ICYMI: Marsh misuse, historical heaps of misinformation, making tough decisions

    Here’s a look at some of the best stories you may have missed in the most recent edition of The Pulse.

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    1. Measuring the disappearing wetlands of the Mid-Atlantic

    Wetlands, historically seen as the smelly armpit of American habitat types, have more recently been heralded for the flood protection and water filtration work they do. Today, after centuries of development that has severely decreased their size, they face a different threat: sea level rise.

    Local ecologists are tracking the impact of sea level rise at sites in the Delaware Estuary and Barnegat Bay, in an effort to learn whether these fragile ecosystems will survive or be permanently flooded by rising seas.

    Read the full story to find out what they learned.

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    2. Can coffee cause yellow fever?

    Of course it can’t! But funny what a little bit of misinformation can do in the midst of an outbreak.

    The mosquito-borne illness shut down the federal government and caused 20,000 of the city’s 50,000 residents to flee. But it wasn’t insects that were catching the blame.

    In the space of two months, approximately 5,000 Philadelphians died of yellow fever. The mosquito-borne illness shut down the federal government and caused 20,000 of the city’s 50,000 residents to flee. But it wasn’t insects that were catching the blame.

    Find out more on this historical heap of misinformation.

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    3. Why shared decision making may not be that simple

    When there’s a big medical choice to be made, in recent years, there’s lots of support for shared decision making between doctor and patient.

    Experts are learning that individual patients have varying appetites for wading into the muck and detail of a complicated medical choice. Shared decision making between doctor and patient is the expectation. But sometimes, this is the reality: “I just want my doctor to tell me what to do, we heard that from a lot of patients.”

    Read the full story.

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