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The Link Between Climate Change and a Spate of Rare Disease Outbreaks in 2023
The temperature-sensitive pathogens that caught U.S. communities off guard are a grim preview of the future. Scientists have warned that climate change would alter the prevalence and spread of disease in the U.S., particularly those caused by pathogens that are sensitive to temperature.
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Tainted Applesauce Pouches May Have Been Intentionally Contaminated: FDA
Cinnamon applesauce pouches available at Weis, WanaBanana, and Schnucks have been pulled from shelves after they were found to be contaminated with lead. The FDA says it currently believes the adulteration is “economically motivated.”
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Does AI Enable and Enhance Biorisks?
The diversity of the biorisk landscape highlights the need to clearly identify which scenarios and actors are of concern. It is important to consider AI-enhanced risk within the current biorisk landscape, in which both experts and non-experts can cause biological harm without the need for AI tools, thus highlighting the need for layered safeguards throughout the biorisk chain.
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Taking Illinois’ Center for Digital Agriculture into the Future
The Center for Digital Agriculture (CDA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has a new executive director, John Reid, who plans to support CDA’s growth across all dimensions of use-inspired research, translation of research into practice, and education and workforce development.
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Preventing Armed Insurrection: Firearms in Political Spaces Threaten Public Health, Safety, and Democracy
A new report by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examines the increased threat of armed insurrection to both public health and the functioning of democracy. The report highlights recommendations and policies to help prevent political violence.
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Epidemic-Economic Model Provides Answers to Key Pandemic Policy Questions
Is lockdown an effective response to a pandemic, or would it be better to let individuals spontaneously reduce their risk of infection? Research suggests these two highly debated options lead to similar outcomes.
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Bioengineered Potato Plant Detects Gamma Radiation
A researcher in the University of Tennessee Herbert College of Agriculture has developed a potato plant that can detect gamma radiation, providing reliable indications of harmful radiation levels without complex monitoring technologies. The natural radiation sensor is affordable, too.
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We Rarely Hear About the Disasters Which Were Avoided – but There’s a Lot We Can Learn from Them
We frequently see headlines about disasters. But where are the headlines covering the good news of lives saved and damage averted when disasters do not happen? Our work, now published, offers examples we can learn from.
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Los Alamos National Lab Safely Shipping Radiological and Hazardous Waste Off-Site
A substantial amount of Los Alamos National Lab’s radiological and hazardous waste from years past was permanently disposed of at off-site facilities — a move in step with the Lab’s goal to mitigate hazards to workers, the community, and the environment while carrying out its national security mission.
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Chlorine Is a Highly Useful Chemical That’s Also Extremely Dangerous − Here’s What to Know About Staying Safe Around It
Chlorine is extremely toxic, and because it’s ubiquitous in many industries across the U.S., it often is released in chemical accidents and spills. As with other household chemicals, it is very important to understand its risks, read labels before using it, store it in its original container in a secure place and dispose of it safely.
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Terrorism Rather Than Pandemics More Concerning for Those with Authoritarian Views, Analysis Shows
People with authoritarian political views are more likely to be concerned about terrorism and border control than a future new health pandemic, new research shows.
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U.S. House Approves Federal Funding Ban on GoF Research
The House of Representatives approved HR 5894, which includes a measure banning federal funding for studies that include gain-of-function research. Though the bill in question still requires Senate approval to have a chance to take effect, this move will likely be worrying to many in the scientific community.
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The Secret Life of Brain Worms
Nematodes play an important role in our natural environment, including enhancing the quality of soil. But the discovery of a worm in a person’s brain was a surprise, even to our most experienced parasitologist.
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Report details Nazi Medical Crimes
The Holocaust and other mass murders under the Nazi regime would hardly have been conceivable without the involvement of medical professionals. This has once again been highlighted by a commission of twenty international researchers who published a comprehensive report on Nazi medical crimes.
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Striving for a More Secure World
PNNL experts work with international partners to tackle cross-border biological and chemical threats. PNNL’s border security focus can be traced to the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. U.S. policy makers became concerned about the security of nuclear material in the newly independent states of the former U.S.S.R.
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The long view
Huge Areas May Face Possibly Fatal Heat Waves if Warming Continues
A new assessment warns that if Earth’s average temperature reaches 2 degrees C over the preindustrial average, widespread areas may become too hot during extreme heat events for many people to survive without artificial cooling.