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Oil Prices Are Spiking — Here's What It Means for Your Gas Tank and Grocery Bill

  Published July 17, 2026 Crude oil is trading near one-month highs this week, and if you've filled up your tank recently, you've probably already felt it. The culprit: an escalating conflict in the Middle East that's disrupting one of the world's most important oil shipping routes — and it's starting to show up at Canadian pumps and, eventually, on grocery store shelves. What's happening with oil prices West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the North American benchmark, has been trading around the $79–$80 per barrel range this week — up roughly 5% over the past month. Brent crude, the global benchmark that matters more for what Canadians pay at the pump, has been hovering near $85 per barrel, also near a one-month high. The spike traces back to renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and has intensified strikes, while Iran has responded with attacks on U.S. bases and threats to disrupt regional energy shipments further. ...

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Alzheimer’s vaccines get a boost from new drug approval

 

After decades of disappointment and controversy, the field of Alzheimer’s disease research has finally seen a breakthrough with the approval of the first drug that targets the underlying pathology of the condition. 

Aducanumab, a monoclonal antibody that clears amyloid plaques from the brain, was granted accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration in June 2021, despite mixed results from clinical trials and objections from some experts. 

The drug’s approval has rekindled interest in other therapeutic approaches that aim to prevent or slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s, such as vaccines that stimulate the immune system to attack amyloid or tau, another protein that accumulates in the brains of people with the disease. 

Several vaccine candidates are currently in various stages of development and testing, and some researchers are optimistic that they could offer a more effective and convenient way to treat Alzheimer’s than infusions of antibodies.


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