Morning Break: Obama and the Brain; Pokemon Go Bonus; DEA Backpedals on Kratom



President Barack Obama will join Atul Gwande in a conversation about brain science. It's happening today at the White House and is part of the ongoing "Precision Medicine" initiative. Do you think they will mention the election? (via Megan Thielking STAT Morning Rounds)

An unexpected boon for Pokemon Go users: it turns out they increased their daily "steps" by 26% while using the app compared to average steps before Pokemon Go. That, CNN reports, could work out to an additional 2.83 million years to users' lives.

Responding to intense public pressure, the DEA is backpedaling on its decision to ban Kratom. (Washington Post)

These 10 drugs are slamming U.S. hospital budgets, according to a report from the hospital trade groups AHA and FAH. (Forbes)

More people in the U.S. than ever before believe pot should be legalized. That percentage now stands at 57%, up from just 32% a decade ago. (Pew Research Center)

ZMapp reduced the relative risk of dying from Ebola by 40%, but the trial failed to reach a prespecified statistical benchmark for efficacy. (MedPage Today)

Scientists have used CRISPR-Cas9 to edit red blood cells in sickle cell disease in mice. (STAT News)

Drug coupons may be making healthcare costs higher for everyone. Two new papers are the first to estimate those numbers. (The New York Times)

Playing elite soccer may boost arthritis risk, but it's hard to say because the quality of the evidence is tremendously low. (Reuters)

Sexy robots feared by some as "the impending demise of the human species" will never ruin intimacy, according to this op-ed. (Washington Post)
