COVID-19 can lead to significant drops in IQ

+ McConnell will step down as GOP leader US Edition - Today's top story: Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including with significant drops in IQ scores [View in browser]( US Edition | 29 February 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Biden and Trump descend upon ground zero of the immigration crisis]( - [Supreme Court will decide whether Trump can be prosecuted]( - [University of Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark makes history]( Lead story During the earliest days of the pandemic, doctors and researchers were focused on understanding how the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus invades and damages the lungs. But reports of fatigue, brain fog and other cognitive concerns quickly drew attention to a much less intuitive outcome from a respiratory virus – that it could leave an indelible mark on the brain. As the months and years wore on, these harmful effects on the brain – even in cases of mild infection from the virus – came into sharper focus, and the term “long COVID” became an all-too-common part of the pandemic lexicon. Now, two new studies in the New England Journal of Medicine are adding another layer to an already bleak picture about how COVID-19 can alter brain structure, function and overall mental health, including significant drops in IQ and reduced memory for years following infection. Physician scientist and long-COVID researcher Ziyad Al-Aly [puts these new studies into context]( and explores the far-reaching implications for individuals, society and the economy. [ [Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails).]([]]( Amanda Mascarelli Senior Health and Medicine Editor Research shows that even mild COVID-19 can lead to the equivalent of seven years of brain aging. Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images [Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including with significant drops in IQ scores]( Ziyad Al-Aly, Washington University in St. Louis Two new high-profile studies add to the increasingly worrisome picture of how even mild cases of COVID-19 can have detrimental effects on brain health. Politics + Society - [This is Texas hold ‘em – why Texas is fighting the US government to secure its border with Mexico]( Mark P Jones, Rice University Texans’ belief in their state’s exceptionalism has helped fuel support for the Republican state government trying to take border security and immigration enforcement into its own hands. - [Sen. Mitch McConnell’s legacy is the current Supreme Court and a judiciary reshaped by his ‘calculated audacity’]( Al Cross, University of Kentucky Mitch McConnell, who has announced he will step down from his role as Senate GOP leader, was an uncharismatic Kentucky lawyer who came to rule the Senate and remake the US Supreme Court. - [Can Trump be prosecuted? Supreme Court will take up precedent-setting case to define the limits of presidential immunity]( Claire Wofford, College of Charleston In a case that will make legal and political history, the US Supreme Court will consider whether Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for his alleged effort to undermine the 2020 election. Arts + Culture - [Caitlin Clark’s historic scoring record shines a spotlight on the history of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women]( Diane Williams, McDaniel College Before being pushed aside by the NCAA, the AIAW, which was designed for and by women, governed women’s college athletics. Economy + Business - [How Russia has managed to shake off the impact of sanctions – with a little help from its friends]( Keith A. Preble, Miami University; Charmaine N. Willis, Skidmore College The US has imposed another round of sanctions following the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. But will it work? Science + Technology - [What is IVF? A nurse explains the evolving science and legality of in vitro fertilization]( Heidi Collins Fantasia, UMass Lowell IVF is a decades-old procedure that has allowed increasing numbers of prospective parents to have children. Evolving legislation may put it under threat. - [We’ve been here before: AI promised humanlike machines – in 1958]( Danielle Williams, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Enthusiasm for the capabilities of artificial intelligence – and claims for the approach of humanlike prowess –has followed a boom-and-bust cycle since the middle of the 20th century. Environment + Energy - [Climate comedy works − here’s why, and how it can help lighten up a politically heavy year in 2024]( Maxwell Boykoff, University of Colorado Boulder; Beth Osnes, University of Colorado Boulder Jokes can be a healing contagion as they expose hypocrisy, spark laughter and open minds. Ethics + Religion - [Bias hiding in plain sight: Decades of analyses suggest US media skews anti-Palestinian]( Natalie Khazaal, Georgia Institute of Technology How the media talks about suffering on one side compared with the other can often reveal bias in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict coverage, writes a scholar of media bias and the Arab world. Education - [How teens benefit from being able to read ‘disturbing’ books that some want to ban]( Gay Ivey, University of North Carolina – Greensboro Amid calls to ban certain books from libraries and schools, research shows that students benefit when they have the ability to choose which materials they want to read. Podcast 🎙️ - [A personal tale of intellectual humility – and the rewards of being open-minded]( Gemma Ware, The Conversation Daryl Van Tongeren explains what it means to be intellectually humble, and why it’s so important right now on The Conversation Weekly podcast. Trending on site - [Where does lightning strike? New maps pinpoint 36.8 million yearly ground strike points in unprecedented detail]( - [Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny, steps forward to lead the Russian opposition – 3 points to understand]( - [Omega-3 fatty acids are linked to better lung health, particularly in patients with pulmonary fibrosis]( Today's graphic 📈 [A map of the United States with each county color-coded according to whether they violate the new EPA standard for the concentration of fine particulate matter. Many of the counties that violate this new standard are on the west coast. Among 500-plus U.S. counties with air monitoring, 120 fail to meet the new PM2.5 standard of 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air based on 2020-2022 data. The previous standard was 12.]( From the story, [EPA has tightened its target for deadly particle pollution − states need more tools to reach it]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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