Three scientists — Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice — have won the Nobel Prize for their discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, a blood-borne liver disease that infects millions every year.
Why it matters: Before the scientists' discovery, many liver problems went unexplained. "The discovery of Hepatitis C virus revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives," the Nobel Prize committee said.
More than 8,200 wildfires have burned "well over 4 million acres" in California this year, killing 31 people and destroying 8,450-plus structures, Cal Fire said Sunday.
Why it matters: Cal Fire confirmed on Sept. 7 that nearly 2.2 million acres had burned, surpassing the previous record set in 2018. The amount of land charred now is bigger in size than Connecticut and more than double that which burned in 2018, when 1,975,086 acres were razed.
