Does Noise Affect Your Life? We Want to Know.

Noise affects everybody differently. Some city dwellers feel as if they’ve habituated to the commotion — until they try to fall asleep in the countryside, to the chorus of crickets. Other people live in rural communities that, once quiet, face the cacophony of bitcoin-mining operations. Still more have tried and failed to soundproof their homes, … Read more

F.D.A. Panel Recommends R.S.V. Shot to Protect Infants

The News A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended approval of a monoclonal antibody shot aimed at preventing a potentially lethal pathogen, respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V., in infants and vulnerable toddlers. The treatment, called Beyfortus by its developers Sanofi and AstraZeneca, would be the second such therapy that the F.D.A. has allowed to … Read more

Wild Mammals Roamed When Covid Kept Humans Home

Why It Matters: Traffic can take a toll on wildlife. Many previous studies have shown that roads can alter the behavior of wild animals. But it has been difficult to disentangle the effects of permanent changes to the landscape, such as clearing forests to build a freeway, from the effects of daily human activity, such … Read more

When Politics Saves Lives: a Good-News Story

Here is something I don’t write about very often: a situation in which unpredictable, seemingly irrational politics saved millions of the poorest and most vulnerable people on earth. In a recent blog post, Justin Sandefur, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., examined the record of … Read more

How to Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke if You’re at High Risk of Health Effects

As wildfire smoke blankets large swaths of the eastern United States, many people are experiencing physical symptoms, like prickling, stinging eyes; a scratchy throat; a runny nose; and some coughing. For those without underlying conditions, this will largely be a passing source of irritation. “You’ll be miserable a little bit, but you’ll be able to … Read more