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Aid groups can't get food, vaccines, or medicine into Yemen

The health crisis in Yemen is growing increasingly dire. Many of the country’s ports and its air space have been closed amid the ongoing civil war, and health officials say that’s left millions of people without access to medicines, vaccines, and food. Yemen has already been hit hard by a cholera outbreak that topped more than 900,000 suspected cases, and while the number of new cases is on the decline, there’s concern that restricting access to vaccines and other supplies could reverse that trend. The WHO says nearly 15 million people in Yemen are without basic health care and nearly 400,000 children are at risk of severe, acute malnutrition. Officials at the WHO are calling for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the country immediately.

CRISPR gets a closer look at religion conference

There's groundbreaking research happening in genome editing, but that work is forcing the public to start weighing some lofty ethical questions. Today, experts are taking a look at the possibility of genetically modifying the human germline — changing genes in a way that’ll get passed down from one generation to the next — through the lens of religion and bioethics. It’s part of the American Academy of Religion conference happening this weekend. The panel includes MIT biologist Richard Hynes, who spearheaded the recent National Academies report on gene editing, along with bioethics expert Laurie Zoloth, who serves as the dean of the University of Chicago Divinity School. The agenda touches on a handful of big topics, including which modifications to the germline, if any, are acceptable. You can watch the discussion live here starting at 2:30p.m. ET.

Older adults in the U.S. are sicker than their peers

(me / stat)

Older adults in the U.S. are sicker and face more financial barriers to health care than their peers in other wealthy countries — even though they have universal coverage under Medicare. A new analysis in Health Affairs finds that 36 percent of people age 65 and older in the U.S. have three or more chronic conditions, compared to just 13 percent in New Zealand. The researchers behind the new report say that's likely due to gaps in coverage and preventive care during their working years, which leave adults with unmanaged chronic conditions by the time they get into the Medicare system. The study also found that nearly one-quarter of those U.S. adults said they’d dodged going to the doctor when they were sick or skipped medical tests or prescriptions due to cost.

Destination Medical Center is building America’s city for health in Rochester, MN.

In the middle of innovation, medicine, growth, and so much more, Destination Medical Center (DMC) is transforming Rochester, MN. DMC is a 20-year, $5.6 billion economic development plan set to bring talent, jobs, and investments to America’s City for Health. Together, DMC and Mayo Clinic are accelerating new advancements in life science research, medical technology, patient care, and education. DMC creates the opportunity for entrepreneurs and established businesses to be part of something big.

Inside STAT: Making music out of microbes

David Kong and his team are making music. But instead of sampling beats, they're sampling bacteria. Kong, who runs a new community biotech initiative at MIT, is leading an artistic project called Biota Beats that translates bacterial samples into the layers of a song. "We thought this would be a really, really wonderful way to engage the broader public and get them excited about science through music,” Kong says. In a new video STAT's Hyacinth Empinado takes a look at how Kong and his crew make the music — watch here.

We're all really bad at eating our vegetables

Just 9 percent of adults in the U.S. eat the recommended two to three cups of vegetables per day, according to a new report from the CDC. We don't fare much better when it comes to fruit: Just 12 percent of adults get the recommended 1 ½ to 2 cups per day of fruit. The report also found that avocado toast isn't cutting it — veggie consumption was lower among young adults than other age groups.

Medical supplies delivered to Iran after earthquake

Global aid groups are stepping in to provide medical supplies to the thousands of people injured in a massive earthquake near the Iran-Iraq border earlier this week. The WHO airlifted trauma kits that can be used in surgery to the region, and says it has more kits at the ready in neighboring countries if health facilities are short on supplies. It’s estimated that nearly 9,400 people were injured in the earthquake, many of them seriously. Dozens of health facilities were also damaged in the earthquake, though the agency says all but one have been able to remain open.

More than half of doctors say they've been sued

An estimated 55 percent of physicians have been sued for malpractice, according to a new survey from Medscape. The doctors sued most often: surgeons and obstetrician-gynecologists, while psychiatrists and dermatologists were least likely to be sued. The bulk of those lawsuits were based on a failure to diagnose a disease or complications from a treatment or a surgery. And while most of those suits are settled, dismissed, or determined in a physician’s favor, doctors often said they would’ve done things differently — 22 percent said they would’ve completed charts another way, and 10 percent said they would’ve ordered more tests to cover their bases in case a malpractice suit was filed.