Aug 03 Watch 6:01 Rising COVID hospitalizations point to another summer surge in infections By John Yang, Dorothy Hastings Signs point to a COVID-19 summer surge for the fourth consecutive year. Overall, infections remain much lower compared to the past, but cases began increasing last month and between 300 and 400 Americans are dying each week. John Yang discussed… Continue watching
Aug 01 Who was Henrietta Lacks? Here's how HeLa cells became essential to medical research By Ivan Martinez, The Conversation On Aug. 1, 2023, over 70 years after doctors took Lacks’ cells without her consent or knowledge, her family reached a settlement with biotech company Thermo Fisher. Continue reading
Aug 01 Blue blood from horseshoe crabs is needed for medicine, but a declining bird species relies on the crabs to eat By Patrick Whittle, Associated Press The animals are drained of some of their blood and returned to the environment, yet some inevitably die. Regulators say recent revisions to the guidelines for handling the animals should keep more alive through the process. Continue reading
Aug 01 As climate change leads to more and wetter storms, cholera cases are on the rise By Blanca Begert, Grist Flash floods spread sewage into lakes and boreholes, washed away pipelines and sanitation infrastructure, and ruined roads integral to the delivery of supplies. Continue reading
Aug 01 Family of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were taken for research, settles with company that profited By Lea Skene, Sarah Brumfield, Associated Press The family of Henrietta Lacks is settling a lawsuit against a biotechnology company it accuses of improperly profiting from her cells. Continue reading
Jul 31 Michigan court affirms critical benefits for thousands badly injured in car wrecks By Ed White, Associated Press For decades, people injured in crashes were entitled to lifetime payment for "all reasonable charges" related to care and rehabilitation. But a new state law that kicked in in 2019 set a fee schedule and a cap on reimbursements. Continue reading
Jul 30 Watch 8:42 Climate change causing a sense of despair? Here are some ways to combat it By John Yang, Andrew Corkery This summer, millions of Americans are experiencing firsthand the effects of climate change, from triple-digit temperatures to wildfire smoke to bleached coral reefs in warming oceans. For some, growing concern about climate change can become an overwhelming sense of despair… Continue watching
Jul 29 Watch 6:03 The potential benefits and risks of fighting STIs with doxycycline By Laura Barrón-López, Claire Mufson Doxycycline, a cheap and widely available antibiotic, is gaining attention as a promising new way to prevent the spread of some sexually transmitted infections. But some health officials are raising concerns that wider use of the preventative antibiotic could breed… Continue watching
Jul 27 July is globe's hottest month in recorded history By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press The World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said the Earth’s temperature has been temporarily passing over a key warming threshold: the internationally accepted goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius, or 2.7 degrees… Continue reading
Jul 27 WATCH: Biden addresses extreme heat as Phoenix hits record number of days over 110 degrees By Chris Megerian, Drew Costley, Matthew Daly, Associated Press High temperatures have already scorched the Southwest this month, and more heat is expected in the Midwest and the Northeast in the coming days. Continue reading