How Science Might Help Keep Wild Places Wild
In recent years, crowd control has become more of a science than an art, as recreation researchers have nudged the field toward more evidence-based approaches. Using various methods, a growing body of...
View ArticleAgency by Agency, Federal Data Collection Is Being Dismantled
By slashing teams that gather critical data, the Trump administration has left the federal government with no way of understanding if policies are working — and created a black hole of information...
View ArticleA Burning Question: The Risks of Incinerating Forever Chemicals
The science on PFAS incineration is relatively nascent, which leaves concerned citizens in limbo. Most research and regulation have focused on the compounds’ presence in water. But few studies have...
View ArticleThe Ripple Effects of Shrinking U.S. Science
What will a significantly smaller American scientific enterprise look like? C. Brandon Ogbunu writes that shrinking research funding will have negative effects across many parts of the scientific...
View ArticleExcerpt: (Don’t Be Squeamish) The Unlikely Cure for a Gut Disease
Many experiments have shown how the GI tract and its resident bacteria coexist in an intimate relationship that keeps us healthy. One striking example of the crucial role of gut flora is a treatment...
View ArticleCannabis Could Be Bad for Your Heart
A new study adds to the growing body of evidence linking the drug to negative cardiovascular outcomes. In this case, relatively young and healthy cannabis users were more likely to experience heart...
View ArticlePuzzling Scientists, HHS Bets on Old Vaccine Technology
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently shifted $500 million from a pandemic preparedness fund to a single nascent flu vaccine development program. But that vaccine relies on old technology and is just one of...
View ArticleHealth Experts Say: Don’t Abandon WHO, Reform It
Many public health experts have long criticized the World Health Organization, particularly for the agency’s slow response to certain global health crises. But even these observers say that the latest...
View ArticleForensic Science Faces an Identity Crisis
A debate is taking place within forensic science: Should scientists be immersed in a crime scene — forming hypotheses to be tested and directing evidence collection — or kept separate from it to avoid...
View ArticleBook Review: A Clear-Eyed Look at the Risks of ‘Diagnosis Creep’
In her new book, “The Age of Diagnosis,” neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan examines what she regards as an “overdiagnosis epidemic,” in which patients receive medical diagnoses that are technically...
View Article‘A New Era’ of Cancer Therapies
When it comes to cancer treatments, experts say that new therapies are beginning to surpass challenges that immunotherapies and other previous approaches couldn’t, providing safer, more targeted...
View ArticleA Possible SNAP Soda Ban Gains Momentum from MAHA
For years, health advocates have tried to stop SNAP funds from being spent on soda. Now, as the MAHA movement has prioritized the issue, four states so far have moved to ban soda from the program. But...
View ArticleThe Chilling Effect of DEI Crackdowns in Scientific Publishing
Trump’s executive orders are affecting how journals operate. Some researchers have raised alarms, claiming political interference when language related to gender and equity has been flagged. How will...
View ArticleSeeking A Better Alternative to Active-Shooter Drills
Many U.S. public schools run drills to prepare students for what to do if they’re confronted with an active shooter. But such drills show little evidence of preventing violence and can cause stress,...
View ArticleBook Review: A Skeptical Look at Grand Designs for the Future
In “More Everything Forever,” Adam Becker details a multitude of flaws in the grand designs of high-technology pioneers and other future-focused thinkers to transform the world to come, targeting not...
View ArticleThe EPA Plans to Vastly Change How It Studies Chemical Risks
Reorganizations at the EPA will likely gut the agency’s fundamental program for research on the health risks of toxic chemicals. Known as IRIS, the program exists solely to collate the best available...
View ArticleFacing Cuts, a Grim Future for America’s HIV Response
In March, the Trump administration cut at least 230 HIV-specific grants and reduced the number of HIV branch offices overseen by the CDC. With a proposed budget that further reduces HHS spending,...
View ArticleDecades On, SSRIs Remain Mired in Mystery and Debate
RFK Jr. has been critical of antidepressants, and experts now worry that the MAHA Commission could wage a war on SSRIs despite decades of study. But a small group of researchers have long questioned...
View ArticleWastewater Plants Could Protect Against PFAS Pollution
The Trump administration announced plans to roll back and delay standards that limit certain forever chemicals in drinking water. But under the Clean Water Act, wastewater treatment plants have the...
View ArticleFacing Cuts, a Grim Future for America’s HIV Response
In March, the Trump administration cut at least 230 HIV-specific grants and reduced the number of HIV branch offices overseen by the CDC. With a proposed budget that further reduces HHS spending,...
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