Good morning. It's Thursday, July 15, and we're covering an opioid-fueled surge in overdose deaths, a breakthrough in brain-computer interfaces, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Overdose Deaths Soar

The number of US drug overdose deaths in 2020 rose 30% from the previous year, according to preliminary data released yesterday. It marks the sharpest annual increase in at least two decades and the highest absolute total on record. Health officials pointed to the wide-ranging impact of the pandemic and an increase in the supply of potent street drugs. 

Of the more than 93,000 overdose deaths reported, roughly 57,500 were linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl (see data)—more than a 50% increase in such deaths from the previous year. Up to 100 times more powerful than morphine, the drug is often mixed in with other street drugs, sometimes unbeknownst to the user. The super-potent drug has been blamed for a "third wave" of the US opioid epidemic.

No region was spared the surge, with only New Hampshire and South Dakota reporting a drop in overdose deaths from 2019. 

Brain Implant Success

A state-of-the-art brain-computer interface has allowed a paralyzed patient to communicate simply by thinking of words, according to a new study. Scientists say it is the first successful decoding of full words via electrical brain signals. Previous work on similar neuroprosthetics had focused on translating individual letters. 

The patient lost their ability to speak after a debilitating stroke 15 years ago that severely damaged the connection between their brain and the vocal tract and limbs. The experimental approach surgically implanted a small array of electrodes to the region of the brain responsible for communicating with the vocal tract. Electrical signals were then studied across 50 sessions as the patient imagined speaking different words aloud, translating the signals into text on a screen. 

The breakthrough had limitations—the system was only about 75% accurate on average, and the patient's vocabulary is thus far limited to about 50 words. Watch a video breakdown of the approach here.

Haitian Plot Deepens

The Haitian government is searching for five additional fugitives it says were involved in the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The group reportedly includes a former Haitian senator, a former anti-corruption official, and a convicted cocaine smuggler. The latter suspect, Rodolphe Jaar, is also said to have been an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency. 

Moïse was killed when gunmen stormed his personal residence in a predawn raid, an attack that followed more than a year of political chaos, much of which was fueled by Moïse himself. Eighteen Colombian mercenaries were arrested (and two others killed), along with three Haitian Americans. One suspect arrested, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, had been living in Florida and is believed to be one of the masterminds. 

As the investigation unfolds, a behind-the-scenes struggle is reportedly playing out to determine who will lead the country in the interim.

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In partnership with Outer

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by The Ascent

> Milwaukee Bucks edge Phoenix Suns 109-103 to even NBA Finals series at 2-2 (More) | Team WNBA defeats US women's Olympic team at WNBA All-Star Game; Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale named game MVP (More)

> Judge rules Britney Spears can hire her own lawyer in fight over her conservatorship (More) | Inspector General says FBI mishandled investigation into former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, causing a delay which allowed Nassar to abuse more athletes (More)

> Golf's British Open begins this morning from Sandwich, England, with US Open winner Jon Rahm the favorite to win; see full preview and schedule (More)

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Science & Technology

> European Union releases plan to become carbon neutral by 2050, including an expansion of its emissions trading market; see details here (More) | Air sample study suggests parts of the Amazon rainforest have begun emitting more carbon dioxide than they absorb, driven by deforestation (More)

> Machine learning tool tracks biomarkers from chronic inflammation to assess biological age; data may help doctors improve patients' healthy lifespans (More)

> Signal used by the brain to protect against neurodegenerative diseases discovered; cells called astrocytes signal the brain's immune system to clear out protein tangles associated with Alzheimer's (More)

Business & Markets

> Johnson & Johnson recalls Aveeno and Neutrogena sunscreens after detecting low levels of cancer-causing chemical (More)

> Facebook joins Amazon in pushing for Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Lina Khan to be recused from antitrust probes given her past criticism of the company (More)

> S&P 500 CEO compensation grew in 2020 to average of $15.5M, per annual executive compensation report; average S&P 500 CEO made 299 times the average worker’s salary (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Taliban fighters seize control of a key border crossing between the Afghanistan and Pakistan border; the Wesh-Chaman crossing is a key supply route from the Port of Karachi to Kandahar (More)

> Oregon's Bootleg Fire grows to at least 212,000 acres in the Fremont-Winema National Forest; blaze was 5% contained as of this writing (More)

> South Africa to deploy up to 25,000 troops to two provinces to quell riots and looting following the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma; more than 70 people have been killed in the violence (More) | One person confirmed dead, dozens missing after antigovernment protests in Cuba (More)

IN-DEPTH

Inside the Tombs of Saqqara

Smithsonian | Jo Marchant. What the megatombs discovered last year at the sprawling necropolis of Saqqara can teach us about ancient Egyptian history. (Read)

Trey Mancini's Remarkable Recovery

ESPN | Kevin Van Valkenburg. Just over a year from being diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer, the Baltimore Orioles first baseman smashed 59 homers en route to a second-place finish in the All-Star Home Run Derby. (Read)

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ETCETERA

The year's best memes (so far).

America's best states to do business.

... and the country's most (and least) stressed-out cities.

Historians track down Leonardo da Vinci's living relatives.

Here's what goes into the world's most expensive fries.

Submersible startup OceanGate makes its first trip to the Titanic.

Naomi Osaka Barbie doll sells out in short order.

Storm chaser captures a quadruple microburst.

Clickbait: Brazilian president hospitalized after hiccupping for 10 days.

Historybook: Spanish explorer and conquistador Ponce de León dies (1521); Rosetta Stone is found in Egypt (1799); HBD journalist and businesswoman Arianna Huffington (1950); Fashion designer Gianni Versace is murdered (1997); Twitter is launched (2006).

"I am not interested in the past, except as the road to the future."

- Gianni Versace

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