Science
The Biden Administration Just Announced A New Push To Get Rid Of Punitive State Drug Laws
“To have the Office of National Drug Control Policy talking about ‘harm reduction’ is important,” said one public health expert. “I remember when you couldn’t say those words there.”
Dan Vergano
A Cape Cod COVID Outbreak Shows The Delta Variant May Be Even More Infectious Than We Thought, The CDC Says
The Delta variant outbreak among vaccinated beachgoers in Cape Cod was “a pivotal discovery” leading to new mask recommendations, said CDC chief Rochelle Walensky.
Stephanie M. Lee
The CDC Has Changed Its Mask Guidance — Again — To Say Vaccinated People Should Mask Up In Places With Delta Outbreaks
“The unvaccinated, by choice, are a threat to public health at this point,” said one ICU doctor.
Dan Vergano
As COVID Continues To Spread, Alabama's Governor Said "It’s Time To Start Blaming The Unvaccinated Folks"
"These folks are choosing a horrible lifestyle of self-inflicted pain."
Amber Jamieson
Atlantic City Is Just The Latest Place To Shut Down Its Needle Exchange Amid A Deadly Rise In US Overdose Deaths
The move comes as overdose deaths have jumped nearly 30% nationwide and HIV outbreaks have been reported among people who use injection drugs.
Dan Vergano
Here's A Look At Haulover Sandbar, The Popular Miami Party Spot That Will Be Destroyed
Haulover is slated to be dredged by the US Army Corps of Engineers, with the beach-quality sand being moved to shore up nearby Bal Harbour Beach.
Kate Bubacz
US Life Expectancy In 2020 Dropped By More Than It Has Since World War II
“We have built a house of cards to live in, and the pandemic was a wind that just blew the house down,” said one expert.
Dan Vergano
Amazon Billionaire Jeff Bezos Rode A Dick Into Space And The Jokes Make Themselves At This Point
"Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos really played 'just the tip' with outer space."
Ade Onibada
More People Than Ever Died Of Drug Overdoses In The US In 2020
More than 93,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2020. “We are in an enduring crisis that is still going on. We are still right in the middle of it,” said one expert.
Dan Vergano
Tennessee's Fired Vaccine Chief Called The State's New Rule Barring Vaccine Outreach To Teens "Toxic Leadership"
“We have a legislature filled with people who are not scientists and not healthcare providers who have their own crazy ideas about vaccines," Michelle Fiscus, Tennessee's top vaccine official until she was fired on Monday, told BuzzFeed News.
Dan Vergano
Anthony Fauci And Deborah Birx Warned Top Officials About The “Dangers” Of Scott Atlas Last Summer, Emails Show
“I am more convinced than ever the dangers of Dr. Atlas’ views on the pandemic,” Birx wrote in an August 2020 email to Fauci and others.
Stephanie M. Lee
Here’s Why You Probably Won't Need A Booster Shot Against The Delta Variant Anytime Soon
In the US, 99.5% of COVID-19 deaths are now among people who are unvaccinated.
Dan Vergano
In Case You Had Any Doubts, Scientists Found Climate Change Was Definitely Behind The Deadly Pacific Northwest Heat Wave
“This is something that nobody saw coming, that nobody thought possible,” one scientist said.
Zahra Hirji
The Mega Heat Dome Over The Pacific Northwest Has Brought Death, Fire, And Misery
“It is typical for three to four sudden death calls to come in each day in the city. But to have 53 in one day is unprecedented... it is truly gut-wrenching.”
Nicole Fallert
A CDC Investigation Says West Virginia Needs Needle Exchanges — Which The State Outlawed — To Stop Its HIV Outbreak
A CDC investigation obtained by BuzzFeed News shows “low-barrier” needle exchanges are needed to stop an HIV outbreak in West Virginia. “There's a lot of suffering documented in this,” one expert said.
Dan Vergano
Track The Brutal 2021 Wildfire Season With These Updating Charts And Maps
2021 is shaping up to be another dangerous year for wildfires. Follow the latest data on the fires, air quality, and fire risk across the US.
Peter Aldhous
A Record-Breaking Heat Wave Sent Hundreds Of People To The Hospital In Washington And Oregon
The heat has cracked and buckled streets, impacted flights, and closed down businesses.
Zahra Hirji
US Intelligence Agencies Are Trying To Solve Scientific Mysteries And Failing Badly
Secret intelligence reports are offering up answers to three big scientific mysteries — but the speculation doesn't always square up with science.
Dan Vergano
The EPA Just Announced A $50 Million Push To Help Underserved Communities Tackle Pollution And Get Jobs
“This is the most aggressive approach to tackling environmental injustice and equity issues,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan told BuzzFeed News.
Zahra Hirji
The Pacific Northwest’s Upcoming Heat Wave Could Be Especially Deadly
Extreme heat has killed more than 11,000 people across the US since 1979, and heat waves are only getting worse.
Zahra Hirji
A Scientist Tracked Down Chinese Coronavirus Sequences That Had Disappeared Online
“I think it's certainly consistent with an attempt to hide the sequences,” said the researcher, whose internet sleuthing has uncovered 13 genetic sequences from early in the outbreak in Wuhan, China.
Peter Aldhous
Eight Climate Change Demonstrators Were Arrested After They Protested On Ted Cruz's Lawn
One video showed Cruz's dog Snowflake looking at the protesters through a front door window, reminiscent of the time the poodle was photographed after the senator ditched him and millions of Texans freezing in a deadly winter storm for a Cancún vacation.
Tasneem Nashrulla
The Delta Variant Could Create “Two Americas” Of COVID, Experts Warn
If you are fully vaccinated, you are most likely to be safe. But in parts of the US where few people have gotten COVID vaccine shots, the Delta variant could trigger renewed deadly surges.
Peter Aldhous
This Louisiana Town Is A Bleak Forecast Of America's Future Climate Crisis
In one year, people in southwestern Louisiana lived through five major disasters on top of a pandemic. Another bad hurricane season is already here, and thousands still have holes in their roofs.
Zahra Hirji
Struggling Hospitals Could Explain Why So Many Black Patients Have Died Of COVID-19
For Black patients hospitalized with the coronavirus, the quality of the hospitals they are admitted to may play an outsize role in determining whether they survive.
Stephanie M. Lee
Trump's State Department Officials Fought Over Whether The Coronavirus Was A Chinese Bioweapon
The department’s former senior official on nonproliferation says he intervened to prevent the US government from “embarrassing and discrediting” itself with claims that lacked strong scientific evidence.
Peter Aldhous
The Controversial Keystone XL Pipeline Is Dead
The oil sands pipeline faced fierce opposition since it was first proposed in 2008.
Zahra Hirji
Telegram And Amazon Are Hosting Fake Vaccine Card Merchants
Fake vaccine card merchants are rampant on Telegram. Meanwhile, fake vaccine card listings continue to fall between the cracks on Amazon, despite a ban on them.
Caroline Haskins
A Highly Controversial Alzheimer’s Treatment Won FDA Approval. Scientists Say We Don’t Know If It Actually Works.
In one sense, aducanumab is a historic drug — but many scientists say its approval is a triumph of business interests over public health.
Stephanie M. Lee
COVID-19 Vaccines Work Way Better Than We Had Ever Expected. Scientists Are Still Figuring Out Why.
“The truth is, we humans sort of lucked out,” one expert said.
Dan Vergano
