'EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS'
In a New York Times op-ed, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote that the U.S. needs to focus on its "epidemic of loneliness," and that half of Americans are lonely — including himself. He pointed out that some of the health risks of loneliness, such as depression, anxiety, heart disease, dementia, and stroke, make it comparable to smoking daily. He proposed a three-step process to help with the epidemic: invest in social infrastructure, reconsider how we use technology, and strengthen our personal connections.
PREVENTING DEMENTIA
A new study shows that being bilingual can help prevent dementia. Researchers tested hundreds of older people on learning, memory, language, and decision-making and found that those who used two languages daily performed consistently better than those who knew only one language.
CANCER-DETECTING AI
Researchers and doctors at the National Health Service in the United Kingdom have built an artificial intelligence application that can detect cancer. According to new research published in The Lancet, the AI tool was developed using hundreds of lung scans from real patients, training it on the subtle differences between cancerous and non-cancerous growths that are often difficult to see with the human eye.
Venezuelans became the largest nationality arrested for illegally crossing the U.S. border last month, replacing Mexicans for the first time on record.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. is ready to protect American forces or personnel in the Middle East should the Israel-Hamas war escalate as they expect.
Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister warned Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group that if it launches its own war, Israel would “cripple it with a force it cannot even imagine.”
A U.S. homebuyer must earn just over $114,000 to afford an average-priced home, according to a report from Redfin.
Cheddar News checks in with your coast-to-coast weekend weather forecast for Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
Canada has removed 41 of its diplomats from India as tensions rise between the two nations.
An Army private who crossed the border into North Korea in July has been charged in military court with eight offenses including desertion.
The 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards in Paris have been canceled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
A U.S. Navy warship operating in the Middle East shot down multiple missiles near the coast of Yemen.
A 52-year-old Maryland Circuit Court judge was fatally shot Thursday night in the driveway of his own home in Hagerstown, Maryland.
