Health

90% of Americans worry about microplastics

Microplastics are showing up everywhere—from dollar store toys and synthetic clothing to bottled water, toothbrushes and even human sperm. A new Ocean Conservancy survey finds that nearly 9 in 10 Americans are concerned about the health impacts of microplastics, while support is growing for tougher regulations. As scientists uncover plastic particles in the heart, placenta and reproductive organs, the question is no longer whether microplastics are affecting our lives, but how much damage they are already doing.

Self-repairing contact lenses and desalination membranes that fix themselves?

Could the humble contact lens become a sustainability breakthrough? Researchers in Korea have developed a self-healing hydrogel lens that repairs scratches with just one hour of UV light exposure. Beyond reducing waste from disposable contacts, the technology could one day help extend the life of solar panels, water filtration systems, and other plastic-based products.

Should we be worried about ebola?

Touch the body and ancient African traditions are causing the Ebola virus to spread.

Do you have microplastics in your sperm?

Biohacker finds a way to remove microplastics from his sperm

What’s in season in June – plus recipes and forager’s notes

Middle Eastern markets are bursting with the color and aromas of summer's soft fruits. This is the guide to getting the most out of June. 

New pancreas cancer drug brings miracles to “incurable” cancer

One oncologist involved in the research, Dr. Rachna Shroff, said the results were so powerful that she cried in clinic.

Lyme Disease And The Great Outdoors

Planning on being outdoors a lot this summer? We love time spent outdoors too, and expect to return home from picnics, hikes, and camping...

What is holistic dentistry?

A recent study of graduating dental hygiene students in the United States suggests there is a knowledge gap. Researchers found that 42% of respondent students were unfamiliar with holistic dentistry, while 60% did not feel comfortable discussing it with patients. Yet nearly half believed the topic deserved greater attention in dental hygiene education.

10 Amazing Facts About the Sidr Tree

Most people in the West have never heard of the Sidr tree. That's strange when you think about it. This tough, thorny desert tree has fed people, bees, birds, and camels for thousands of years. It appears in Islamic tradition. Its honey sells for astonishing prices.

A Quantum Kaddish? What fungal networks teach us about grief, God and death

Can Zara speak with their recently departed mother through fungal networks? In April my mom passed away and I attended her funeral as a relative...

Make Guarapo De Piña (it’s fermented pineapple juice)

In Cuba, guarapo is simply freshly-pressed sugar cane juice, and is drunk on the spot, without waiting for it to ferment. But in Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Mexico, they homebrew guarapo from pineapples or oranges, and the fragrant fluid sits on the kitchen counter top to ferment until it's bubbly.

Abortion Pills, Plan B and Mifepristone and what the new US mail ban means

Abortion pills, often confused with Plan B (the morning-after pill), and historically referred to as RU486 (mifepristone), are part of a broader category of reproductive health medications that women have been using for decades. But they are not the same thing.

How does Neuralink work?

Current goals are to treat neurological disease like Parkinson’s and restore autonomy to people with severe physical limitations by controlling exoskeletons and prosthetics. There’s also huge potential to improve cognitive abilities such as memory, attention, and languages.

Baby teeth read like tree rings paint a picture of toxins in early life

A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York offers a striking insight into how the environments we are born into can quietly shape our brains years later. By analyzing naturally shed baby teeth, the ones tucked under pillows for the tooth fairy, researchers have reconstructed a detailed timeline of exposure to environmental metals during pregnancy and early infancy.

Married People Have Lower Cancer Risk, But the Reason is Complex

According to the research, cancer risk was 68% higher in never-married men and 85% higher in never-married women.

Hot this week

How Torvinen Jaakko’s ugly wood can lay the foundations for green building

Canada's forests generate billions of dollars in economic value each year, yet vast amounts of irregular timber are downgraded to wood chips or biomass. A collaboration between researchers at Carleton University and Aalto University is challenging that model, demonstrating how "ugly wood" can be transformed into high-value architecture while reducing waste and storing more carbon in buildings.

Kansas City’s Second Attempt at a Conversion Therapy Ban: What the Proposed Ordinance Does and Why It’s Being Rewritten

Kansas City is attempting to revive protections against conversion therapy with a new ordinance carefully designed to withstand recent First Amendment challenges. Rather than banning conversion therapy by name, the proposal targets harmful therapeutic practices linked to increased risks of depression and self-harm, creating what supporters hope could become a legal model for other U.S. cities.

A Face Swap Tool for Training and Internal Comms

Corporate training videos often require repeated filming, travel, and production resources every time policies or personnel change. AI-powered face swap tools offer a more sustainable approach by extending the life of digital training content, reducing unnecessary reshoots, and helping organizations communicate more efficiently—provided they are used transparently with clear consent and ethical governance.

How a tick bite can lead to a life-threatening meat allergy AFG

Imagine developing a severe allergy to steak after a single tick bite. That's the reality for people with alpha-gal syndrome, a rapidly emerging condition linked to lone star ticks and other tick species. As researchers uncover how tick saliva rewires the immune system, health officials warn that hundreds of thousands of Americans may already be living with this unusual red meat allergy.

Russia’s Arctic superdeep oil drill revives debunked ‘infinite oil’ theory

Russia is reviving the controversial abiotic oil theory with plans to drill superdeep holes in the Arctic. While small amounts of abiotic methane exist deep within the Earth, most geologists reject the idea that commercial oil reserves originate from non-biological processes, raising questions about the environmental cost and scientific value of the project.

Topics

How Torvinen Jaakko’s ugly wood can lay the foundations for green building

Canada's forests generate billions of dollars in economic value each year, yet vast amounts of irregular timber are downgraded to wood chips or biomass. A collaboration between researchers at Carleton University and Aalto University is challenging that model, demonstrating how "ugly wood" can be transformed into high-value architecture while reducing waste and storing more carbon in buildings.

Kansas City’s Second Attempt at a Conversion Therapy Ban: What the Proposed Ordinance Does and Why It’s Being Rewritten

Kansas City is attempting to revive protections against conversion therapy with a new ordinance carefully designed to withstand recent First Amendment challenges. Rather than banning conversion therapy by name, the proposal targets harmful therapeutic practices linked to increased risks of depression and self-harm, creating what supporters hope could become a legal model for other U.S. cities.

A Face Swap Tool for Training and Internal Comms

Corporate training videos often require repeated filming, travel, and production resources every time policies or personnel change. AI-powered face swap tools offer a more sustainable approach by extending the life of digital training content, reducing unnecessary reshoots, and helping organizations communicate more efficiently—provided they are used transparently with clear consent and ethical governance.

How a tick bite can lead to a life-threatening meat allergy AFG

Imagine developing a severe allergy to steak after a single tick bite. That's the reality for people with alpha-gal syndrome, a rapidly emerging condition linked to lone star ticks and other tick species. As researchers uncover how tick saliva rewires the immune system, health officials warn that hundreds of thousands of Americans may already be living with this unusual red meat allergy.

Russia’s Arctic superdeep oil drill revives debunked ‘infinite oil’ theory

Russia is reviving the controversial abiotic oil theory with plans to drill superdeep holes in the Arctic. While small amounts of abiotic methane exist deep within the Earth, most geologists reject the idea that commercial oil reserves originate from non-biological processes, raising questions about the environmental cost and scientific value of the project.

Code Red from the Galapagos: human drugs and sunscreen are polluting the sea

Millions of visitors swim in the pristine waters of the Galápagos each year, but new research suggests sunscreen chemicals and other human-made pollutants are reaching even the islands' most protected marine habitats. Scientists are calling for urgent monitoring to safeguard one of Earth's most iconic ecosystems.

AI will crack the codes from the Dead Sea Scrolls

Artificial intelligence is opening a new chapter in Dead Sea Scrolls research. By combining machine learning with chemical analysis, scientists hope to uncover where the ancient manuscripts were produced, identify connections between scribes, and reveal hidden patterns across more than 25,000 fragments that have remained unsolved for decades.

90% of Americans worry about microplastics

Microplastics are showing up everywhere—from dollar store toys and synthetic clothing to bottled water, toothbrushes and even human sperm. A new Ocean Conservancy survey finds that nearly 9 in 10 Americans are concerned about the health impacts of microplastics, while support is growing for tougher regulations. As scientists uncover plastic particles in the heart, placenta and reproductive organs, the question is no longer whether microplastics are affecting our lives, but how much damage they are already doing.
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