Diabetes Is Rising in Africa. Could It Lead to New Breakthroughs?

Chikowore says there are many possible explanations for this, ranging from as yet undiscovered genetic variants to the physiological structure of the pancreas. The latter theory arises from research carried out in East Africa, which found that some men develop type 2 diabetes despite having a healthy weight. An ongoing study led by Uganda’s Medical Research […]

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US Customs and Border Protection Quietly Revokes Protections for Pregnant Women and Infants

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has quietly rescinded several internal policies that were designed to protect some of the most vulnerable people in its custody—including pregnant women, infants, the elderly, and people with serious medical conditions. The decision, outlined in a memo dated May 5 and signed by Acting Commissioner Pete Flores, eliminates four […]

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The Dangerous Decline in Vaccination Rates

In the year 2000, measles were declared eliminated from the United States. But thanks to declining vaccination rates, Americans may have to contend with a much scarier future for the deadly disease. Today on the show, we talk about the state of measles, and we explain the role Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of  Health […]

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RFK Jr.’s HHS Orders Lab Studying Deadly Infectious Diseases to Stop Research

A research facility within the US National Institutes of Health that is tasked with studying Ebola and other deadly infectious diseases has been instructed by the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to stop research activities. According to an email viewed by WIRED, the Integrated Research Facility in Frederick, Maryland, was told […]

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Muscle Memory Isn’t What You Think It Is

We all want to know if and how we can come back to form after injury, illness, or a long hiatus. Muscles adapt in response to the environment: They grow when we put in the work and shrink when we stop. But what if we could help them remember how to grow? As a general […]

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An Experimental Obesity Pill Mimics Gastric Bypass Surgery

The drug is based on research conducted at MIT by Giovanni Traverso, a gastroenterologist and mechanical engineer, and Robert Langer, a chemical engineer who has launched more than two dozen biotech companies. The two discovered the mechanism when working on a way to develop liquid drug formulations that could be given to children. They soon […]

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A Lethal Mystery Illness Spread in Congo. USAID Cuts Have Slowed the Response

Consequences of the United States rapidly slashing foreign aid are reverberating across the world, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an unidentified illness with Ebola-like symptoms has ravaged several villages. This sickness has killed over 60 people and sickened more than a thousand, and it is occurring at the same time as an […]

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