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StrokesA stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted, either by a blockage or bleeding. Each year, nearly 800,000 Americans experience a stroke—with about one happening every 40 seconds. While age is the greatest risk factor (stroke risk doubles each decade after 55), high blood pressure is the single most important controllable risk factor, contributing to both types of stroke. About 85% of cases are events called ischemic strokes, where blood clots block blood vessels that supply the brain. These clots can form locally or travel from elsewhere in the body. Less common (15% of cases) are hemorrhagic strokes, where blood vessels in the brain can rupture and bleed. Recovery after a stroke is highly variable and greatly depends on the stroke’s size and location. Many stroke survivors experience permanent weakness or paralysis, typically affecting one side of the body. Speech and language problems, as well as changes in memory and thinking abilities, are also common. Explore Strokes

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Sugar alcohols, a type of carbohydrate used as a sweetener, may elevate risk of heart attacks and strokesSold as erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol, and mannitol, these products—ones that aren't actually sugars or alcohol—are found naturally in certain fruits and vegetables. They are synthetically produced to be used at much higher levels as the sugar alternatives for sugar-free candies, cookies, and chewing gums. Erythritol and xylitol have been linked with elevated heart attack and stroke risks. Cleveland Clinic Daylight Saving Time is linked to a rise in heart attacks and strokesLosing an hour of sleep with seasonal time changes is not good for our health and it’s linked to risks for the first couple days of Daylight Saving Time, including a short-term rise in heart attacks and strokes. Scientists theorize these elevated risks are linked to the disruption to the body’s circadian rhythm. American Heart Association Ending daylight saving time may prevent as many as 300,000 strokes annuallyChanging clocks twice a year disrupts circadian rhythms, which last an average of 24 hours and 12 minutes. Studies have shown that permanent daylight saving time provides fewer health benefits than standard time. Popular Science Left versus right brain strokes vary significantly in long-term effectsDue to the high complexity of the brain, the aftereffects of a stroke can have widely different manifestations, ranging from minor temporary impairments to rapid death. Whether a stroke results in paralysis, speech impairments, loss of bodily function, or death will depend on whether it occurs in the left or right hemispheres or the brain stem. American Stroke Association Hemorrhagic strokes make up roughly 13% of stroke eventsA hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a faulty blood vessel within the brain bleeds. Though this is less common than an ischemic stroke, it is often far more deadly. This in-depth resource from the American Stroke Association provides a comprehensive overview of the two main subtypes of hemorrhagic stroke along with a useful animation of the condition. American Stroke Association Strokes are caused by abrupt stoppage of blood flow to the brainA stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted, either by a blockage (ischemic stroke) or bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke). Each year, nearly 800,000 Americans experience a stroke, with around 85% of them being ischemic. TED-Ed Flossing may lower the risk of strokesFlossing is known to advance teeth and gum health, but it also betters one’s brain and heart health. According to data from the American Heart Association, taking care of your teeth has cardiovascular benefits. A recent study showed that regular flossers experienced lower risks of strokes, highlighting a link between oral bacteria and stroke risk. Healthline Medical recognition of strokes stretches back to ancient GreeceEvery minute, 750 milliliters of blood flows to the brain, supplying 20% of the body’s oxygen. A sudden disruption—whether from a clot (ischemic stroke) or a bleed (hemorrhagic stroke)—can be life-threatening. From ancient Greek theories to modern CT and MRI scans, here’s how stroke science has evolved over time. 1440 Heat exhaustion is the most likely diagnosis if someone is talking clearlyHeatstroke, true to its name, looks more like a stroke. Its symptoms include severe disorientation, irritability, and seizures, among others. A patient does not need to have collapsed in order to have exertional heatstroke, but if someone is talking clearly, they likely have heat exhaustion, and it hasn't progressed to heatstroke. Rapid Response RN There's no cure for West Nile virus—and infection can leave patients with permanent symptomsThis news story features Marie Heilman, a woman who became ill at age 40 from an infected mosquito bite in her yard. She says she was in a coma for 15 days, and though she woke up, she suffers from seizures, fatigue, vision issues, and has had two strokes. ABC10 'The Empire Strikes Back' was influenced by 'Apocalypse Now,' a movie George Lucas was originally supposed to directLucas provided the name for the gritty movie about the Vietnam War (and was supposed to direct it before it was taken on by his friend, Francis Ford Coppola), but the 1980 installment in the "Star Wars" saga features several parallels to "Apocalypse Now," including the dark, mysterious setting and aerial fight scenes. CBR The Supreme Court extended the ban on discriminatory jury strikes to include gender in 1994In J.E.B. v. Alabama, the court ruled 6-3 that using peremptory challenges to exclude jurors based on sex violates the Equal Protection Clause, building on its 1986 Batson decision banning race-based strikes. Oyez A 1986 Supreme Court ruling prohibited race-based jury strikes, but racial imbalance in jury selection persistsBatson v. Kentucky banned prosecutors from excluding jurors on the basis of race, but critics say it backfired. Prosecutors often use race-neutral pretexts to remove potential jurors that judges rarely reject, and some courts have never found a violation of the ruling. NPR View summaries of the most common types of radioactive decay and their associated particlesThe alpha particle has the strongest ability to ionize other atoms it strikes, but it also does not travel very far before colliding with something and being absorbed. Gamma particles—high-energy photons—do not interact with matter as easily and therefore possess the greatest penetrating power, though this also makes their ionizing potential the smallest. Compound Interest Explore the gap in what Americans die from versus news coverage on death causesTop killers like heart disease, stroke, and liver disease, though they represent a significant burden nationally, are not often extensively covered in the media. Our World in Data Actress Carrie Fisher's mother died one day after she did, raising questions about grief's powerDebbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher's mother and also a famous actress, died from a stroke the day after Fisher died from a heart attack. According to her son, Reynolds had said "I want to be with Carrie" before her death. The Florida Times-Union Xylitol, a sugar alcohol, is sometimes added to foods at 1,000 times the level seen naturally in foodsThis article covers the latest research in sugar alcohols and heart health. Some work indicates that after consuming sugar alcohols erythritol or xylitol people are at an elevated risk of developing blood clots, which can cause heart attacks and strokes. Both substances occur in low levels naturally in fruits and vegetables and are also produced by the human body, but as sweeteners in foods they are present at exponentially higher levels. Consumer Reports In 2025, the 'two strikes and you're out' rule took effect to protect consumers from repeated attempts to withdraw moneyAfter years of being delayed by litigation, a 2024 US Supreme Court ruling upheld a law that prevents lenders from attempting to take payments from accounts with insufficient funds more than twice without reauthorization. This tactic is commonly used by payday loan companies, which technically require repayment on the day borrowers receive their paychecks. NPR The 2026 season will be the first to allow challenges on balls and strikesThe Automated Ball Strike (ABS) technology—first tested in the minor leagues and in MLB's 2025 spring training and All-Star Game—defines the strike zone rather than relying on individual umpires' interpretations of it. Rather than allowing ABS to determine every ball or strike, though, each team will now have a limited number of in-game challenges to umpires' calls, which will be settled by ABS. Yahoo Sports America's top causes of death are heart disease, cancer, accidents, and strokeHeart disease killed more than 680,000 people in 2023 and cancer killed around 613,000 people that year. Both causes of death are far above the next leading cause of death—accidents, which numbered around 223,000. Provisional data for 2024 indicates the leading causes of death remained the same. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Staying on standard time permanently would slightly reduce obesity and stroke riskA 2025 study that examined time changes found that permanently changing to standard time would slightly reduce obesity and stroke risk more than switching to permanent daylight saving time. Stanford Medicine Artificial lightning can improve the yield of shiitake mushroom growersResearchers have found that shockwaves produced from lightning strikes homogenously break internal filaments called hyphae, transitioning the mushrooms from a vegetative growth to a fruiting phase. Repeated minor shocks near mushroom logs mimicked this effect. Physics World On average, every in-service airplane is struck by lightning once a yearThe average strikes per surface area per year on Earth suggest that aircraft should only be struck once every 1,000 years, based on their size, but proximity to storm clouds' high electrical fields increases strike rates. Aircraft are designed as continuous conductive shells, causing electricity to flow along their exterior and preventing internal damage. Airbus Between 2006 and 2021, 444 people died from lightning strikes in the USThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that the odds of being struck by lightning in one's lifetime are one in 18,864. Participation in outdoor activities during the summer months in Florida, Texas, and Colorado increases one's risk of exposure. CDC Lightning forms when streams of rising and falling charged particles connectIn cloud-to-ground lightning, a buildup of negative charge at the bottom of clouds repels electrons on Earth's surface, leaving behind positively charged particles. When descending negatively charged air—the stepped leader—meets rising positively charged particles—the upward streamer—brightening runs up the connection, producing intense flashes known as return strokes. NOAA Light energy can be transformed into electricity in solar cells via the photovoltaic effectWhen light strikes semiconducting material, it can knock electrons out of atoms, creating a charge imbalance within the material. A wire connecting the oppositely charged regions can allow electrons to flow back, balancing the charges and producing an electric current that can be harnessed to power devices. The Engineering Mindset Researchers identify a hidden instability pattern in simple ocean wave modelsStokes waves—a solution to the mathematics of water waves—were once assumed to be stable. Italian mathematicians have proven disturbances cause these waves to collapse and such collapses follow an infinite repeating pattern. To complete the proof, the team offered a $100 donation to solicit online help. Quanta Magazine Some materials can absorb low-energy light and emit high-energy radiationThrough anti-Stokes cooling, incoming energy is combined with vibrations in a material's crystal lattice to produce a net reduction in its temperature. Using this effect, lasers can be directed at microchip hot spots to help keep data centers cool. IEEE Spectrum Iran’s 1979 revolution sparked a second oil shock—and reconfigured global energy marketsWidespread strikes in Iran’s oil sector during the 1978-79 revolution slashed production and triggered panic buying, flooding oil markets with fear. Brookings The Navier-Stokes equations are fundamentally accurate but unsolved in 3DThe equations model fluids and have been shown to have solutions for all systems in two dimensions. Averaging and approximations let the equations be used in climate models, aerodynamics, and medicine, though their use in some systems produces nonsensical answers. Numberphile The Navier-Stokes equations include the fluid version of Newton's second lawThe first equation is the fluid version of the conservation of mass, which prevents incompressible fluids from gaining or losing matter. The second equation replaces acceleration and inertia, which is resistance to acceleration, with fluid pressure and viscosity. Medium An eephus pitch catches batters by surprise The specialty pitch—rarely used by starters—is unexpectedly slow and thrown with an abnormally high arc, often catching batters off-guard. Below is one famous example from 1981: Yankees pitcher Dave LaRoche striking out the Brewers' Gorman Thomas with an eephus that fans called the "La Lob." MLB Arteries with microplastic deposits linked to higher risk of cardiovascular eventsResearch shows that microplastics and nanoplastics can accumulate in major arteries, and patients with these deposits are significantly more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes, or death. These deposits are possible due to these particles' ability to cross blood barriers. New York-Presbyterian Memory disorders disrupt the brain's ability to make, store, or recall memoriesThese disorders stem from reversible issues like vitamin deficiencies or irreversible causes such as stroke or dementia. Only one type of dementia—familial Alzheimer’s disease—is directly inherited and accounts for about 20% of Alzheimer’s cases. Healthline Someone suffers from a stroke every 40 secondsEvery 40 seconds, someone in the US experiences a stroke—and every minute without treatment destroys millions of brain cells. This explainer breaks down the two main types of strokes, their risk factors, and how early detection could change outcomes in the future. 1440 Take a quiz to discover your brain care scoreEach year, nearly 800,000 Americans have a stroke. With such a high occurrence rate, you may be asking yourself what you could do now to prevent a future stroke. Researchers at Harvard collaborated to answer this question by coming up with a "Brain Care" scoring system. Take the quiz to learn the quality of your brain health today and pick up helpful insights to lower your risk of stroke and dementia well into the future. Harvard University Using AI to restore speech 30 years after a strokeThrough a novel surgical procedure involving electrodes implanted in the brain, along with the help of artificial intelligence, a stroke patient is regaining her ability to speak. This technology converts her thoughts into speech through a digital avatar, allowing her to verbally express herself for the first time in decades. UC San Francisco A brain scientist's experience with a strokeWhat happens when a leading brain scientist has a stroke of her own? Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor recounts moment by moment watching her brain function slow and then cease, followed by a prolonged recovery. Through this experience, she details what she learned about the phenomenon of stroke and how it has impacted her research ever since. TED 'FAST': An acronym to remember stroke symptoms to look forThe primary factor in surviving a stroke is how quickly one gets the appropriate medical treatment. “FAST” refers to the four most noticeable symptoms of a stroke: face-dropping ("F"), arm weakness ("A"), speech difficulty ("S"), and "time to call 911" ("T"). American Stroke Association How tPA, which helps dissolve blood clots, can lessen the severity of a strokeOne of the most exciting recent advances in treating stroke is a medication known as tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA. It is only effective for use in some ischemic strokes, and it must be delivered within 4.5 hours of symptom onset to have a chance at working. Barrow Neurological Institute An estimated 2 million brain cells die each minute a stroke goes untreatedModern stroke treatment is a delicate balance between obtaining an accurate diagnosis and delivering treatment quickly. Each stroke has its own cause, and the appropriate treatment must be paired with the correct diagnosis to prevent further harm. Typical treatments pair emergency surgery to relieve the affected area and long-term regimens to avoid recurrence. NIH Visualizing a stroke at the microscopic level By far the most common type of stroke is what is known as an ischemic stroke. This occurs due to either an embolus (a blood clot that travels to the brain from elsewhere in the body) or a thrombus (a blockage that forms within the brain itself). Dr. Paulien Moyaert Stroke risk doubles each decade after age 55While age is the greatest risk factor, genetics, diet, and overall health play a prominent role in determining individual stroke risk. Prevention focuses heavily on modifiable risk factors. High blood pressure is the single most important controllable risk factor, contributing to both types of stroke. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The economic impact of the Hollywood strikesThe 2023 strikes in Hollywood resulted in significant wins for the WGA, DGA, and SAG-AFTRA unions. Workers were promised to receive bonuses that allowed them to benefit from high-performing streaming shows and films. This article shares how the rewards have been distributed to union members since their implementation. See a breakdown of the bonuses for each union, how the industry has improved, and the challenges some members still face. The Hollywood Reporter Research suggests Ozempic has benefits beyond weight lossSemaglutide, the key ingredient in Ozempic, is proving to be more than just a diabetes and weight loss drug. Research suggests it may also help prevent strokes, improve heart health, and slow Alzheimer’s. 1440 Daily Overwork contributes to thousands of worker deathsCan work really kill you? The World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization have estimated that long work hours contribute to thousands of death from strokes and heart attacks each year. This BBC article argues that the culture of overwork and burnout is leading to a public health crisis in desperate need of solutions. BBC News The story of Marion Stokes, a woman who taped 30 years of TVMarion Stokes was an activist archivist frustrated at the lack of a record or access to what was broadcast on TV. So in 1975, Stokes began taping the broadcasts, day and night, 24 hours a day, and continued to do so for 30 years, racking up over 70,000 tapes that span the Iran Contra crisis to the evolution of cable news. Read about her fascinating story here. Atlas Obscura The potential of virtual reality in healthcareVirtual reality (VR) is carving new frontiers in healthcare, from aiding in stroke recovery to training medical professionals. This article in Time Magazine highlights the innovative uses of VR in medical settings, including its potential and current limitations. Time Track lightning strikes around the worldThe Blitzortung platform triangulates the positions of this phenomenon from stations that detect atmospheric interference in low-frequency signals that are characteristic of lightning strikes. A network of nearly 2,000 stations transmits the required data to a central server, where its software performs these calculations and generates the subsequent visualization. Blitzortung.org Solar energy alone can fully power the world if transmission hurdles can be resolvedWhen light strikes a photovoltaic cell, electrons are loosened, which travel through a circuit where the energy can be used. Distributing energy from high solar intensity regions and storing energy for non-daylight hours is logistically challenging and costly. TED Talks

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