GoKawiil
Tech News
A Yakima County resident with underlying health conditions has died after contracting H5 avian influenza from an infected dairy farm, state health officials said Sunday, marking the third US death since the virus began spreading to cattle in March 2024. Officials also announced a third bird flu case in the county, linked to the same dairy herd exposure, though that person was not hospitalized.
Washington state health officials published a study in NEJM Evidence showing that a measles outbreak in South Carolina, which began in October 2025 and ended in April 2026 with 997 cases, spread to Washington through five separate importation events within a two-week span in January. Those introductions led to 26 cases among Washington residents before health authorities contained the spread, with whole genome sequencing confirming the virus arrived independently multiple times rather than spreading from a single source.
Medical experts in Washington state have observed an increase in H1N1 flu infections, linked to a new mutation that helps the virus evade certain immune defenses. This development could lead to a more severe flu season.
Amazon has agreed to pay $309.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging it failed to properly refund customers for returned items between September 2017 and February 2025. The suit argued these practices violated Washington state law, and most eligible customers will automatically receive payouts, while others must submit claim forms with documentation.
Researchers led by Kanako Hayashi at Washington State University modified niclosamide, an existing anti-parasitic drug, to target cells involved in endometriosis lesions and tested it in mice. The study, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, found the altered compound reduced disease activity without relying on surgery or hormone therapy, the two main current treatment approaches.
Okanagan Specialty Fruits, which farms over 1,250 acres of apple orchards in Washington State, is testing camera-based AI from Canadian firm Vivid Machines to forecast crop yields and optimal harvest dates. The cameras, mounted on tractors, capture images of trees so AI can identify buds, flowers and fruit, producing crop estimates alongside weather-informed harvest timing. Company representative Joel Carter says the system catches small flower buds humans might miss, though forecast accuracy depends on the quality of historical data fed into it.
Washington State University researcher Cameron Peace, while analyzing DNA samples sent by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association from trees on abandoned farms, found that one sample matched a long-predicted but never-located ancestor in his North American apple pedigree database. The discovery means a living tree in Maine has been quietly passing traits like flavor, hardiness and disease resistance to hundreds of modern apple varieties for centuries.
A study found Seattle hosts roughly nine times more coyotes per area than nearby wild lands in Washington state. Researchers attribute the surge to the abundance of easy food sources in urban environments, which reduces the need for coyotes to hunt as extensively as their rural counterparts.