Author: healthadmin
As the federal government continues to water down PFAS protections, states have an opportunity to help their residents, but only if they avoid certain pitfalls and loopholes. PFAS are one of the greatest public health threats of our time. These “forever chemicals” have invaded every aspect of our lives, from water and soil to kitchen utensils, safety equipment, and even baby toys. As a country, we need real urgency to address this risk quickly and in the right way.Despite the rollbacks and suspensions of PFAS regulations by the federal government, we are seeing tremendous bipartisan support to permanently address the…
A new study from Northern Arizona University (NAU) suggests that the world’s major greenhouse gas emissions databases may be significantly underestimating carbon dioxide emissions from urban vehicles. Researchers say the Climate TRACE database, developed by the Climate TRACE consortium co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, underestimates urban vehicle CO2 emissions by an average of 70%. The survey results are announced today. environmental research letters By Kevin Gurney, professor in the NAU School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS). The study focused on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cars and trucks as reported in the recently released Climate TRACE…
A new study released today by the West Health Gallup Center found that less than half (49%) of Americans consider themselves “cost-secure,” meaning they can consistently afford health care and prescription drugs when and where they need it, the lowest level since West Health and Gallup released their 2021 Healthcare Affordability Index. Last year alone, 2.8 million Americans dropped out of the Cost Secure category due to their inability to keep up with rising healthcare costs. The new data largely extends last year’s downward trend, with continued declines in affordability evident among traditionally vulnerable populations, such as Black and Hispanic…
WASHINGTON — Twanetta Weaver felt she was making a responsible choice when she enrolled in a high-deductible health insurance plan through her employer. This allows them to avoid high premiums and save for retirement. Then, in 2025, she slipped a disc in her back, requiring medication and physical therapy. Weaver, who had been working on a leadership degree in addition to her adult studies, had to delay her graduation by a year due to sudden medical bills. “I had to start doing the math. Am I going to be able to pay my tuition, my books, my living expenses and…
Teens’ mental health, body mass index (BMI), and screen time are significantly associated with sleep quality, according to a new paper published June 10, 2026 in an open access journal. Pro Swan By Jianying Li et al. of Shanxi University, China. The study also found that girls and adolescents living in rural areas tended to have poorer sleep quality. Sleep quality is increasingly recognized as an important lifestyle determinant of physical and mental health during adolescence, and poor sleep quality in adolescents is a growing public health concern. Factors such as screen use, sedentary behavior and mental health problems have…
Youth who have contact with the U.S. legal system may be at increased risk for mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, hostility, and psychosis, according to a study published June 17, 2026 in an open access journal. Pro Swan By Raquel V. Oliveira and Elizabeth Clutter of Augusta University, USA. Previous research shows that both adults and young people with mental health problems are overrepresented in the criminal legal system. For example, it is estimated that 15 to 22 percent of all youth in the United States have a diagnosable mental health condition, while 40 to 80 percent of…
A study examining whether loving-kindness meditation reduces feelings of loneliness by increasing empathy found that it does not. Loneliness was reduced as much as the control treatment, but empathy was unaffected. The study also found that loneliness was associated with lower self-reported empathy, but not with differences in neural functioning during empathy tasks. The paper is Social cognitive and affective neuroscience. Loneliness is a subjective feeling that a person’s social relationships are fewer, less intimate, or less satisfying than they would like. This is different from social isolation, which refers to the objective limitation of social contact. A person can…
Physical therapists have long been supporting stroke survivors during their recovery period. Now they are walking with them. Scientists at Northwestern University and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab have developed a first-of-its-kind rehabilitation system that virtually connects therapists and patients via a robotic exoskeleton. Real-time connectivity allows therapists to react to patient movements and continuously adapt support and assistance as patient performance evolves. After training with the new system, patients had increased range of motion in their joints, took longer and higher steps, and activated their muscles at the same levels seen with traditional treatment. The study is scheduled to…
An international research team led by a South Korean scientist has successfully used artificial intelligence (AI) to design a large-scale protein structure that faithfully reproduces the self-assembly principles found in naturally occurring viruses. The Ministry of Science, Information and Communications Technology (MSIT) announced that Professor Sangmin Lee of the Pohang University of Science and Technology’s (POSTECH) School of Chemical Engineering, in collaboration with Professor David Baker of the University of Washington (2024 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry), has developed a design principle that allows a single protein component to simultaneously form pentagonal and hexagonal arrays and self-assemble into virus-like structures.…
Explore the intersections of climate change, air pollution, and public health, with sustainability strategies for environmental scientists, urban planners, and advocates.