Author: healthadmin
Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. good morning. We have prepared some fun programming notes for you. “First Opinion Podcast” is back! This season focuses on the intersection of culture and medicine, starting with an episode about sports betting. Also, to spice things up around here, we’re rolling out new layouts for certain articles, starting with this morning’s great article by Jason Mast. 20 Years of Quest and Duchenne’s Progress Debra Miller’s son Hawken was 7 years old when he was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A…
When Sean Brown opened an urgent care clinic in a remote town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, he never thought about performing abortions. But she never expected Marquette’s family planning organization to close last spring. Approximately 1,100 patients used the clinic each year for cancer tests, IUD insertions, and medical abortions. There are currently no other in-person resources for abortions in the area. “It’s cordoned off for 500 miles,” Brown said. So the doctor, who calls herself “personally pro-life,” added medication abortions to her already busy practice at Marquette Medical Urgent Care, which treats a steady stream of children with the…
Recent research published in psychological science This provides evidence that people naturally absorb its underlying rules simply by listening to music over a lifetime. The findings suggest that both trained musicians and people with no musical background use harmonic context in strikingly similar ways to predict and remember musical patterns. Scholars have long debated whether formal training is necessary to understand music’s deeper harmonic framework. Just as language is structured into words and sentences, music is organized into layers of notes, phrases, and sections. Some experts believe that understanding this organization requires explicit instruction in music theory. Other scientists argue…
Planetary exploration missions on the surface of Mars are carried out with great care. Communication delays between Earth and robotic spacecraft can range from 4 to 22 minutes, adding further constraints due to limited data transmission capacity. This requires scientists to carefully plan each step in advance. The rover is also designed to conserve energy and avoid danger, moving slowly over rough terrain. Most only move a few hundred meters a day, which limits the amount of terrain they can explore and makes it difficult to collect extensive geological data. Researchers sought new strategies designed to overcome these limitations. They…
The public’s concerns about the ubiquitous man-made chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are finally reflected in bipartisan legislation in the Virginia General Assembly. Several different bills are currently awaiting action from Gov. Abigail Spanberger by April 13th. These include requirements for industrial users to test wastewater for PFAS and for wastewater treatment plants to test sludge for the presence of these contaminants before applying it to agricultural land. The enactment of the law does not mean that the problem of the notorious “eternal chemicals” that accumulate in the body and cause various diseases has been solved. neurological…
Supporters of a bill to regulate “plug-in solar” in New Hampshire believe the device would democratize access to the Granite State’s shining solar energy in a time of energy uncertainty. But they also said they wanted to tread carefully to avoid potentially dangerous pitfalls. “What the sponsors of this bill really mean is to give people who don’t have community solar coverage, who don’t own a home, or who can’t afford heavy rooftop solar, the opportunity to generate electricity and save money,” he said. Dover Democratic Sen. David Watterson monday. Also known as “portable solar,” this device consists of a…
Although quantum computers have great promise, they are still far from reliable. Their biggest weakness is instability, which quickly corrupts the information they process. Researchers around the world, including a research team in Norway, are working to solve this problem. “In quantum computers, information is transmitted and stored using so-called quantum bits (qubits). However, quantum information can be quickly lost,” said Professor Jeroen Danon from the Department of Physics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Why do quantum computers lose information? A key challenge is understanding exactly how quickly this information disappears. Without that knowledge, it is…
New evidence suggests that common viral infections may shape dementia risk, while vaccination and antiviral therapy may offer a surprising route to prevention. Research: Does herpesvirus contribute to dementia? Insights from infections, antiviral treatments, and vaccinations. Image credit: Andrew Angelov/Shutterstock.com*Important notice: SSRN has published a preliminary scientific report that has not been peer-reviewed and should not be considered definitive, guide clinical practice or health-related behavior, or be treated as established information. Recent research posted in SSRN A preprint server (not yet peer-reviewed) conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review to assess the association between dementia risk, human herpesvirus infection, vaccination, and…
In 2023, scientists detected subatomic particles called neutrinos hitting Earth at energy levels that seemed impossible. No known cosmic process can generate so much energy. The particles carried about 100,000 times more energy than anything ever produced by the Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful particle accelerator on Earth. Now, physicists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst think they may have found an explanation. Their ideas involve the explosive death of a rare type of black hole known as a “subextremal primordial black hole.” Clues to the deepest secrets of the universe In a study published in physical review letterresearchers…
The United States could face foreign attacks, food shortages and agricultural “devastation” if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against Monsanto in a high-profile case over pesticide regulation scheduled for argument later this month, according to a series of legal briefs supporting Monsanto. By contrast, opponents’ legal briefs warn that if the court sides with Monsanto, consumers will be stripped of their right to sue if they develop cancer or other serious illnesses caused by exposure to dangerous chemicals. They warn that companies will be able to hide the risks of their products with little accountability. A high-profile case before the…