Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The Washington Post: How 10,000 Years Of Plagues Left Their Mark On Our DNA
Many deadly diseases have swept through the human population over the past 10,000 years, claiming some, leaving others behind. These tragic events left their mark on our DNA. When biologists compare modern genomes to DNA extracted from ancient bones, they can see how genetic variants that enabled people to fight off pathogens have increased in frequency over millennia. (Greenwood, 8/16)
Modern Healthcare: How AI, Tech Is Treating Dementia, Neurological Disorders
Treating the human brain has historically presented a challenge for researchers and clinicians. But digital health companies are increasingly using artificial intelligence, connected sensors and non-invasive devices to capture data on the brain and offer patient-specific treatments. “This is a very critical time, because we've seen enormous advancements and are starting to see the benefit that technology can have in reading brain activity,” said Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. (Perna, 8/8)
The New York Times: Scientists Recreate Pink Floyd Song By Reading Brain Signals Of Listeners
The audio sounds like it’s being played underwater. Still, it’s a first step toward creating more expressive devices to assist people who can’t speak. (Kiros, 8/15)
The New York Times: 6 Months After The Ohio Train Derailment, Residents Are Still In Crisis
National attention has long since shifted away from East Palestine, where the Ohio governor has declared the air and water safe, and the Environmental Protection Agency has cited “no evidence to suggest there is contamination of concern.” ... But 200 cleanup workers still arrive each day, working on the 1.4 million gallons of liquid wastewater and 3,293 tons of excavated soil that, according to the Ohio E.P.A., must still be removed. Earlier this summer, independent researchers warned of chemical contamination in buildings near the derailment site. Hundreds of people have reported symptoms associated with the derailment in recent months. And lawmakers have been flooded with calls and emails from residents and business owners who say they cannot enter their buildings for more than a few minutes without getting headaches. (Baumgaertner, 8/16)
The New York Times: U.S. Sunscreen Is Stuck in the ’90s. Is This a Job for Congress?
The last time the Food and Drug Administration approved new active ingredients for use in sunscreens was more than two decades ago, and at times it can feel as if the rest of the world has surpassed the United States in the development of new sunscreen formulations and protocols. Skin-care influencers on TikTok and Instagram are in a near-constant state of frenzy over exciting new products and innovations that are nowhere to be found on American shelves. Currently there are 14 sunscreen filters approved for use by the F.D.A. The European Union employs more than 30. (Garcia, 8/12)
The Washington Post takes a deep dive into the Smithsonian's 'brain collection' —
The Washington Post: Revealing The Smithsonian’s ‘Racial Brain Collection’
Most of the brains were removed upon death from Black and Indigenous people and other people of color. They are part of a collection of at least 30,700 human bones and other body parts still held by the Natural History Museum, the most-visited museum within the Smithsonian. The collection, one of the largest in the world, includes mummies, skulls, teeth and other body parts, representing an unknown number of people. The remains are the unreconciled legacy of a grisly practice in which bodies and organs were taken from graveyards, battlefields, morgues and hospitals in more than 80 countries. The decades-long effort was financed and encouraged by the taxpayer-subsidized institution. The collection, which was mostly amassed by the early 1940s, has long been hidden from view. The Washington Post has assembled the most extensive analysis and accounting of the holdings to date. (Dungca and Healy, 8/14)
The Washington Post: Smithsonian’s ‘Bone Doctor’ Scavenged Brains, Thousands Of Body Parts
Ales Hrdlicka, a Smithsonian anthropologist, repeatedly traveled to this small community on Kodiak Island in the 1930s to exhume Indigenous graves. In what amounted to industrial-scale pillaging, he and a small team disinterred the remains of about 1,000 people and shipped them back to the Smithsonian’s U.S. National Museum, the precursor to the National Museum of Natural History. (Dungca, Healy and Tran, 8/15)
The Washington Post: When Maura Died, A Smithsonian Curator Likely Took Part Of Her Brain
Maura, a Filipino woman, died after coming to the U.S. to be put on display at the 1904 World's Fair. A Smithsonian anthropologist likely took part of her brain. (Healy, Dungca and Galeno, 8/16)
The Washington Post: Key Findings From The Post's Smithsonian Brain Collection Investigation
The Washington Post spent a year examining the Smithsonian’s collection of human remains, including 255 brains. Reporters reviewed thousands of documents, including studies, field notes and personal correspondence, and interviewed experts, Smithsonian officials, and descendants and members of communities whose remains were targeted for collection. The Post also obtained from the National Museum of Natural History an inventory of all human remains in its possession, which allowed reporters to publish the most extensive analysis of the collection to date. (Dungca, Healy and Tran, 8/14)
