• A team of UCSF scientists is getting closer to explaining why some people experience "brain fog" after recovering from COVID-19. "It’s possible that the immune system, stimulated by the virus, maybe functioning in an unintended pathological way,” said Joanna Hellmuth, who's the principal investigator of the UCSF Coronavirus Neurocognitive Study and is also affiliated with the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences; the participating scientists discovered that collected cerebrospinal fluid from subjects hinted at a "systemic inflammatory response" in brain tissue, helping to further explain why this post-COVID "brain fog" is so notable. [UCSF]
• An Asian American man was recently "pistol-whipped and shot at" for his Rolex watch by two men while at Mint Plaza looking for an apartment; according to ABC7, the man now plans to move to either Texas or Spain. [ABC7]
• The SF District Attorney’s Office charged this week charged 28-year-old Brian Michael Cook with a misdemeanor in animal cruelty for repeatedly abusing his four-month-old puppy; the dog is being treated by San Francisco Animal Care & Control and is expected to make a full recovery. [KRON4]
• Looks like we can expect some Bay Area rain to come our way next month, after all. [Twitter]
• With the school week coming to a close, Oakland Unified School District high schoolers boycotting the district for unsafe learning conditions amid COVID-19 are apparently no closer to having their demands met. [Oaklandside]
• Not exactly a shocker: Recent studies have confirmed pesticide and fungicide runoffs in the Amazon are not only stunting forest growth, but are decimating native invertebrate populations — which could cause a massive loss in biodiversity over the coming decades. [Mongabay]
• Various cryptocurrencies dropped nearly 20% today; the Nasdaq Composite Index fell more than 10% from its most recent high this week on Friday; all signs are showing that the market is off to its worst start of a year since 2016. [NYT]

Photo: Getty Images/JasonDoiy