After years spent studying colonies of yellow-bellied marmots, scientists at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory have learned how an individual’s social network affects the alarm calls they give off when a predator nears, and how young female members survive in the summer. In both cases, connectedness is key.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/31/book-excerpt-social-safety-colorado-marmots/

Many doctors see AI-driven tools as a boon to working smarter and faster, but the technology can also put patients at risk for overdiagnosis and discrimination. Physician Arjun Sharma reflects on the kind of patient care that falls outside of an algorithm and accounts for the realities of people’s lives.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/30/opinion-ai-healthcare-human/

Research on the placenta and its pathologies have largely been understudied, some clinicians say. There are multiple reasons why: the difficulties in studying a fleeting and dynamic organ, the limitations in researching pregnant people, a lack of scientific consensus, and few prospective studies.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/29/placenta-stillbirth-research-understudied/

In the decade since two dams on the Elwha River in Washington State were removed, scientists have discovered lasting changes — and a healthier ecosystem. “It was like seeing a geologic event in a human timeframe.”

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/28/when-dams-come-down-ocean-restoration/

In early February, dairy farmers in Texas began to notice sick cattle. Nearly 60 days passed before veterinarians identified the culprit: a highly pathogenic strain of the bird flu virus, H5N1. Why did it take so long to recognize the virus on high-tech farms in the world’s richest country?

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/27/bird-flu-dairy-farms-texas/

In her rigorous new book “The Light Eaters,” climate and environmental journalist Zoë Schlanger acts as a tour guide through the history of the science on plant intelligence and the pressing questions new research poses about the shared future of plants and humans.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/24/book-review-light-eaters/

Research designed to understand how human brains process music has often involved participants from cultures steeped in Western music. But in order to arrive at more universal truths, such studies need to include more globally diverse populations and researchers from other music traditions.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/23/including-globally-diverse-groups-improves-music-research/

The Department of Agriculture rubber-stamped Tyson’s beef as “climate friendly,” but no one has seen the data behind the company’s claim. As millions of taxpayer dollars flow to livestock companies claiming to raise “low carbon” beef, watchdog groups scrutinize the government’s oversight.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/22/beef-climate-friendly-usda/

Founded in 2019, SEGM says more research is needed before puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries are offered to youth with gender-related distress. SEGM says the science is on its side, but major U.S. medical societies — as well as some researchers at top universities — strongly disagree.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/20/pediatric-transgender-care-contentious-segm/

Some researchers have suggested that microscopic blood clots, or microclots, could help explain the wide range of symptoms seen in long Covid. But other scientists aren’t convinced by the scant evidence and worry that anticlotting therapies already being sold to long Covid patients carry unacceptable risks.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/05/20/bad-blood-microclots-long-covid/