Motor neuron disease that damages nerve cells controlling muscles.
The Senate has held a confirmation hearing for Dr. Erica Schwartz, the nominee to lead the CDC, amid questions about how she would balance scientific independence with pressure from the administration on vaccine policy. Her background spans the Coast Guard and the surgeon general’s office, with the agency facing staffing turmoil and political scrutiny.
A new global analysis finds that ever having worked around pesticides raises the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by about 61%–71%, with herbicides driving a stronger link. The study pools data from eight past investigations and notes higher risk in men. Experts caution that causality remains unproven and exposure measurement varies.
Jacob Daniel Whisenant, a Mammoth Lakes climber known for speed ascents, has died in an August 3 accident in the Sierra Nevada, Tulare County. The coroner has ruled blunt force trauma as the cause and the death an accident. He gained fame for a rapid El Capitan ascent in 2024 and leaves behind friends and family who describe his devotion to climbing.
Jai Arrow has been granted special NRL dispensation to appear in two final Rabbitohs games as he battles motor neurone disease, marking his 99th and 100th NRL appearances for the club and his 180th overall.
This week has seen several medical research and regulatory developments. Insilico Medicine has reported that its experimental drug rentosertib changed blood‑protein patterns that aging clocks read as three to four years younger in a small trial. Stanford teams have published studies showing they can grow hindbrain neurons separately and implant human cortical organoids into mice. The US health department has appointed permanent directors for three FDA centers.
Two mayors confront a contentious 9/11 anniversary as Giuliani’s public opposition to Mamdani’s attendance collides with the mayor’s decision to attend. Family members of victims urge caution as a petition effort highlights the political tensions around Ground Zero ceremonies.
Stanford researchers have transplanted human brain organoids into mice with cortex-depleted brains, creating a model that links human tissue with mouse neural circuits. The work, reported in Nature, shows human cells wiring into mouse brain tissue and drawing attention to ethical oversight and limitations in translating to human disease.
Dame Esther Rantzen has died at 86 after a long illness, her family has announced. The broadcaster fronted That’s Life! for 21 years, founded Childline in 1986 and the Silver Line in 2012, and later campaigned publicly for legal change on assisted dying after a stage-four lung cancer diagnosis in 2023.