A Common Gene Test Could Save Lives From Chemo Drug Overdose
The chemotherapy drug fluorouracil, known as 5-FU, kills an estimated 1 in 1,000 patients, but a gene test can often uncover those who may be at risk of death or severe side effects. With only 3...
View ArticleThe Contested World of Classifying Life on Earth
There exists no single, unified list of all species. Taxonomists in different fields don’t always define specimens the same way; a single organism might have multiple scientific names, or, conversely,...
View ArticleWhen Infection Sparks Obsession: PANDAS and PANS
In 1998, a publication detailed how a child’s behavior could change alarmingly after a strep infection. It stirred controversy, and many doctors still hesitate to diagnose or treat the condition,...
View ArticleDo ‘Griefbots’ Help Mourners Deal With Loss?
AI-driven chatbots for bereaved people simulate interactions with lost loved ones based on their emails, texts, voice recordings, and more. The companies that make these so-called “griefbots” claim...
View ArticleInterview: Puncturing Misconceptions About Vaccine Hesitancy
David M. Higgins, a pediatrician and author of a recent essay in The New England Journal of Medicine, argues that the popular belief that parental hesitancy about routine childhood vaccines has become...
View ArticleThe Genetic Net: Tracking Insects — and Biodiversity — with eDNA
Few tools measure biodiversity on a grand scale, and there’s still much scientists don’t know despite the intrinsic role that insects, particularly pollinators, play in the ecosystem. Most of those...
View ArticleA Polluted Peruvian City Prevails in International Court
A landmark ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ordered the government of Peru to provide free medical care and compensation to 80 people impacted by a smelting and refining plant....
View ArticleThe Quest to Find and Identify Missing Persons
Scientists are testing environmental DNA as a tool to help search for, locate, and repatriate lost soldiers’ remains. The research is still in the fledgling stages, but if the findings prove promising,...
View ArticleCan a ‘Net-Zero’ World Lead to True Sustainability?
Ambitious plans to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions across the economy focus on engineering solutions such as carbon capture. But to achieve true sustainability, society must look beyond...
View ArticleWhen Dementia Strikes a Beloved Writer
Beloved Nobel Prize-winning writer Gabriel García Márquez wanted his last book — which he wrote as dementia set in — to be destroyed. But “Until August” was posthumously published last month, providing...
View ArticleLow-frequency Noise is Pervasive. Does That Matter?
Unlike high-frequency sounds, low-frequency waves can penetrate walls and carry farther distances. The research on low-frequencies is also thinner, but some experts say they can be a health hazard,...
View ArticleIn Two States, Transforming the Model for Palliative Care
Palliative care provides a constellation of services to people with serious or chronic illness, not just end-of-life care. As two states pioneer was to expand access, a growing body of research shows...
View ArticleBrushing with Bacteria: The Debate Over a GMO Tooth Microbe
One startup has said a genetically modified microbe could prevent cavities. Experts, though, have safety and ethical concerns: The treatment has never been tested on humans in a clinical study. There’s...
View ArticleAI Won’t Fix Animal Agriculture
Precision livestock farming tools that make use of artificial intelligence offer a way to continuously and precisely monitor animals in real time. But to a group of scientists who advocate for a move...
View ArticleIn Two States, Transforming the Model for Palliative Care
Palliative care provides a constellation of services to people with serious or chronic illness, not just end-of-life care. As two states pioneer was to expand access, a growing body of research shows...
View ArticleBook Review: A New Chapter in the Quest for a Longer Life
Can scientists unlock the keys to a longer life? The field is flush with hope and hype. In “Why We Die,” biologist and Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan explores the science of aging, and helps readers...
View ArticleIn Two States, Transforming the Model for Palliative Care
Palliative care provides a constellation of services to people with serious or chronic illness, not just end-of-life care. As two states pioneer was to expand access, a growing body of research shows...
View ArticleProtecting the Darkness in Chile’s Atacama Desert
The Atacama boasts high altitudes and clear skies, making it a haven for stargazing. And by 2030, Chile will be home to almost 70 percent of the world’s astronomical infrastructure. Light pollution,...
View ArticleAmid Water Crisis, Mexico City’s Metro System Is Sinking Unevenly
Propelled by the draining of local aquifers, Mexico City’s land is sinking fast. New research surveys how uneven changes in the landscape are impacting the sprawling transportation system — a problem...
View ArticleThe Lasting Impact of Exposure to Gun Violence
The long-term effects of firearm violence in urban communities — and among young people in particular — are understudied, researchers say. But several recent papers use new methods and datasets to...
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