Roughly half of all Britons have said they view the drug industry at least somewhat favorably. By contrast, just 18 percent of Americans report positive views of pharma. The discrepancy may be explained, in part, by the U.K.’s industry-run watchdog, which rules on drug companies’ untoward behavior.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/30/cross-sections-pharmaceutical-industry-police-itself/

Two Michigan health officials describe how the state is confronting an outbreak of avian influenza among dairy cattle through an aggressive approach that includes declaring an animal health emergency and compensating farmers who participate in research studies to determine the risks to humans and cattle.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/27/interview-how-michigan-targeted-avian-influenza-dairy-cattle/

Artificial intelligence-driven tools such as ChatGPT threaten to flood the internet with machine-generated content, making the question of what data to archive more challenging. Libraries, with their public support, are the best places to decide what on the web is worth keeping, one cryptographer writes.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/26/opinion-challenge-of-preserving-good-data-ai/

In nursing homes, antipsychotic drugs are often used to sedate dementia patients who show agitation or aggression. New data shows that the use of such drugs remains stubbornly high. Some experts say that brings up troubling questions about how and why nursing homes prescribe the drugs.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/25/nursing-homes-overuse-antipsychotics-dementia/

A race-neutral algorithm for lung function was recommended by the American Thoracic Society last year. But making the change at thousands of clinics across the country comes with challenges — and thorny consequences.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/24/the-downstream-effects-of-fixing-a-racist-lung-test/

Health authorities have said that stockpiled Tamiflu should work well against H5N1. But while the drug may help in cases of severe flu, research shows that it doesn’t help keep average-risk patients out of the hospital. Some experts are concerned that the U.S. is banking too much on a so-so drug.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/23/h5n1-old-drug-protect-against-new-pandemic/

Peter Godfrey-Smith’s “Living on Earth” is a natural history “of organisms as causes, rather than evolutionary products.” His subject is the intricate connection between humans and nature, and the astounding creativity of life, not just to evolve new forms, but to continually remake the planet that hosts it.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/20/book-review-living-on-earth/

In March, a cut to NASA’s proposed 2025 budget threatened to end the Chandra orbiting telescope’s mission early, with no replacement in the works. But a campaign by astronomers to restore that funding is demonstrating the importance of outreach and engaging the public in science.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/19/opinion-saving-chandra-x-ray-observatory/

The painful condition of not being able to burp has long gone unrecognized in medicine. But those with ‘no-burp syndrome’ have been gathering online, and gaining steam: A pioneering Botox treatment was was first published in 2019, the same year the condition got an official medical name.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/18/reddit-users-bring-awareness-no-burp-syndrome/

The Consumer Brands Association believes companies should be able to stamp “recyclable” on products that are technically “capable” of being recycled, even if they’re likely to end up in a landfill. Experts say the proposal could worsen a crisis that is flooding the planet and our bodies with plastics.

via Undark Magazine https://undark.org/2024/09/17/what-does-recyclable-really-mean/