Controlled Burns, Baby Microbiomes, and Goose Bumps: NOVA Next Week in Review

This Week’s NOVA Next Feature

A team of doctors are trying to revolutionize India’s health system during one of the largest gatherings on Earth.

Ankur Paliwal reports the story as part of our ongoing collaboration with The GroundTruth Project on a multi-part investigation called Next Outbreak .

In other news:

• Controlled fires could actually save forests and fight climate change.
• Your microbiome as a baby may influence your intestinal health today .
• This is the B-mode story you haven’t heard .
• Meet the necrobiome —the microbes that thrive after someone dies.
• 3D woven synthetic cartilage could help your knees replace themselves.

What We’re Reading

• Charles Darwin once investigated goose bumps by scaring zoo animals with a stuffed snake. Here’s what we know about goose bumps now . [NPR]
• This week, scientists advocated for a major governmental initiative to study the microbiome. [The New York Times]
• El Niño has led to the most spectacular blossoming of flowers in the Atacama desert of the past 18 years. [Washington Post]
• Some population centers in the Middle East “are likely to experience temperature levels that are intolerable to humans.” [The New York Times]
• Mount Everest is home to more than 200 bodies. Meet its most well-known resident . [BBC Future]