4 things to know for June 29: Titan sub, Myanmar, Wildfires, Dementia
1 Titan Sub
“Presumed human remains” were recovered from the debris field of the doomed Titan submersible, the US Coast Guard said. The discovery was among the evidence that arrived at a Canadian pier nearly a week after authorities determined the Titanic-bound vessel imploded in the North Atlantic, killing all five people aboard.
The company that owns the remotely operated vehicles that brought Titan’s wreckage to the surface has “successfully completed” the offshore work, it said. US medical professionals will analyze the remains for more insight into the tragic voyage. Titan was made of carbon fiber and titanium, and weighed 23,000 pounds, according to OceanGate, which operated the craft. Investigators say voice recordings and data from the mother ship that carried the sub will be examined.
2 Myanmar
An airstrike killed at least 10 civilians and injured over a dozen others in Myanmar, local officials said. The deadly attack earlier this week was the latest in the military junta’s campaign for control since seizing power in a coup in 2021. Ma Khin Hla and her five siblings didn’t have time to run when a fighter jet buzzed over their village in the central Sagaing region. Her siblings’ bodies lay scattered around her after the strike. “My entire body is shaken by rage,” she said. The jet dropped three bombs during the attack near a monastery, killing three women and seven men — including a monk — according to local officials. The attack also destroyed several homes nearby.
3 Wildfires
More than a third of the US population is under air quality alerts due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Officials are urging people to take safety precautions weeks after similar wildfire smoke blanketed the Northeast. Over 120 million people are under the alerts in more than a dozen states from the Midwest to the East Coast. Some of the worst air quality, which is classified as “very unhealthy,” is centered over the Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Indianapolis metro areas. Some improvement is expected today, particularly over the Great Lakes area, where rain and storms will help cleanse the air.
Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record as almost 500 fires rage across the country, according to fire officials. Readers in the US can click here to track the air quality where they live. The map is updated every 30 minutes with new data.
4 Dementia
Doctors are questioning a study that suggests a link between hormone replacement therapy and dementia. Women in their 50s who use estrogen and progestin hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms had an increased risk of dementia within 20 years, a study found.
However, experts say the study is unable to draw a direct connection to later-life dementia and that the overall benefits of hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, outweigh the risks. Women who have hot flashes, mood changes or sleep issues — all of which affect cognition — are more likely to seek out and use HRT, said Dr. Kejal Kantarci, a professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “That means women who choose to use hormone therapies may actually be the ones who are already at risk for dementia,” Kantarci said.
