• DISASTERSWorld Risk Report: Where Are Natural Disasters Most Common?

    By Peter Hille

    The 2024 World Risk Report is out, highlighting which countries are most at risk from natural disasters, and what can be done to prevent catastrophes and mitigate the effects.

  • PANDEMICSPreparing for a Pandemic That Never Came Ended Up Setting Off Another − How an Accidental Virus Release Triggered 1977’s ‘Russian Flu’

    By Donald S. Burke

    Overreaction. Unintended consequences. Making matters worse. Self-fulfilling prophecy. There is a rich variety of terms to describe how the best intentions can go awry. Still reeling from COVID-19, the world now faces new threats from cross-species jumps of avian flu viruses, mpox viruses and others. It’s critical that we be quick to respond to these emerging threats to prevent yet another global disease conflagration. Quick, but not too quick, history suggests.

  • VACCINESNew Method Developed to Detect Fake Vaccines in Supply Chains

    The global population is increasingly reliant on vaccines to maintain population health with billions of doses used annually in immunization programs worldwide. The vast majority of vaccines are of excellent quality. However, a rise in substandard and falsified vaccines threaten global public health. Unfortunately, there is currently no global infrastructure in place to monitor supply chains using screening methods developed to identify ineffective vaccines.

  • WATER SAFETYPublic Trust in Drinking Water Safety Is Low Globally

    A new study finds more than half of adults surveyed worldwide expect to be seriously harmed by their water within the next two years. The study sought to understand public perceptions of drinking water safety.

  • FOOD SECURITYBiosecurity for Food Security

    By Saba Sinai and Andrew Henderson

    Biosecurity is a fundamental enabler for a country’s’ food security, a critical but often overlooked element of national security, and it is time for it to be treated accordingly.

  • FOOD SECURITYU.S. Capable of Achieving Seafood Independence, New Study Shows

    From lobster to haddock and seaweed, seafood plays an important role in the U.S. economy, diet and culture. The nation is one of the top producers of marine and aquatic foods worldwide, but also the second largest seafood importer.

  • LYME DISEASEA Genetic Analysis of Lyme Disease Could Improve Diagnosis and Treatment

    By mapping the complete genetic makeup of 47 strains of Lyme disease-causing bacteria from around the world, researchers have created a powerful resource for identifying the specific bacterial strains that infect patients.

  • PATHOGENSWHO Updates List of Most Dangerous Viruses and Bacteria

    The WHO recently published a report outlining the findings of its global pathogen prioritization process that involved more than 200 scientists who evaluated evidence related to 28 viral families and one core group of bacteria, covering 1,652 pathogens.

  • GUNSImplementing Secure Firearm Storage Program for Illinois Parents

    Firearm injury and mortality are the leading cause of death among youth in the U.S. From 2013-2020, firearms contributed to a staggering cumulative loss of 1.3 million years of life for young people.

  • FOOD SECURITYCan Florida’s Orange Growers Survive Another Hurricane Season?

    By Ayurella Horn-Muller

    Oranges are synonymous with Florida, but a perfect storm of hurricanes, diseases, and water scarcity threatens to wipe out the state’s famed citrus industry.

  • MASS SHOOTERSMass Shooters Are Often ‘Socially Stunted’ with ‘Zero Coping Skills’

    “The fact that a grown man who lives with his mom and dad still enjoys playing dress-up like a preschooler is strange and yet a frequent occurrence among mass shooters,” said an expert on mass shooters. “There is a subtype of mass shooters that dress up in pseudo‐commando attire brandishing assault weapons.”

  • SURVEILLANCEData Privacy After Dobbs: Is Period Tracking Safe?

    By Paige Gross

    Many people think all health care information is protected under the federal privacy law, known as HIPAA. But menstrual cycle tracking apps, along with other health care technologies, like texting platforms that patients can use with doctors, are not. There haven’t been any cases where a menstrual tracking app’s data has been subpoenaed yet, but that’s probably due to the slow speed of which cases proceed through the court system.

  • NUCLEAR FORENSICSUranium Science Researchers Investigate Feasibility of Intentional Nuclear Forensics

    Despite strong regulations and robust international safeguards, authorities routinely interdict nuclear materials outside of regulatory control. Researchers are exploring a new method that would give authorities the ability to analyze intercepted nuclear material and determine where it originated.

  • WATER SECURITYResearchers Spot Potential Hazard with Private Well Water Treatment

    While arsenic is a naturally occurring element, it is a known human carcinogen and dangerous to human health. Systems designed to treat arsenic in private well water may be malfunctioning and endangering the health of people who count on them to keep their water safe.

  • NUCLEAR WASTEHow Do You Convince Someone to Live Next to a Nuclear Waste Site?

    By Austyn Gaffney

    The world’s first permanent depository for nuclear fuel waste opens later this year on Olkiluoto, a sparsely populated and lushly forested island in the Baltic Sea three hours north of Helsinki.  Engineers know how to build a site that can safeguard nuclear waste for 100,000 years. The challenge is convincing people to live next to it.