Unraveling the Mystery of ‘Deadly Dreams’ Syndrome
Thanks to a European doctor's pioneering work, a strange disease called Brugada Syndrome that afflicts patients with structurally sound hearts has been identified from Southeast Asia to Europe to the...
View ArticleEp. 35: Listening to Glaciers, Overcoming Addiction, and Saving a ‘Marine...
Join journalist and author Seth Mnookin as he chats with reporter Courtenay Harris Bond about the efficacy of medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders. Also: a novel method for...
View ArticleIn Anti-Vaxxer Hot Spot, Measles Continues to Spread
Some 40 cases of measles have been confirmed in an outbreak spreading in the Pacific Northwest. At least 32 of those infected had not been vaccinated against the respiratory disease, which in rare...
View ArticlePolicing Big Pharma’s Influence Over Doctors’ Treatment Guidelines
It's no secret that pharmaceutical companies pay doctors to hype their products to others. But even when physicians work to shun such payments, they may unwittingly be influenced simply by following...
View ArticleIf Bees Can Prevent Bad Information From Going Viral, so Can We
Humans are not the only animals to display collective intelligence. Bees, who also copy each other, are well known for their ability to make accurate collective decisions when they search for foods or...
View ArticleComing of Age Unvaccinated
As parents in some states decide to skip vaccinating their kids, more and more children are reaching their teenage years only to discover — from their peers, teachers, and through Twitter and Facebook...
View ArticleThe Fox in the Time Machine
In 1959, Dmitri Belyaev and a team of Russian biologists set out to create a dog from a fox. Six decades later, the domestication experiment is still going, having outlived even its creator. And after...
View ArticleRediscovering Our Nature Instinct
Our innate sense for apprehending the workings of the natural world and extracting meaning from interrelated phenomena like bird behavior, plant growth, sunlight, and wind direction has been largely...
View ArticleJustice Department Challenges Legality of Supervised Injection Sites
Prosecutors in Pennsylvania, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to block the opening of a supervised injection site in Philadelphia. While those developing the site...
View ArticleIn Trump’s Census Plans, Hints of a Citizenship Registry
Last August, some of the nation's leading statisticians concluded that without saying as much, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is asking the Census Bureau to help create a national population registry....
View ArticleThe Future of Psychiatry Is Digital. That’s a Good Thing.
People often ask me if I think technology will soon replace psychiatrists. That’s unlikely to happen. But one day, patients may tap technology to get better care. And that’s good news — if we have the...
View ArticlePsychologists Seek a Broader, Healthier Definition of ‘Masculinity’
The new guidelines are hardly controversial, aiming only to support men who are “brave and strong and tough in difficult situations," a lead author noted. "But when there is a situation that requires...
View ArticleThe Rising Tide of Climate Injustice
My hometown of Newport News, Virginia, is typical of many coastal population centers in the southeast: Its blackest and poorest neighborhoods are also among those most vulnerable to the impacts of...
View ArticleThe Scientist as Diplomat: Five Questions for Alex Dehgan
The author of "The Snow Leopard Project: And Other Adventures in Warzone Conservation” discusses his globetrotting career as a "conservation diplomat" and his efforts to protect wildlife in...
View ArticleIn Afghanistan, Replacing Shame With Understanding on the Topic of Menstruation
New guidelines aim to help teachers talk about menstruation with students — boys and girls alike. The goal is to equip educators with the knowledge and tools to effectively discuss the science and...
View ArticleWhen it Comes to Cyber Security, Passive Defense is Best
The deluge of cyberattacks sweeping across the world has governments and companies thinking about new ways to protect their digital systems, and the corporate and state secrets stored within. But...
View ArticleA Letter From the Editor: Undark’s ‘Breathtaking’ Series Wins a George Polk...
We visited seven countries on five continents to explore and document the impacts of fine particulate pollution on the lives of everyday people. The result was a powerful multipart — and truly...
View ArticleBoxed in: The Struggles of Gaza’s Technology Entrepreneurs
For information technology entrepreneurs in Gaza — whose livelihoods depend on contact with the outside world — tight restrictions on foreign travel, frequent electricity outages, and curbs on...
View ArticleThe Problem With Trump’s Pledge to End HIV
According to a blueprint released by the Department of Health and Human Services, President Trump’s plan to end HIV will be focused on expanding efforts to diagnose, treat, and prevent cases of...
View ArticleWhen it Comes to Young Blood, Buyer Beware
In response to reports of companies providing infusions of plasma from young donors to older patients in an effort to combat a variety of aging-related conditions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
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