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PUBLIC HEALTHU.S. Tracks Monkeypox Case Tied to Recent Canadian Travel
US officials have confirmed a case of monkeypox in a Massachusetts resident who had recently traveled to Canada. This is the first monkeypox case detected this year in the United States. In 2021, both Maryland and Texas reported single cases in residents who had recently traveled to Nigeria, where the virus is endemic.
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BIORISKSGain-of-Function Studies Need Stricter Guidance: Researchers
Researchers and biosecurity specialists are calling on the U.S. government to issue clearer guidance about experiments the government might fund which would make pathogens more transmissible or deadly.
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BIORISKSAs Science Evolves, Policy Framework Needs to as Well
In late February, the NIH and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy asked the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity NSABB to make swift progress on its long-overdue review. The panel plans to draft a report outlining its recommendations by the end of the year.
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PANDEMICSClimate Change Could Spark the Next Pandemic
As the Earth’s climate continues to warm, researchers predict wild animals will be forced to relocate their habitats — likely to regions with large human populations — dramatically increasing the risk of a viral jump to humans that could lead to the next pandemic.
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TRUTH DECAYFact Checks Effectively Counter COVID Misinformation
New study finds that journalistic fact checks are a more effective counter to COVID-19 misinformation than the false news tags commonly used by social media outlets. “We find that more information may be an antidote to misinformation,” conclude the authors of the study.
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BIOSECURITYStrengthening the Nation’s Early Warning System for Health Threats
The White House hosted the Summit on Strengthening the Nation’s Early Warning System for Health Threats in support of the launch of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA). The launch of the CFA fulfills requirements in National Security Memorandum-1 (NSM-1), which instructed U.S. leadership to strengthen the international COVID-19 response and advance global health security and biological preparedness.
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BIOTHREATSDeveloping New Vaccine Against Three Biothreat Pathogens
Scientists are seeking to develop a multi-pathogen vaccine that will protect against three bacterial biothreat pathogens.
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WATER SECURITYWater Scarcity Predicted to Worsen in More than 80% of Croplands Globally
Global warming is inexorably leading to water scarcity, and more than 80 percent of the world’s croplands will be affected by this scarcity by 2050. One way to mitigate the effects of growing scarcity is improving irrigation infrastructure and irrigation efficiency.
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PANDEMICWHO Estimates Nearly 15 Million Deaths Linked to COVID Pandemic
The World Health Organization said more than twice as many people died as a result of the COVID pandemic than official data shows, if including deaths of other causes that might not have occurred in more typical times.
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MISINFORMATIONDoes Free Speech Protect COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation?
“The Supreme Court has held that many kinds of false statements are protected speech under the First Amendment,” says Stanford University’s Michelle Mello. “The Supreme Court’s general finding is that false statements can often be valuable in terms of allowing people to challenge widely held beliefs without fear of repercussions, and that things could go pretty wrong if the government had a wider berth to regulate them.”
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FOOD SECURITYFarming the Next Front in Russia’s War on Ukraine
In recent months, food shortages resulting from the war in Ukraine have circled the globe, with price hikes of 20% to 50% for ordinary bread reported from Brazil to Pakistan and Egypt. Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s most important food exporters, providing more than a quarter of the world’s wheat supply, along with other important crops such as corn, sunflower seed oil and barley.
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WAR IN UKRAINERussia's Claims of Ukrainian Biological Weapons: A Propaganda Ploy?
Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has claimed Kyiv is developing biological weapons with support from the US and Germany. Experts familiar with laboratories in Ukraine say the accusations are groundless.
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NUCLEAR WASTERComparing Geologic Repository Assessment Tools
A computer modeling system is designed to answer critical safety assessment questions about future disposal options for spent nuclear fuel deep underground and the system of tunnels, containers and possible concrete-like barriers used to keep the radioactive material contained far from the surface and water sources.
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FOOD SECURITYWhy the Food Crisis Will Pass
Even though the food crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine is now causing acute problems, there is no reason for panic, according to University of Copenhagen food economist Henning Otte Hansen. High food prices will not last because the agricultural sector is equipped to ramp up production and stabilize markets.
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DEATH STINGCan You Really Die from a Single Bee Sting, as in 'Bridgerton'?
The Emmy-nominated Netflix series “Bridgerton” featured a flashback wherein Edmund Bridgerton, patriarch of the titular family, dies suddenly after getting stung by a bee. It would seem that Edmund Bridgerton experienced a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This severe, life-threatening reaction is at the far end of a spectrum of allergy symptoms that people may experience.
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More headlines
The long view
DIRTY BOMBSRisks of a Dirty Bomb Attack Are Increasing
In a new factsheet, the GAO says that the risks of a dirty bomb attack are increasing and the consequences could be devastating.
ARGUMENT: AI & WMDsArtificial Intelligence and Chemical and Biological Weapons
A recent article in Nature offers a disturbing look at the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the creation of chemical and biological weapons. “Anyone unfamiliar with recent innovations in the use of AI to model new drugs will be unpleasantly surprised,” Paul Rosenzweig writes. “The benefits of these innovations are clear. Unfortunately, the possibilities for malicious uses are also becoming clear.”
FOOD SECURITYNew Network to Improve Biosecurity in Livestock
Health and welfare, safety and sustainability are crucial elements for ensuring the future of livestock production. Biosecurity aims to prevent the introduction and spread of pathogens within and between farms and, consequently, results in better welfare, increased food safety and better sustainability. A new network to improve biosecurity in livestock.
DROUGHTSRedefining the Longest Drought
Maps of the American West have featured ever darker shades of red over the past two decades. In some areas, conditions have blown past severe and extreme drought into exceptional drought. But rather than add more superlatives to the descriptions, one group of scientists believes it’s time to reconsider the very definition of drought.
CLIMATE CHALLENGESHurricanes and Other Tropical Cyclones Linked to Rise in U.S. Deaths from Several Major Causes
New study reveals potential hidden deadly cost of climate-related disasters: Injuries, infections, diseases, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
EPIDEMICSMachine-Learning Techniques for Predicting the Evolution of Epidemics
Machine learning techniques can provide an assumption-free analysis of epidemic case data with surprisingly good prediction accuracy and the ability to dynamically incorporate the latest data. The techniques used to analyze case data show promise for predicting the evolution of an epidemic.