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YOUR WEEKLY CHECKUP

This week: Why these "twin" Omicron subvariants are so good at what they do; what we know about the mites living on our faces; young people are struggling with climate anxiety; searching the sewers for disease; the health effects of fireworks.

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHANE MAHE, REUTERS

Why Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 are causing fresh U.S. outbreaks

They're responsible for more than half of new coronavirus infections in the United States—and both are very good at dodging antibodies in people who have been vaccinated and boosted, as well as in people who had a previous COVID-19 infection.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

LATEST NEWS: FDA recommends updated boosters that target BA.4 and BA.5 +

ILLUSTRATION BY ARMANDO VEVE

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌

Hundreds of tiny arachnids live on your face. Why do we know so little about them?

Our pores are home to at least two different species of mites. Both are such homebodies that scientists have a hard time observing them, either in captivity or in the wilds of the human face. As a result, we know little about their lives. At one lab in North Carolina, though, scientists have made some breakthroughs in understanding these mysterious companions.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK: A horrifying list of creatures that can crawl into your body +

ILLUSTRATION BY SIMONE NORONHA

Climate anxiety is widespread among youth—can they overcome it?

Roughly 60 percent of Americans between ages 27 and 45 worry about the carbon footprint of bringing a child into the world. And nearly half of the young people in a recent global study said concerns about the state of the planet were interfering with their sleep, their ability to study, to play, and to have fun.

HOW TO AVOID DESPAIR

HOW TO HELP: Ease children's fears with empowering solutions (premium subscription) +

WATCH: How fear and anxiety drove human evolution +

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

PHOTOGRAPH BY M. SCOTT BRAUER, REDUX

One of the best tools for predicting COVID-19 outbreaks? Sewage.

The pandemic brought renewed attention to the value of wastewater monitoring for tracking pathogens and mitigating disease.

SEARCHING THE SEWERS

NG STAFF

FDA recommends updated boosters for new variants

Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are now causing more than half of the nearly 114,000 daily new COVID-19 cases reported in the United States.

TRACKING COVID IN THE U.S.

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation (NPR)

Long COVID symptoms are often overlooked in seniors (Washington Post)

Young adults are volunteering to get COVID-19—for science

MORE HEALTH NEWS

PHOTOGRAPH BY KENT NISHIMURA, LOS ANGELES TIMES/GETTY IMAGES

The hidden toll of July Fourth fireworks

Using crowdsourced data from home air quality monitors, scientists found that vulnerable people and communities of color are disproportionately exposed to air pollution from firework celebrations.

SHORT-TERM HEALTH RISKS

Gene discovery may explain why more women get Alzheimer's disease (CNN)

Men rush to get vasectomies after Roe ruling (Washington Post)

Psychosis, addiction, chronic vomiting: As weed becomes more potent, teens are getting sick (New York Times)

Do you need a daily multivitamin? Probably not, says national health task force. (Popular Science)

Why a placebo can work—even when you know it's fake

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