In 2023, Oregon and Vermont lifted residency requirements for terminally ill patients interested in medical assistance in dying. Dozens have since traveled to the states to seek out that care, but still face barriers including waiting periods and finding a physical location to end their lives.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/30/terminally-ill-patients-travel-to-seek-aid-in-dying/

The controversy over masking is not one of science and evidence, writes physician David Scales. As mpox becomes an international public health emergency and H5N1 flu spreads, policymakers should focus on communicating how science informs their values and priorities in weighing policy trade-offs.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/29/more-studies-wont-solve-the-masking-debate/

Nudge theory, which holds that subtle social cues can effectively guide people toward better decisions, is making inroads in health care. But despite a growing experimental data trail, experts are still struggling to tease out patterns that can help them understand why some nudges succeed, and others fail.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/28/nudge-theory-health-care-mixed-results/

In Questa, New Mexico, an electric cooperative is fundraising to build a green hydrogen plant at a Chevron-owned Superfund site. The plant would store renewable energy as the utility works toward completely eliminating fossil fuels from its energy grid. Will the community buy in?

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/27/new-mexico-utility-eyes-green-hydrogen/

Around a third of women could be low on iron, causing fatigue, dizziness, and weakness. But doctors don’t regularly screen for the condition. And guidelines don’t recommend routine screenings, as they say there’s not enough evidence that they make a difference. Some clinicians disagree.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/26/women-undiagnosed-iron-deficiency/

Theodore H. Schwartz’s “Gray Matters” explores the evolution of brain surgery, and offers a firsthand account of its many risks and rewards. Along the way, he covers virtually everything that can harm the human brain, from tumors and gunshot wounds to sports injuries, shaken baby syndrome, and car accidents.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/23/book-review-gray-matters/

In 2027, a Canadian law allowing terminally ill people to receive assistance in dying is slated to expand to cover those with mental illness. The debate over the law’s expansion demonstrates the need to radically rethink the prevailing model that treats mental and physical illnesses as the same.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/22/opinion-expanding-assisted-dying-to-mental-illness/

Scientists have been experimenting for years with various species of plastic-eating bacteria. But DARPA is taking a slightly different approach in seeking a compact and mobile solution for field use that uses plastic to create something else entirely: food for humans.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/21/plastic-waste-transformed-into-food-for-humans/

A plan to return the tenacious wolverine to its native range in the Southern Rockies may seem like a win for this elusive creature. But it’s also a gamble. In the face of an uncertain climatic future, does wildlife benefit from being reintroduced into areas where they haven’t lived in more than a century?

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/20/changing-climate-colorado-restore-wolverine/

Scientists have long suspected a connection between the dust and poor respiratory health near the Salton Sea in California. But after years of research, recent findings have offered surprising new insights: The prime suspect is a naturally occurring toxin, embedded in the dust.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/08/19/salton-sea-uncovering-lung-disease/