Business Insider – After you spit into a tube for a DNA test like 23andMe, experts say you shouldn’t assume your data will stay private forever “It may be getting easier to link your private and anonymized DNA data to your identity. That means the genetic data you share with a testing company — which… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Medicine
Why Wikipedia’s Medical Content Is Superior
Slate: “…Like most encyclopedias, Wikipedia typically functions as a launch pad that provides a general overview of a topic and points to further or original sources. But at least one new study suggests that Wikipedia is superior to other medical sources in at least one key respect: short-term knowledge acquisition. That is, when it comes… Continue Reading
Shutdown Hits Industries Nationwide
WSJ.com [paywall]: “The partial government shutdown is affecting a wide range of business and financial concerns nationwide. From a report: Shuttered government offices are stalling the approval of new loans, initial public offerings, the processing of tax documents, and the approval of new products such as prescription drugs, among other effects. While some programs are… Continue Reading
Study – U.S. Health Care Spending Highest Among Developed Countries
Johns Hopkins: “The United States, on a per capita basis, spends much more on health care than other developed countries; the chief reason is not greater health care utilization, but higher prices, according to a study from a team led by a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researcher. The paper appears in the January… Continue Reading
A Medical-Screening Checklist for Older Adults
WSJ.com [paywall] “…A good topic to start the New Year. Figuring out just what illnesses you should be poked and prodded for, and when, is one of the most important ways you can take care of yourself. Unfortunately, many of us probably know more about the tests and shots our pets need than the ones… Continue Reading
Dr. Google Is a Liar. Fake medical news threatens our lives.
The New York Times – Dr. Google Is a Liar. Fake news threatens our democracy. Fake medical news threatens our lives: “…While misinformation has been the object of great attention in politics, medical misinformation might have an even greater body count. As is true with fake news in general, medical lies tend to spread further… Continue Reading
Researchers try to cope without HHS public medical guideline database five months after its takedown
Sunlight Foundation: “When the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) shut down its National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) in July, medical professionals who relied on the database, hosted at guideline.gov, reacted with alarm. For nearly 20 years, AHRQ’s repository of medical guidelines had served as the gold standard for clinicians, helping guide day to day… Continue Reading
The 100 greatest innovations of 2018
Popular Science: “Our 31st annual Best of What’s New list is the culmination of a year spent obsessing over, arguing about, and experiencing the newest technologies and discoveries across 10 distinct disciplines [aerospace, gadgets, auto, home, security, entertainment, recreation, health, software, engineering,] Yes, there are eye-poppingly-bright TVs. Sure, there are video games that will suck… Continue Reading
Genome Hackers Show No One’s DNA Is Anonymous Anymore
Wired: “In 2013, a young computational biologist named Yaniv Erlich shocked the research world by showing it was possible to unmask the identities of people listed in anonymous genetic databases using only an Internet connection. Policymakers responded by restricting access to pools of anonymized biomedical genetic data. An NIH official said at the time, “The… Continue Reading
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures (2018)
“There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide… Continue Reading
The 2019 Medicare & You Handbook is now available
Your online connection to the “Medicare & You” handbook. Several formats are available: PDF, Large Print PDF, eBook, Audio, Braille, Paper handbook. [h/t Pete Weiss] Continue Reading
Rand – Evolution of the U.S. Overdose Crisis
Understanding China’s Role in the Production and Supply of Synthetic Opioids by Bryce Pardo: Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations on September 6, 2018. [h/t Mary Whisner] “The introduction of illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids to U.S. drug markets presents new challenges for contemporary… Continue Reading
