The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released its annual statistical overview of births in America. The agency reported that total U.S. births plummeted to a 32-year “record low” in 2018—particularly for teenagers and women in their twenties. But though 2018 may have set a new record, other recent years relay much the same story: total births and the general fertility rate (births per 1,000 reproductive-age women) have been falling steadily for well over a decade.
The “baby bust” trend is not unique to the United States. A Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded study published in 2018 in The Lancet reported that nearly half of countries worldwide had fertility rates below the “replacement level” of approximately 2.1 children per woman’s lifetime—a situation unheard of anywhere on the planet back in 1950. Describing this “watershed” finding, a scientist told the BBC that the revelation that half of the countries in the world are poised to experience shrinking populations “will be a huge surprise to people.” Author: Jeremy R. Hammond By telling parents not to do antibody blood tests to avoid needlessly vaccinating their child, Paul Offit unwittingly exposes scientific fraud by the FDA.
Author: Paul Vigna
Facebook's plan to release its own currency, called Libra, has sparked a range of concerns among lawmakers.
WSJ’s Paul Vigna explains. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News
Lawmakers were up in arms this month about whether Libra, Facebook Inc.’s proposed new cryptocurrency, would be a haven for money launderers and other criminal activities.
Facebook, though, says Libra could be a valuable tool for law enforcement, partly because of the vast amounts of information that will be generated about its users. That was the message Facebook executive David Marcus took to Congress during hearings this month. The conversation represents how some portions of the crypto world are trying to move beyond the industry’s Wild West heyday and become a viable payments option. Author: Courtney Connley Today, 80% of U.S. workers say they would turn down a job offer that doesn’t provide flexible work options. Additionally, more than a third say they would prioritize flexible work arrangements over having a more prestigious role.
Author: Peter Loftus Wearable blood-sugar monitors deliver round-the-clock glucose readings—and relief from the daily grind of finger-stick blood tests.
Diabetes patients are increasingly using electronic skin patches and their phones, instead of pricking their fingers, to do the complex job of managing a disease that affects more than 30 million Americans. Author: CBS NEWS A strain of Candida auris cultured in a petri dish at a CDC laboratory. Less than a year ago, Stephanie Spoor was celebrating the engagement of her son Zachary. "It was unfathomable she wouldn't make it to the wedding in June," said Zachary's brother Nicholas.
Stephanie suffered from lupus but according to her son, the autoimmune disease was under control. When she started having breathing problems, she was admitted to a Chicago-area hospital. Within weeks, she contracted candida auris.
Author: Thomas Franck
KEY POINTS
Author: Greg Otto Financial giant Capital One announced a large data breach Monday, with the company saying that one person accessed personal information on up to 100 million people in the United States and 6 million in Canada who had applied for or are currently considered users of the company’s credit cards.
Author: Simon Green A NASA aircraft that was spotted over California could have been scanning the notorious San Andreas Fault, a conspiracy theorist has claimed.
The plane – NASA817 – baffled Californians last Monday when it was seen travelling from Palmdale to Boise in Idaho. CBS2 anchorwoman Jasmine Viel said the low-flying plane was “scary” and “big and loud”. NASA has not confirmed why one of their craft was in the area, but online viewers have now spotted that its flight path appeared to show it zig-zagging over the infamous San Andreas Fault. Author: Amy Fleming Neuroscientist Shane O’Mara believes that plenty of regular walking unlocks the cognitive powers of the brain like nothing else. He explains why you should exchange your gym kit for a pair of comfy shoes and get strolling.
Taking a stroll with Shane O’Mara is a risky endeavour. The neuroscientist is so passionate about walking, and our collective right to go for walks, that he is determined not to let the slightest unfortunate aspect of urban design break his stride. So much so, that he has a habit of darting across busy roads as the lights change. “One of life’s great horrors as you’re walking is waiting for permission to cross the street,” he tells me, when we are forced to stop for traffic – a rude interruption when, as he says, “the experience of synchrony when walking together is one of life’s great pleasures”. He knows this not only through personal experience, but from cold, hard data – walking makes us healthier, happier and brainier. |
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