Undark Magazine
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Non-profit & editorially independent. Exploring science as a frequently wondrous, sometimes contentious, and occasionally troubling byproduct of human culture.
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Simard's "When the Forest Breathes" blends memoir, science, and politics as it revisits her research on underground fungal networks and the logging industry's impact on forest ecosystems.
Book Review: An Impassioned Lament for Our Imperiled Wild Forests
Suzanne Simard's "When the Forest Breathes" is steeped in grief over the juggernaut of the modern logging industry.
f.mtr.cool
May 8, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Simard's "When the Forest Breathes" blends memoir, science, and politics as it revisits her research on underground fungal networks and the logging industry's impact on forest ecosystems.
Safety panels convened by food companies are described in regulations as reflecting scientific consensus. But Jennifer Pomeranz says studies have shown 100 percent of panel members are industry-paid or have industry conflicts of interest.
Interview: Why Food Additives May Not Be FDA Reviewed
Jennifer Pomeranz discusses a decades-old loophole for putting new ingredients into the country's food supply.
f.mtr.cool
May 7, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Safety panels convened by food companies are described in regulations as reflecting scientific consensus. But Jennifer Pomeranz says studies have shown 100 percent of panel members are industry-paid or have industry conflicts of interest.
Sylvia Fogel says studies show roughly 30 to 40 percent of autism parents report acute neurodevelopmental regression, and that those who experience regression have worse functional outcomes and higher rates of medical comorbidities.
Interview: Sylvia Fogel on Rethinking Autism Research
The newly-appointed head of a government advisory committee on autism is ready to reshape federal priorities.
f.mtr.cool
May 7, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Sylvia Fogel says studies show roughly 30 to 40 percent of autism parents report acute neurodevelopmental regression, and that those who experience regression have worse functional outcomes and higher rates of medical comorbidities.
Spencer Kwabena Annor-Ampofo proposes community-based participatory research as one approach to building trust between Black and African communities and the medical establishment.
Medicine Misses the Mark on African and Black Hair Health
Dermatologists lack the cultural knowledge to treat alopecia, or hair loss, in Black and African patients.
f.mtr.cool
May 7, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Spencer Kwabena Annor-Ampofo proposes community-based participatory research as one approach to building trust between Black and African communities and the medical establishment.
Charles Darwin's cousin Francis Galton coined the term "eugenics" in 1883. C. Brandon Ogbunu examines how scholars have compared Darwin's own racial views to Galton's — and why that distinction matters in the classroom.
What I Learned from Teaching Darwin
Opinion | Charles Darwin’s books offer lessons for how to grapple with the current state of science and its complicated future.
f.mtr.cool
May 6, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Charles Darwin's cousin Francis Galton coined the term "eugenics" in 1883. C. Brandon Ogbunu examines how scholars have compared Darwin's own racial views to Galton's — and why that distinction matters in the classroom.
United Kingdom pilot programs introduced AI tools to help asylum staff review interview material and retrieve policy faster, not to replace human officers.
How AI May Reshape Humanitarian Decisions About Refugees
Opinion | AI-driven tools are being tested in systems for granting asylum to refugees and aiding displaced populations.
f.mtr.cool
May 6, 2026 at 8:01 PM
United Kingdom pilot programs introduced AI tools to help asylum staff review interview material and retrieve policy faster, not to replace human officers.
Oral phenylephrine is metabolized in the gut, meaning almost none of the active ingredient likely reaches the nose at the standard 10 milligram dose, according to researchers.
A Decongestant Debate That Won’t Clear Up
Experts say a popular decongestant doesn’t work, and the relevant data is limited. Yet the drug remains on the market.
f.mtr.cool
May 6, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Oral phenylephrine is metabolized in the gut, meaning almost none of the active ingredient likely reaches the nose at the standard 10 milligram dose, according to researchers.
Parts of Shanghai have subsided by more than 6 feet, Bangkok by more than 5 feet, and Osaka and Tianjin by around 10 feet, according to climate adaptation researcher Robert Nicholls of the University of East Anglia.
A More Troubling Picture of Sea Level Rise Comes Into View
Results from two major studies suggest tens of millions of people thought safe from coastal flooding are now at risk.
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May 5, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Parts of Shanghai have subsided by more than 6 feet, Bangkok by more than 5 feet, and Osaka and Tianjin by around 10 feet, according to climate adaptation researcher Robert Nicholls of the University of East Anglia.
Benjamin Rome, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said forthcoming research shows brand-name drug use in Medicare rose on "the order of 20-30% higher" than among privately insured adults after the 2024 cap.
A 2022 Law May Be Quietly Helping People Stay on Their Meds
With a new yearly cap on drug costs, Medicare patients are experiencing lower bills and fewer disruptions.
f.mtr.cool
May 5, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Benjamin Rome, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said forthcoming research shows brand-name drug use in Medicare rose on "the order of 20-30% higher" than among privately insured adults after the 2024 cap.
The American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, and American Medical Association all deny the validity of parental alienation syndrome, citing a lack of clear diagnostic criteria.
When Scientific Debate Steps into Custody Cases
Many view parental alienation syndrome as a harmful and pseudoscientific concept. Why does an academic debate persist?
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May 5, 2026 at 11:01 AM
The American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, and American Medical Association all deny the validity of parental alienation syndrome, citing a lack of clear diagnostic criteria.
A Monsanto staffer's email described a related paper's process: "we would be keeping the cost down by us doing the writing, and they would just edit & sign their names." Borgert says the meaning isn't clear-cut.
Interview: Christopher Borgert on an Infamous Glyphosate Paper
The pharmacologist gathered more than 60 researchers to push back on the retraction of a Monsanto-linked research paper.
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May 4, 2026 at 11:01 PM
A Monsanto staffer's email described a related paper's process: "we would be keeping the cost down by us doing the writing, and they would just edit & sign their names." Borgert says the meaning isn't clear-cut.
Philip Cohen, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland, says the average number of babies women have over their lifetimes has not fallen: "It's still more than 2.0 for women aged 45."
Amid Falling Birth Rates, Federal Family Planning Is Overhauled
Title X funding appears to be shifting away from contraception. Experts say that's unlikely to change fertility rates.
f.mtr.cool
May 4, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Philip Cohen, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland, says the average number of babies women have over their lifetimes has not fallen: "It's still more than 2.0 for women aged 45."
Close to a third of secondary schools in New Hampshire report having no athletic trainers on staff, despite a 2021 state law requiring trainers at collision and contact sporting events.
Student Athletes Feel the Heat as States Adapt to Climate Change
Exertional heatstroke is a leading cause of death in high school sports. What should states do to prevent it?
f.mtr.cool
May 4, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Close to a third of secondary schools in New Hampshire report having no athletic trainers on staff, despite a 2021 state law requiring trainers at collision and contact sporting events.
The 2021 Fairy Creek protests, the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history, involved blockades of old-growth logging roads. Simard's new book examines the contested politics that followed.
Book Review: An Impassioned Lament for Our Imperiled Wild Forests
Suzanne Simard's "When the Forest Breathes" is steeped in grief over the juggernaut of the modern logging industry.
f.mtr.cool
May 1, 2026 at 11:01 PM
The 2021 Fairy Creek protests, the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history, involved blockades of old-growth logging roads. Simard's new book examines the contested politics that followed.
Sylvia Fogel, a Harvard Medical School instructor and practicing psychiatrist, has been appointed to chair the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, a federal group that advises Health and Human Services on autism research.
Interview: Sylvia Fogel on Rethinking Autism Research
The newly-appointed head of a government advisory committee on autism is ready to reshape federal priorities.
f.mtr.cool
May 1, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Sylvia Fogel, a Harvard Medical School instructor and practicing psychiatrist, has been appointed to chair the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, a federal group that advises Health and Human Services on autism research.
A 2019 study estimated North America had lost one-third of its birds since 1970, nearly 3 billion. In "The Return of the Oystercatcher," Scott Weidensaul surveys conservation efforts since the 1970s and spotlights successes.
Book Review: The Case for Hope in Saving the World's Birds
In “The Return of the Oystercatcher,” Scott Weidensaul examines bird conservation successes as some populations rebound.
f.mtr.cool
May 1, 2026 at 3:35 PM
A 2019 study estimated North America had lost one-third of its birds since 1970, nearly 3 billion. In "The Return of the Oystercatcher," Scott Weidensaul surveys conservation efforts since the 1970s and spotlights successes.
Near an electronic waste scrapyard in Accra, Ghana, researchers found chlorinated dioxin levels in eggs more than three times the already dangerous levels recorded in Tropodo, Indonesia.
Plastic Pollution Is Bad Enough. Burning It Can Be Even Worse.
In places like Indonesia, plastic refuse is often burned in unregulated low-tech furnaces that pose grave health risks.
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May 1, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Near an electronic waste scrapyard in Accra, Ghana, researchers found chlorinated dioxin levels in eggs more than three times the already dangerous levels recorded in Tropodo, Indonesia.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted its first batch of whole measles genomes from viruses that spread in the U.S. last year. The data will show whether the country lost its measles elimination status, held since 2000.
Inside the Effort to Sequence a Thousand Measles Genomes
Understanding the genetics of circulating viruses will determine if the U.S. loses measles elimination status this year.
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May 1, 2026 at 1:01 AM
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted its first batch of whole measles genomes from viruses that spread in the U.S. last year. The data will show whether the country lost its measles elimination status, held since 2000.
Common hair loss causes reported by interviewees included hair straightening, tight hairstyles, and damaging products, practices shaped in part by historical Eurocentric beauty standards, the essay argues.
Medicine Misses the Mark on African and Black Hair Health
Dermatologists lack the cultural knowledge to treat alopecia, or hair loss, in Black and African patients.
f.mtr.cool
April 30, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Common hair loss causes reported by interviewees included hair straightening, tight hairstyles, and damaging products, practices shaped in part by historical Eurocentric beauty standards, the essay argues.
Ingredient labels don't list specific chemicals or compounds, Jennifer Pomeranz notes, terms like "corn oil" or "flavorings" can mask new additives the FDA has never reviewed.
Interview: Why Food Additives May Not Be FDA Reviewed
Jennifer Pomeranz discusses a decades-old loophole for putting new ingredients into the country's food supply.
f.mtr.cool
April 30, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Ingredient labels don't list specific chemicals or compounds, Jennifer Pomeranz notes, terms like "corn oil" or "flavorings" can mask new additives the FDA has never reviewed.
A legal opinion commissioned by the United Kingdom nonprofit Open Rights Group found that some aspects of the government's use of artificial intelligence in refugee cases is likely unlawful, writes researcher Mona Hedaya.
How AI May Reshape Humanitarian Decisions About Refugees
Opinion | AI-driven tools are being tested in systems for granting asylum to refugees and aiding displaced populations.
f.mtr.cool
April 30, 2026 at 4:46 PM
A legal opinion commissioned by the United Kingdom nonprofit Open Rights Group found that some aspects of the government's use of artificial intelligence in refugee cases is likely unlawful, writes researcher Mona Hedaya.
Chemist Brett Pollard and colleagues found roughly 20 papers citing water safety standards attributed to the WHO and EPA that, according to the researchers, those agencies never produced.
Scientific Journals Need Dedicated Fact-Checkers
Opinion | An additional layer of quality control could help academic publishers weed out problematic content before it propagates.
f.mtr.cool
April 30, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Chemist Brett Pollard and colleagues found roughly 20 papers citing water safety standards attributed to the WHO and EPA that, according to the researchers, those agencies never produced.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association maintains that "the scientific evidence supports the drug as an effective nasal decongestant." An Food and Drug Administration advisory committee disagreed in 2023.
A Decongestant Debate That Won’t Clear Up
Experts say a popular decongestant doesn’t work, and the relevant data is limited. Yet the drug remains on the market.
f.mtr.cool
April 30, 2026 at 1:01 AM
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association maintains that "the scientific evidence supports the drug as an effective nasal decongestant." An Food and Drug Administration advisory committee disagreed in 2023.
Reading Charles Darwin's "The Descent of Man" with students, C. Brandon Ogbunu reconsidered his view that the right response to Darwin's backward ideas on race and gender is simply to "get over them."
What I Learned from Teaching Darwin
Opinion | Charles Darwin’s books offer lessons for how to grapple with the current state of science and its complicated future.
f.mtr.cool
April 29, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Reading Charles Darwin's "The Descent of Man" with students, C. Brandon Ogbunu reconsidered his view that the right response to Darwin's backward ideas on race and gender is simply to "get over them."
A JAMA Internal Medicine study found Medicare beneficiaries had a nearly 5 percentage point drop in cost-related medication disruption compared to privately insured adults after the Inflation Reduction Act's drug provisions took effect.
A 2022 Law May Be Quietly Helping People Stay on Their Meds
With a new yearly cap on drug costs, Medicare patients are experiencing lower bills and fewer disruptions.
f.mtr.cool
April 29, 2026 at 6:11 PM
A JAMA Internal Medicine study found Medicare beneficiaries had a nearly 5 percentage point drop in cost-related medication disruption compared to privately insured adults after the Inflation Reduction Act's drug provisions took effect.