¶Dr. Amoruso said: “In simple terms, people who spoke more languages tended to have brains that looked younger than expected for their chronological age. The effect was not only related to the number of languages spoken. Higher language proficiency and earlier acquisition of a second language were also associated with more delayed brain aging. This suggests that multilingual experience matters as a gradient: it is not simply about being bilingual or not, but about the depth and duration of language experience.”

¶The headline number of 13 years is associated with people who speak four languages, who surely are outliers on the language skill spectrum. But, even speaking just two languages or having a deeper understanding of a single language seems to be associated with a “younger brain”.

¶Educators need to find a way to increase the study of and passion for language. Beyond simply boosting kids’ communication skills, there might be a real health advantage for getting hooked on language(s) early in life. It feels like the general interest in language-based skills is decreasing, though, in this age of AI. Maybe some creative teachers can find a way to use AI to revert that trend.

¶The first 60 liters costs 15,000 rials ($0.008) per liter, followed by 30,000 rials each for the next 50 liters and 50,000 rials for sales beyond that.

¶Last week the government abruptly abandoned a pilot program in the southern city of Kerman that would have increased the overall quota but applied a much higher price of 872,000 rials per liter ($0.46) for purchases above it.

¶I never realized how heavily Iran subsidizes gas for its citizens. The now-scrapped higher subsidized price amounts to $1.74 per gallon. According to this article, the current lowest subsidized cost is about 3 cents per gallon. Wow. No wonder the “higher rate…triggered widespread alarm....”