public health
Pot is dangerous for young brains: study
Smoking dope can turn you into a, well, dope. So says Nils Stenström of Sweden’s National Institute of Public Health (Statens folkhälsoinstitut), as quoted by The Local . “New research indicates that even very modest use can cause a lot of damage,” it has him saying.
Continue reading »Unravelling the history of the vaccine-autism scare
In the span of less than a decade, the public went from being blissfully unaware of thimerosal, the mercury-based preservative that was used in a number of vaccines, to a place where death threats against vaccine advocates are now issued with frightening regularity. How exactly did this happen? PLoS Biology has produced an article that attempts to provide a historical perspective on these developments and fit them into the wider issue of how scientific information is communicated with the public.
Continue reading »Federal court upholds FCC ban on exclusive cable deals
An appeals court decided to back consumers on Tuesday, unanimously upholding a Federal Communications Commission order banning exclusive cable video contracts in apartment buildings and other multiple dwelling units (MDUs).
Continue reading »Flu update: how do scientists know it’s "swine flu," anyhow?
The world is getting a clearer picture of the extent and shape of the recent flu outbreak as testing for the new virus ramps up. The results reveal that the virus has made it to a wide variety of locations globally, but it doesn’t appear to be spreading rapidly within the population that has been exposed to infected individuals outside of Mexico. The results of some of these tests suggest that a vaccine should be a viable option, and the CDC is actively considering this prospect.
Continue reading »EU to ICANN: ditch the US gov ties and become more global
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN ) should cut all remaining ties to the US government and become an independent entity, according to EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding. Reading addressed the future of ICANN during her weekly video message on Monday, arguing that ICANN should seize the opportunity to become fully privatized later this year and that President Obama should support those efforts. ICANN was started in 1998 out of a proposal from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is part of the US Department of Commerce (DOC).
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