January 12, 2026
(Axios) – Food and Drug Administration commissioner Marty Makary’s flagship effort to overhaul how the agency reviews drugs is facing intensifying scrutiny from Congress and the medical establishment over whether it’s putting politics over science. The big picture: The Commissioner’s … Read More
January 12, 2026
(Wired) – In a review of 500 Grok images generated between January 6 and January 9, WIRED found that around 5 percent of the output featured an image of a woman who was, as the result of prompts from users, … Read More
January 12, 2026
(Aeon) – In order to better understand our human nature, we must attempt to build a robot capable of robust subjective experiences With the advent of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) that can converse fluidly in the first person, people are … Read More
January 9, 2026
(NPR) – The shortage of primary care providers is a national problem, but it’s particularly acute in Massachusetts. The state’s primary care workforce is shrinking faster than in most other states, according to a recent report. Some health networks, including … Read More
January 9, 2026
(UnHerd) – What we’re seeing as we enter 2026 is a reversal of the situation C. P. Snow described in his celebrated 1959 lecture “The Two Cultures”. Snow, a Cambridge physicist turned popular novelist, argued that the culture of the … Read More
January 9, 2026
(Wired) – Aurora Therapeutics, cofounded by Nobel Prize–winning scientist Jennifer Doudna, plans to use gene editing and a new FDA regulatory pathway to commercialize treatments for rare diseases. Last February, a sick infant named KJ received a gene-editing treatment made … Read More
January 9, 2026
(STAT News) – Australia’s 2025 flu season lasted weeks longer than it normally does. Hong Kong’s hit so early that the rollout of seasonal flu shots hadn’t yet started. New York has reported record-breaking flu hospitalizations for the past two … Read More
January 9, 2026
(MIT Technology Review) – Aurora Therapeutics’ first target is the rare inherited disease phenylketonuria, also known as PKU. It’s becoming clear that the impact of CRISPR isn’t as big as we all hoped. In fact, there’s a pall of discouragement … Read More
January 9, 2026
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 393, no. 24, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
January 8, 2026
(New York Times) – NASA will bring a crew of four astronauts home from the International Space Station before its scheduled return because of a “controlled medical evacuation,” agency officials said on Thursday. During the 25-year history of the space … Read More
January 8, 2026
(Engadget via MSN) – OpenAI is launching a new facet for its AI chatbot called ChatGPT Health. This new feature will allow users to connect medical records and wellness apps to ChatGPT in order to get more tailored responses to … Read More
January 8, 2026
(Aeon) – For people with chronic illnesses, the relief and recognition of online communities can set up a toxic psychological trap This is the paradox of chronic illness today. Never before have humans possessed such convenient access to abundant medical … Read More
January 8, 2026
(New York Times) – The settlement came in the case of a 14-year-old in Florida who had killed himself after developing a relationship with an A.I. chatbot. The agreement was one of five lawsuits that the companies agreed to settle … Read More
January 7, 2026
(The Guardian) – Analysis finds those who stopped using medication saw weight return four times faster compared with other weight loss plans People who stop taking weight loss jabs regain all the weight originally lost in under two years, significantly … Read More
January 7, 2026
(Gizmodo) – More research is needed to understand the long-term benefits of exercise on depression, however. A dose of the gym might do wonders for both an ailing body and mind. A report out today finds that exercise can provide … Read More
January 7, 2026
(Axios) – More than 40 million people globally turn to ChatGPT daily for health information, according to a report OpenAI has shared exclusively with Axios. Why it matters: Americans are turning to AI tools to navigate the notoriously complex and … Read More
January 7, 2026
(Washington Post via MSN) – One float stood out among the tinsel and holiday cheer at the annual Christmas parade here: an unsightly data center with blinding industrial lights and smoke pouring out of its roof, towering menacingly over a … Read More
January 7, 2026
(Wired) – Google DeepMind and Boston Dynamics are teaming up to integrate Gemini into a humanoid robot called Atlas. Google DeepMind is teaming up with Boston Dynamics to give its humanoid robots the intelligence required to navigate unfamiliar environments and … Read More
January 7, 2026
(CNN) – Flu continues to bring misery across the US, with all but four states showing high or very high levels of activity as a new virus strain called subclade K continues to spread. By another measure – visits to … Read More
January 7, 2026
Clinical Ethics (vol. 20, no. 4, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
January 6, 2026
(Ars Technica) – Not only does it appear that OpenAI has lost its fight to keep news organizations from digging through 20 million ChatGPT logs to find evidence of copyright infringement—but also OpenAI now faces calls for sanctions and demands … Read More
January 6, 2026
(The Guardian) – Justices rule 4-1 that laws, including a ban on abortion pills, violate a state amendment protecting healthcare choices Abortion will stay legal in Wyoming after the state’s supreme court struck down two near-total abortion bans on Tuesday, … Read More
January 6, 2026
(New York Times) – The move against the medical aid group enforces policies limiting criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war and requiring personal details about Gazan employees. Doctors Without Borders, the international medical aid group, said Tuesday that Israel … Read More
January 6, 2026
(Wired) – Paid tools that “strip” clothes from photos have been available on the darker corners of the internet for years. Elon Musk’s X is now removing barriers to entry—and making the results public. Elon Musk hasn’t stopped Grok, the … Read More
January 6, 2026
(NPR) – The Wegovy pill launched Monday, and the starting dose is now available at pharmacies around the country with higher doses arriving by the end of the week. The Food and Drug Administration approved the pill for obesity on … Read More