"Oops, cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was probably a bad idea… Many scientists worry that flashy efforts to clean plastic from the ocean do more harm than good."
"The prospect of medical therapies that rewind the clock on the ageing process has edged a little closer after scientists safely rejuvenated tissues in middle-aged mice… Repeating the trick in humans is far from straightforward, but the findings will fuel interest in radical new therapies that aim to slow or reverse the ageing process as a means of tackling age-related diseases such as cancer, brittle bones and Alzheimer’s." And it tended to create cancers, so, ya know, mixed bag here.
"Exposure to leaded gasoline lowered the IQ of about half the population of the United States, a new study estimates… The peer-reviewed study, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on people born before 1996 — the year the U.S. banned gas containing lead." And the major issue is that adding lead to gas and paint wasn't actually necessary.
"During at least the first few months following a coronavirus infection, even mild cases of Covid-19 are associated with subtle tissue damage and accelerated losses in brain regions tied to the sense of smell, as well as a small loss in the brain’s overall volume, a new British study finds. Having mild Covid is also associated with a cognitive function deficit."
"Americans can order more free at-home COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government at COVIDtests.gov to be shipped to their homes, the White House said on Monday."
"The U.S. has a long way to go before the pandemic is over and life returns to semblance of normalcy as deaths from Covid-19 remain far higher than seasonal respiratory viruses such as the flu, a group of two dozen scientists, doctors and public health experts said in a 136-page report published Monday."
"'The pandemic is not over. But we're in a very different place today than we were one year ago.'"
It's all relative. Sort of like how 50° in October is, "brr, getting chilly, might need to air out the winter coat," but 50° in March is, "oh, it's so warm, I might leave the jacket home." We are still at a higher infection and death rate than in 2020 when everything shut down.
"It turns out AMC isn’t the only chain upping the stakes as the exhibition emerges from the pandemic. Cinemark Theatres and Regal Cinemas, the country’s two other largest circuits, also experimented with surge pricing for Warner Bros.’ The Batman. Not only that, Cinemark and Regal began employing the increases during the December opening weekend of Sony’s box office behemoth Spider-Man: No Way Home. The difference: They didn’t go public with their plans; Aron did." They're so happy they can hardly count.
"The London Metal Exchange on Tuesday suspended the trading of nickel after prices more than doubled to surpass $100,000 per metric ton… The LME said in a statement that trading will be suspended for at least the remainder of the day."
"Stocks sank on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling nearly 800 points after crude prices touched their highest level since 2008, raising fears about the global economy… The Dow now joins the S&P 500 in what's called correction territory, or a drop of more than 10% from recent highs. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 lost nearly 3% on Monday to post its worst daily loss since October 2020."
"Minneapolis teachers and educational support professionals will go on strike Tuesday, and all classes will be canceled… Union leaders announced the walkout Monday evening, saying they have been unable to reach an agreement with Minneapolis Public Schools. They will begin picketing outside schools Tuesday morning."
"As the war in Ukraine rages and talk of banning Russian oil gains momentum, you're going to have to dig even deeper to fill up at the gas pump… Prices, already at record-breaking numbers, shot up even higher Tuesday."
"The U.S. is expected to announce it is banning imports of Russian oil as soon as Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News… The move, which is likely to push energy prices even higher, comes as the administration increases sanctions pressure on the Russian economy over the war in Ukraine."
"Russia is finding it ever harder to sell its oil and gas… Shell (RDSA) said Tuesday it was breaking completely with Russia's giant energy industry, halting all purchases of Russian crude oil immediately and shutting its service stations in the country."
"Executives at some of the world’s biggest oil and gas producers said on Monday they are ramping up their crude production as U.S. gasoline prices surge to $4 a gallon amid expectations that President Joe Biden and Congress would ban imports of Russian petroleum — but the companies warned not to expect new supplies overnight."
"Connecticut’s attorney general announced that the current gas price market has triggered special consumer protections against price gouging… Attorney General William Tong said on Monday that 'abnormal market disruption' in gasoline prices triggered the additional protections."
"Last week, the head of the Russian central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, walked up to a microphone to the sound of cameras snapping. She had some bad news for her nation… 'The conditions for the Russian economy have altered dramatically,' Nabiullina said in Russian. 'The new sanctions imposed by foreign states have entailed a considerable increase in the ruble exchange rate and limited the opportunities for Russia to use its gold and foreign currency reserves.'"
"A Russian general has been killed in fighting around Kharkiv, Ukrainian intelligence has claimed, which would make him the second general the Russian army has lost in Ukraine in a week… The intelligence arm of the Ukrainian defence ministry said Maj Gen Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army, had been killed outside the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, along with other senior officers."
"The UK needs to speed up the processing of visas for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, the defence secretary has said… Ben Wallace told the BBC the government could and would do more to support refugees, and his department would help the Home Office accelerate the system."
"Allied efforts to help Kyiv obtain fighter jets from its Eastern European neighbors have resulted in a proposal in which Poland would send Ukraine its old Russian-made MiG fighters and the U.S. would replace them by sending F-16 jets to Warsaw… At this point, however, U.S. officials caution that such a plan is not expected to be enacted any time soon."
"Russia has announced the establishment of safe corridors to allow civilians to leave, but there appeared to be few takers. Evacuation routes led mostly to Russia and its ally Belarus, drawing withering criticism from Ukraine and others. And Russia continued to pound some cities with rockets even after the announcement of corridors… Such tactics were common during the Syria war after Moscow entered the war in 2015 to shore up President Bashar Assad's forces."
"One teenager was killed and two others were critically wounded after gunfire that appeared to come from a passing vehicle struck them outside an Iowa school, authorities said… Des Moines police said in a news release Monday that potential suspects have been detained in the shooting on the grounds of East High School, near Des Moines' downtown, about a half mile, from the Capitol. No charges were immediately filed."
"Tuesday morning, inside a sixth-floor courtroom in downtown Grand Rapids, the federal trial over one of the most shocking alleged crimes in Michigan history is set to begin… During the trial, prosecutors will try to prove that four men hatched a plan to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer from her vacation home in Elk Rapids, and take her by boat to the middle of Lake Michigan to leave her floating, alone."
"The Senate unanimously passed a bill on Monday that criminalizes lynching and make it punishable by up to 30 years in prison. It sailed through the House of Representatives last month, and President Biden is expected to sign it."
"The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Monday to intervene in redistricting disputes in North Carolina and Pennsylvania ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. In both cases, Republican state legislatures sought to block decisions issued by state supreme courts based on the states' respective constitutions."
"Voters in the town of Milton, N.H., will this week be asked to weigh in on more than 30 different local issues, things like the school budget, the next fire chief and even the type of lightbulbs used in streetlamps… But another item on Milton's town meeting ballot could reshape the town's election process itself: Residents will decide whether election officials should continue using a ballot counting machine, known as the AccuVote, or revert to a hand count."
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