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17 Jul

“This one I can feel.”

Rob Thompson, a water witch, claims that he can locate gushing streams of water beneath the earth’s bedrock. Amid California’s extreme drought, his services are in demand — but not everyone is convinced. nyti.ms/3ir4Rsu

The mystical technique of locating new groundwater sources is thought to have first come into vogue in the Middle Ages. The method is known as dowsing or divining, or even doodlebugging, and those who practice it are called water dowsers or water witches. nyti.ms/3ir4Rsu

The National Ground Water Association describes water witching as “totally without scientific merit.” Some California farmers who pay for the service, however, say it's a cheaper alternative to traditional methods. nyti.ms/3ir4Rsu

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16 Jul

Africa is in the deadliest stage of its pandemic.

The Delta variant is sweeping the continent, and only about 1% of Africans are fully vaccinated. The African Union’s goal of getting 20% of the population vaccinated by the end of 2021 seems out of reach. nyti.ms/3ihyrAp

Rich nations have bought up most doses long into the future, often far more than they could conceivably need.

Meanwhile, supplies to African countries are unlikely to increase much in the next few months. nyti.ms/3ihyrAp

Even a year from now, supplies may not be enough to meet demand from Africa’s 1.3 billion people.

At the current pace of inoculation, only eight African nations are set to meet a global target to vaccinate at least 10% of each country’s population by September, the WHO says.

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12 Jul

Throughout the pandemic, wrenching scenes have played out across the U.S. as doctors found themselves rationing a treatment in short supply — not ventilators, as initially feared, but a therapy called ECMO. nyti.ms/3hz9rpi

ECMO is an intensive treatment that is considered a last resort for those severely ill with Covid-19. Placing a high demand on both a hospital’s equipment and manpower, it at times could not be given to everyone who might benefit. nyti.ms/3xGdXrK

Health officials in the U.S. were initially concerned that ventilators would be in short supply, but concerted efforts helped avoid that. ECMO, on the other hand, is offered in less than 10% of hospitals. It’s also sometimes needed for cardiac surgery. nyti.ms/3xGdXrK

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11 Jul

It’s never too late: Vijaya Srivastava took her first swimming lesson at age 68. She’s now a daily swimmer. nyti.ms/2T1vhYS

Growing up in India, she never had access to swimming pools. She feared drowning. Then one day her physician mentioned that regular laps would improve her health. nyti.ms/2TWoekE

Srivastava hired a high school student neighbor with lifeguard training to teach her. She started her lessons in the shallow end, still petrified of drowning. nyti.ms/2TWoekE

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10 Jul

Last month was the hottest June on record in North America. 1,200 daytime records were broken in the final week.

But there was an even greater number of daily records set by a different — and maybe more dangerous — measure: overnight temperatures. nyti.ms/3yLcHDw

Here’s a look at where there were record high daytime temperatures in the last week of June across the U.S. — more than 1,200 records were broken. nyti.ms/3xxL8gW

But even more records were broken at night — 1,503 records were broken that same week. nyti.ms/3xxL8gW

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8 Jul

Chicago is a city built for a different time. The time before climate change. nyti.ms/3xqLJ3Z

The city, erected upon a swamp, is built on a shaky prospect that its Lake Michigan shoreline will remain in essentially the same place it’s been for the past 300 years.

The lake may have other plans. nyti.ms/3xqLJ3Z

Climate change has started pushing Lake Michigan’s water levels toward uncharted territory as patterns of rain, snowfall and evaporation are transformed by the warming world. The lake’s high-water cycles are threatening to get higher; the lows lower. nyti.ms/3xqLJ3Z

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