Book Review: In Praise of Breathing
Pulmonologist Michael J. Stephen’s “Breath Taking” is a broad view of everything related to respiration, from the history of pulmonary medicine to the importance of environmental health. And in the...
View ArticleAcross the U.S., the Battle to Get Kids Back in School
The city of Chicago reached a deal with its teachers union this week to resume in-person instruction. With vaccination rates increasing across the country and the CDC poised to release new guidelines...
View ArticleSolitary Confinement May Worsen Covid-19 Transmission in Prisons
In prisons, punitive isolation may increase Covid-19 transmission because it deters prisoners from reporting symptoms and seeking treatment. Yet, during the first Covid-19 peak in April, there was a...
View ArticleOn Internet and Vaccine Access, Minorities Are Left Behind
Reporters and scholars have written about the effects of lack of internet access in rural areas in the U.S. and developing countries, but they have paid less attention to the harm of lack of internet...
View ArticleA New Strategy to Reduce Suicide by Pesticide Poisoning
In many developing countries, ingesting hazardous chemicals is a leading method of suicide. A recent study by the World Health Organization urges national bans on the most hazardous pesticides. Since...
View ArticleRabies Is Terrifying but Rare. Are We Overtreating It?
Each year, an estimated 55,000 Americans receive prophylactic rabies shots. But studies suggest that many of these treatments are unnecessary, and they rely on older techniques that waste precious...
View ArticleThe Undark Interview: A Conversation With Charles Vidich
Public health and bioterrorism expert Charles Vidich spent a decade working on quarantine policy. Now, in his aptly-timed book “Germs at Bay,” Vidich discusses the nation’s long struggle to fight...
View ArticleFrigid Temperatures Bring Disaster to Texas
A pulse of frigid Arctic air sent temperatures dropping to record lows in Texas this week, leading to widespread power outages and dozens of deaths. The disruptions have raised questions about how well...
View ArticleBorder Disputes Threaten Climate Science in the Himalayas
The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is home to the world’s highest peaks. The area is warming faster than the rest of the planet, and the loss of glaciers threatens billions of people who depend upon...
View ArticleNo Waters Left Untouched: Fish Biodiversity Has Declined Globally
Worldwide, populations of migratory river fish have plunged by a “catastrophic” 76% since 1970, and a new comprehensive study of almost 2,500 rivers across the globe shows that their biodiversity is...
View ArticleCan Cult Studies Offer Help With QAnon? The Science Is Thin.
Some families, believing loved ones are brainwashed by “Q” and related online disinformation, are turning to cult experts for help. But there’s not much science to support cultic notions like “mind...
View ArticleHow Do We Protect Science From the Next Trump?
The Biden administration has promised to restore science to its rightful place, free from political interference. But the political winds could easily shift again. To guard against the return of...
View ArticleBook Review: The Unintended Consequences of Taming Nature
In “Under a White Sky,” Elizabeth Kolbert explores the consequences of human attempts to control the environment. From the exploding invasive carp population to a nuanced view of geoengineering to dim...
View ArticleEp. 53: ‘Mainstreaming’ Psychedelic Drugs to Treat Mental Health
This month: Amid a worldwide mental health emergency, the discovery of new pharmaceuticals to treat conditions like depression has stalled. But researchers and therapists are showing that when paired...
View ArticleAs Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution Widens, Inequality Lingers
On Wednesday, Accra, Ghana received 600,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine, the first global shipment in a plan to deliver 2 billion doses, mostly to lower- and middle-income countries, in 2021. Despite...
View ArticleIn Online Covid-19 Vaccine Scheduling, Inequity for the Blind
Across the country, people who use special software to make the web accessible have been unable to sign up for the vaccines or obtain vital information about Covid-19 because many federal, state, and...
View ArticleThe Biden Administration Increases the Social Cost of Carbon
As the Biden administration reassesses the social cost of carbon — the cumulative economic harm of releasing a metric ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — scientists and economists continue to...
View ArticleWhen Sick Cows Can’t Be Culled: India’s Battle With Brucellosis
As with most zoonotic diseases, the key to brucellosis prevention lies in improving animal health. Countries that have the disease under control usually adopt a two-pronged approach: mass vaccination,...
View ArticleBarred From My Husband’s Bedside, I Learned to Advocate From Afar
Although restrictive hospital visitation policies may be necessary to slow the spread of Covid-19, they may also increase the chances of medical errors. Drawing from personal experience, a physician...
View ArticleBook Review: A Scientist and Dancer’s Friendship Forged in Light
In “Radiant,” Liz Heinecke explores the deep Belle Époque friendship between the Polish scientist Marie Curie and the American dancer Loïe Fuller. Luminescence shaped both women’s career paths long...
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