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Last month, scientists announced they’d taken a sample of tundra from Siberia, extracted a virus that had been frozen for 50,000 years, and showed it was still capable of infecting its normal host — amoebas. (Faye Flam, 12/6)

Over recent weeks, since before Thanksgiving, there has been a significant and steep rise in COVID-19-related hospitalizations for Americans 70 and older. Nationally, that rate now exceeds the peak of the BA.5 summer wave and the Delta wave in the summer of 2021 — and this surge is still in sharp ascent. (Eric J. Topol, 12/6)

Two vastly different experiences — serving as a “guest coach” on the sidelines for a Division I football team and volunteering in a busy emergency department — showed me just how unequal and damaging the lack of care provided for women who are victims of domestic violence can be. (Earl Smith, 12/6)

Mental Health America of Greater Dallas has released its 2023 State of Mental Health in America Report. This is the eighth consecutive year the organization has released the report, and sadly, Texas’ overall rank continues to be poor at 46th in the country. (Bonnie Cook, 12/7)

Americans may be returning to their pre-pandemic habits, but most have not returned to their primary care doctors. Primary care visits are down 10.3% on average across U.S. cities relative to pre-pandemic levels. That, combined with more people with chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and cancer, and accelerating health care costs as inflation soars, signal a troubled future for the health of Americans and the U.S.’s $4.1 trillion health economy. (Sanjula Jain, 10/7)