Category: Research
Can a psychedelic-induced mystical experience really improve your mental health?
Mystics once spent years meditating in caves in search of transcendence. Today, a growing number of people believe something similar can be reached in a single afternoon with the help of a psychedelic drug. Swallow a capsule of psilocybin or take a carefully supervised dose of LSD and you may encounter what many describe as one of the most meaningful experiences of their lives. Modern clinical trials appear to support this.
Continue reading
Online harassment is silencing Canada’s health experts — institutions need to do more to protect them
While academics should be comfortable having their ideas challenged, technology-facilitated harassment is very different. Online harassment is often linked with other forms of targeted abuse and includes acts of doxxing, reputation attacks or threatening and sexualized messaging, among others.
Continue reading
Research in Context: Mitochondria
Mitochondria and health Uncovering the many roles that mitochondria play in health and disease By Sharon Reynolds, National Institutes of
Continue reading
Federal Judge Deems Trump Administration’s Termination of NIH Grants Illegal
In Monday’s ruling, the judge determined that the directives that led to the grant terminations were “arbitrary and capricious” and said they had “no force and effect.” The judge’s ruling ordered the funding of the grants to be restored. It only covers grants that have been identified by the plaintiffs in the cases.
Continue reading
Trump’s War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change and More
More children ages 1 to 4 die of drowning than any other cause of death. Nearly a quarter of adults received mental health treatment in 2023, an increase of 3.4 million from the prior year. The number of migrants from Mexico and northern Central American countries stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol was surpassed in 2022 by the number of migrants from other nations. We know these things because the federal government collects, organizes and shares the data behind them. Every year, year after year, workers in agencies that many of us have never heard of have been amassing the statistics that undergird decision-making at all levels of government and inform the judgments of business leaders, school administrators and medical providers nationwide. The survival of that data is now in doubt, as a result of the Department of Government Efficiency’s comprehensive assault on the federal bureaucracy.
Continue reading
Massive cuts to Health and Human Services’ workforce signal a dramatic shift in US health policy
Combined with previous reductions, these cuts may achieve some limited short-term savings. However, the proposed changes dramatically alter U.S. health policy and research, and they may endanger important benefits and protections for many Americans. They may also have severe consequences for scientific progress. And as some policy experts have suggested, the poorly targeted cuts may increase inefficiencies and waste down the line.
Continue reading
Cuts to science research funding cut American lives short − federal support is essential for medical breakthroughs
Nearly every modern medical treatment can be traced to research funded by the National Institutes of Health: from over-the-counter and prescription medications that treat high cholesterol and pain to protection from infectious diseases such as polio and smallpox.
Continue reading
King Holmes, who led pioneering research in sexually transmitted diseases, dies
Nearly single-handedly, Holmes brought the study of sexually transmitted diseases field to the forefront of medical research.
Continue reading
Mixed Lessons from Intentionally Infecting People with Covid-19
The idea sounded counterintuitive, but by carefully dosing individuals with SARS-CoV-2 in a controlled setting, scientists could study how the virus affects the body and learn what factors may offer protective benefits.
These types of studies, called human challenge trials, could help fast-track understanding the deadly virus devastating the world, experts claimed. Others, though, questioned whether the potential benefits were worth the risk, particularly given the host of unknowns surrounding Covid-19, and the lack of available treatments at the time.
Continue reading
Hallucinogens approved for treating psychiatric disorders: what does the science say?
Hallucinogens are now being presented as a breakthrough in the treatment of severe psychiatric disorders, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, sometimes in combination with psychotherapy).
Despite being presented as innovations, the therapeutic potential of psychedelics is not a new discovery. In the 1960s and 70s, these substances were explored for medical use but quickly fell out of favour due to regulatory restrictions.
Now, in 2024, the question remains: Are psychedelics genuinely effective for treating psychiatric disorders?
Continue reading
How light helped shape our skin colour, eyes and curly hair
Light may have driven our ancestors to walk upright on two legs. Light helps explain the evolution of our skin colour, why some of us have curly hair, and even the size of our eyes.
Continue reading
Looking for Long Covid: A Clash of Definition and Study Design
Few experts dispute that long Covid can be debilitating, or that it warrants careful study. But in interviews with Undark, a number of experts said that it is misleading to frame long Covid as an increasing threat. The best data, they say, suggest that most people recover from the disorder and that long Covid rates will decline as people develop immunity.
Continue reading
The fungus zombies in ‘The Last of Us’ are fictional, but real fungi can infect people, and they’re becoming more resistant
Many of the people watching The Last of Us are likely there for the zombies. I love the zombies too, but I’m really there for the fungus.
Continue reading
Experts Debate the Risks of Made-to-Order DNA
By one expert’s estimate, perhaps 30,000 scientists worldwide have the skills to build a strain of pandemic influenza, provided they can find someone to synthesize the DNA for them. The consequences of unleashing such a pathogen could be catastrophic.
Continue reading
What is ethical animal research? A scientist and veterinarian explain
Federal research agencies follow guiding principles in evaluating the use and care of animals in research.These principles are summarized by the “3 R’s” of animal research: reduction, refinement and replacement. The 3 R’s encourage scientists to develop new techniques that allow them to replace animals with appropriate alternatives.
Continue reading