May 23, 2025
(The Hedgehog Review) – AI cannot save us from the effort of learning to live and die. Tot up the overeager salesmen, the questionable prophecies, and the clearly exorbitant costs, and it becomes clear: AI is not revolutionary. It’s a … Read More
May 23, 2025
(The Marshall Project) – Jails in St. Louis, Cleveland and Jackson, Mississippi, don’t provide direct access to sunlight and fresh air – even when their own policies require it. Jails are notorious for inhumane conditions. Detainees often complain of violence, … Read More
May 23, 2025
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 392, no. 17, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
May 22, 2025
(Wired) – AI’s energy use already represents as much as 20 percent of global data-center power demand, research published Thursday in the journal Joule shows. That demand from AI, the research states, could double by the end of this year, … Read More
May 22, 2025
(New Scientist) – Despite a huge media fanfare in which Colossal Biosciences claimed to have resurrected the extinct dire wolf, the company’s chief scientist now concedes that the animals are merely modified grey wolves The dire wolf is “the world’s … Read More
May 22, 2025
(UPI) – About a fourth of younger men surveyed in the United States feel lonely, which is significantly higher than the national averages for all men and women. Gallup analyzed aggregated data from 2023 and 2024 to determine 25% of … Read More
May 22, 2025
(Undark) – Experts worry MAHA could wage a war on SSRIs. But some researchers have long questioned the drugs’ efficacy. The American Psychiatric Association, National Network of Depression Centers, and other organizations shot back: The safety and efficacy of antidepressants … Read More
May 22, 2025
(Nature) – Humans have a new way of seeing infrared light, without the need for clunky night-vision goggles. Researchers have made the first contact lenses to convey infrared vision — and the devices work even when people have their eyes … Read More
May 22, 2025
(The Critic) – The potential for inhuman cruelty that it contains is vast The supporters of the assisted dying bill did not merely dismiss or ignore the incredibly cogent and powerful arguments made by its critics, they seemed not even … Read More
May 22, 2025
(Wired) – As Google and Microsoft push agentic AI systems, the kinks are still being worked on how agents interact with each other—and intersect with the law. Because agents are meant to act autonomously, the question of who bears responsibility … Read More
May 22, 2025
(Wired) – Interdimensional travel, sex with aliens, communion with God. Anything is possible with just a sprinkle of DMT. Akasha Song’s secret labs made millions of doses—and dollars—until the feds showed up. DMT is a powerful psychedelic compound, capable of … Read More
May 22, 2025
(Wall Street Journal) – OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman gave his staff a preview Wednesday of the devices he is developing to build with the former Apple designer Jony Ive, laying out plans to ship 100 million AI “companions” that … Read More
May 22, 2025
(DNYUZ) – While some Oura users say they enjoy the ring as a screen-free way to keep tabs on their bodies, several Oura owners, including Ms. Hills, described feeling increasingly anxious after using their devices. Rather than helping them feel … Read More
May 22, 2025
(Gizmodo) – The pharmaceutical company bought “substantially all” of 23andMe’s business for $256 million. Genetic testing company 23andMe isn’t going away, despite declaring bankruptcy. The company and nearly all of its assets, including its biobank of customer genetic samples, have … Read More
May 22, 2025
(NBC News) – New Jersey health officials issued a warning about a potential measles exposure during Shakira’s concert at MetLife Stadium last week. On Tuesday, the New Jersey Department of Health announced that a non-New Jersey resident attended the concert while … Read More
May 21, 2025
(Wired) – As “SkinnyTok” posts advise people to suck up their hunger, some creators are using blunt humor to dissuade young people from pro-eating-disorder messaging. TikTok says it has cracked down on these types of posts, saying pro-eating-disorder content is … Read More
May 21, 2025
(Wired) – The 25-year-old died after authorities say he bombed a Palm Springs fertility clinic. Experts warn that online nihilism is fueling similar violence in the US and Europe. Since the attack, Bartkus’ digital footprint has surfaced, including writings and … Read More
May 21, 2025
(Wired) – After nearly 30 years as a Denver-area cop, Baker knew his way around town. He also knew that Green Valley Ranch was a confusing rabbit’s warren of nearly identical roads. So before he set off, he did something … Read More
May 21, 2025
(CNN) – A ransomware attack has triggered a “system-wide technology outage” at a network of over a dozen medical centers in Ohio, causing the cancellation of elective inpatient and outpatient procedures, according to a statement from the health network and … Read More
May 21, 2025
(Axios) – Drug compounders and telemedicine companies may be ready to defy a Food and Drug Administration ban on copycat GLP-1 weight-loss drugs that takes effect on Thursday, arguing the law still allows customized versions tailored to patients’ needs. Why … Read More
May 21, 2025
(The Guardian) – UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest healthcare conglomerate, has secretly paid nursing homes thousands in bonuses to help slash hospital transfers for ailing residents – part of a series of cost-cutting tactics that has saved the company millions, … Read More
May 21, 2025
Bioethics (vol. 39, no. 4, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
May 20, 2025
(Associated Press) – The Food and Drug Administration has issued a long-awaited approval of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine but with unusual restrictions. Novavax makes the nation’s only traditional protein-based coronavirus vaccine – and until now it had emergency authorization from FDA … Read More
May 20, 2025
(Axios) – Opioid abuse is as much an economic problem as a public health one, according to a comprehensive analysis provided first to Axios that concludes the total average annual cost associated with each case is nearly $700,000. Why it … Read More
May 20, 2025
(NPR) – Member states of the World Health Organization voted overwhelmingly to adopt the first ever pandemic agreement, a treaty aimed at preventing, preparing for and responding to any future pandemic. After three years of tough negotiations, no country voted … Read More
