The Long, Contentious Battle to Regulate Gain-of-Function Work
Dec 11, 2024 · The drafts detailed attempts to alter a lethal avian influenza virus, potentially granting it the ability to spread among humans. Such work, according to the U.S. officials who had funded it, was vital for preparing for a potential flu pandemic. But some scientists wondered whether the research itself could spark a cataclysm. Might someone read the papers, which contained details of how the ...
Mixed Lessons from Intentionally Infecting People with Covid-19
Jan 1, 2025 · When the Covid-19 pandemic first struck, Christopher Chiu and other researchers wondered: Should they inject healthy people with the virus that caused the pandemic? The idea sounded counterintuitive, but by carefully dosing individuals with SARS-CoV-2 in a controlled setting — like Chiu had been doing for more than a decade with seasonal flu and RSV — scientists could study how the virus ...
Book Review: A Reverent Tribute to Disappearing Creatures
Dec 27, 2024 · "Vanishing Treasures," by Katherine Rundell, is a passionate plea to save the planet's living cabinet of curiosities.
Home Foundations Are Crumbling. This Mineral Is to Blame.
Dec 18, 2024 · Through core testing, scientists and engineers had determined the culprit behind fissures like those in their neighbors’ homes was pyrrhotite, a mineral made up of sulfur and iron found in some concrete aggregates. When exposed to air and water, pyrrhotite can break down into secondary minerals that cause foundations to fracture, structural integrity to erode, and home values to tank. “It ...
Geoengineering Could Alter Global Climate. Should It?
Dec 3, 2024 · Scientists and companies increasingly support blocking some sunlight to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
Book Review: Why the Medical Establishment Often Gets It Wrong
Nov 1, 2024 · BOOK REVIEW — ” “Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health” by Marty Makary (Bloomsbury Publishing, 288 pages).
The Pursuit of Death on Psychiatric Grounds - undark.org
Jan 15, 2025 · The Netherlands allows medically assisted euthanasia for extreme mental suffering. Some doctors question the guardrails.
For Science That Comes With Risks, a Key Question: Who Decides?
Dec 25, 2024 · From pathogen research to geoengineering and AI, consequential science is accelerating. Whose hands are on the wheel?
The Elusive Payoff of Gain-of-Function Research - undark.org
Dec 23, 2024 · Experiments that make viruses more virulent or contagious present significant risks. Are those risks worth the rewards?
As Offshore Wind Ramps Up, Scientists Flag Potential Impacts
Aug 21, 2023 · Offshore wind farms can create their own local climates and may alter currents. How does that affect marine ecosystems?