I searched hell on Earth for a story. What I found will haunt me forever

Extreme heat is one of the most insidious consequences of humanity's reliance on fossil fuels, and also one of the most underestimated.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  Health and Science July 29, 2023 I searched hell on Earth for a story. What I found will haunt me forever A hiker's demise in Death Valley brought me face to face with the harsh reality of our worsening climate crisis. While he may be the first person I have interviewed to succumb to extreme heat, he almost certainly will not be the last. SHARE       READ MORE ADVERTISEMENT Oppenheimer's test site wasn't remote. It was populated by Hispanos and Native Americans Paul Pino lost his mother to bone cancer, his brother to stomach cancer, and his sister to thyroid cancer. As he listened to a presentation of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, his grief turned into anger. It all clicked. SHARE       READ MORE Q&A: Why would a young, healthy athlete go into cardiac arrest? Cardiac catastrophes in otherwise healthy young athletes are not unheard of. A study found that NCAA athletes ran a 1-in-53,703 risk of sudden cardiac death. For Black athletes, the risk more than doubled to 1 in 21,491. And if they played men's basketball, the risk was 1 in 8,978. SHARE       READ MORE ADVERTISEMENT It's not just Feinstein: McConnell episode exposes age, vulnerability of U.S. leadership None of America's oldest leaders show any signs of stepping away anytime soon, despite a long history of lawmakers who can't resist running for just one more term and end up remaining in office through physical and mental decline. SHARE       READ MORE Summer brings COVID-19 uptick amid renewed travel, socializing. How bad will it get? Summer has brought an uptick in coronavirus transmission, but experts say it is still too early to tell whether it represents a significant public health concern. COVID-19 hospital admissions are up 10% nationwide, though still near a record low for the pandemic. SHARE       READ MORE California has new weapons to battle summer blackouts: Battery storage, power from record rain Last summer, a dangerous heat wave across California pushed the power grid almost to the brink. Officials say the state is better equipped to handle such extreme heat this year, but late summer could still be a test. SHARE       READ MORE A Caltech Nobel laureate celebrates his 100th birthday. Then he gets back to work Say you wake up on the morning of your 100th birthday, having achieved the pinnacle of recognition in your chosen field and the warm esteem of family, friends and colleagues. How would you celebrate the day ahead? "Work," quipped Caltech chemistry professor Rudy Marcus. SHARE       READ MORE ADVERTISEMENT Thank you for reading the Los Angeles Times Health and Science newsletter. Invite your friends, relatives, coworkers to sign up here. Not a subscriber? Get unlimited digital access to latimes.com. Subscribe here. Copyright © 2023, Los Angeles Times 2300 E. Imperial Highway, El Segundo, California, 90245 1-800-LA-TIMES | latimes.com *Advertisers have no control over editorial decisions or content. If you're interested in placing an ad or classified, get in touch here. We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. Please send your thoughts and suggestions here. You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from The Los Angeles Times. Manage marketing email preferences · Unsubscribe from this newsletter · Terms of service · Privacy policy · Do Not Sell My Personal Information · CA Notice of Collection FOLLOW US