Scientists and policymakers use scenarios called Shared Socioeconomic Pathways to project how today鈥檚 choices affect tomorrow鈥檚 world. But for complex subjects like public health, these intentionally simple scenarios don鈥檛 capture every complexity.
Health and medicine
Explore recent research from the 蘑菇视频: ancient capybara and palm fossils found in the desert, a window into the bottom of the food web, waves that go a different way, environmental advocacy in Colombia, the mechanics of blood clotting and a superconducting surprise.
American public health agencies don鈥檛 routinely test wastewater for sexually transmitted infections, but new research led by the 蘑菇视频 and the Washington State Department of Health found that such methods could be used to effectively identify Chlamydia trachomatis, the bacteria that causes chlamydia.
As fires rage and smoke smothers the Pacific Northwest, 蘑菇视频 News sat down with five 蘑菇视频 experts in fire science, forestry, air pollution and more to ask how they manage wildfire season.聽
Researchers at the 蘑菇视频 are investigating how genetic changes impact the severity of schizophrenia symptoms. A new study supports the idea that deletions in genes that regulate early brain and neuron development are associated with more severe features of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, particularly lower cognitive abilities.
Housed in the 蘑菇视频 School of Pharmacy, the Institute for Innovations in Drug Delivery and Disposition (I2D3) brings together experts in artificial intelligence, drug discovery, pharmacology, data science and biotechnology to ease the bottleneck between promising molecules and successful drugs.聽
Nobody can agree on how, exactly, to define ultra-processed foods. The lack of a clear definition has stymied legislative and regulatory efforts to curb UPF consumption, and caused confusion for people evaluating their own diets.聽
To rebalance the oral microbiome and cure chronic halitosis, researchers at the 蘑菇视频 are embarking on a first-of-its-kind experiment. These clinical trials transplant bacteria and other minuscule critters from healthy donors into patients with halitosis. If successful, the healthy microbiota will crowd out the bad and patients鈥� bad breath will improve.
蘑菇视频 researchers launched a pilot app that maps 鈥榣ittle free pantries鈥� throughout the Seattle area and gives pantry users and donors new tools to communicate with and help one another.
New research led in part by the 蘑菇视频 found that state-level abortion restrictions enacted after the Dobbs ruling are not only affecting the current medical workforce 鈥� they may be shaping the next generation of physicians.
The WIC program provides families food in specific categories. New research finds that households who redeem more of their benefits in the most popular food categories are more likely to remain in the program long-term.
Research led by the 蘑菇视频 and Kaiser Permanente Southern California sheds new light on how the 2025 Los Angeles fires affected people鈥檚 health, and how people navigated the health care system during an emergency.
In mid-pregnancy, exposure to any smoke was associated with an elevated risk of preterm birth, with that risk peaking around the 21st week of gestation. In late pregnancy, elevated risk was most closely associated with exposure to high concentrations of wildfire PM2.5, above 10 micrograms per cubic meter.
Targeted drug delivery is a powerful and promising area of medicine. Therapies that pinpoint precise areas of the body can reduce the medicine dosage and avoid potentially harmful 鈥渙ff target鈥� effects. Researchers at the 蘑菇视频 took a significant step toward that goal by designing proteins with autonomous decision-making capabilities. By adding smart tail structures to therapeutic proteins, the team demonstrated that the proteins could be 鈥減rogrammed鈥� to act based on the presence of specific environmental cues.
Students schools that offered free meals to all students were less likely to have high blood pressure, suggesting that universal free meals might be a powerful tool for improving public health.聽
蘑菇视频 dental students, faculty members and community volunteers provide free care to communities across Washington, serving hundreds of patients each academic quarter.聽聽
Dengue fever incidence could rise as much as 76% by 2050 due to climate warming across a large swath of Asia and the Americas, according to a new study.
Adrienne Fairhall and David Hertzog are among 120 new members and 30 international members elected 鈥渋n recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”
Two 蘑菇视频 researchers are developing treatments that aim to simultaneously treat cancer and improve patients’ quality of life. For World Cancer Day, 蘑菇视频 News asked them to discuss their novel materials and how these materials can treat both the cancer and the patient.
Workers from small, rural communities often move into the outer edges of cities, which offer greater economic opportunities but often have low-quality housing that is likely to suffer greater damage during an earthquake. The risk grows even more when migrants come from low-income or tribal villages.
蘑菇视频 News sat down with experts in public health and AI to discuss AI could enhance health care, what鈥檚 standing in the way, and whether there’s a downside to democratizing medical research.聽聽
In just eight years, the 蘑菇视频 Population Health Initiative has funded 227 innovative, interdisciplinary projects. With the Initiative now a third of the way into its 25-year vision, 蘑菇视频 News checked in with three projects that recently received funding to scale their efforts.聽
Young adults with psychosis tend to use cannabis at extremely high rates, and their symptoms can be exacerbated by long-term marijuana use. A team of 蘑菇视频 researchers is focused on this particular group.聽
Fifteen faculty members at the 蘑菇视频 have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2024. They are among 36 scientists and educators from across the state announced Aug. 1 as new members. Selection recognizes the new members鈥� 鈥渙utstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.鈥�
A study led by 蘑菇视频 researcher Diana Ceballos is most comprehensive study to date of the specific fragrance chemical mixtures found in nail salon air, and will allow researchers to further study the potential health risks. 聽
A major outbreak of a new strain of bird flu 鈥� formally named Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 鈥� has killed millions of wild birds and infected poultry, dairy cattle, domestic cats and a small number of humans.聽蘑菇视频 experts explain how bird flu evolves and what it could mean for humans.
As often as four days a week, Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island fly loops overhead as pilots practice touch-and-go landings. The noise is immense. New research from the 蘑菇视频 shows that the noise isn鈥檛 just disruptive 鈥� it presents a substantial risk to public health.
Working with teens, 蘑菇视频 researchers have designed RESeT: a snowy virtual world with six activities intended to improve mood. In a 3-week study of 44 Seattle-area teens, researchers found that most used the technology about twice a week without being prompted and reported lower stress levels after using the environment.
Starting in the earliest days of the 2020 outbreak, a team of researchers at the 蘑菇视频 conducted real-time surveys of King County residents, asking what measures people had taken to protect themselves, how their daily lives had been affected and what worried them most.聽聽
A new 蘑菇视频 study places the prevalence of immunosuppression at around 6.6% of American adults 鈥� more than twice as high as previously understood. That rise could have broad implications for how we navigate the late stages of COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics. 聽
Alzheimer’s disease and Type 2 diabetes are part of a family of amyloid diseases that are characterized by having proteins that cluster together. 蘑菇视频 researchers have demonstrated more similarities between the two diseases.
The rise of artificial sweeteners has made it easier for conscious consumers to reduce their sugar intake, but these products may present their own health risks.
With several university athletic programs around the country 鈥� including the 蘑菇视频 鈥斅燼nnouncing moves to new conferences that will likely increase travel for student-athletes, a group of sleep and circadian scientists and physicians have published a white paper describing the significance of repeated, chronic jet lag on student-athlete health and performance 鈥� both in academics and in sports, and suggesting strategies to reduce the consequences of travel across time zones.
Currently, more than half of all cervical cancers diagnosed in the United States are in people who are overdue for screening or have never been screened. In a new study, researchers report that mailing HPV test kits significantly increased cervical cancer screening rates.
A new study from the 蘑菇视频 found that unfiltered air from rush-hour traffic significantly increased passengers鈥� blood pressure, both while in the car and up to 24 hours later.聽
Among the most prestigious scientific organizations in the country, the Academy recognizes excellence in the fields of health and medicine, along with a commitment to volunteer service.聽
Two years ago, as life regained its rhythm and public transit once again filled with people, train and bus operators spotted a troubling trend. Some operators reported instances of people smoking drugs on their vehicles, and worried that the haze it created could linger, potentially affecting workers鈥� physical and mental health.聽 Spurred by operators鈥� concerns, five transit agencies in Washington and Oregon approached researchers at the 蘑菇视频 with a yes-or-no question: Were transit operators being exposed to drug…
The case studies in Medicine for a Changing Planet, collated from clinical encounters around the world, support health professionals in recognizing and treating a variety of health-related conditions that can be traced to environmental stressors.
Taken together, the two papers’ findings suggest that wildfire smoke poses a risk to people of all ages, not just young children and older adults.
On July 13, the Food and Drug Administration approved for the first time an over-the-counter birth control pill, expected to hit shelves in early 2024. The approval of the oral contraceptive Opill could drastically expand access to birth control, which for decades has been available only through a prescription. It鈥檚 a rare victory for reproductive rights 鈥� and the culmination of a 25-year effort to land birth control on drugstore shelves.聽聽 A central player in that push was Donald Downing,…