Ancient human footprints, preserved in a dry lakebed at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, reveal remarkably vivid vignettes of life in the late Pleistocene: children jumping in puddles and splashing, a group of hunters stalking a giant sloth. The scientists studying these footprints initially estimated their age as between 11,500 and 13,000 years. […]
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Tuberculosis Returns as Top Infectious Disease
Tuberculosis replaced COVID-19 to become the top cause for infectious disease-related deaths in 2023, according to a World Health Organization report published on Tuesday, highlighting the challenges in the global effort in eradicating the disease. Last year about 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed, meaning they could access suitable treatment – the highest number recorded […]
Continue ReadingMother Sues AI Startup
The boy, 14, spent months talking to an artificial character on Character.AI before becoming depressed. His mother blames the company, saying the tech shouldn’t be accessible to minors. Character AI, a Menlo Park, California-based startup, describes itself as having a mission to “empower everyone globally with personalized AI.” Its system offers users the chance to […]
Continue ReadingFDA Recalls More Than 7,000 Bottles of Antidepressant
The Food and Drug Administration announced a Class II recall for more than 7,000 bottles of an antidepressant due to a chemical. The recall was initiated earlier this month on Oct. 10. Duloxetine, reportedly known under brands like Cymbalta, is used to treat mental health disorders like anxiety and depression, among other conditions, according to […]
Continue ReadingFarmworkers Test Positive for Bird Flu
Four agricultural workers in Washington state have tested positive for bird flu, in the first human cases of H5N1 virus to be reported in the state. The four were “working with infected poultry at a commercial egg farm in Franklin County,” the Washington State Department of Health announced Sunday. “The individuals experienced mild symptoms and […]
Continue ReadingDeadly E. Coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald’s
McDonald’s Quarter Pounders have been linked to a multistate E. coli outbreak that has killed at least one person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, around 50 people have been reported infected, with 27 infections occurring in Nebraska and nine in Colorado, according to the CDC. Officials estimate that the […]
Continue ReadingIV Fluid Shortage
Surgery schedules around the country may be washed out for several more weeks while a crucial IV and sterile fluids factory remains shut down for hurricane-related damage. People often plan non-emergency surgeries in the fall and early-winter months when their insurance coverage will pick up more of the bill, but they may have to wait […]
Continue ReadingFlesh-Eating Bacteria Cases Rise
Florida health officials are reporting an increase in cases of Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria that can lead to flesh-eating infections, following recent hurricanes. In an update Friday, data from the Florida Department of Health showed several counties are experiencing a spike in cases. The department said on its website that Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Pasco, […]
Continue ReadingNew Stroke Prevention Guidelines
Strokes are the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States, and the leading cause of disability — but up to 80% of them are preventable. That’s according to the American Stroke Association (ASA), which on Monday published its updated guidelines for stroke prevention in the journal Stroke. This was the first update since its […]
Continue ReadingSues Online Vendors, Medical Spa Over Copycat Drugs
Eli Lilly said on Monday it sued three medical spas and online vendors for selling products claiming to contain tirzepatide, the main ingredient in its popular weight-loss medicine Zepbound, including in the form of dissolvable tablets. The new lawsuits, which name Pivotal Peptides, MangoRx and Genesis Lifestyle Medicine of Nevada, are the first related to […]
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