Environment What's worse for disease spread: animal loss, climate change or urbanization? Scientists are looking at the ways humans change the planet-- and the impact that has on the spread of infectious disease. You might be surprised at some of their conclusions. Jonathan Lambert
National U.S. drug deaths declined slightly in 2023 but remained at crisis levels Powerful synthetic opioids and drugs like meth and cocaine still flood U.S. communities, fueling historically high overdose deaths. Brian Mann
Science Lots of drug companies talk about putting patients first — but this one actually did When Amylyx Pharmaceuticals found out its ALS drug Relyvrio didn't work, the company took the unusual step of voluntarily pulling it off the market. Jon Hamilton
Environment More than 200 million seniors face extreme heat risks in coming decades, study finds A new study warns that millions of people around the world who are 69 years or older will be at risk of dying in heat waves by 2050. Alejandra Borunda
Politics Despite state bans, abortions nationwide are up, driven by telehealth Telehealth accounts for 19% of all abortions, new research finds. And while the number of abortions did plummet in ban states, overall abortions across the country are up. Elissa Nadworny
Science He invented a successful medical device as a student. Here's his advice for new grads When Thorsten Siess was in graduate school, he came up with the idea for a heart device that's now been used in hundreds of thousands of patients around the world. Sydney Lupkin
Health Trapped in Rafah, U.S. medical volunteers say they can't save lives and can't evacuate At the European Hospital in Rafah, there are shortages of pain medication, antibiotics, even bandages, American volunteers say they are unable to save lives — and unable to evacuate to safety. Jane Arraf
National Influx of deadly street fentanyl reaching the U.S. continues to grow, research shows Two new reports show the fentanyl crisis isn't easing, as drug cartels continue to flood U.S. communities with the deadly illicit opioid often disguised as fake prescription pills. Brian Mann
Health As the FDA evaluates ecstasy treatment for PTSD, questions mount about the evidence Clinical trials of MDMA have been promising, but concerns have emerged about the quality of the research. A June hearing scheduled by the Food and Drug Administration is likely to address them. Will Stone
Science The first person to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died Richard Slayman died almost two months after the historic procedure, the Boston hospital where he had the transplant said Saturday. At 62, he had the transplant to treat his end-stage kidney disease. Emma Bowman
