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YOUR WEEKLY CHECKUP

This week: Medical breakthroughs that will allow us to live longer are coming—but you'll need to prepare for them now; startling new science is confirming the power of human touch; is the end of COVID in sight?

ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID PLUNKERT/COMMISSIONED BY GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT

Want to live longer? Influence your genes.

There's a new age dawning: breakthroughs in health and medicine that will let us live longer and live younger; advances that will exponentially change our society, our economy, and our future. But to enjoy it and relish your longevity, you will need to be a genetic engineer now. The upside? You will literally get to change your family medical destiny—if you want to.

HOW TO BUILD THE FOUNDATION

WHAT WILD CHIMPS CAN TEACH US ABOUT AGING: It's inactivity that makes us frail +

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALESSANDRO GANDOLFI, PARALLELOZERO/INSITITUTE

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌

This island unlocked the secret to long life

Residents of Okinawa are some of the world’s healthiest and happiest people. Strong social networks and good food may help explain why.

PHOTOGRAPH BY GREGOR FISCHER, PICTURE ALLIANCE/GETTY IMAGES

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌

Can a laugh be inherited? How genes define us

Genetically speaking, we get what we get. But someday we might be able to program our genetic futures—and then it's a whole new ballgame.

HEREDITY SECRETS

PHOTOGRAPH BY SAUMYA KHANDELWAL

The audacious science pushing the boundaries of human touch

It's the first sensation we feel, our most primal connection to others. Neurologists and psychologists have biological markers now to explain what seems intuitively obvious to so many of us—that most human beings require the physical presence of others, the comforting touch of others, in order to stay healthy.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

NG VIDEO

Why love and touch were once considered 'dangerous'

It may be hard to believe now, but in the early 20th century, simple acts of affection—like picking up a crying baby to comfort them or showering them in hugs and kisses—were lambasted as unnecessary and detrimental to a child's cognitive development.

HOW SCIENCE PROVED THEM WRONG

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

NG STAFF

The end of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight, WHO official says

"We can see the finish line, we are in the winning position, but now is the worst time to stop running."

TRACKING COVID IN THE U.S.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CESAR NEYOY, THE YUMA SUN/AP

Amid pandemic uncertainties, Latino immigrants put trust in their 'promotoras'

From providing accurate COVID-19 information to advocating for testing and vaccination with cultural sensitivity, these community healthcare workers were key to serving marginalized Hispanic populations.

6 big questions about new Omicron-targeting boosters answered

Scientists debate how lethal COVID is. Some say it's now less risky than flu (NPR)

COVID-19 in seniors linked to increased Alzheimer's risk, study finds (Washington Post)

MORE HEALTH NEWS

PHOTOGRAPH BY TRISTAN SPINSKI

Low-calories sweeteners might not be as good for us as we thought

Scientists have long suspected a link between artificial sweeteners and obesity in humans, but until now that connection had only been shown in lab mice. Now, in a first of its kind trial, scientists have shown that artificial sweeteners disrupt the microbes in our gut—possibly in ways that increase the risk of weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

What are your chances of catching monkeypox? (NPR)

Why polio is making a comeback

What parents should know about the latest spike in enterovirus (New York Times)

Stress levels during pregnancy linked to 3-month-old babies who cry, fuss more, study finds (USA Today)

Diet changes may help head off kidney stone recurrence (Washington Post)

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