Abstracts: Flooding in Louisiana, Patient H.M., and More
• President Obama declared Louisiana a federal disaster zone after flooding killed six and required tens of thousands to be rescued. (The Guardian)
• Journalist Luke Dittrich responded to criticisms about his portrayal of MIT scientist Suzanne Corkin in his new book about “Patient H.M.” (The Atlantic)
• High blood pressure and obesity are on the rise in China, bringing with them an increase in cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke. The introduction of Western foods, decreased physical activity, and smoking all play a part. (New York Times)
• A decision from the UK’s First-tier Tribunal denied an appeal by Queen Mary University of London to withhold the release of anonymized patient data from the controversial PACE trial, which looked at the effectiveness of different treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome. (Information Tribunal)
• An ambitious initiative is aiming to find the next Einstein in Africa. (Undark)
• By placing restrictions on the injection of wastewater left over from oil and natural gas drilling, policymakers in Oklahoma and Kansas have seen a decrease fracking-related earthquakes. (Washington Post)
• The Navajo Nation is suing the EPA for their handling of a cleanup of a mine waste spill that contaminated rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. (Associated Press)
• China launched the world’s first quantum-enabled satellite, which could lead the way for “hack proof” communication in the future. (BBC News)
• The largest cruise ship ever to attempt travel through the Northwest Passage is set to depart today. According to NOAA, as of August 11, the southern route of the passage was mostly clear of sea ice. (Discover)
• And finally, a video from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia reveals how coral expel symbiotic algae when ocean temperatures increase, in the biological reaction known was bleaching. (National Geographic)