Roaring, fast-moving blazes. Choking smoke. Fiery tornados. Thunderstorms and lightning. The Dixie Fire — now the single largest wildfire in California history — continues to spread, having burned through more than 750 square miles of forest land north of Sacramento. The astonishing spread of smoke from the fire, causing discomfort and illness to people hundreds… read on > read on >
A statewide indoor mask mandate and a vaccination requirement for state employees are expected to be announced Wednesday by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown as coronavirus case numbers grow due to the highly transmissible Delta variant. That would make Oregon the third state after Louisiana and Hawaii to implement a mask mandate for both vaccinated and… read on > read on >
More than 175 public health experts, scientists and activists on Tuesday called for President Joe Biden to do more to help fight the global spread of the coronavirus, warning that newer, more dangerous variants are likely to emerge if nothing is done. “We urge you to act now,” the experts wrote in a joint letter… read on > read on >
The average number of first COVID-19 vaccine doses a day in the United States jumped 95% in the past month, new federal government data shows. The daily number rose from 226,209 on July 5 to about 441,198 on Aug. 5. It bottomed out at around 218,696 on July 7, but has steadily climbed in every… read on > read on >
Young, healthy adults who try vaping for the first time may experience an immediate reaction that can harm cells and lay the groundwork for disease, according to a new study. Just 30 minutes of vaping can increase oxidative stress, which occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals (molecules that damage cells) and antioxidants… read on > read on >
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) reduced the ranks of uninsured Americans, but a recent study shows that many U.S. states did little to close racial gaps in health coverage. Researchers found that in the two years after the ACA came into force, some U.S. states showed large reductions in the number of Black, Hispanic and… read on > read on >
The psychological strains of the pandemic can be powerful tinder for political unrest and violence, researchers warn. “The pandemic has disrupted our normal way of living, generating frustrations, unprecedented social exclusion, and a range of other concerns,” said study author Henrikas Bartusevičius, a researcher with the Peace Research Institute Oslo in Norway. “Our investigations show… read on > read on >
In a study conducted in Scandinavia, loss of height among middle-aged women was linked to an increased risk of early death from heart attack and stroke, researchers report. Some loss of height goes along with aging, and previous studies have suggested it may boost the odds of death from heart disease. While women tend to… read on > read on >
Barnacles may be the bane of ships, but they could point to new ways to quickly halt severe bleeding, researchers report. Barnacles are small crustaceans that attach to rocks, ship hulls and even other animals, such as whales. Their ability to cling to surfaces that are often wet and dirty caught the attention of researchers… read on > read on >
When a suspicious skin lesion sends you scurrying to a dermatologist, asking for a full-body skin check could save your life. Dermatologists are twice as likely to find skin cancer with a full-body check, a new study reveals. More than half of the skin cancers discovered were not in the location the patient was concerned… read on > read on >
