Angela Levine – “The day after President Donald Trump began his second term, people noticed that they could no longer access a .gov web page outlining women’s rights to abortion and contraception under US law. The Biden administration created the web page, reproductiverights.gov, after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Medicine
House G.O.P. Floats Medicaid Cuts and More to Finance Trump’s Huge Agenda
The New York Times: “President Trump wants a massive tax cut and immigration crackdown bill. Now Republicans must decide what to cut to help pay for it. Top Republicans are passing around an extensive menu of ideas to cover the cost of a massive tax cut and immigration crackdown bill. They could create a 10… Continue Reading
The Forgotten Woman Who Transformed Forensics (by inventing the rape kit)
The Atlantic – gift article: “One of the most powerful inventions of the 20th century is also an object that no one ever wants a reason to use. The sexual-assault-evidence collection box, colloquially known as the “rape kit,” is a simple yet potent tool: a small case, perhaps made of cardboard, containing items such as… Continue Reading
Fluoride in water: A research roundup and reporting tip sheet
The Journalist’s Resource: “Several U.S. communities are debating whether to remove fluoride from their water supplies in the wake of comments by President-elect Trump’s Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who called the mineral an “industrial waste,” looking to remove it from water systems across the nation once Trump takes office. Local… Continue Reading
Americans Use AI in Everyday Products Without Realizing It
Axios: “The vast majority of Americans use products that involve AI, but their views of the technology remain overwhelmingly negative, according to a Gallup-Telescope survey published Wednesday.Why it matters: The rapid advancement of generative AI threatens to have far-reaching consequences for Americans’ everyday lives, including reshaping the job market, impacting elections, and affecting the healthcare… Continue Reading
10,000+ Free Online Certificates & Badges: A Resource for Lifelong Learners
Open Culture: “For those looking to boost their skills or explore new fields without breaking the bank, Class Central has done the heavy lifting. Known as a search engine for online courses, Class Central has compiled what might be the largest collection of free online certificates and badges available anywhere. From tech giants like Google… Continue Reading
Big 3 Pharmacy Benefit Manager charging enormous markups on dozens of lifesaving drugs
“The Federal Trade Commission today published a second interim staff report on the prescription drug middleman industry, which focuses on pharmacy benefit managers’ (PBMs) influence over specialty generic drugs, including significant price markups by PBMs for cancer, HIV, and a variety of other critical drugs. Staff’s latest report found that the ‘Big 3 PBMs’—Caremark Rx,… Continue Reading
‘TrueFood’ Research Database Offers Rankings for 50,000 Processed Foods
“The database, developed by researchers at Mass General Brigham and made available to the public, sheds light on the availability of processed foods at different grocery stores, highlighting the need for more understanding and regulation of the foods offered. A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham provides information to empower consumers and policymakers… Continue Reading
Supreme Court’s Contempt for Facts Is a Betrayal of Justice
Scientific American [unpaywalled] – The Supreme Court majority’s recent decisions about homelessness, public health and regulatory power, among others, undermine the role of evidence, expertise and honesty in American democracy. “When the Supreme Court’s Ohio v. EPA decision blocked Environmental Protection Agency limits on Midwestern states polluting their downwind neighbors, a sad but telling coda… Continue Reading
New resource available to help scientists better classify cancer subtypes
“A multi-institutional team of scientists has developed a free, publicly accessible resource to aid in classification of patient tumor samples based on distinct molecular features identified by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Network. The resource comprises classifier models that can accelerate the design of cancer subtype-specific test kits for use in clinical trials and cancer… Continue Reading
The Changing Medical Debt Landscape in the United States
Urban.org: “Medical debt can intensify financial challenges, affect health care access, and potentially worsen health outcomes. Starting in 2022, the three nationwide credit reporting companies made significant changes to medical debt reporting. Paid medical collections were removed from credit reports, debt in collections would no longer be used in calculating Vantage credit scores, the grace… Continue Reading
24 Things That Made the World a Better Place in 2024
Wired [unpaywalled] : “Let’s face it—2024 has felt at times like a relentless conveyor belt of doom. The climate crisis is still gaining momentum, COP underlined the lack of consensus on what to do about it, and attempts to create a plastics treaty failed. Political violence rose to the surface in the US, and there… Continue Reading
