In this issue of

NewTampa | WesleyChapel Local Pulse

This Week’s Events

WEATHER

Local News

🎹Tampa's Melodic Makeover: 12 Public Pianos Set to Tune Up the City in 2024

🌲 Olive Your Bonsai Dreams Come True in Brooksville

SPORTS

🏈Bucs' Remarkable Journey: From Cap Crisis to Playoff Contenders

Medical News

🦴 Adolescent Athletics: A Key to Preventing Osteoporosis

👀 Vision Restored in Mice: Breakthrough Gene Editing Using Engineered Particles

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This Week’s Events in the NewTampa | Wesley Chapel FL Local Area

January 9

January 10

January 11

January 12

January 13 — Kids Film Series: Frozen, NTPAC,10am-1230pm

January 13 — Raising Cane & Moonshine Festival, 15602 Pioneer Museum Rd, Dade City, 10am-4pm,

January 13 — Charity Golf Tourn for former Buc Vincent Jackson, 1100 Tarpon Woods Blvd, Palm Harbor 34685, 7am regis/8am start

Tampa's Melodic Makeover: 12 Public Pianos Set to Tune Up the City in 2024

In a bid to harmonize the city with music, Tampa Tunes, a nonprofit, is launching a unique initiative to install 12 public pianos across Tampa in 2024, placing one each month.

Inspired by Joshua Holton, a news reporter and musician, this project aims to turn the city into a symphony of public engagement. Holton's own transformative experience with a public piano sparked this venture. Potential locations for the pianos include prominent spots like Stone Soup Company, Hotel Haya, and the Straz Center, with hopes to extend to Riverwalk, Tampa International Airport, and other key sites.

Drawing inspiration from similar projects in Atlanta, New York, and St. Petersburg, Tampa Tunes aims to create a positive and creative outlet for the community. The first piano is already available at 1920 Ybor, inviting locals and visitors alike to engage in the shared joy of music.

Olive Your Bonsai Dreams Come True

in Brooksville

At The Olive Grove in Brooksville, Florida, enthusiasts can now learn the ancient Japanese art of bonsai. This unique class, led by olive tree expert Deirdre Davis, guides students in transforming olive tree saplings into miniature bonsai masterpieces. The process begins with selecting a sapling, ideally one with natural bends, and proceeds to the careful removal of excess soil and pruning of roots.

Davis emphasizes the importance of eliminating air pockets from the rootball to ensure the tree's health.

Participants in the class receive hands-on instruction, ensuring they leave with a bonsai tree primed for years of growth and shaping.

Located at 15016 Rester Drive, The Olive Grove offers a serene setting for this creative journey into bonsai art.

For more information, click HERE

Bucs' Remarkable Journey: From Cap Crisis to Playoff Contenders

In a stunning reversal of expectations, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, grappling with over $81 million in dead cap space, have secured another playoff berth. Initially predicted to be in a rebuilding phase, the Bucs turned their fortunes around, largely thanks to the strategic signing of quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield, a former number-one overall pick, delivered an impressive performance, posting career-highs in passing yards, touchdowns, and completion rate, all while costing the Bucs a mere $1.7 million against the salary cap.

Key draft picks Calijah Kancey and YaYa Diaby also proved crucial, bolstering the team's defense. Alongside stalwarts like Mike Evans and Devin White, the Bucs clinched the NFC South division title, marking their fourth consecutive playoff appearance.

Despite looming financial challenges and critical upcoming decisions on several star players, the Buccaneers remain focused on their immediate goal: the Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Eagles, continuing their unexpected and remarkable journey.

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Adolescent Athletics: A Key to Preventing Osteoporosis

A groundbreaking study by Juntendo University in Japan has revealed a significant connection between sports activities during adolescence and higher bone mineral density (BMD) in old age. Published in Frontiers in Physiology, the research led by Professor Yoshifumi Tamura focuses on how early physical activities can combat osteoporosis, a major cause of fractures in the elderly. The study evaluated 1,596 seniors, aged 65 to 84, assessing their BMD, physical fitness, and adolescent sports participation.

Findings indicate basketball significantly boosts femoral BMD in both genders, while volleyball and swimming enhance lumbar spine BMD in women. Factors like body weight and vitamin D levels also influence BMD. Notably, these benefits extend beyond athletes to anyone active in high-impact sports during their school years.

This research underscores the lasting impact of adolescent sports on bone health. Encouraging high-impact activities in schools could be a key strategy for osteoporosis prevention, offering a simple yet effective approach to ensuring healthier bones in the aging population. Prof. Tamura’s team emphasizes the importance of selecting sports with long-term health benefits, highlighting a simple truth: an active youth leads to a stronger, healthier old age.

Vision Restored in Mice: Breakthrough Gene Editing Using Engineered Particles

A groundbreaking study by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has led to a significant advancement in gene editing. The researchers have successfully used engineered virus-like particles (eVLPs) to deliver prime editing tools into living mice. Prime editing, a sophisticated form of gene editing, can repair various genetic mutations responsible for diseases.

The new eVLPs have shown up to 170 times more efficiency in editing human cells compared to previous versions. Remarkably, this method partially restored vision in mice with genetic blindness.

The prime editor system, which includes a DNA-nicking Cas9 protein, a guide RNA, and a reverse transcriptase, has been a challenge to deliver effectively until now. This innovative approach offers a promising pathway for treating a variety of genetic diseases.

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