Graph of the day: Humid Heat Stroke Index in U.S. Midwest, projected to the year 2099

January 2015 (Risky Business Project) – This graph shows the mean number of days in a typical Midwest summer when the temperature and humidity could reach Humid Heat Stroke Index (HHSI) category II, III, or even greater. These are days when the heat and humidity could be so high that it will be dangerous for […]

More U.S. measles cases in January 2015 than in 9 of the last 14 years

2 February 2015 (CDC) – From January 1 to January 30, 2015, 102 people from 14 states were reported to have measles*. Most of these cases are part of a large, ongoing multi-state outbreak linked to an amusement park [Disneyland] in California. On January 23, 2015, CDC issued a Health Advisory to notify public health […]

Ebola has now killed a third of the world’s gorilla and chimpanzee populations – ‘This epidemic has reduced the population to a point where it can no longer sustain itself in the face of poaching and other pressures’

By Allison Jackson22 January 2015 (Global Post) – The human tragedy caused by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has been well documented. […] But humans are not the only victims of this horrible disease, which is spread through contact with the blood, sweat and other bodily fluids of an infected person. Since the 1990s, […]

Inside Beijing’s airpocalypse, a city made almost uninhabitable by pollution – ‘Now we have the dome, it’s perfect weather all year round’

By Oliver Wainwright16 December 2014 BEIJING (The Guardian) – The scene could be straight from a science-fiction film: a vision of everyday life, but with one jarring difference that makes you realise you’re on another planet, or in a distant future era. A sports class is in full swing on the outskirts of Beijing. Herds […]

How girls are developing earlier in an age of ‘New Puberty’ – ‘This is kind of a canary in a coal mine, a barometer for other things that we’re all being exposed to in our environments’

[Greenspan and Deardorff also research how obesity affects the onset of puberty, e.g., “Onset of Breast Development in a Longitudinal Cohort”, 2013. –Des] 2 December 2014 (NPR) – Many girls are beginning puberty at an early age, developing breasts sooner than girls of previous generations. But the physical changes don’t mean the modern girls’ emotional […]

‘Superbugs’ kill India’s babies and pose an overseas threat – ‘Close to 100 percent of the babies referred to us have multidrug resistant infections. It’s scary.’

By GARDINER HARRIS3 December 2014 AMRAVATI, India (The New York Times) – A deadly epidemic that could have global implications is quietly sweeping India, and among its many victims are tens of thousands of newborns dying because once-miraculous cures no longer work. These infants are born with bacterial infections that are resistant to most known […]

As climate warms, more outbreaks of disease for sea life – ‘A warmer world is a sicker world’

By Craig Welch, Seattle Times environment reporter29 November 2014 (Seattle Times) – The shellfish pathogen that hit California’s Channel Islands in the 1980s began to quickly kill one of the tideland’s most important animals — black abalone. But what unnerved scientists was what they learned next: Whenever ocean waters grew warmer, the deadly infection known […]

Scientists solve mystery of West Coast starfish die-off

By Katie Campbell17 November 2014 SEATTLE (KCTS9) – After months of research, scientists have identified the pathogen at the heart of the starfish wasting disease that’s been killing starfish by the millions along the Pacific shores of North America, according to research published Monday. They said it’s a virus that’s different from all other known […]

Can’t afford to wait: Why disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation plans in Asia are still failing millions of people

By Steph Cousins6 November 2014 (Oxfam) – Climate-related disasters and food crises are devastating thousands of lives and holding back development across Asia. A year after the devastating super-typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Oxfam is calling for governments across Asia to increase efforts to address these challenges – and for them to be backed by […]

Ebola takes toll on Africa wildife – ‘Without visitor income, there are simply insufficient funds to support conservation projects’

By Pat Dickens 5 November 2014 (Wild News) – Since 1976, the Ebola virus has caused some lethal human epidemics in Central Africa. Unfounded fears that the pandemic is spread across the entire continent of Africa is having a disastrous effect on its wildlife. Safari tourism has all but crashed. Camps are standing empty and […]

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