Biotechnology company Oxitec spent years trying to gain approval to release its controversial genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes in the U.S., specifically in Key West, Florida. In June 2020, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services gave the go-ahead for the plan,1 following the U.S. EPA’s granting of an experimental use permit (EUP) that would… Read More »
Swiss men living with HIV approach the risk of re-infection with hepatitis C after cure in different ways, based on recent qualitative research by Dr Patrizia Künzler-Heule and colleagues from the Universities of Basel and Zurich. They describe three distinct groups: those who choose to avoid risks and aim not to get re-infected, those who… Read More »
Both smoking and vaping can stiffen the arteries and increase the risk of developing adverse lung conditions, scientists have said. Their findings are based on a clinical review of the available evidence gathered from multiple studies. An analysis by an international team of researchers found that tobacco cigarettes, in general, were more harmful than electronic… Read More »
Chemical pesticides have become a mainstay of modern agriculture, despite red flags that they’re slowly destroying ecosystems. (Technically, pesticides are designed to kill insects, while herbicides are used to kill weeds or substances like bacteria or fungi, but when discussing them, the U.S. EPA lumps them all together as “pesticides.”1) Part of what makes assessing… Read More »
An international outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus has killed at least 56 people and sickened at least 2,000, according to the Chinese health authorities. The outbreak began in Wuhan, China, at a market selling live poultry, seafood and wild animals. Now the virus has turned up in 11 other countries, including… Read More »
A new film based on true events and starring actor Mark Ruffalo sheds light on how one of America’s most powerful corporations contaminated a town’s drinking water with a toxic chemical linked to cancer, reports Time. In Dark Waters, Ruffalo portrays the real-life corporate lawyer Robert Bilott, who in 1998 became an environmental crusader. That… Read More »
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others. Stat: Concussions, Broken Bones, And More: A Week Of U.S. Football News about concussions and other injuries to young football players appears with alarming frequency, as do reports of the long-term damage to NFL players.Young pro players are leaving the game for fear of permanent… Read More »