Tropical Storm Grace made landfall in Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane on Saturday, but has since weakened, according to the National Hurricane Center.
State of play: Veracruz state authorities said at least eight people have been killed amid the storm. Grace went through a burst of rapid intensification Friday night, going from a Category 1 to a Category 3 hurricane in less than 24 hours.
A new study found striking similarities between the babbling sounds of infants and those of baby greater sac-winged bats.
Why it matters: In both cases, babbling seems to have evolved as a precursor to more complex vocal behaviors like talking in humans and "singing" in adult bats.
A new study finds the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which was negotiated to stop ozone-depleting emissions, also prevented significant climate change.
Why it matters: Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called the Montreal Protocol "perhaps the single most effective international agreement," and its success in both reversing ozone depletion and slowing warming shows why.
Tropical Storm Henri, currently spinning its way north-northwest about 270 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, is likely to become the first hurricane to make landfall in southern New England in 30 years.
Why it matters: Factors ranging from soggy soils from previous rainstorms to astronomical high tides, and Henri's slow forward motion will combine to create a uniquely dangerous scenario for New England beginning Sunday and lasting through at least Monday.
More than 356,000 people died from extreme heat-related causes in just nine countries in 2019, a death toll not only preventable but expected to grow as temperatures increase worldwide, a pair of studies published Thursday in The Lancet shows.
Why it matters: Though it's known heat stress can lead to stroke, organ and brain damage, the studies out of the University of Washington found it also causes a slew of specific morbidities including several types of heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
