cloudy eyes or difficulty seeing, increasingly bad breath, slowing down when walking or running, and difficulty urinating or pooping. All of these should be discussed with a vet, to make sure it is not the sign of a more serious illness like cancer. 

For older dogs, the team recommends regular visits to the vet, that owners understand breed-specific conditions so that they can stay ahead of healthcare needs, and to be proactive about their dog’s health.

This study was funded by BSAVA PetSavers, the fundraising and grant awarding division of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

The post Is my dog ‘old’? Vets finally have the answers appeared first on Popular Science.

Tax increment financing (TIF) revenue for projects along a future streetcar line in Omaha, Nebraska is outpacing projections, with $1.5 billion committed to four projects so far this year, reports Molly Hudson for KMTV 3 News Now. “Some of those include ‘The Beam’ - an apartment building next to the new Children’s Museum at the Riverfront and the Millwork Hotel.”

“But with just a few weeks left in the year, six projects remain on the 2024 list with investment but no name,” Hudson adds.

The Omaha Streetcar project broke ground in September 2023 and is scheduled for completion in 2027.

• Omaha
• Omaha Streetcar
• Public Transit
• Tax Increment Financing
• TIF
• TIF funding

If you’re looking for an interesting last minute gift for your family, this deeply-discounted AncestryDNA kit is down to just $39 from its usual price of $119. It hit this price for Black Friday, but then went back up again. Now, it has dropped again with just enough time to grab one and have it arrive for the holidays. The best DNA kits make a great gift for your family because it’ll give you all something to talk about at family gatherings instead of Steve’s shameful firing from the cracker factory. You should also go check out our Holiday Gift Guide for more ideas.

Amanda Reed

We’re nerds and we love data, especially when it’s about ourselves. This test is simple to perform. It simply requires mailing away a saliva sample, which gets analyzed in a lab. Once the results come back, you’ll get a detailed view of your ancestry with as many limbs of your family tree filled in as possible. This kit also tracks genetic traits, so maybe I can finally find out where these cursed freckles came from. This is one of the highest-rated kits on the market and it’s likely to go back up in price soon, so don’t sleep on this deal. After all, learning about your relatives and extended family is a lot more fun than having to actually talk to them.

The post This AncestryDNA test kit is back down to its $39 Black Friday price for a limited time appeared first on Popular Science.

In a piece for The City, Samantha Maldonado explains how cities like Minneapolis and Austin have made far more ambitious zoning reforms than New York City in their efforts to encourage more housing development and bring down housing costs for their residents.

According to Maldonado, “Some parts of the original City of Yes proposal were from the onset less ambitious than elsewhere, while changes made as part of negotiations further scaled back the agenda.” The city says the plan could yield up to 80,000 new housing units, but modifications requested by City Council members will mitigate growth in some low-density neighborhoods, prompting criticism that the alterations ‘run counter to the initial promise of City of Yes to create “a little bit more housing in every neighborhood.’”

The proposed City of Yes plan would not allow duplexes or triplexes on lots zoned for single-family homes, while Minneapolis does. Minneapolis, Austin, Buffalo, and other cities have also scaled back or eliminated parking requirements, further reducing the cost of construction. While Columbus, Ohio allows buildings up to 16 stories tall near transit, New York’s plan would limit transit-adjacent building height to five stories in some neighborhoods.

• Zoning
• City of Yes
• Zoning Reform
• Housing Supply
• Housing Crisis
• Housing Costs
• Density
• housing affordability

An analysis from the Oliver Wyman Forum and the University of California, Berkeley ranks San Francisco at the top of its Urban Mobility Readiness Index, which assesses “how well people and goods can move through a city and to surrounding population centers.”

As Magdalena Del Valle explains in Bloomberg CityLab, “Other cities in the top five, including Paris, Munich and Amsterdam, saw robust public transportation systems and strong universities that collaborate successfully with the private sector.”

The analysis looks at dozens of metrics related to sustainability, public transit, and technology. Singapore ranked first in public transit, while Helsinki led in sustainable mobility.

According to del Valle, a heightened focus on technology in this year’s analysis pushed U.S. cities to the top of the list despite their poor performance in public transit and bike and pedestrian infrastructure ratings. “San Francisco, which landed in 24th place in public transit and 18th in sustainable mobility, scored points for its EV adoption and the infrastructure it is working to set up for air taxis. Similarly, New York rose to eighth place from 12th last year, and Boston and Los Angeles made it into the top 15.”

• Urban Mobility Readiness Index
• Mobility
• Sustainability
• Public Transit
• transit access
• Electric Vehicles
• sustainable mobility

A handlebar-mounted camera technology developed at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University could help keep cyclists safer on the road by collecting data about close-passing drivers, reports Kea Wilson for Streetsblog USA.

The camera is paired with a sensor that detects when a vehicle passes dangerously close to a cyclist and collects information that can be used for legal evidence and, collectively, inform planners and policymakers about close-passing “hot spots” and where safe bike infrastructure is lacking.

According to Wilson, “One Australian study estimates that up to 38 percent of motor vehicle drivers who hit cyclists were either overtaking or close-passing the vulnerable road user. But similar stats are hard to come by in most U.S. jurisdictions.” Now, advocates hope that technology like CycleSafe, as the sensor is dubbed, will help change that. 

Robert Heinrichs, associate professor at Arizona State's School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, says “it's not impossible that the CycleSafe software could someday be programmed to automatically notify EMS when a serious crash is detected, potentially saving lives in hit-and-runs; it could also generate video footage for educational campaigns aimed at showing drivers just how terrifying a close pass really is for a person in the saddle.”

• Bike Safety
• Bikes
• Road Safety

General Motors is ending its investment in Cruise, the company’s self-driving taxi division. 

According to a Smart Cities Dive article by Dan Zukowski, GM cited the high cost of operating the service as a major reason for shutting it down. GM CEO Mary Barra said launching and operating a robotaxi business would cost significantly more than the $10 billion the company has already invested and that “A robotaxi business is not General Motors’ core business.”

The troubled robotaxi service was under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and had its operating permit revoked in California after a vehicle struck and dragged a pedestrian, seriously injuring them. The company suspended operations shortly after the incident.

The Alphabet-owned Waymo autonomous taxi service is still operating in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, in spite of concerns from city leaders. For its part, “GM plans to leverage Cruise’s expertise in autonomous technology to further develop its driver-assistance software, called Super Cruise, available on some General Motors vehicles.”

• cruise
• Robotaxis
• Autonomous Vehicles
• autonomous taxis
• Self-Driving Cars
• Self-Driving Taxis
• Road Safety

The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency is facing a budget deficit for the second year in a row, forcing the agency to keep its waitlist, suspended since October 2023, closed to new applicants, reports Maddy Keyes in The Frontier. The number of people on the list is the highest since 2018, and 800 applicants are listed as having ‘priority’ status.

According to Keyes, “At least three other housing agencies in Oklahoma are in a budget shortfall or expect to have one by the end of the year, including Norman and Oklahoma City.” 

The problem isn’t limited to Oklahoma, Keyes notes. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that housing authorities across the country will have a budget shortfall of roughly $400 million by the end of 2024. “The Department of Housing and Urban Development is offsetting some of the budget gap by giving agencies with additional reserves less funding and using that to pay more to agencies that have a shortage of funds.”

• Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency
• Housing Assistance
• Housing Authorities
• Affordable Housing
• Housing Vouchers
• Rental Assistance

Housing policies and community infrastructure in many U.S. cities are not keeping up with demand as Americans age, according to a survey conducted by the AARP. Three-quarters of survey respondents said they wanted to remain in their current homes, explains Ysabelle Kempe in Smart Cities Dive. 

As the baby boomer generation gets older, the number of adults over 65 is higher than ever. “Meanwhile, housing and care are becoming less affordable and accessible for older adults, defined as those who are at least 65 years old, according to a 2023 report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.” Based on the AARP survey, 11.2 million Americans over 65 spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. The accessibility — or lack thereof — of homes is also an issue for many older Americans who can’t afford to retrofit their homes or who live in rental housing.

To address these needs, the AARP recommends that policymakers support and expand rental assistance programs such as the Housing Choice Voucher program, support zoning reforms that encourage missing middle housing types like accessory dwelling units, and adopt Complete Streets policies that make cities more walkable and livable at any age.

• Aging in Place
• Elderly
• Older Americans
• Age
• Baby Boomers
• Accessibility
• Senior Citizens
• housing affordability
• Affordable Housing
• Housing Assistance