July 31, 2025
(Los Angeles Times via MSN) – A few months ago, Northeastern University computer scientist Annika Schoene was playing around with ChatGPT when she found a troubling gap in its safeguards against harmful content. The usage policies of OpenAI, creator of … Read More
July 30, 2025
(Undark) – In parts of Europe, nursing homes use physical restraints on residents, citing safety. But experts warn of harm. In Italy, Spain, and Portugal, the use of sheets, belts, bed rails, and other devices that limit freedom — known … Read More
July 30, 2025
(KFF Health News) – Nineteen states now ban abortion at or before 19 weeks of gestation; 13 of those have a near-total ban on all abortions with very limited exceptions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonpartisan research group that … Read More
July 29, 2025
(Washington Post) – A pioneer in consumer affairs journalism, he helped expose the deformity-causing hazards posed by thalidomide, a once-popular drug for morning sickness. Morton Mintz, a Washington Post reporter who brought a muckraker’s zeal to business reporting, notably by … Read More
July 29, 2025
(Axios) – The Federal Trade Commission on Monday launched an inquiry into whether health providers are failing to disclose risks connected with gender-affirming care or are making false claims about its benefits. Why it matters: The action could help make … Read More
July 28, 2025
(Washington Post) – The first-of-its-kind wrongful-death lawsuit tests the laws blue states passed to protect abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. A Texas man whose girlfriend used abortion pills to end her pregnancy is suing a … Read More
July 28, 2025
(KFF Health News) – The chains sell an array of body-reshaping operations, such as “Mommy Makeovers” and liposuction, targeting customers willing to pay up to $20,000 out-of-pocket for a new figure, often on credit with steep interest rates from companies … Read More
July 28, 2025
(Axios) – The biggest buzz around GLP-1 drugs these days has nothing to do with weight loss. And that might lead to some problems for patients and insurers. The big picture: Blockbuster treatments like Ozempic have been found to lower … Read More
July 25, 2025
(Wired) – Starting today, UK adults will have to prove their age to access porn online. Experts warn that a global wave of age-check laws threatens to chill speech and ultimately harm children and adults alike. Ultimately, though, it’s not … Read More
July 25, 2025
(NHPR) – The new law specifically addresses people with medical conditions who want to get sterilized for their reproductive health. New Hampshire is the first state to legally require doctors and medical staff to follow a patient’s desires to seek … Read More
July 25, 2025
(MIT Technology Review) – It has been a grim few months for the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) community. There had been some excitement when, a couple of years ago, a gene therapy for the disorder was approved by the US … Read More
July 25, 2025
(Wired) – A Chinese man with no medical training is injecting cancer patients with a toxic bleach solution; a full course of treatment runs $20,000. He’s now working to bring the unproven treatment to the US. One patient tells WIRED … Read More
July 24, 2025
(Wired) – In a measure that flouts the FDA, Florida says doctors can give unapproved stem-cell therapies for wound care, pain management, or orthopedic purposes. Florida is the latest state to sidestep the authority of the Food and Drug Administration … Read More
July 24, 2025
(The Atlantic) – Very few ChatGPT queries are likely to lead so easily to such calls for ritualistic self-harm. OpenAI’s own policy states that ChatGPT “must not encourage or enable self-harm.” When I explicitly asked ChatGPT for instructions on how … Read More
July 23, 2025
(KFF Health News) – More states are passing laws to protect information generated by a person’s brain and nervous system as technology improves the ability to unlock the sensitive details of a person’s health, mental states, emotions, and cognitive functioning. … Read More
July 23, 2025
(Wall Street Journal) – It’s funny. After a decade of Amazon saying Alexa isn’t listening to your every word, the company is buying a bracelet that can. Bee’s wearable transcribes all the conversations in your day—including when you talk to … Read More
July 22, 2025
(Noema) – Sensitive data about your health used to be relatively safe and anonymous. AI is making it much easier for that information to be used against you in opaque ways. Within days of the diagnosis, I entered the inner … Read More
July 22, 2025
(New York Times) – She was the last of four identical sisters who were a national sensation even before they began performing onstage. Offstage, they endured abuse and schizophrenia. Sarah Morlok Cotton, the last surviving member of a set of … Read More
July 22, 2025
(MIT Technology Review) – AI companies have now mostly abandoned the once-standard practice of including medical disclaimers and warnings in response to health questions, new research has found. In fact, many leading AI models will now not only answer health … Read More
July 22, 2025
(NBC News) – Teen-friendly promotion of the product is spreading on social media. Adding to the concerns is a caffeine pouch startup from a former Juul marketing executive. The use of caffeine pouches among teens is still relatively rare. But … Read More
July 21, 2025
(Wall Street Journal) – OpenAI’s chatbot self-reported it blurred line between fantasy and reality with man on autism spectrum. ‘Stakes are higher’ for vulnerable people, firm says. Irwin was hospitalized twice in May for manic episodes. His mother dove into … Read More
July 21, 2025
(New York Times) – People across the United States have endured rushed or premature attempts to remove their organs. Some were gasping, crying or showing other signs of life. That’s when the doctors discovered her heart was beating. She appeared … Read More
July 21, 2025
(Axios) – An unusual public feud between the Food and Drug Administration and a maker of gene therapies for rare diseases could test the Trump administration’s willingness to pull certain approved drugs from the market over safety concerns. The big … Read More
July 18, 2025
(Gizmodo) – Semaglutide’s ability to help people lose weight is legendary, but so are the side effects. The active ingredient in medications Wegovy and Ozempic, semaglutide is renowned for causing severe nausea in some people, sometimes to the extent that … Read More
July 18, 2025
(MIT Technology Review) – A UK team announced the births of eight babies born with DNA from three people. But around the world, others have already been born. This week we heard that eight babies have been born in the … Read More
