Science

Ars Technica reports: On Tuesday evening during a measurement flight, the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center dropped the ashes of Peter Dodge, a longtime radar scientist and hurricane hunter, in the eye of Hurricane Milton. The drop honored Dodge’s 44-year career and his contributions to radar meteorology and tropical cyclone research. As the powerful and dangerous storm bears down on Florida, …

The World Health Organization writes: The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of mpox through coordinated global, regional, and national efforts. This follows the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO Director-General on 14 August. The plan covers the six-month period of …

ABC News reports: The threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus has prompted several Massachusetts towns to implement targeted mosquito spraying to protect residents. According to the CDC, this virus, often called Triple E, is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito and can cause a “rare but severe illness.” Although the number of annual cases is low, the virus …

The Washington Post reports: NASA announced Saturday that it will use SpaceX’s Dragon capsule to bring home two astronauts stuck in space for months, because the agency does not have confidence in Boeing’s troubled Starliner capsule. The highly anticipated decision, one of the most consequential by the space agency in years, is a devastating blow to Boeing, which had argued …

NBC News reports: The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted marketing authorization to the first at-home, over-the-counter test to detect syphilis antibodies in human blood in a move that could help boost screening rates for the sexually transmitted disease. Developed by privately held NOWDiagnostics, the antibody test helps identify current or past infection and provides a result in about …

The New York Times reports: The rapid spread of mpox, formerly called monkeypox, in African countries constitutes a global health emergency, the World Health Organization declared on Wednesday. This is the second time in three years that the W.H.O. has designated an mpox epidemic as a global emergency. It previously did so in July 2022. That outbreak went on to …

Axios reports: The Centers for Disease Control on Wednesday alerted doctors to be on the lookout for a deadly new strain of mpox spreading through parts of Africa while U.S. officials committed $424 million to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is the epicenter of the outbreak. The so-called clade I virus is more virulent and deadly than the …

The New York Times reports: Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire and former New York City mayor, is giving $600 million to the country’s four historically Black medical schools, which account for a significant percentage of all medical degrees awarded to Black doctors. Through his charitable organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Mr. Bloomberg is giving $175 million each to Meharry Medical College in …

NBC News reports: The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Guardant Health’s blood test, called Shield, to screen for colon cancer. The test isn’t meant to replace colonoscopies, but is generating enthusiasm among doctors who say it has the potential to boost the dismal rate of screenings for the second-highest cause of cancer death in the United States. Shield …

CNN reports: Two shots a year of a drug currently used to treat HIV infections were dramatically effective at preventing infections in a study among young women and adolescent girls in Africa. The twice-yearly injection of the drug lenacapavir can provide total protection against HIV infections, demonstrating 100% efficacy in Phase 3 trial data released by drugmaker Gilead and published …

CNBC reports: The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug donanemab, expanding the limited treatment options for the mind-wasting disease in the U.S. The agency approved the treatment, which will be sold under the brand name Kisunla. Eli Lilly’s drug slowed Alzheimer’s progression by 35% over 18 months compared with a placebo, according to a late-stage …

Ars Technica reports: The US government will pay Moderna $176 million to develop an mRNA vaccine against a pandemic influenza—an award given as the highly pathogenic bird flu virus H5N1 continues to spread widely among US dairy cattle. The funding flows through BARDA, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, as part of a new Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) …

ABC News reports: A study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published Wednesday found that multivitamins won’t help extend your life, with researchers reporting, “multivitamin use to improve longevity is not supported.” The study analyzed data from nearly 400,000 adults over 20 years. Participants had a median age of 61.5 years old and were generally healthy, with no history …

Today in extremely creepy robotics: A group of Japanese researchers say they have figured out a way to bind “engineered skin tissue,” grown in a lab, to moveable solid objects, including the bodies and even faces of humanoid robots. The team was led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, a pioneer in a field that sounds like …

USA Today reports: Boeing and NASA are once again “adjusting” the return home of two astronauts from the International Space Station on the Starliner spacecraft. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were scheduled to stay at the ISS for just a week after docking there June 6. Now they aren’t expected to make the trip back to Earth until at least …

Via press release from NASA: Although there are no known significant asteroid impact threats for the foreseeable future, hypothetical exercises provide valuable insights by exploring the risks, response options, and opportunities for collaboration posed by varying scenarios, from minor regional damage with little warning to potential global catastrophes predicted years or even decades in the future. During the exercise, participants …

The Guardian reports: A blood test that draws on artificial intelligence can predict who will develop Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before symptoms arise, researchers say. The test is designed to work on equipment already found in many NHS laboratories and, if validated in a broad population of people, could be made available to the health service within two …

Axios reports: The plan from the House Energy and Commerce Committee would establish a new oversight process for certain risky pathogen research proposals and transfer power from NIH to a “public, independent oversight entity” to review, approve or reject and oversee the experiments. It also would incorporate national security or intelligence reviews into the NIH’s existing grant approval process, add …

The New York Times reports: A committee of independent advisers to the FDA voted unanimously on Monday that the benefits outweigh the risks of the newest experimental drug for Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s afflicts more than six million Americans. It has no cure, and there is no treatment or lifestyle modification that can restore memory loss or reverse cognitive decline. The …

ABC News reports: Moderna’s combo flu and COVID vaccine provided a strong immune response in older adults, with levels comparable to getting the flu and COVID shots separately, according to the company’s results from a late-stage clinical trial. There are still multiple steps required before the shot would become available. Moderna would need to apply to the FDA for approval, …