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Wednesday

A 'Pandemic Of Unvaccinated People' As Delta Variant Spreads Rapidly

Masked and unmasked people make their way through Grand Central Market in Los Angeles, California on June 29, 2021 as World Health Organization (WHO) urges fully vaccinated people to continue wearing masks with the rapid spread of the Delta variant. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

A 'Pandemic Of Unvaccinated People' As Delta Variant Spreads Rapidly

Los Angeles County — America's most populous county — recently recommended mask wearing even for vaccinated people, just two weeks after the state relaxed most COVID restrictions. County officials say masks will help protect unvaccinated people from the more transmissible delta variant, which is spreading rapidly across the country.

A 'Pandemic Of Unvaccinated People' As Delta Variant Spreads Rapidly

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The Climate Crisis Is A Public Health Crisis

A paramedic with Falck Northwest ambulances treats a man experiencing heat exposure during a heat wave in Salem, Ore. Nathan Howard/AP hide caption

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Nathan Howard/AP

Short Wave

The Climate Crisis Is A Public Health Crisis

A recent study published in Nature found that 37 percent of heat-related deaths are due to climate change. Dr. Renee Salas is seeing this in the emergency room of Massachusetts General Hospital. She's treating more and more patients for heat-related illnesses like heat stroke and intensified allergies. Today, she gives us a view into her work at the intersection of human health and climate change; plus, she envisions a new health care system that takes climate change into account.

The Climate Crisis Is A Public Health Crisis

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Tuesday

When A City-Size Star Becomes A Black Hole's Lunch, The Universe Roils

An artistic image of what happens when a monstrous black hole collides with — and gulps down — a neutron star the size of a large city. Carl Knox/OzGrav/Swinburne hide caption

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Carl Knox/OzGrav/Swinburne

When A City-Size Star Becomes A Black Hole's Lunch, The Universe Roils

It's a smackdown of one space monster by another: Scientists have made unprecedented observations of two black holes gobbling two neutron stars — among the weirdest space collisions ever detected.

When A City-Size Star Becomes A Black Hole's Lunch, The Universe Roils

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A Structural Engineer Explains How The Florida Condo Collapse Will Be Investigated

The process for investigating the Champlain Towers South collapse will involve trying to reconstruct parts of the building and look for how the critical pieces failed, structural engineering consultant John Pistorino says. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Live Updates: Miami-Area Condo Collapse

A Structural Engineer Explains How The Florida Condo Collapse Will Be Investigated

John Pistorino has been hired to investigate the building collapse in Surfside, Fla. He says the process will involve trying to reconstruct parts of the building to see where critical pieces failed.

A Structural Engineer Explains How The Florida Condo Collapse Will Be Investigated

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Why FEMA Aid Is Unavailable To Many Who Need It The Most

Timothy Dominique, 62, lives in a donated RV parked next door to the family home where he was staying when Hurricane Laura hit Lake Charles last year. He says he received nothing from FEMA because he does not own the home and didn't have a formal rental agreement. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Kellman/NPR

Why FEMA Aid Is Unavailable To Many Who Need It The Most

The people who need help the most after disasters are least able to get it from the federal government. Internal records show that FEMA knows it has a problem.

Why FEMA Aid Is Unavailable To Many Who Need It The Most

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Organic Chemistry Helped Me Embrace My Identities
Frank Ramspott/Getty Images

Short Wave

Organic Chemistry Helped Me Embrace My Identities

As a kid, Ariana Remmel had a hard time figuring out where they fit in. So they found comfort in the certainty and understanding of what the world was made of: atoms and molecules and the periodic table of elements.

Organic Chemistry Helped Me Embrace My Identities

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Monday

Animals

Correlation, Not Causation: Brood X Cicadas And Regional Bird Deaths

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Brian Evans from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center on the recent deaths of regional birds who ate Brood X cicadas.

Correlation, Not Causation: Brood X Cicadas And Regional Bird Deaths

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A computer-enhanced image of the HIV virus.

A computer-enhanced image of the HIV virus. Callista Images/Getty Images/Image Source hide caption

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Callista Images/Getty Images/Image Source

Goats and Soda

Protecting The Immuno-Compromised Against COVID Could Be Key To Ending The Pandemic

Vaccines may not be as effective for those who are immuno-compromised. Protecting them needs to be made a top priority, says researchers — to keep them safe and to slow the emergence of variants.

Protecting The Immuno-Compromised Against COVID Could Be Key To Ending The Pandemic

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Friday

Sylvia Earle: My Wish? To Protect Our Oceans
Asa Mathat/TED / Asa Mathat

TED Radio Hour

Sylvia Earle: My Wish? To Protect Our Oceans

Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle has been exploring and working to protect our oceans for more than half a century. Her message has stayed the same: we're taking our oceans for granted.

Sylvia Earle: My Wish? To Protect Our Oceans

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How coastal conservation can save marine life and fishing practices
Courtesy of TED

TED Radio Hour

How coastal conservation can save marine life and fishing practices

In 1998, Alasdair Harris went to Madagascar to research coral reefs. He's worked there ever since. He explains the true meaning of conservation he learned from the island's Indigenous communities.

How coastal conservation can save marine life and fishing practices

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What should you look for when shopping for seafood?
Ryan Lash / TED

TED Radio Hour

What should you look for when shopping for seafood?

For marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, not knowing where our seafood comes from isn't just a mystery—it's a problem. She says we should reconsider what we eat and how we take it from the sea.

What should you look for when shopping for seafood?

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Why whales are essential to the health of our oceans
Ryan Lash/Ryan Lash/TED

TED Radio Hour

Why whales are essential to the health of our oceans

Whales are more than just beautiful creatures—they play a vital role in the ocean's ecosystem. Marine biologist Asha de Vos explains why protecting whales is crucial for protecting the entire sea.

Why whales are essential to the health of our oceans

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Flesh-Eating Parasites May Be Expanding Their Range As Climate Heats Up

This photomicrograph depicts Leishmania donovani parasites contained within a canine bone marrow cell. One of the more dangerous of 20 different species of Leishmania, L. donovani is endemic to parts of India, Africa, and South-West Asia. Dr. Francis W. Chandler/CDC hide caption

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Dr. Francis W. Chandler/CDC

Shots - Health News

Flesh-Eating Parasites May Be Expanding Their Range As Climate Heats Up

Undark Magazine

Scientists caution that as the planet warms, more Americans could be exposed to disfiguring varieties of the Leishmania parasite. Overtreatment can be a problem, too, experts warn.

FDA Approves Aducanumab — A Controversial Drug For Alzheimer's

A doctor reviews a PET brain scan at Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix. The drug company Biogen Inc. says it will seek federal approval for a medicine to treat early Alzheimer's disease. The announcement was a surprise because the company stopped two studies of aducanumab in 2019 after partial results suggested it was not working. Matt York/AP hide caption

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Matt York/AP

Short Wave

FDA Approves Aducanumab — A Controversial Drug For Alzheimer's

The FDA has approved a new drug for Alzheimer's. But a lot of experts are skeptical about whether the drug works. Rhitu Chatterjee talks with science correspondent Jon Hamilton about the controversial drug aducanumab and why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it.

FDA Approves Aducanumab — A Controversial Drug For Alzheimer's

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