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Column | ‘Ball and gun’ gamers and the plague of uninformed expertise
Sports games and shooters are often excellent. But the conversation around them is a symptom of a wider culture that treats participation as knowledge.
How Extra Health’s ‘Doctor in Your Pocket’ Offers a Different Healthcare Access Model
The consequences of waiting are often invisible from the outside, yet they define the lives of those navigating financial uncertainty.
Building the data infrastructure for next-generation materials science
Materials research generates vast amounts of data, but the information often exists in manufacturer-specific formats and the terminology is inconsistent, making it difficult to aggregate, compare, and ...
When politicians say the quiet part out loud
As Kaja Kallas’ unguarded comments showed, wisecracks and slips of the tongue often reveal far more than a carefully crafted speech.
When science discourages correction: How publishers profit from mistakes
Academic publishing system often allows scientific errors to persist because it prioritises profit and prestige over timely correction.
Female mice often have multiple sexual partners—for survival
Birthing a litter with several fathers may help when food is scarce.
Two years as Louisiana governor: Jeff Landry’s big conservative wins, flashes of controversy
Landry says his aggressive approach is bringing much-needed change to Louisiana. But it has often attracted criticism.
The science of the slush: How temperature profiles dictate precipitation
If you’ve lived in the csra for long, you know our winter weather is rarely simple. We often get stuck with a messy mix instead of a winter wonderland, and i built this graphic to show you exactly …
Yet another Jalen Hurts report fuels more unneeded Eagles distractions
New report on Jalen Hurts again adds unneccessary attention to an often drama-filled locker room.
Science is best communicated through identity and culture – how researchers are ensuring STEM serves their communities
Scientists have traditionally focused on educating the public on science or correcting misinformation. But researchers from marginalized communities often have broader goals in science communication.
Scientists “resurrect” ancient cannabis enzymes with medical promise
Scientists have uncovered how cannabis evolved the ability to make its most famous compounds—THC, CBD, and CBC—by recreating ancient enzymes that existed millions of years ago. These early enzymes were multitaskers, capable of producing several cannabinoids at once, before evolution fine-tuned them into today’s highly specialized forms. By “resurrecting” these long-lost enzymes in the lab, researchers showed how cannabis chemistry became more precise over time—and discovered something unexpected: the ancient versions are often more robust and easier to work with.
5 Infectious Diseases to Watch in 2026
New Year’s optimism often spurs pledges of healthier choices, but reasons for pessimism about America’s health this year persist. Childhood vaccination rates are on the decline, and school vaccination requirement exemptions are on the rise – fostering more opportunities for dangerous infectious ...
Scientists uncover a hidden type of diabetes in newborns
Researchers have discovered a rare new type of diabetes that affects babies early in life. The condition is caused by changes in a single gene that prevent insulin-producing cells from working properly. When these cells fail, blood sugar rises and diabetes develops, often alongside neurological problems. The findings help explain a long-standing medical mystery and deepen understanding of diabetes overall.
Rachel Reeves 'particularly concerned' about pub business rates
Chancellor hints there will not be more support for other hospitality businesses to soften the impact of rate rises.
What is Christian Reconstructionism − and why it matters in US politics
Christian Reconstructionism, a little-known movement to rebuild society on biblical law, can often shape US debates over religion, politics and education.
Sabitzer: “We played it out well from the back”
“Of course, it wasn’t our best game in the first half,” Sabitzer said in an interview with Sky after the match, adding: “We lost possession far too often and had no control whatsoever. That’...
Lawmakers question Coast Guard official about tanker seizures, boat strikes
The “shadow fleet” of nearly 1,000 vessels poses environmental and safety risks because the boats are often poorly maintained, according to the International Maritime Organization
Rural areas have darker skies but fewer resources for students interested in astronomy – telescopes in schools can help
Stargazing can stimulate an interest in space in kids and lead to a passion for science. But rural schools often lack the resources to nurture these interests.
Conservation’s unfinished business
Conservation often presents itself as a technical enterprise: how much land to protect, which species to prioritize, what policies deliver results. A recent paper in Nature argues that this framing misses something fundamental. Many of the field’s most persistent failures, the authors contend, cannot be understood without confronting how race, power, and historical exclusion continue […]
A ‘ticklish subject’: Trump’s words on immigration often collide and contradict
His dueling messages could in part be rooted in his awareness that supporters were infuriated by his comments last year embracing foreign students and labor.
When chicken noodle soup helps your health – and when it doesn’t
Comfort alone doesn’t determine whether a food is healthy. Ingredients, how the soup is prepared and how often it’s eaten influence nutritional value.
Overcoming Obstacles to HIV Prevention
By Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay ReporterSUNDAY, Jan. 11, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Though an antiretroviral medication called PrEP provides near-perfect protection against HIV, patients must often surmount hurdles to obtain it. From medical stigma to insurance denials and doctors who are unfamiliar ...
‘It could have killed me’: Minnesota shooting solidifies the anxieties of people who track ICE
In every city where President Donald Trump’s immigration agents have arrived in force, they’ve been trailed by people who seek to monitor or protest their activities, often in close quarters.
Gov. Jared Polis is Rodney Dangerfield
Hang onto your wallet, it’s a Colorado legislative session. And the loneliest person under the Gold Dome is Jared Polis, a governor without a nation. This will be the last regular session of his limited two terms, and he has managed to become disliked by just about everyone. Of course, no matter how often he […]
Do Colds Impact Men And Women Differently? Science Says Yes, Here's Why
While the "man flu" stereotype paints men to be dramatic sufferers, studies show women often have severe and prolonged symptoms like intense fatigue and inflammation due to oestrogen-fueled immune overdrive.
France, Germany and Israel: Prostitution as a Touchstone for Gender Politics
--Eden Farber, Human Rights Lawyer, Task Force against Human Trafficking & Prostitution, Israel Feminism is often measured by manifestations of gende
The electrifying science behind Martian dust
Mars, often depicted as a barren red planet, is far from lifeless. With its thin atmosphere and dusty surface, it is an energetic and electrically charged environment where dust storms and dust devils ...
How informal science spaces unlock learning for excluded children
Informal science spaces offer what the formal system often cannot: a place where science is lived rather than observed from a distance.
The Last Mile of Interoperability Is Still Manual for Behavioral Health and Post‑Acute Care
Black Book® Q4 2025 flash survey finds behavioral health, post-acute, public health, and CBO connectivity still heavily manual, with fees (59%), immature APIs (52%), and slow onboarding (46%) cited as top barriers, more often than missing standards ...
People in Brazil are living past 110 and scientists want to know why
Scientists are uncovering why Brazil may be one of the most important yet underused resources for studying extreme longevity. Its highly diverse population harbors millions of genetic variants missing from standard datasets, including rare changes linked to immune strength and cellular maintenance. Brazilian supercentenarians often remain mentally sharp, survive serious infections, and come from families where multiple members live past 100. Together, they reveal aging not as inevitable decline, but as a form of biological resilience.
Butler to host conference on entrepreneurship through acquisition
The practice of buying a business is nothing new, but entrepreneurship through acquisition—or ETA as it is often called—has caught on in recent years among both mid-career individuals and recent college graduates who want to become business owners but don’t want to start a company from scratch.
Analysis: A Keegan-like thriller
It is a scoreline so often associated with Kevin Keegan. Who could forget that chaotic game at Anfield in 1996 when Stan Collymore struck late for Liverpool to break Newcastle hearts? This time, however, Newcastle were toasting a quite remarkable victory following a late turnaround of their own.
When Being a Family Business Becomes a Competitive Advantage
Family businesses often underestimate the strategic power of their familial identity, defaulting instead to corporate models that erode the trust and long-term relationships that set them apart. A Family-to-Family (F2F) strategy reframes customers and suppliers as multigenerational partners, strengthening loyalty, speeding decision-making, and fueling innovation in ways competitors struggle to replicate. Vitex’s transformation shows how deliberately activating “familiness” can drive resilience, growth, and market leadership—offering a blueprint for CEOs who want to turn trust into a durable competitive advantage.
Dry January encourages reset on alcohol habits, Lowcountry health experts say
The New Year often brings resolutions focused on health; one of the most popular in recent years is Dry January, a monthlong break from alcohol.
Senators discuss open enrollment extension for compromise health plan
Republican and Democratic senators want to soften the blow of lapsed Obamacare tax credits.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s 5-year congressional career ends today
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's final day in office comes after a high-profile and often controversial five years in Congress. We look at five highlights of her tenure.
UI business professor: Motivational posters may be doing just the opposite
A University of Iowa College of Business professor says motivational posters with inspirational messages that adorn many of our workplace walls often do little to motivate or inspire employees. Ken Brown, a UI professor of management and entrepreneurship, says for a poster like that to have real impact, it has to be bundled with what […]
In the U.S., hunger is often hidden. But it can still leave scars on body and mind
In the U.S., hunger is often hidden away. It looks nothing like the stereotype of a famine happening overseas. But the physical impacts on health and the psychological scars can last a lifetime.
To Knock Down Health-System Hurdles Between You and HIV Prevention, Try These 6 Things
It’s been more than 10 years since the FDA first approved an HIV prevention drug. Today, people who could benefit from preexposure prophylaxis often struggle to access the lifesaving medicine or run into doctors without the education or empathy to offer affirming care. And those lapses can produce billing headaches.
China's services growth hits 6-month low in December, shows private PMI
China's services activity expanded at its slowest pace in six months in December, as growth in new business softened and foreign demand declined, a private-sector survey showed on Monday.
How fundraising helps shape Texas political races
Fundraising totals often shape Texas political races by signaling strength and supporting early campaign infrastructure.
Why Highly Gifted Minds Start Their Day Differently—The Morning Habit Science Explains
Ever wondered what happens in the minds of highly gifted individuals during those first sleepy moments of the day? For people with a very high IQ (130 and above), mornings don’t start like everyone else’s. Their minds, ever restless and buzzing, set the tone for how they face the early light—often with a morning habit…
The perfect way to look after your health if you work shifts
There are many knock-on effects of working nights or early mornings, and often employers could do more to protect staff. But there are small, simple changes that can make all the difference
Medical Aid in Dying Legislation and the Limits of Prognostic Science
New York’s Medical Aid in Dying is often framed as compassion guided by medical expertise. But is the legislation prescribing a moral choice behind the mask of scientific certainty?
More art and less politics please, celebrities
From assisted dying to Abd el-Fattah, actors and singers too often pose as part-time campaigners
How the Science of Photography Can Lead You Astray
I often refer to photography as a blend of art and science. However, our cameras' lack of adherence to scientific principles can lead to confusion. Both
One Big Beautiful Bill Act complicates state health care affordability efforts
This article first appeared on KFF Health News. As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have helped millions of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care. California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and five other states […]
Nine science-backed ways to help you feel better in 2026
From channelling your anger to writing lists and singing more often – here are some science-backed tips to boost your wellbeing.
In Case You Were Wondering | Sports Science & Nutrition
Case Keenum is back, this time with the Bears' Sports Science and Nutrition teams, to see how the team moves and fuel up. From 3D motion capture mobility training to wellness shots, Keenum gets a first-person look at the small, often overlooked details th
In Case You Were Wondering | Sports Science & Nutrition
Case Keenum is back, this time with the Bears' Sports Science and Nutrition teams, to see how the team moves and fuel up. From 3D motion capture mobility training to wellness shots, Keenum gets a first-person look at the small, often overlooked details th
MIT study shows high-fat diets give liver cancer a dangerous head start
A high-fat diet does more than overload the liver with fat. New research from MIT shows that prolonged exposure to fatty foods can push liver cells into a survival mode that quietly raises the risk of cancer. Faced with ongoing metabolic stress, these cells abandon their normal roles and revert to a more primitive state that helps them endure harsh conditions. Over time, that shift leaves the liver less functional and far more vulnerable to tumor formation, helping explain why fatty liver disease so often precedes liver cancer.
What if AI becomes conscious and we never know
A philosopher at the University of Cambridge says there’s no reliable way to know whether AI is conscious—and that may remain true for the foreseeable future. According to Dr. Tom McClelland, consciousness alone isn’t the ethical tipping point anyway; sentience, the capacity to feel good or bad, is what truly matters. He argues that claims of conscious AI are often more marketing than science, and that believing in machine minds too easily could cause real harm. The safest stance for now, he says, is honest uncertainty.
Who's who in Donald Trump's family tree? He has had 3 wives
President Donald Trump's family has appeared with him in his various trips this year, but they all often come to the Mar-a-Lago NYE party. Who is who?
New Rep. Thompson law cuts red tape, protects small business owners
“When we have multiple layers of bureaucracy, we are actively pushing entrepreneurs and small business owners out of our state,” said Thompson, of Brownstown Township. “This new law will support economic independence and sustainability for people who often face significant barriers to business ownership. The era of government nickel and diming hardworking people must end."
When I made $1 million, friends and family kept asking for money. I had to cut some relationships out of my life.
Many people asked me for money when my company made a million dollars. I often gave in, but it was never enough — until I set boundaries.
The Best New Tech and Business Podcasts 2025
Quantity is so often the enemy of quality, a truth made plainly apparent across podcast feeds these days: Everyone and their cousin—or, rather, everyone and their Series B investor—is trying to do a lengthy chat show, seated behind high-end video cameras and the same set of Shure mics that Joe ...
Conversations bridge Public Health and MAHA
Leaders in public health and MAHA have different views on how to improve Americans' health and often talk past each other. A new podcast helps them talk directly.
Jay M. Savage, witness to disappearing frogs and builder of tropical science
In the late 1980s, something began to go wrong in places that were supposed to be safe. Protected cloud forests, buffered from chainsaws and bulldozers, started losing animals that had persisted through far rougher times. Amphibians—often abundant, often overlooked—were vanishing in patterns that did not fit the usual explanations. Field biologists, trained to distrust drama, […]
One Big Beautiful Bill Act complicates state health care affordability efforts
As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have helped millions of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care.
As insurance prices rise, women puzzle through coverage options for their families
Figuring out the insurance options for families often falls to women. Some say they're delaying marriage, taking side jobs, and putting their kids on Medicaid as premium prices shoot up in 2026.
Does science agree it’s better to give than receive? A doctor explains
Gift-giving is often framed as a source of stress and obligation, but a growing body of research suggests there may also be something beneficial about giving itself.
Andrew Johnson's 1868 Christmas pardon shows how forgiveness and politics collide
Historical amnesty to confederates is often cited in discussions about pardons for political violence and democracy
The 5 weirdest science experiments in history | BBC Science Focus Magazine
Although science often advances through tried-and-tested methods, sometimes scientists have to find creative ways to test their hypotheses.
This popular painkiller may do more harm than good
Tramadol, a popular opioid often seen as a “safer” painkiller, may not live up to its reputation. A large analysis of clinical trials found that while it does reduce chronic pain, the relief is modest—so small that many patients likely wouldn’t notice much real-world benefit. At the same time, tramadol was linked to a significantly higher risk of serious side effects, especially heart-related problems like chest pain and heart failure, along with common issues such as nausea, dizziness, and sleepiness.
Oceans are supercharging hurricanes past Category 5
Deep ocean hot spots packed with heat are making the strongest hurricanes and typhoons more likely—and more dangerous. These regions, especially near the Philippines and the Caribbean, are expanding as climate change warms ocean waters far below the surface. As a result, storms powerful enough to exceed Category 5 are appearing more often, with over half occurring in just the past decade. Researchers say recognizing a new “Category 6” could improve public awareness and disaster planning.
Scientists say evolution works differently than we thought
A major evolutionary theory says most genetic changes don’t really matter, but new evidence suggests that’s not true. Researchers found that helpful mutations happen surprisingly often. The twist is that changing environments prevent these mutations from spreading widely before they become useless or harmful. Evolution, it turns out, is less about reaching perfection and more about endlessly chasing a moving target.
Stigma Is the Enemy of Science and Human Progress
History shows we often dismiss what we don’t yet understand. Here’s why stigmatizing today’s uncomfortable questions may be holding humanity back.
Arch Linux Drops Support for NVIDIA Pascal and Older GPUs
Linux can be a solid option for anyone looking for an operating system that supports older hardware, but bleeding-edge distributions like Arch Linux often drop support for older hardware sooner than other distributions. This is exactly what happened recently, as the development team behind Arch Linu...
The Science (and Pseudoscience) of Everyday Life
Everyday life is full of small behaviors we treat as moral choices, scientific truths, or acts of civic virtue—often without much reflection. From abandoned shopping carts to climate guilt over pet ownership, from misplaced faith in statistical “significance” to misunderstandings of animal behavior, these examples reveal how intuition, habit, and oversimplified science shape what we believe.
Entertainment vs. reality: How media glamorizes opioids and warps teens' perception
Opioids are often shown in movies, music, and social media as party drugs, symbols of fun, rebellion, or a carefree lifestyle. Instead of highlighting the real dangers of addiction, withdrawal or overdose, entertainment culture turns powerful and deadly substances into aesthetic props. This glamorized image shapes how teens and young adults think about opioids, making […]
Governments Are Starting to Compete Like Startups — And That Changes Everything for Entrepreneurs
When states begin marketing citizenship and incentives, it often marks deeper shifts toward modernization and capital-friendly policy environments.
Bookman: Republicans are fighting a losing battle on health care
In politics, as in war, victory often depends on your choice of battlefield. Here in Georgia, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has chosen health care and the economy as the grounds on which he will defend his Senate seat in next year’s election. His Republican opponents have chosen loyalty to Donald Trump and, I guess, “wokeness.” […]
Video games may be a surprisingly good way to get a cognitive boost
However, the type of game and how often you play it matters, with experts recommending moderation.
Strengthening U.S.-Nigerian Health Cooperation under the America First Global Health Strategy - U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria
Strengthening U.S.-Nigerian Health Cooperation under the America First Global Health Strategy The United States signed a five-year, $5.1 billion bilateral health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Republic of Nigeria December 19 to advance the America First Global Health Strategy, supporting resilient, self-reliant, and durable health systems while promoting accountability and shared responsibility. Under the five-year MOU, the United States intends to commit nearly $2.1 billion in health assistance, with nearly $3.0 billion in new domestic health expenditures by the Government of Nigeria over the same five-year period. This represents the largest co-investment any country has made to date under the America First Global Health Strategy and underscore Nigeria’s commitment to greater national ownership of its health system. Under the MOU, the United States will continue to support surveillance and outbreak response, laboratory systems, health commodities; frontline healthcare workers, and data systems. Nigeria faces significant health challenges, including one of the highest maternal and child mortality rates globally and approximately30 percent of the global malaria burden. U.S. assistance under the MOU will expand access to affordable, preventive and curative services for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, polio, and maternal and child health, strengthening health outcomes across Nigeria. The MOU places a strong emphasis on Christian faith-based healthcare providers, recognizing their indispensable role in delivering care to communities in need. Nigeria’s more than 900 faith-based clinics and hospitals serve more than 30 percent of the country’s 230 million people, often in areas where healthcare facilities are limited or absent. The MOU provides approximately $200 million in dedicated support to strengthen and support these Christian facilities, enhance workforce capacity, and expand access to integrated HIV, TB, malaria, and maternal child health services. Investments in Christian faith-based health institutions are uniquely positioned to complement public-sector facilities and reinforce Nigeria’s overall health infrastructure. The MOU was negotiated in connection with reforms undertaken by the Government of Nigeria to prioritize the protection of Christian populations from extremist violence. As with all U.S. foreign assistance, the President and Secretary of State retain the right to pause or terminate programs that do not align with U.S. national interests, and the United States expects Nigeria to continue making measurable progress in combating religiously motivated violence against Christian communities. This five-year MOU is the latest of several health cooperation MOUs signed in Africa this month. The United States will continue to sign multi-year Bilateral Agreements on Global Health Cooperation with countries receiving U.S. health assistance to advance the America First Global Health Strategy.
Men, boys meet to address mental health challenges at South Side breakfast event
Fellowshipping with one another on the city's South Side, boys and men are sitting down to talk about a pressing issue that often goes undiscussed.
Dismissing politics as ‘dirty’ is wrong and self-defeating
I’m often struck by how often I meet people who think that all politics are dirty. They view politics as innately unethical, something they should avoid altogether. They stereotype politicians as dishonest and corrupt.
CTSI to host three-part virtual mini-series on team science
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) will host a three-part virtual mini-series focused on team science, led by Susan Simkins, director of Team Science with Penn State CTSI. Designed for researchers, staff and leaders working in collaborative environments, the series will provide practical, evidence-based strategies to help teams function more effectively and avoid the misalignment that often can slow down good science.
New plaques on Trump’s ‘Presidential Walk of Fame’ offer pointed descriptions of predecessors
The White House has installed plaques along President Donald Trump’s “Presidential Walk of Fame,” offering descriptions of his predecessors, often written in the style of his social media posts — including insults, baseless claims and random capitalization.
Is Becton Dickinson Now an Opportunity After Diagnostics Expansion and 2026 Business Separation Plans?
If you have been wondering whether Becton Dickinson is quietly turning into a value opportunity or just a value trap, you are not alone. This breakdown is designed to give you a clear, no jargon view of where the stock really stands. The share price has bounced 5.6% over the last week and 3.7% over the past month, even though it is still down 11.7% year to date and 10.2% over the last year. This mix often signals shifting expectations around growth and risk. Recent headlines have focused on...
Unique bonus categories on business cards
Business rewards cards often earn elevated rates on business-specific spending categories. Here are the most interesting ones.
Science has always been marketed, from 18th-century coffeehouse demos of Newton's ideas to today's TikTok explainers
People often see science as a world apart: cool, rational and untouched by persuasion or performance. In this view, scientists simply discover truth, and truth speaks for itself.
The science of 'us': Scholars examine how mixed-race couples handle social stresses
Interracial couples often face unique social pressures—from strangers' stares to family disapproval—and two recent studies from the University of Toronto Mississauga shed light on how these stresses ...
AI in entertainment: The real revolution is operational
Discussions about AI in the entertainment industry often conjure images of algorithm-generated scripts and digitally ... Read More
Why heart disease is so often undiagnosed in women
As a cardiologist, I see this far too often: women come to us later in the course of heart disease, sometimes after weeks or even months of vague symptoms that were dismissed or misdiagnosed. We’ve made significant advances in cardiology, but one thing hasn’t changed enough: Heart disease in women still flies under the radar. That’s something I’m passionate about changing.
OPINION: Colleges too often drop the ball on student-athlete mental health
Despite changes at the NCAA, conference and institutional levels to improve access to, education about and training for mental health services, they remain insufficient to meet the growing mental-health needs of student-athletes.
The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)
In a recent conversation, T.I. expressed his views on the church, suggesting that it can be a business and that leaders often manipulate the word for personal gain. He emphasizes the importance of personal connection with God, stating that you don't need a middle man to hear your prayers. Explore the complexities of faith and leadership in this thought-provoking discussion.
Will concert tickets ever be accessible in Canada?
Most people are familiar with the pains associated with buying tickets for high-profile events: Face value tickets are expensive — if they’re even available, and tickets often sell out fast, only to pop up on resale sites, where they’re sold for exorbitant prices. But there are ways to push back, experts say, especially as people voice increasing dissatisfaction.
LG Update Installs Unremovable Microsoft Copilot on Smart TVs, Ignites Backlash
LG's recent software update has forcibly installed Microsoft Copilot, an AI assistant, on smart TVs without removal options, sparking widespread user backlash over privacy, bloatware, and loss of control. This highlights growing tensions in smart devices, where monetization often overrides user preferences.
Teen’s video a ‘Breakthrough’ in science communication
Seventeen-year-old Grace Lee from Chula Vista is gaining national attention as a finalist in the global Breakthrough Junior Challenge, an annual competition that invites students to create original videos explaining complex scientific ideas in creative and engaging ways. Founded in 2015, the contest encourages young people to break down advanced scientific theories using imagination and storytelling— “Steven Spielberg meets Albert Einstein,” as organizers describe it. Lee’s submission centers on the principle of least time in physics, a concept that explains why light always travels the path that takes the least amount of time. To bring the idea to life, she used intricate origami characters and stop-motion animation, along with simple at-home experiments, she said. “The fact that light always travels via the path that takes the least amount of time sounds simple at first, but nature is full of surprises,” she said. “This principle is actually very profound and underlies many different fields in physics that seem completely unrelated, from optics to Newton’s laws to Einstein’s theory of relativity.” Also, origami has long been one of her passions and integrating it into her project felt natural. She often makes origami gifts for friends and teaches origami in her school clubs. “A single 10-second scene would take hours to craft,” she said, noting the mixture of stop-motion and post-production editing required to animate expressions and movement. To ensure the science remained accurate and accessible, she spent time reading books and online resources, writing a script, creating a storyboard, and filming and editing repeatedly until the visuals worked.The experiments were among the biggest challenges. To demonstrate water waves, she used everyday household items — “a spatula and an electric toothbrush to vibrate the waves, glass in a baking pan for different depths, and an iPhone flashlight so the waves would be visible.” She also put careful thought into explaining the principle through analogies, including a gingerbread man and a fox. “Analogies and visuals are incredibly important,” she said. “Visual demonstrations allow viewers to see how the science actually works.” Beyond the competition, Lee is deeply involved in science leadership and advocacy. She serves as International President of miRcore, the world’s largest student computational biology organization, with 136 chapters across five countries. She leads a 20-member executive board, organizes outreach connecting schools worldwide, and has helped run workshops at locations including Scripps Research Institute and the University of Michigan. “I used to be intimidated,” she said, but she gradually grew her skills and confidence. “Now I am no longer afraid to use my voice and enthusiasm to bring out the best in others.” Her research experience includes two peer-reviewed papers on asthma and vaping. Misconceptions around vaping, she said, show why clear science communication matters. “Our research shows that there is long-term harm to your lungs on the cellular level that isn’t obvious unless you come down with an illness like the flu,” she said. Lee also founded Full Hearts at Eastlake High School, transforming the small club into one of the school’s largest, with hands-on service projects in partnership with local nonprofits. She continues mentoring younger students to sustain the mission. If she wins the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, Grace hopes the $100,000 science lab prize for her school will expand opportunities for students who have limited access to equipment and hands-on science outside the classroom.
RFK Jr is a danger to public health – but local Maha laws could be a bigger threat
An array of under-the-radar initiatives are taking hold across the US, often tied to immunization, fluoridation and raw milk
Innovation Requires Striking The Right Balance
Innovation takes time. It requires a sustained commitment to trying — and often failing — to forge breakthroughs.
Amputees often feel disconnected from their bionic hands. AI could bridge the gap
Sensors and artificial intelligence help a prosthetic hand act more like a natural one, new research shows.
The Hidden Toll of Holiday Stress on Women’s Health
A recent survey suggests a widening gut-health gap, with women—often the default planners and hosts—bearing the brunt of holiday strain.
OpenAI exec identifies 3 jobs that are not AI proof
"My bet is often on life sciences, pharma companies," Olivier Godement said.
The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Incorporating Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, an international treaty designed to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The product of three years of arduous negotiations, the treaty marks a new era of global cooperation in public health. However, core aspects of the agreement remain unresolved—notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which is intended to ensure equitable access to pandemic-related materials and benefits. To support the successful implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Introduction For the first time, an international treaty has enshrined the principle of “One Health,” the compelling idea that the health of animals, humans, and the environment all contribute to pandemic risks. SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009–10), Ebola (2014–16), and COVID-19 all emerged through zoonotic spillover from animal hosts—respectively, civets, hogs, and bats. Together, they underscore the need for a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. The Pandemic Agreement responds to this call, requiring state parties to acknowledge the ecological interplay and commit to a comprehensive “One Health” strategy. Specifically, Article 5 charges governments to address “the drivers of pandemics and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface,” including wild animal markets, deforestation, and antibiotic overuse. Yet the effectiveness of this “One Health” vision depends equally on the free flow of scientific information and data among countries and institutions. Just as environmental and animal health factors have been neglected in past global frameworks, so too has data sharing been marginalized, despite its centrality to timely detection and response. The Pandemic Agreement takes an important step by requiring governments to enhance data collection and cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these provisions will remain aspirational without a robust Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex. The PABS system will determine whether countries and researchers can rapidly exchange pathogen samples and genetic data while ensuring equitable access to resulting research and development, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Without such mechanisms, the treaty’s promise to operationalize “One Health” and strengthen global preparedness will risk becoming largely symbolic, echoing earlier failures to translate shared principles into coordinated action. Equity Concerns When the 2025 Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement, it left the difficult question of access to pathogens and the sharing of resulting benefits to be addressed in a separate agreement. Negotiations on this separate agreement, PABS, are now underway in Geneva. Yet governments remain divided over fundamental questions of equity between the countries that primarily contribute to the system and those that primarily draw from it—and consequently benefit. For example, wildlife in countries bordering the equator is likely to produce PABS materials, but companies in Europe are likely to use them to develop lucrative products. The most likely contributor countries are likely to be those biodiverse countries around the equator, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, where the number of human-mammalian viral host interactions is large. Conversely, countries most likely to benefit from this material are those with the technology, investors, and infrastructure to capitalize on genomic data, such as the United States, EU member states, and Japan. This imbalance reflects a broader pattern seen in prior international frameworks. Now, as in the past, the wealthiest countries in the world (a useful heuristic is membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) disproportionately benefit from systems in which pathogens and genomic sequencing data are contributed to a common source. Under the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the “Plant Treaty” or “Seed Treaty”) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, companies from Europe and North America disproportionately withdraw biological samples and data for development into lucrative medical products. Their governments and companies have both statutory and contractual claims to the products that those companies correspondingly produce. PABS appears poised to follow the same pattern. The text calls for strong language on access to pathogens and associated data, but the corresponding benefits that should flow to poorer countries are couched in equivocal or non-binding language. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities To address these inequities, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Common but differentiated responsibilities are often a feature of climate change negotiations. The basic principle is that, even though all countries should reduce carbon emissions, governments that became rich and powerful through massive carbon emissions (e.g., France, the United Kingdom, the United States) should have a greater obligation to address the resulting crises. Applied to PABS, it would require that governments hosting and supporting companies developing lucrative products carry greater obligations toward the cost of running the PABS system; share benefits or final medical products; and transfer technology to help countries worldwide develop their own capacities to innovate and manufacture vaccines during an emergency. For example, an annex could mandate that any company based in an OECD country that withdraws PABS material would be obligated to donate the resulting diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines to the WHO during a public health emergency or pandemic. Questions remain about how robust those donations would be, but the principle is that they should deliver highly significant lifesaving benefits to be equitably shared. Theoretically, this approach mirrors the PIP Framework, in which companies withdrawing influenza samples are required to pay half of the operating costs. In practice, however, the framework has fallen short. The PIP Framework Secretariat has struggled to secure payments from companies, with companies often disagreeing over how much is owed. Additionally, without another pandemic influenza to test the strength of the agreement during a public health emergency, corporate compliance with sharing mechanisms remains unknown. Even if these limitations did not characterize the PIP Framework, partially paying for operating expenses does not address the inequity in access to genetic data and pathogen samples that left less developed countries last in line for COVID-19 vaccines (and, before them, H1N1). Common but differentiated responsibilities would go further, addressing governments’ legitimate grievances regarding information sharing. It would make withdrawals of PABS material and resulting products more transparent, building trust across the board. Enforcement and Enduring Success A key implication of this approach is that the governing mechanism of the PABS must have real enforcement authority. The WHO Pandemic Agreement delegates its core governance responsibilities to a Conference of the Parties (COP)—a governing body composed of one representative from each participating government, similar to those established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement COP is charged with oversight functions but ultimately possesses no real authority to compel a government to take any action it does not wish to take. The text does not give the COP the ability to, for example, sanction a party that does not comply with either textual obligations or PABS provisions. In other words, there are no effective mechanisms in place to ensure compliance. Perhaps just as significant, establishing a meaningful enforcement mechanism within the PABS system would strengthen the WHO’s credibility and its ability to ensure compliance across global health governance. By setting a precedent for accountability, such a mechanism could enhance the organization’s authority not only within the Pandemic Agreement but also in enforcing the revised International Health Regulations and other frameworks for public health emergencies. Conclusion The PABS annex can—and should—be different. It should establish clear responsibilities for funding as well as for sharing the diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that result from contributions to the system. The system, in turn, must include a dedicated body empowered to hold governments and the corporations they sponsor accountable for their responsibilities before, during, and after pandemics. Doing so would restore trust in the broader agreement, which was eroded as commitments were repeatedly diluted while parties scrambled to meet their own self-imposed deadlines during the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. A robust PABS Annex would cement a grand social bargain. Wealthier countries and their corporations would gain unimpeded access to scientific information essential for developing and manufacturing lifesaving medical products. As such, they would stand to gain considerable economic benefit. Yet that privilege must be matched with responsibility. The grand bargain must include not only the right to innovate, but also the duty to ensure that innovation serves all. As medical products are developed and produced through collective contributions, every person must have equal access. All human beings deserve an equitable chance to survive—to save their own life, the lives of their families, and the well-being of their communities. … Sam Halabi, JD, MPhil, is the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health and the Director of the Center for Transformational Health Law at Georgetown Law. He serves as the co-lead for the WHO’s Working Group on Regulatory Consideration on AI and Health’s training workstream. He earned his JD from Harvard, his MPhil from Oxford, and undergraduate degrees from Kansas State University. Lawrence Gostin, LLD (Hon.), JD, BA, is University Distinguished Professor and Founding Director and Timothy and Linda O’Neill Professor of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. He is the author of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future (Harvard University Press, 2021); Global Health Law (Harvard University Press, 2014); Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2016); Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2018); Law and the Health System (Foundation Press, 2014); Principles of Mental Health Law & Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010). He also directs the WHO Collaborating Center at Georgetown University. Image Credit: United States Mission Geneva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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