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Earlier this month, New York made medical aid in dying available for terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live. Unlike most states, however, New York has added an unusual safeguard: In order to receive life-ending medication, patients must record their oral request on audio or video. (Monika Piotrowska, 8/26)

Each year, schools around the country spend the last weeks of summer break preparing for the day when promising young minds flood through their doors. Yet educators and policymakers too often overlook a crucial step in helping children thrive: developing a plan for extreme heat. (Lisa Jarvis, 8/26)

Dolly Parton’s lack of children demonstrated that the world could in fact love a woman who wasn’t a mother. But more importantly, she was proof that a person could be an advocate and friend for children while personally choosing against parenting. She was a reassurance that voluntary childlessness doesn’t reflect inherent selfishness, and that parenting is far from the only way to invest in the kids who are all of our future. (Ashley Fetters Maloy, 8/26)

The biggest surprise over a medical career is how often you find yourself surprised. Theories perfect on paper flounder in the real world. Proposed treatments that fit our understanding of disease will unexpectedly fail human trials. Cells, organs, human bodies, and health care systems are complicated, so as a doctor, you train yourself to be humble and wait for data that might not arrive for years. (David N. Hackney, 8/26)

New technology is enabling major advances in medicine. (8/26)