Chernobyl: Nuclear safety regulators urge Russia to grant access

Russian forces have threatened safety at several nuclear power plants in Ukraine including Chernobyl, but the risk of a serious radiation release is thought to be low Physics 15 March 2022 By Matthew Sparkes Satellite photo of Chernobyl power plant taken on 10 March Maxar/DigitalGlobe/Getty​ Images Three weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, concerns are growing … Read more

Smart Devices Are Spying on You Everywhere, And That’s a Problem

Have you ever felt a creeping sensation that someone’s watching you? Then you turn around and you don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Depending on where you were, though, you might not have been completely imagining it. There are billions of things sensing you every day. They are everywhere, hidden in plain sight – … Read more

Russia-Ukraine war: Chernobyl staff denied access to radiation monitoring lab

Scientific monitoring of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is being affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine Humans 8 March 2022 By Matthew Sparkes Damage to infrastructure at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology neutron source State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine Scientists monitoring radiation levels at Chernobyl are unable to access their laboratories … Read more

Abortion Pills Are Very Safe and Effective, yet Government Rules Still Hinder Access

Ever since it was approved in 2000 as an abortion pill, mifepristone has been regulated as if it were a dangerous substance. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration required doctors to be specially certified to prescribe it. Patients had to sign an agreement confirming that they had been counseled on its risks. Most onerously, the … Read more

Equal access to space: New study investigates how to get more ‘parastronauts’ aloft

A new study sponsored by NASA investigates the feasibility of sending people with disabilities safely into space and returning them back to Earth.   The appraisal, called the Parastronaut Feasibility Foundational Research Study, makes a number of recommendations, including revising medical standards for astronaut selection and using parabolic aircraft flights to demonstrate parastronaut proof of … Read more

Affluent Children Are More Prone to Tooth Decay, First Meta-Study of Its Kind Reveals

Even with regular visits to the dentist, affluent children are more likely to experience tooth decay, according to the first meta-analysis of its kind. The systematic review suggests the corrosive effects of soda, juices, and energy drinks have eaten away at some of the privileges provided by wealth and education.   Across 65 studies from … Read more

Digital Access Is Not Universal, but a 10-Year Plan Can Help

In 1900, at the Paris Conference of the International Congress of Mathematicians at the Sorbonne, David Hilbert enumerated 23 open mathematical questions and set an agenda for a broad range of studies that continue to influence modern mathematics today. Since then, scientists in other disciplines, such as astrophysics and biology, have followed Hilbert’s example: They … Read more