Data is Plural – Data journalist Adrian Nesta is building a automated pipeline to collect and standardize data on food safety recalls and alerts from two US federal agencies — the FDA and the USDA. For each alert, the standardized dataset indicates the notice’s title, ID, URL, and time posted, as well as the product… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Health Care
Plastic Pollution and Policy Considerations: Frequently Asked Questions
CRS – Plastic Pollution and Policy Considerations: Frequently Asked Questions, December 5, 2024. “Global and domestic plastic production has increased substantially since the mid-20th century—doubling in the last two decades. The durability, moldability, and versatility of plastic have led to its ubiquitous use, benefiting many aspects of society, including the food, medical, technology, textile, and… Continue Reading
PopSci 50 greatest innovations of 2024
Now, in 2024, we continue our decades-old tradition of honoring big ideas. We even see hints of our original honorees in this year’s list: Sea-Doo and Ford made both lists, 36 years apart. We’re proud to bring you promising innovations—from things that make life at home easier to literal out-of-this-world explorations. This is the Best… Continue Reading
Find out why your health insurer denied your claim
ProPublica’s Claim File Helper lets you customize a letter requesting the notes and documents your insurer used when deciding to deny you coverage. Get your claim file before submitting an appeal. What’s a Claim File? Why Should I Request One? A claim file is a collection of the information your insurer used to decide whether… Continue Reading
Misinformation exploits outrage to spread online
Science. 28 Nov 2024. Vol 386, Issue 6725. pp. 991-996. DOI: 10.1126/science.adl2829 – “Misinformation remains a major threat to US democratic integrity, national security, and public health. However, social media platforms struggle to curtail the spread of the harmful but engaging content. Across platforms, McLoughlin et al. examined the role of emotions, specifically moral outrage (a… Continue Reading
FTC Bans Location Data Company That Powers the Surveillance Ecosystem
“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed order bans use or sale of data associated with military installations, churches, healthcare facilities, or other sensitive locations. The Federal Trade Commission will prohibit data broker Mobilewalla, Inc. from selling sensitive location data, including data that reveals the identity of an individual’s private home, to settle allegations the data… Continue Reading
FTC – Examining the Data Practices of Social Media and Video Streaming Services
Examining the Data Practices of Social Media and Video Streaming Services, September 2024. In December 2020, the Federal Trade Commission issued 6(b) Orders to nine of the largest social media and video streaming services—Amazon, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snap, ByteDance, Discord, Reddit, and WhatsApp (“Companies”). At the time, a bipartisan group of Commissioners issued a joint… Continue Reading
How to prep your iPhone for unexpected medical emergencies
PopSci – “While we hope you all live long and healthy lives without experiencing a medical emergency, they do happen—and if one happens to you or someone close to you, then you want to be as prepared as possible. The iPhone has a few features that can help. You can log key health details on… Continue Reading
Formaldehyde Cancer Risk in Your Neighborhood
ProPublica – Risk in Your Neighborhood. In most of the country, formaldehyde contributes more to outdoor cancer risk than any other toxic air pollutant. Look up your address to see risks from the chemical on your block and where it comes from. Formaldehyde causes more cancer than any other toxic chemical in the air. It’s… Continue Reading
Patient-Reported Treatment Outcomes in ME/CFS and Long COVID
LongCovidPharmD: “Yesterday, a preprint including data analysis of my TREATME survey results was released. For those who haven’t heard, this survey collected pertinent information regarding 140+ different medications, supplements, and non-drug interventions from nearly 4,000 Long COVID and ME/CFS patients. For those who participated in the survey, THANK YOU! I hope the paper emphasizes the… Continue Reading
The stunning success of vaccines in America, in one chart
Vox – “Measles, mumps, and polio are supposed to be diseases of the past. In the early to mid-20th century, scientists developed vaccines that effectively eliminated the risk of anyone getting sick or dying from illnesses that had killed millions over millennia of human history. Vaccines, alongside sanitized water and antibiotics, have marked the epoch… Continue Reading
Want to donate to charity? Here are 10 guidelines for giving effectively
Vox: “Giving to charity is great, not just for the recipients but for the givers, too. But it can be intimidating to know how to pick the best charity when there are thousands of worthy causes to choose from, and especially when so many are suffering around the world. Yet that suffering makes it all… Continue Reading
