A New York child has died from measles, the state’s first reported measles-related death in more than 30 years and the seventh in the United States this year. All six other deaths were in Pennsylvania, where more than 1,430 people have been infected. Nationally, the CDC reports over 4,850 cases across 47 states and jurisdictions, with at least 511 hospitalizations - more than twice the 2025 total and the highest annual case count since 1991. The deaths and rising infections are linked to falling vaccination rates amid growing anti-vaccine sentiment. New York Governor Kathy Hochul blamed the federal government’s weakening of vaccine protections, pointing to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s longstanding anti-vaccine activism and changes to federal vaccine policy.
The CDC is also reported to have blocked career scientists from issuing an urgent alert to clinicians about measles risks during pregnancy, which can endanger both pregnant patients and fetuses. Scientists are seeking other ways to publish the guidance, but publication through the CDC’s medical journal would take longer; Pennsylvania issued its own pregnancy-related alert in October. The account also highlights disputes over death reporting: the CDC has recorded only three of the seven US deaths, reportedly after Kennedy directed the agency to remove early cases and change its counting method. Instead of relying on state reports, the CDC now uses federal death records that can take weeks to arrive, limiting the usefulness of its figures during an active outbreak. Deaths reported in Pennsylvania involved unvaccinated people ranging from newborns to adults, including people with and without underlying conditions.
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An amateur astronomer used Claude Code and other AI tools to sift through TESS data and identify a possible planet orbiting star TIC 4206066, about 116 light-years away. Repeated brightness dips suggest a planet roughly 1.4 times Earth’s size with a 3.18-day orbit, but the discovery still requires scientific confirmation. (gizmodo.com)
An 80-cent maternal drape collects and measures blood during childbirth, helping midwives detect dangerous postpartum hemorrhage early. In a Kano hospital, staff used the warning to treat a mother quickly, illustrating how the low-cost tool is helping prevent maternal deaths across Africa. (nytimes.com)
Colorectal cancers in younger patients show distinct cellular and genetic features compared with cancers in older patients. These differences could help researchers develop more tailored ways to detect and treat the disease. (dana-farber.org)
Mars’s Valles Marineris canyon system remains tectonically active, with recent marsquakes indicating that faults in the region still move. Researchers link this activity to ongoing stresses in the planet’s crust, rather than to plate tectonics like Earth’s. (lamont.columbia.edu)
Sad nipple syndrome describes brief sadness or unease triggered by light nipple stimulation, such as drying off or changing clothes. It is not a recognized medical condition, and research is limited; doctors suspect hormonal pathways may be involved. (en.wikipedia.org)
CNN’s page is inaccessible, so its claims about humans halting the next ice age can’t be verified from the provided content. The headline suggests human activity has disrupted the natural climate conditions that would begin another ice age. (cnn.com)
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