In The News

AL Jazeera: Puntland Teetering on the Edge of Famine

Ashley Hamer March 27, 2017
In Puntland, a semiautonomous region of Somalia, a drought has ravaged grazing land. People who raise livestock for a living must move increasingly far distances – sometimes hundreds of kilometers – to find suitable land for their animals. Yet relocation is not enough as the drought spreads through the country. Six years ago, a famine in Somalia killed 260,000 people. “Now, nearly 6.2 million...

US AIDS Program in Africa: Entitlement" or Success?

Ryan Lenora Brown January 30, 2017
Drastic government reform was a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s campaign, and his actions are fulfilling that promise. His transition team for the US State Department disseminated questionnaires inquiring whether the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief was “worth the massive investment.” Since instituted the by George W. Bush in 2003, the program has contributed more than $72...

Dementia Rates “Higher Near Busy Roads”

James Gallagher January 17, 2017
The noise and fumes of highways may contribute to dementia. Public health researchers in Ontario followed nearly 2 million people in Canada and found higher rates of dementia among those living close to roadways. About 50 million people have multiple forms of dementia worldwide. “Compared with those living 300m away from a major road the risk was: 7% higher within 50m, 4% higher between 50-100m...

Factory Farming Blamed for Massive Bird Flu Outbreak: Experts

Kim Da-sol January 6, 2017
A highly pathogenic form of avian flu was detected in South Korea in November, and experts suggest that crowded conditions in industrial poultry farms have accelerated the spread of disease. “While the government has yet to offer clear reason for the worsening situation, casting the blame on migratory birds, experts pointed out that the battery cage-facilities at poultry farms and stockbreeding...

WHO Data Portal Shines Light on Global Health Coverage

James Richards December 16, 2016
The World Health Organization, which offers country data on for comparing health and costs, offers a data portal that tracks universal health coverage. Universal coverage and reasonable costs contribute to global competitiveness and economic growth. Countries can learn from one another about best practices and reducing costs. “The portal shows where countries need to improve access to services...

Caesarean Births “Affecting Human Evolution”

Helen Briggs December 7, 2016
Recent studies have suggested that rapid changes in the environment can speed evolutionary responses. Increasing reliance on Caesarean sections contributed to more mothers requiring surgery to deliver infants, suggests theoretical biologist Philipp Mitteröcker at the University of Vienna. Helen Briggs wrote about the study for BBC News: “The researchers devised a mathematical model using data...

The Age of Pain

William Davies November 15, 2016
Populism arises out of grievances. “At what point do we attribute denunciations to the state of the world, and at what point to the state of the individual making them?” writes William Davies for New Statesman, adding that “the line separating ‘public politics’ from ‘private distress’ is culturally constructed, and not always very clear, even as we seek to police it.” Populist movements offer...