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Community is a concept that the MAGA movement is working overtime to undo, but human beings are a social species. We depend on one another for safety and survival. When we vaccinate our children, we are keeping them safe, but we are also keeping those who cannot be vaccinated safe. It’s part of the social contract. (Margaret Renkl, 3/24)

Abortion is more criminalized and difficult to access than it has been in the United States in 50 years. But owing to medications and technology that didn’t exist in the pre-Roe era, early terminations are now overwhelmingly safe, even when illicitly obtained. (Jennifer Block, 3/23)

In this post-Dobbs era, those dedicated to reproductive freedom face mounting threats to their safety, livelihood, and ability to provide care. Thanks to an ever-shifting legal landscape and an anti-abortion federal administration, providers across the country are not only left to navigate legal chaos, but they are also becoming direct targets of political and personal attacks. (Liz Gustafson and Cassie Lehr, 3/24)

The majority of Americans on both sides of the political aisle agree that the federal government should continue to increase fuel economy standards. Increased standards protect public health and spur job creation, economic growth, and consumer savings. (Vickash Mohanka, 3/24)

Ultra-processed foods, or UPFs for short, are suddenly the hot health concept — the new antihero in global diets. The topic is exploding both in scientific literature and on social media. There’s even an AI system to help consumers select less-processed foods while shopping. But once you get past the important and obvious idea that junk food is harmful, the concept of ultra-processed becomes hazy and confusing. (F.D. Flam, 3/22)

Small, early-stage biotech startups are the heart of drug innovation in the U.S. Growing anti-competitive challenges threaten their work, but philanthropy may offer an avenue forward. (Brian Stanley and Michael Nguyen-Mason, 3/24)

Five years ago, the Covid-19 pandemic swept through the world, resulting in massive disruptions, including to biomedical researchers. As National Institutes of Health-funded physician-scientists, we collectively experienced the pitfalls of lab closures, pauses in clinical trial recruitment due to staffing issues and social distancing policies affecting in-person accrual, and redeployment away from research work to the frontlines to support clinical care. While all scientists faced these barriers, one group was at particular risk. (Anna Volerman and Valerie Press, 3/24)