US Edition - Today's top story: Professional gaming is brutal on the body – inside the growing field of treating esports injuries August 28, 2026 US Edition   Top headlines What Galápagos corals reveal about El Niño and global warming Dolly Parton was not only a musical idol, but a spiritual one, too A big news week – but how much can you actually remember? Lead story This fall, the U.S. will be hosting the League of Legends World Championship for the fifth time. In cities across the country, 20 teams of five players will participate in the three-stage tournament of the popular online game, battling one another to destroy the opposing team’s base. With millions of dollars in prize money at stake, teams are doing everything they can to prepare – and that includes staying healthy. Temple University exercise science scholar Erica D. Henn explains how top esports squads now have training facilities, coaches, massage therapists and psychologists. A bad case of “gamer’s thumb” can keep a star player sidelined for months, while chronic wrist injuries have derailed careers. There’s even the more serious risk of developing deep vein thrombosis. “Video games have a reputation for keeping people glued to the couch,” Henn writes. “But for those who compete against the best players in the world, gaming can be surprisingly physically and mentally taxing.” [ Go past the hype about AI with our weekly newsletter. ]   Nick Lehr Senior Arts + Culture Editor   A Taiwanese gamer from the esports team Flash Wolves takes pills during a training session for the ‘League of Legends’ World Championship at a boot camp in Shanghai. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images Professional gaming is brutal on the body – inside the growing field of treating esports injuries Erica D. Henn, Temple University Gamers face eye strain, repetitive-use conditions, back problems and even blood clots. Lessons from music, dance and car racing can help prevent and treat these injuries. Environment + Energy Galápagos corals show El Niño events are more extreme now than in past 1,000 years – here’s how my team made the discovery Julia Cole, University of Michigan Scientists went to the heart of the El Niño pattern to learn from living and fossil corals. The results show El Niño’s intensifying coincides with global warming. Ethics + Religion Dolly Parton was more than a musical idol – for some fans, she was a spiritual icon Sarah Dees, Iowa State University The legendary singer took on a saint-like aura for some fans. Health + Medicine ‘Must I take all my antibiotics?’ Why infectious disease experts are rethinking this longstanding rule Amy J. Mathers, University of Virginia For some illnesses, shorter courses of antibiotics work just as well as longer ones, but researchers are still working out the ideal timescales for many infections – and it may not line up with when you feel better. Science + Technology Communicating uncertainty in research is hard, so we worked on how best to do it – here’s what you can watch out for Matthew Facciani, Yale University; Aleeza Gerstein, University of Manitoba; Kristi Heather Kenyon, University of Winnipeg; S. Michelle Driedger, University of Manitoba Uncertainty is part of the scientific process, and it’s not a bad thing – it’s where future discoveries can happen. Politics + Society Immigration enforcement is supplying a long-standing economic market for prisoners Ella Siegrist, Washington University in St. Louis Rural places have long built and expanded prisons to tap federal funds during hard times. Revolutionary War battlefields often romanticize combat, but this mass grave just outside Philadelphia shows the violence soldiers actually experienced Jennifer Janofsky, Rowan University; Wade Catts, Rowan University A team of historians, archaeologists and forensic anthropologists is trying to identify 15 German soldiers who were unceremoniously dumped in a ditch after trying to help the British capture Philadelphia. Economy + Business US-Canada trade war deepens as Trump revives Depression-era trade tool – what’s at stake for consumers and the midterms Kent Jones, Babson College Trump’s use of a trade tool created during the Great Depression helped trigger a trade war between the two border countries, with few signs of de-escalation in sight. Making the Fed more accountable to Congress and the public may be just what it needs to fend off Trump’s threats to its independence Simon Bowmaker, New York University; Paul Wachtel, New York University The Federal Reserve is much more powerful than it was 20 years ago, which has prompted calls for a reset in how it answers to Congress and the public. International