Author: healthadmin
Researchers exploring the deep waters of Fiordland have discovered a giant black coral measuring 4 meters (13 feet) high and 4.5 meters (15 feet) wide. The protected coral is estimated to be between 300 and 400 years old and is believed to be one of the largest black corals ever recorded in New Zealand’s Aotearoa waters. Professor James Bell, a marine biologist at Victoria University of Wellington’s Te Herenga Waka, said the discovery was “absolutely huge”. “This is by far the largest black coral I’ve seen in my 25 years as a marine biologist. Most black corals I encounter while…
New research published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Over the past decade, evidence suggests that earning a college degree has become increasingly associated with a liberal political identity. This study suggests that while college students tend to develop a more left-leaning identity during their education, the actual change is much smaller than the general public assumes. Public discussions often focus on the idea that higher education gives students more freedom. Commentators and politicians frequently debate whether universities are actively pushing left-leaning ideologies on young people. This perception contributes to a growing lack of trust in higher education among…
A worker collects used plastic bottles at a waste facility ahead of World Environment Day in Karachi, Pakistan, June 4. Photo courtesy of Shahzahb Akber/EPA June 25 (UPI) — As global concerns about plastic pollution grow, the problem becomes less about where waste is disposed of and more about where it begins, with the United States emerging as a major exporter of the raw materials that fuel plastic production in China and elsewhere. At the center of that change is Texas, now a major hub for petrochemical exports, shipping billions of dollars worth of ethane and plastic resins to the…
PITTSBORO, N.C. — On stage at the Chatham County Agricultural Conference Center, an 85-year-old widow stood in front of a panel of Enbridge Gas representatives. There was fire in her eyes. “I’m usually a polite person, but you bring out the worst in me,” she said. “I’m going to fight you to the death.” In mid-June, she and hundreds of other Chatham County residents attended two community meetings sponsored by Enbridge to voice their opposition to a proposed 48-mile natural gas pipeline that would stretch from Siler City to Moncure in southern Chatham County. Construction could begin as early as…
For thousands of years, the ancient city of Sardis in western Turkey changed hands as the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans rose and fell. But one thing remains surprisingly stable, even as the city’s rulers change repeatedly. Since 1958, archaeologists have returned annually as part of the Harvard University Cornell Ancient Sardis Expedition, making it one of the longest-running organized excavation projects in the world. “It’s really important that there’s institutional continuity,” says Benjamin Anderson, associate professor of art history and visual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. “Many of us know and have been mentored by our…
This story is written by Grist chicago public mediaa public media company serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Serap Erdal stopped at a utility pole in Chicago’s Grant Park, pulled out his cell phone and began pinching the screen. As she looked at the palm-sized map of the city, towering skyscrapers cut out the clear blue sky behind her. The researcher barely noticed the noise of city buses, cars and bicycles whizzing around her in the city’s crowded downtown. She was practicing something in the cool summer air. Fixed to a pole above her was one of the city’s new solar-powered…
Hospitals generate huge amounts of plastic waste every day, much of it from single-use packaging. A single 600-bed hospital can generate approximately 42 tons of sterile wrap waste each year. A consortium of Dutch companies is working on converting this waste into usable materials. Waste management company Renewi has partnered with medical manufacturer Van Straten Medical, O&M Halyard Europe and circulation specialist GreenCycle to transform single-use sterilization wrap into high-quality 3D printing filament. Blue polypropylene wrap, also known as BlueWrap, is used to maintain the sterility of surgical instruments, medical equipment, and patient gowns before surgery. Traditionally, it is incinerated…
North Carolina Health News, by Rose Hoban and Will Atwater. June 25, 2026 Written by Rose Hoban and Will Atwater Important points: The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages from Chemours in federal charges over years of PFAS contamination in three states, including North Carolina. North Carolina is likely to receive almost nothing from the proposed settlement, even though it is home to the only GenX production facility in the United States. Since 2017, North Carolina has pursued enforcement action against Chemours. We continue to pursue responsibility. In a surprising move, the U.S.…
On Thursday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are introducing an updated version of their bill that would allow physicians board-certified in addiction medicine to prescribe methadone directly to patients and pick it up at pharmacies. Currently, methadone is available as a treatment for addiction only in about 2,000 specialty clinics. Many of those programs required patients to attend clinics in person each day to receive methadone doses. Federal reforms enacted in 2024 allow these facilities, known as opioid treatment programs (OTPs), to be more flexible with patients, but it remains unclear how meaningfully the patient experience…
Daniel is responsible for the interface between the healthcare industry and the federal government. He reports on corporate influence in government, the health impacts of federal policy, and health care policy. Sensitive information can be sent via Signal (danielp.100).SAN DIEGO — These are unusual times for the vaccine business. But in the view of those gathered at the BIO International Conference this week, the picture is anything but bleak. In fact, some vaccine makers feel more optimistic than they were a year ago, at least given the circumstances. In an interview with STAT, they acknowledged that Secretary of Health and…