涩里番

Study shows how visual landmarks tune the brain鈥檚 internal compass

We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.

How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.

Study shows how visual landmarks tune the brain鈥檚 internal compass

We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.

How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.

Study shows how visual landmarks tune the brain鈥檚 internal compass

We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.

How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.

Study shows how visual landmarks tune the brain鈥檚 internal compass

We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.

How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.

Study shows how visual landmarks tune the brain鈥檚 internal compass

We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.

How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.

Study shows how visual landmarks tune the brain鈥檚 internal compass

We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.

How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.

Study shows how visual landmarks tune the brain鈥檚 internal compass

We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.

How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.

Study shows how visual landmarks tune the brain鈥檚 internal compass

We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.

How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.

96 Global Health NOW: The Global Fund鈥檚 Endangered Footholds; Hantavirus Hits Russian Troops; and Looking For Love 鈥� at a Snail鈥檚 Pace September 11, 2025 A mother and child wait as her child gets registered to receive a malaria vaccine at Apac General Hospital. Apac District, Uganda, April 8. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty The Global Fund鈥檚 Endangered Footholds    In a swiftly changing global health climate, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will channel its resources to the world鈥檚 poorest countries鈥攚hich Fund leaders warn are highly vulnerable to a resurgence of the three diseases amid sudden aid cutoffs, . 

• "We're skewing our resources even more to the very poorest countries," said Peter Sands, CEO of the Global Fund, who added that leaving countries like Sudan to fend for themselves amid conflict, climate change, and disease 鈥渋s morally repugnant.鈥�  

Major gains鈥攏ow at risk: The Fund鈥檚 highlights major milestones: 70 million lives saved since 2002, and a 63% drop in the combined death rate from the three diseases, . 

• But those gains now face the threat of erosion as contributions from donor governments falter.  

Malaria progress is most susceptible, warned Sands鈥攚ho pointed to the impact of singular circumstances like the Pakistan floods, which can quickly lead to massive case increases, .  

• 100,000+ additional malaria deaths are anticipated this year, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and among children. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
DRC towns affected by the latest Ebola outbreak have erected checkpoints to restrict population movements and placed the Kasai鈥檚 Bulape zone under confinement as cases ticked up this week; aid workers warn the response is underfunded.     The risk of death from chronic illnesses including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes dropped in four out of five countries between 2010 and 2019, that drew from data in 185 countries.     Unproven treatments for Lyme disease are on the rise, including lasers, herbal remedies, and electromagnets鈥攚hich researchers warn could be ineffective or dangerous.     Incarcerated people who received medication for opioid use disorder were 鈥渟ignificantly鈥� more likely to continue treatment six months after release, finds a ; such treatment was also linked with a 52% lower risk of fatal overdose.   RADAR Hantavirus Hits Russian Troops    Hantavirus has sickened at least three soldiers from the Akhmat Battalion, a Chechen special forces unit fighting in southeastern Ukraine.  

• The disease is spread by and cannot be transmitted person-to-person. 

• It has a fatality rate of up to 38%; the most severe form typically begins with flu-like symptoms and can progress to fever and abdominal pain, bleeding from the eyes, and kidney failure. 

• No antiviral treatments are available; two existing vaccines target specific strains and are only approved for use by South Korea and China. 

Health intelligence firm Airfinity ties the outbreak to poor living conditions and uncontrolled rodent populations at the front lines.      The Quote: 鈥淢ice are everywhere. We wake up because they run across us. We even wrestle over cans of condensed milk,鈥� a Russian medic with the unit told Pravda.    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MALARIA Education vs. Infection    Teaching people strategies about how to prevent malaria has a powerful impact on reducing cases鈥攃omparable to the impact of spraying insecticide, .     Details: A study in rural Burkina Faso and C么te d鈥橧voire found that combining bed-net use with malaria education鈥攍ike how to use bed nets effectively, how to encourage a mosquito-free household environment, and when to seek early treatment鈥攔educed malaria cases by 22%.     Implications: The study offers the first epidemiological evidence that malaria education can meaningfully reduce infection rates, and could be an effective tool used alongside other core malaria-prevention strategies, :  

• 鈥淎s funding landscapes shift, malaria control programmes and their implementing partners must diversify strategies to sustain progress against the disease,鈥� wrote the commentary authors, researchers at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. 

     Related:     New study reveals hidden risks of 'silent' malaria infections 鈥�      The resurgence of malaria in Africa is an avoidable crisis鈥攈ere's what we must do 鈥�

A New Malaria Drug Can Treat Infants鈥擨f Health Systems Support It 鈥�   ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Looking For Love 鈥� at a Snail鈥檚 Pace    Snails have a 1 in 40,000 chance of being anatomically at-odds with most of their species. Ned the snail is the 1鈥攕piraling left instead of the usual right. 
  Giselle Clarkson, a home gardener in New Zealand, encountered the rare left-coiled snail among some leaves, named him after the left-handed Simpsons character, and set out to find him a mate鈥�.   
  Left out of love: Ned just needs a snail he can connect with. Literally. Left-coiling and right-coiling snails can鈥檛 align their sex organs to procreate.   
  But as with many matchmaking missions, it鈥檚 unclear whether this matchee cares that he鈥檚 single or if he even wants kids. But that hasn鈥檛 stopped Clarkson. 
  鈥淚 have never felt this stressed about the welfare of a common garden snail before,鈥� .  QUICK HITS When the Law Limits Choice: Nigeria鈥檚 Policies are Undermining Sexual Justice 鈥�     Time to 'stop tolerating women's pain and suffering': Melinda Gates-backed research initiative raises $100M 鈥�     After 17 Years, DNA Tied a Man to Her Rape. Under Massachusetts Law, It Was Too Late. 鈥�     About 2,000 people may have been exposed to measles at Utah event 鈥�     Kids with COVID had a 50% to 60% higher risk of depression, anxiety in 2021, researchers say 鈥�     Marburg Virus Disease in Rwanda, 2024 鈥� Public Health and Clinical Responses 鈥�     West Nile virus cases running higher than normal, prompting health warnings 鈥�     Insomnia Raises Dementia Risk in Healthy Older Adults 鈥�     EU to slash food and fast fashion waste 鈥�     Dr. Peter Hotez takes the war against science very personally 鈥�   Issue No. 2786
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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96 Global Health NOW: MAHA Roadmap for Children鈥檚 Health; Influencers in South Africa鈥檚 Cigarette Debate; and Cholera鈥檚 Climb in Africa RFK, Jr. calls U.S. children鈥檚 health as 鈥渁n existential crisis.鈥� September 10, 2025 Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before the Senate Finance Committee in Washington, D.C., on September 4. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images The MAHA Roadmap for Children鈥檚 Health Released    The Trump administration yesterday to 鈥淢ake Our Children Healthy Again,鈥� aimed at addressing a rise in chronic diseases in children鈥攁 trend Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes as 鈥渁n existential crisis for our country,鈥� .     The commission listed four drivers of chronic disease and outlined broad responses to each鈥攑rompting mixed reactions from public health researchers.  

• Diet: The report warns about the impact of processed foods, calling for new dietary guidelines promoting whole foods. It also calls for limiting the inclusion of processed foods in government food programs, while increasing access to items like whole milk in schools.  

• Inactivity: The commission also points to 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� inactivity among children, calling for more guidance around screen time and for more physical activity in schools鈥攊ncluding the return of the Presidential Fitness Test.  

• Chemical exposure: The report warns that children are exposed to increasing levels of synthetic chemicals linked to disease鈥攂ut avoids any major pesticide regulations, which critics described as a big win for the food industry, .  

• Overmedicalization: The report also points to 鈥渁 concerning trend of overprescribing medications to children鈥� and proposes a new vaccine framework focused on 鈥渕edical freedom.鈥�  

Reactions: Public health researchers and advocates say the report's goals, while sweeping, lack guidance on implementation, and are being undermined by other moves from the Trump administration鈥攊ncluding cuts to food assistance, Medicaid, and scientific research, as well as the risks stemming from Kennedy鈥檚 moves to overhaul vaccine policy.    More U.S. Health Policy News:    Trump announces crackdown on pharmaceutical advertising 鈥�     Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid   鈥�     Fired CDC Director Susan Monarez to testify to Senate panel 鈥�     Another US doctors' group breaks with federal policy, recommends COVID-19 vaccines for all adults 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Obesity has superseded hunger as the top malnutrition issue facing children globally, that highlights the widespread marketing of ultra processed foods as a key driver of the trend; 1 in 10 teenagers and school-age children live with obesity.     44% of people with diabetes worldwide are undiagnosed, , which looked at data from 204 countries and territories from 2000 to 2023.     THC may disrupt human egg cells, leading to the wrong number of chromosomes and potentially to infertility or miscarriage, that analyzed the impact of chemicals in cannabis on female fertility.     Long COVID is 鈥渉ighly prevalent鈥� worldwide, finds a ; meanwhile, a second study of long COVID in adolescents finds that most symptoms reported by teens in 2022 were resolved three months post-infection.   TOBACCO Deploying Influencers in South Africa鈥檚 Cigarette Debate 
As new tobacco legislation makes its way through South Africa鈥檚 Parliament, industry opponents are tapping social media influencers to carry their key talking points鈥攁nd cast a misleading picture about the bill.    Background: The legislation, the , aims to prohibit the sale of loose cigarettes, among other restrictions.  

• ~20 influencers have been posting that the bill will , a key industry message, and that the prohibition is part of a 鈥渟ecretive鈥� government conspiracy.  

• Health advocates and scientists say the misinformation is a deliberate tactic to sway public opinion against the government鈥檚 efforts to curb tobacco usage.  

  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES INFECTIOUS DISEASES Cholera鈥檚 Climb in Africa     Cases of cholera in Africa have doubled over the past three years, with more than 230,000 cases across 23 countries and 5,000 deaths attributed to the disease.     Cholera, which people can get from contaminated water or food, is easily treatable. However, in half a dozen countries 1% of patients are dying from the disease, exposing large gaps in care.  

• Death can occur within several hours. 

• Severe dehydration from nausea and vomiting shuts down internal organs. 

• Annually, there are between 1.3 and 4 million cases worldwide. 

Taking action: Over the next six months, an emergency plan from Africa CDC and the World Health Organization will roll out, which includes hundreds of treatment centers and outpatient care locations and 10 million oral cholera vaccine doses.       OPPORTUNITY: WEBINAR TOMORROW! QUICK HITS Missing limbs and loved ones, Gazan children begin treatment journey abroad 鈥�     NHS to trial revolutionary blood test that could speed up Alzheimer鈥檚 diagnosis 鈥�     CDC finds 4% drop in US death rate in 2024. Experts say decline may be due to COVID 鈥�    'We have basically destroyed what capacity we had to respond to a pandemic,' says leading epidemiologist Michael Osterholm 鈥�     Childhood play replaced by screens: Kenyan study warns of rising double burden of malnutrition 鈥�     Issue No. 2785
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:

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  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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School meals are a crucial way out of poverty into 鈥渁 new world of learning and opportunity,鈥� according to the World Food Programme (WFP) executive director Cindy McCain.

More than 720,000 people commit suicide every year and many more attempt it. Now the head of the UN鈥檚 World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for 鈥渟hifting the narrative鈥� on the issue 鈥渢o challenge harmful myths, reduce stigma and foster compassionate conversations.鈥�

Claire M. Brown, Professor in the Department of Physiology, has been selected as in the province of Quebec. The newly established CISE program is jointly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Nature et technologies (FRQNT).聽聽

Claire M. Brown, Professor in the Department of Physiology, has been selected as in the province of Quebec. The newly established CISE program is jointly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Nature et technologies (FRQNT).聽聽

Claire M. Brown, Professor in the Department of Physiology, has been selected as in the province of Quebec. The newly established CISE program is jointly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Nature et technologies (FRQNT).聽聽

Claire M. Brown, Professor in the Department of Physiology, has been selected as in the province of Quebec. The newly established CISE program is jointly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Nature et technologies (FRQNT).聽聽

Claire M. Brown, Professor in the Department of Physiology, has been selected as in the province of Quebec. The newly established CISE program is jointly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Nature et technologies (FRQNT).聽聽

Claire M. Brown, Professor in the Department of Physiology, has been selected as in the province of Quebec. The newly established CISE program is jointly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Nature et technologies (FRQNT).聽聽

Claire M. Brown, Professor in the Department of Physiology, has been selected as in the province of Quebec. The newly established CISE program is jointly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Nature et technologies (FRQNT).聽聽

96 Global Health NOW: Women Denied Aid in Afghanistan; Contraceptive Gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa; and Mass-Producing Mosquitoes in Brazil September 9, 2025 An Afghan women and her children sit in a makeshift camp in the aftermath of an earthquake, in the Nurgal district, Kunar Province, on September 4. Stringer/AFP via Getty Women Denied Aid in Afghanistan  
In the devastation following Afghanistan鈥檚 6.0-magnitude earthquake Sunday, humanitarian workers are struggling to reach more survivors, 鈥攚ith a narrow, one-way mountain road partially blocked by large rocks from landslides the only way to get to affected areas. 

• ~40,000 people have been impacted by the earthquake, and 5,000+ homes have been destroyed in eastern Afghanistan.  

Emergency responders are trying to prioritize aid to women, children, and locals with disabilities, but female survivors have been deprived of care as Taliban-enforced gender rules prevent male first responders and doctors from assisting them鈥攅ven in emergencies, .     Pushed aside, passed over: After the quake, which killed 2,200+ and injured 3,600+, women reported being pushed aside or passed over in emergency rooms. Male medical teams reported being hesitant even to pull women from rubble. 

• 鈥淏eing a woman here means we are always the last to be seen,鈥� said a 19-year-old mother. 

The WHO has called for authorities to ease restrictions on female aid workers, saying their presence is essential, especially as women are not permitted to travel for care without male guardians, .    A deepening care crisis: With women currently barred from medical education and training, the shortage of female medical providers will only worsen, .  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   The DRC health ministry has reported 32 Ebola cases and 15 deaths鈥攊ncluding the index patient, a 34-year-old pregnant woman, and two of the health workers who cared for her; the cases are from Kasai province, which borders Angola.  
Contaminated metal at an industrial site in Indonesia may be the source of radioactive material that led to massive recalls of imported frozen shrimp, per the International Atomic Energy Agency; efforts are underway to halt more U.S.-bound shipments.  
Canadian researchers say that sepsis should be recognized as a public health emergency, highlighting significant gaps in policies and training standards throughout Canada and calling for a coordinated national action plan to address sepsis.     Extreme heat drove increased sugar consumption in U.S. households in 2004鈥�2019, especially in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages, with greatest impacts among disadvantaged groups; projected future increases in temperature and sugar consumption point to the need 鈥渢o explore dietary adaptation to climate change.鈥�   U.S. and Global Health Policy News As Covid surges in the US, Americans can鈥檛 get vaccinated: 鈥榯errified I might kill somebody鈥� 鈥�  
Minnesota, New York issue executive orders promoting access to COVID vaccines 鈥�  
How to get a coronavirus vaccine and who鈥檚 eligible amid limited access 鈥�     Trump downplays domestic violence in speech about religious freedom 鈥�      Trump shares video highlighting discredited theory linking vaccines to autism 鈥�     As US retreats from global health, corporations must fill the void 鈥� FAMILY PLANNING Contraceptive Gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa    Long-acting birth control methods like IUDs and implants remain underutilized in many sub-Saharan African countries, with nearly 4 in 5 women depending on short-term methods, .     Findings: On average, 21.7% of sexually active women ages 15鈥�49 use long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), with wide disparities among countries. 

• Benin, Mali, and Tanzania lead in use, due to high availability, strong family planning services, and community outreach.  

• Namibia, Niger, and Togo have the lowest rates due to disjointed health infrastructure, misinformation, and cultural barriers. 

Improving access: Researchers recommend a 鈥渕ulti-pronged approach鈥� to expanding access to LARCs, including training providers, strengthening supply chains, and boosting educational campaigns.       DATA POINT

~48 million
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U.S. adults who say they have been or are being treated for depression; the rates for those under age 30 now exceed 1 in 4, per a new pair of surveys. 鈥�
  DENGUE Mass-Producing Mosquitoes in Brazil 
The sprawling Wolbito do Brasil facility in Curitiba is abuzz with innovation鈥攁nd the drone of millions of mosquitoes. 
  It is the world鈥檚 largest 鈥渕osquito factory鈥濃�攑roducing 100 million eggs of a modified Aedes aegypti mosquito each week in scaled-up efforts to combat dengue and Zika. 

• The modified mosquitoes, dubbed 鈥渨olbitos,鈥� are infected with Wolbachia, a bacterium that blocks virus transmission and is passed to offspring.  

Operational hurdles: The facility has had to overcome a range of logistical challenges: fine-tuning climate control, switching blood sourcing, ensuring some insecticide resistance, and cultivating community buy-in in the face of misinformation. 
  Taking flight: The factory released its first wolbitos last month in Santa Catarina and plans to release more soon in Brasilia. 
   
  Related: Inside a mosquito factory 鈥�   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Nepal lifts social media ban after 19 killed in protests 鈥�     This is what could happen to a child who doesn't get vaccinated 鈥�     States Heading Toward Constitutional Showdown Over Abortion Shield Laws 鈥�     Another Man Gets a Pig Kidney as Transplant Trials Are Poised to Start 鈥�     Dividends from death 鈥�     Sweeteners in diet drinks may steal years from the brain 鈥�     There鈥檚 a Secret to a Nearly Painless IUD 鈥�     New York City Hospital Staff Learn Planet-Friendly Health Care 鈥�     Can researchers stop AI making up citations 鈥�   Issue No. 2784
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:

Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->



  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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