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@NPR

Apr 12, 2023

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@NPR

Nov 2, 2022

For decades, scientists believed Alzheimer's is caused by a substance called beta-amyloid. But that hypothesis has become clouded by doubt after several experimental drugs failed.

Now, a make-or-break study will put the theory to the “ultimate test.”🧵n.pr/3zAMCKq

Past experimental drugs have removed amyloid from the brain, but they failed at preventing declines in memory and thinking for early-stage Alzheimer’s patients.

This new study will test an anti-amyloid drug on people as young as 18.

The hypothesis that amyloid causes Alzheimer’s can be traced to Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906. He observed a “senile plaque” usually seen in much older people while conducting an autopsy on a 50-year-old woman.

Scientists in the 1980s proved that plaque is made of beta-amyloid.

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@NPR

Oct 31, 2022

A crowd surge in Seoul killed more than 150 people and injured more than 140 more on Saturday night.

Just over 48 hours after the deadly Halloween stampede, here’s a comprehensive look at what we know so far🧵

Police had estimated that over 100,000 people would visit the neighborhood of Itaewon this year.

On Saturday alone, over 130,000 passengers used the Itaewon subway station, according to Seoul Metro Corporation. Many eyewitnesses lamented lack of crowd control measures.

Social media posts from earlier that evening show a 10-foot-wide alley packed with people trying to move in both directions. (This photo was before the stampede)

137 police officers were dispatched to the area — but most were tasked with curbing crimes, not crowd control.

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@NPR

Oct 27, 2022

The Mississippi River’s water levels are nearing record lows. Saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is creeping upstream as a result, threatening drinking water supplies in the New Orleans metro area.

Here’s what engineers are doing to counteract that🧵n.pr/3SG1i1w

More than a third of rain in the U.S. ends up in the Mississippi River. But with minimal rainfall in the Midwest, drought is causing problems.

Ships and barges are running aground — one river gauge registers just 3 feet above sea level.

In south Louisiana, the point where fresh water from the Mississippi River usually meets salt water from the Gulf of Mexico is shifting.

Now, a saltwater wedge has crept nearly 64 miles upstream.

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@NPR

Oct 26, 2022

The federal government made lunch free to all 50.6 million U.S. public students during the pandemic, but that program expired last month.

Now, families, school districts and legislators are scrambling to deal with the new financial burden🧵 n.pr/3TC4dJH

Pre-pandemic, about 25% of students attended a school with free meals, one expert said. Now, the most vulnerable are families with incomes just above the cutoff for free or reduced-price school meals.

"A lot of times, it's a financial burden for the parents,” one mother said.

California and Maine passed bills in 2021 ensuring all students would permanently receive free lunches. Colorado has a measure on the ballot, and eight other states have introduced bills that have yet to go up for a vote.

But most states don’t have any legislation on the matter.

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@NPR

Oct 26, 2022

In April, a Louisiana sheriff’s office got a call about a bomb in a classroom. Students evacuated and campus was searched.

Only no bomb was found.

We obtained reports about that false threat, and why it may relate to a plethora of more recent incidents🧵 n.pr/3DdTrm0

That same caller systematically made calls to 162 different places this spring.

Their rapid-fire dialing of numbers indicates that the user had a list of schools at the ready, and a specific focus on surrounding law enforcement agencies and emergency dispatchers.

The caller used TextNow, one of many free or low-cost Internet based calling platforms that are also prone to fraud and abuse. One expert in telephony fraud said that while TextNow is a favored carrier for these scammers, it's an industry-wide problem.

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