Book Review: Reimagining Humanity’s Obligation to Wild Animals
In “Wild Souls,” Emma Marris uses philosophy and science to explore the worth of wild animals and the species they belong to, and the responsibility we have toward them. Ultimately, Marris writes, it’s...
View ArticleFDA Grants Full Approval to Covid-19 Shot, Sparking New Mandates
A new policy decision this week may increase the pressure on adults who have so far avoided the Covid-19 vaccine. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it had granted full approval...
View ArticleIn Clashes Over Cannabis, Race, and Water, Hard Data Is Scarce
There’s a dearth of knowledge when it comes to how exactly water moves through the Shasta Valley’s arid, volcanic earth. The movement of that water is the economic linchpin of the Northern California...
View ArticleDespite Delta Surge, States Are Going Dark on Some Covid Data
Despite a fourth, delta-fueled surge, states are going dark on Covid data. In several states, data on cases in prisons has been removed or reduced. Florida has halted daily data in favor of weekly...
View ArticleThe Struggle to Keep Track of India’s Dead
In the world’s second-most populous country, policymakers have historically paid too little attention to tracking people’s deaths — with serious implications for public health. During India’s...
View ArticleThere’s One Surefire Way to End Big Sewage Spills: End Big Sewage
When a Los Angeles wastewater treatment facility spilled 17 million gallons of raw sewage into Santa Monica Bay this summer, it underscored the growing social and environmental risks posed by...
View ArticleBook Review: The Rise of Harm Reduction in the War on Drugs
Maia Szalavitz’s “Undoing Drugs” explores the evolution of the movement to prioritize people in the war on drugs — a philosophy known as harm reduction. In this in-depth history, Szalavitz covers many...
View ArticleWith ‘Heartbeat’ Law, Texas Instates Near-Total Ban on Abortion
New abortion restrictions began in Texas on Wednesday, banning the procedure as early as week six of pregnancy. The law, which was originally signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, sharply curtails access...
View ArticleWhat’s in a Name? Experts Say Texas ‘Heartbeat Law’ Misleads
Texas’ latest bill restricting abortion, referred to as a “heartbeat bill,” references the point in time when the embryo’s cardiac activity can first be detected by an ultrasound. The moniker has...
View ArticleIn Purdue Settlement, Hope for Understanding the Opioid Crisis
Lawsuits against Purdue Pharma have produced millions of internal company documents that shed light on the origins of the opioid crisis. Now that the lawsuits have been settled, those documents will...
View ArticleShort on Evidence, Dubious Therapies Turn to the Tongue
Despite the limited evidence, myofunctional therapy and tongue-tie surgeries are increasingly promoted as a treatment for the many ailments attributed to poor tongue posture in adults. Especially...
View ArticleThe Messy Truth About Carbon Footprints
Whether we’re biking to work or reducing our meat intake, skipping flights or buying green power, our efforts to curtail our personal carbon footprints are best viewed not merely as individual...
View ArticleAs Schools Reopen, Covid-19 Cases Among Children Spike
As schools reopen across the United States for in-person instruction, cases of Covid-19 are rising among kids — a surge that may intensify long-running debates over pandemic safety protocols in...
View ArticleLessons on Toxic Dust from 9/11 Are Too Often Unheeded
The World Trade Center dust plume consisted of a dangerous mixture of cement dust, asbestos, and other pollutants. Two decades later, those who were exposed to these toxins are facing respiratory...
View ArticleIn Some States, Legal Aid Steps in to Improve Patient Health
Medicaid traditionally doesn’t fund clinics to supply legal assistance, but Colorado and other states have been given permission to use some of the money to help pay for such programs. The goal: Reduce...
View ArticleTo Boost Black Men in Medicine, Advocates Turn to Sports
Decades of efforts to increase diversity at medical schools have made progress with other demographics, but barely any with Black men. This absence ripples across the health system and may contribute...
View ArticleThe Advanced Placement Exams’ Grading System Gets Low Marks
For the millions of high school students who take Advanced Placement exams each year, a good score can boost their chances of winning scholarships and earning valuable college credit. But inconsistent...
View ArticleBook Review: An Emergency Room Doctor’s View of the Covid Crisis
ER doctor Robert Meyer and journalist Dan Koeppel’s “Every Minute is a Day” documents the gruesome early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City. In a diary of sorts, the story is told through...
View ArticleDespite Precedent, Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates Spark Backlash
The United States’ Covid-19 vaccination campaign has slowed, and new vaccine mandates are now inspiring extensive backlash. In the process, the politicization of mass vaccination and other public...
View ArticleDo Masks Hurt Speech Development? It Depends on the Child.
Ongoing study — which has yet to be peer reviewed — suggests that masks work well to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission in adults, for whom the virus can lead to serious disease. But for young children,...
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