Health & Disease
Browse the latest in Health & Disease, including blog articles, Annals research, events, Academy news and more.
Content Spotlight
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HPAI A(H5N1) Transmission Among Dairy Cattle in the U.S.: New Findings and Safety Measures
May 28, 2024
While the risk to the public remains low, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) is on the radar of those in sectors like livestock breeding, animal sciences and food production. Published May 28, 2024 By Syra Madad, DHSc; Jason Kindrachuk, PhD; and Rick A. Bright, PhD Image courtesy of USDA NRCS Montana/Flickr Recent observations on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) have highlighted the virus's transmission among dairy cattle in the United States. Key...
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Public Health Peril: The Fungus Among Us
May 22, 2024
Think fungal infections are just annoying skin irritations like athlete's foot and jock itch? Think again. The rise of antifungal resistance means the game has changed. What was once a surefire treatment is now uncertain, and severe, life-threatening fungal diseases are on the rise. Published May 22, 2024 By Brooke Grindlinger, PhD Panelists Paul Verweij, MD, FECMM (left), Professor of Clinical Mycology at Radboud University Medical Center of Expertise for Mycology; Tom Chiller, MD, MPHTM...
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Using AI and Neuroscience to Transform Mental Health
May 8, 2024
With a deep appreciation for the liberal arts, neuroscientist Marjorie Xie is developing AI systems to facilitate the treatment of mental health conditions and improve access to care. Published May 8, 2024 By Nick Fetty As the daughter of a telecommunications professional and a software engineer, it may come as no surprise that Marjorie Xie was destined to pursue a career in STEM. What was less predictable was her journey through the field of...
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Exploring the Age-Old Question of “Why We Die?”
May 7, 2024
Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, world-renowned molecular biologist, presents the science about why humans die. Published May 7, 2024 By Nick Fetty Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan is interviewed by Titia de Lange, Director of The Rockefeller University’s Anderson Center for Cancer Research, at The New York Academy of Sciences on April 16, 2024. Why do we die? This age old question is the topic of Nobel Prize-winning author Venki Ramakrishnan’s book Why We Die: The...
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Crossing Species: The Rising Threat of H5N1 Bird Flu in the U.S.
April 16, 2024
Image courtesy of T N/Flickr The CDC recently confirmed a human case of HPAI A (H5N1) in Texas. Renowned epidemiologist Syra Madad and distinguished virologist Jason Kindrachuk offer tips to farmers, animal caretakers, and the general public on how to avoid contracting and spreading this strain of avian influenza. Published April 16, 2024 By Syra Madad, D.H.Sc., M.Sc., MCP, CHEP and Jason Kindrachuk, PhD Avian influenza H5N1, commonly known as bird flu, is a viral...
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Women’s Health 2.0: The AI Era
April 12, 2024
Charting the evolution of women's healthcare in the AI era, illuminating the promise and challenges of predictive tech to close the health gender gap. Published April 12, 2024 By Brooke Grindlinger, PhD Panelists Sara Reistad-Long (left), Healthcare Strategist at Empowered; Alicia Jackson, PhD, Founder and CEO of Evernow; Christina Jenkins, MD, General Partner at Convergent Ventures; and Robin Berzin, MD, Founder and CEO of Parsley Health speak at SXSW on March 9, 2024. The panelists...
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The Academy’s Role in Asbestos Abatement
April 5, 2024
While the United States recently took formal action to ban the use of chrysotile asbestos, experts with The New York Academy of Sciences have voiced concern about this dangerous carcinogen for more than half a century. Published April 5, 2024 By Nick Fetty Piping with an asbestos wrap.Image courtesy of Alan Levine/Flickr. In March 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a regulation prohibiting “the use, manufacture and import of chrysotile asbestos,” a source of...
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The Origin of the Term “Psychedelic”
April 4, 2024
The man who is known to have supplied author Aldous Huxley with hallucinogenic drugs publicly coined the word “psychedelic” during an Academy event in 1957. Published April 4, 2024 By Nick Fetty Psilocybin, also known as "magic mushrooms," are among the hallucinogenic drugs that are studied for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. For many, the term “psychedelic” may conjure familiar images of the 1960s, mind-altering substances, and bands like Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead....
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Janssen Award Symposium Spotlights Robert Langer, Biomaterials Pioneer and Beloved Mentor
March 6, 2024
Self-boosting vaccines. Regeneration of diseased tissues and missing limbs. Organs on a chip. Published March 06, 2024By David Freeman Such life-saving advances in biotechnology—some already in existence and others in the works--took the spotlight on February 8, 2024, when thousands of attendees around the world gathered online for the Paul Janssen Award Symposium in honor of Robert S. Langer, ScD, a renowned chemical engineer and entrepreneur best known for his pioneering work in drug delivery...
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The Adventures of the Nutritional Kingdom Project
February 27, 2024
Meet the winning team of the Spring 2023 Junior Academy "Healthy Snacks" Challenge Team members: Natalie O. (Team Lead) (United States), Lara K. (Jordan), Connie H. (United States), Mariem M. (Egypt), Ibrahim S. (United States), Amena S. (Jordan) Mentor: Leticia Mendoza-Martínez (Mexico) Childhood obesity has become a major public health issue around the world. In the United States alone, 1 in 5 children is overweight or obese– a particularly prevalent issue in the Hispanic community,...