Book Review: How to Confront the Fear of Cancer
In “Curing Cancerphobia,” risk expert David Ropeik takes a deep dive into the world of cancer screening and raises a troubling question: Has screening, despite its clear benefits, inadvertently created...
View ArticleWhen Addiction Treatment Fails, Can a Brain Implant Succeed?
Some neurosurgeons have begun to offer deep brain stimulation, which uses implanted electrodes to tamp down problematic neural signals, as a last-ditch treatment for people struggling with opioid use....
View ArticleFor India’s Millions of Farm Workers, a ‘Drone Revolution’ Looms
Despite the steep price, some Indian landowners are turning to drones to spray their fields. The tech is faster and more efficient than laborers, and is adaptable to a wide range of farm duties. As the...
View ArticleThe Hidden Racial Bias in U.S. Lung Cancer Screening Policy
Preventive lung cancer screening is seen as a key first line of defense against a disease that kills more than 120,000 Americans a year. But research suggests the criteria widely used to decide who can...
View ArticleLawyers and Legal Reformers are Keeping a Close Eye on AI
Legal professionals are already using generative AI to help review documents and automate parts of their work. Reform advocates hope that the cost savings will translate to greater access to legal...
View ArticleBook Review: Decoding the Reign of the Algorithm
In “Filterworld,” Kyle Chayka explores the many ways in which algorithm-driven online content has reshaped our lives, arguing that the addictive nature of social media and tailored feeds have bled...
View ArticleRise of the Lone Star Tick Brings New Disease Threats
The lone star tick is expanding northward, bringing novel maladies, from a meat allergy to the Bourbon virus. And in some regions, they’re threatening to topple the better-known blacklegged tick, which...
View ArticlePolice Turn to AI to Review Bodycam Footage
Body cameras were pitched by law enforcement authorities as a tool for building public trust between police and their communities in the wake of police killings of civilians like Michael Brown. But a...
View ArticleBuilding Durable Basketball Players, From the Ground Up (Way Up)
Elite basketball puts a lot of strain on the body, and in the NBA, injuries are on the rise. An uptick in injury may be occurring among younger amateur players, too. In response, researchers are...
View ArticleAnorexia Should Never Be Considered a Terminal Illness
Less than half of those diagnosed with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa fully recover. Now, some psychiatrists are suggesting that some people cannot be cured and should be given palliative care....
View ArticleFor India’s Millions of Farm Workers, a ‘Drone Revolution’ Looms
Despite the steep price, some Indian landowners are turning to drones to spray their fields. The tech is faster and more efficient than laborers, and is adaptable to a wide range of farm duties. As the...
View ArticleHow a Nuclear Weapons Lab Helped Crack a Serial-Killer Case
When California law-enforcement authorities were looking for a breakthrough in a notorious 1990s serial-murder case, they turned to an unlikely ally for help: the Forensic Science Center at Lawrence...
View ArticleFor India’s Millions of Farm Workers, a ‘Drone Revolution’ Looms
Despite the steep price, some Indian landowners are turning to drones to spray their fields. The tech is faster and more efficient than laborers, and is adaptable to a wide range of farm duties. As the...
View ArticleHow a Nuclear Weapons Lab Helped Crack a Serial-Killer Case
When California law-enforcement authorities were looking for a breakthrough in a notorious 1990s serial-murder case, they turned to an unlikely ally for help: the Forensic Science Center at Lawrence...
View ArticleFor India’s Millions of Farm Workers, a ‘Drone Revolution’ Looms
Despite the steep price, some Indian landowners are turning to drones to spray their fields. The tech is faster and more efficient than laborers, and is adaptable to a wide range of farm duties. As the...
View ArticleFor India’s Millions of Farm Workers, a ‘Drone Revolution’ Looms
Despite the steep price, some Indian landowners are turning to drones to spray their fields. The tech is faster and more efficient than laborers, and is adaptable to a wide range of farm duties. As the...
View ArticleEnvironmental DNA Is Everywhere. Scientists Are Gathering It All.
By sampling eDNA, or mixtures of genetic material, in water, soil, ice cores, cotton swabs, dead human bodies, or practically any environment imaginable, even thin air, it is now possible to search for...
View ArticleWomen and Minorities Bear the Brunt of Medical Misdiagnosis
Some 12 million U.S. adults are misdiagnosed every year, resulting in ICU admissions and deaths. But recent research has uncovered a disproportionate toll: Women and racial and ethnic minorities are 20...
View ArticleThe Revolution of Environmental DNA
In a six-part series, Undark explores the origins of environmental DNA collection. With new applications on the horizon, the eDNA era is raising keen hopes (and some nagging worries) about a technology...
View ArticleThe Uncharted World of Emerging Pathogens
The pandemic catalyzed a push for new technologies to help track viruses. Now, scientists around the world can sample environmental DNA from a cup of dirt, a vial of water, or even a puff of air. As a...
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