LA Hate Crimes Jump 45%: Attacks Against LBGTQ, Black Americans, Jewish People Are Highest In A Decade

Los Angeles Times: Hate Crimes In L.A. Highest In 10 Years, With LGBTQ And African Americans Most Targeted
Los Angeles recorded its highest level of reports of hate crimes in a decade, with a nearly 13% increase in 2018 over the year before. Last year, L.A. tallied 289 hate crimes, compared with 256 in 2017, according to LAPD statistics gathered by researchers at Cal State San Bernardino. Members of the LGBTQ community, African Americans and those of Jewish faith were the most frequently targeted, according to the newly released report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. (Winton, 1/31)

The New York Times: Polar Vortex Updates: Extreme Cold Weather Spreads East
Midwesterners trudged ahead Thursday into a familiar, grim reality: temperatures well below zero, schools and businesses closed, stern warnings to wear extra layers or, better yet, just stay indoors. The polar vortex that arrived earlier this week has for days disrupted life across an entire region. Deaths and injuries were reported. Decades-old records fell. And, for one more day, even stepping outside remained a painful, risky experience. (Smith, Bosman and Davey, 1/31)

KCUR: On A Deadly Cold Night, Hundreds In Kansas City Were Without Shelter 
On a night when many people in Kansas City hid from the cold inside under blankets, hundreds of people without homes risked their lives outside. Volunteers for the Greater Kansas City Point in Time 2019 homeless survey found 377 people in warming stations, outdoors or in other areas of Jackson and Wyandotte counties on Wednesday night, when temperatures dipped to zero degrees Fahrenheit. (Smith, 1/31)

Stat: The Modern Tragedy Of Fake Cancer Cures 
To start, no. There won’t be “a complete cure for cancer” in a year’s time, as the chairman of a small Israeli biotechnology firm predicted to the Jerusalem Post. The claim, absurd on its face, was particularly frustrating to those who work in medicine and drug development because it seemed so obvious there was not enough evidence to make it. It doesn’t take a lot of complicated biology to understand why. You simply need the information contained in the Jerusalem Post’s article: that the data available so far are from a single study in mice and that they have not been published in a scientific journal. (Herper, 2/1)

NPR: CRISPR And Human Embryo Experiments Underway In The U.S.
A scientist in New York is conducting experiments designed to modify DNA in human embryos as a step toward someday preventing inherited diseases, NPR has learned. For now, the work is confined to a laboratory. But the research, if successful, would mark another step toward turning CRISPR, a powerful form of gene editing, into a tool for medical treatment. (Stein, 2/1)

CNN: A New Study Finds Americans Take The Pain Of Girls Less Seriously Than That Of Boys
Our long-held notions of boys as being more stoic and girls as being more expressive may lead Americans to overrate the severity of male physical pain. A recent study by psychologists at Yale University found that adults, when presented with imagery of a child’s finger being pricked, considered the child to be in less pain when they thought it was a girl. The study, published in The Journal of Pediatric Psychology, involved showing 264 adult participants a video of a child whose gender appeared ambiguous. (Prior, 1/31)

The Associated Press: Study: Many Small Kids In US Are Using Too Much Toothpaste
Too many young kids are using too much toothpaste, increasing their risk of streaky or splotchy teeth when they get older, according to a government survey released Thursday. About 40 percent of kids ages 3 to 6 used a brush that was full or half-full of toothpaste, even though experts recommend no more than a pea-sized amount, the study found. (1/31)

NPR: A Single Protein Induces Sleep And Boosts Immune Response In Fruit Flies
It’s cold outside, you’re sick and all you want to do is curl up under the covers until you feel better. In fact, the need for sleep can be so strong when we’re sick that this may be all we can do. Scientists don’t fully understand how this excessive sleepiness is different from your normal, everyday tiredness. (Lambert, 1/31)

CNN: Food Tastes Better, And Other Side Effects When Your Team Is Winning The Game
Super fans could have more to look forward to during Sunday’s Super Bowl than an exciting game of football. For those whose team takes home the trophy, several side effects could make the day even better, including how your food tastes and how you think about yourself. The more you care about a team, the more you could feel these effects. (Thomas, 1/30)