Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The Washington Post: This Scientist Learned He Has A Devastating Brain Disease. He Set Out To Cure It.
Jeff and Megan Carroll were sitting in a doctor’s office in Vancouver, Canada, more than two decades ago when they were asked one final time: did they really want to open the envelope? Inside was a count of how many times three fateful letters, “CAG,” repeated in one of Jeff’s genes — too many would be a sign of Huntington’s disease. (Johnson, 6/2)
The Washington Post: These Autistic Influencers Won Online Followings. Then Came The Haters.
Young, media-savvy autistic creators are sharing snippets of their daily lives and explanations of the challenges they navigate. The creators who have broken through online quickly learn that attention doesn’t just bring fans — it also brings haters. (Cha, 6/4)
AP: AI And Data Centers Leave Goliath-Sized Environmental Footprints Globally
The environmental footprint of data centers already rivals some of the world’s largest countries, according to a United Nations University report, which also predicts their water and energy use and pollution will double in just four years as use of artificial intelligence grows. Last year, global data centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity, more than all but 10 countries of the world, said the report issued Wednesday. That electricity use produced about 208 million tons (189 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide, about the same amount as Argentina, and producing that much energy consumed about 1.2 trillion gallons (4.5 trillion liters) of water, according to the report on the environmental consequences of AI’s energy use. (Borenstein, 6/3)
Reuters: Scientists Reveal Ötzi The Iceman's Dynamic Microbial World
Ötzi the Iceman died violently roughly 5,300 years ago in the Alpine region of the modern border between Italy and Austria. But, in some sense, Ötzi still lives, as new research shows. Researchers have identified three distinct microbial worlds inside and on Ötzi's body. They encompass ancient gut bacteria that were part of his microbiome during his lifetime, cold-adapted microorganisms derived from the glacier environment where his body lay, and modern microbes introduced during three decades of museum conservation. (Dunham, 6/3)
