Science Controversies in the Media +++ +++ ++

Science Controversies in the Media ‘Humanitarian catastrophe’: Trump’s USAID shutdown could help drive nearly 23 million deaths — including 5.4 million children — by 2030, Lancet study warns Nick Ferris | The Independent https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/06/15/humanitarian-catastrophe-trumps-usaid-shutdown-could-help-drive-nearly-23-million-deaths-including-5-4-million-children-by-2030-lancet-study-warns/ Nearly 23 million additional deaths are expected by 2030 as a result of countries like the US and UK dramatically cutting their overseas aid, a new report estimates. Viewpoint: COVID lab leak? Misguided backers of the lab leak theory refused to give up Rasmussen Retorts https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/06/15/viewpoint-covid-lab-leak-misguided-backers-of-the-lab-leak-theory-refused-to-give-up/ [W]hen I learned that Lord Matt Ridley had been invited to speak at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about his search for the origins of COVID-19 by NIH Director “Podcast Jay” Bhattacharya, I reacted like John Wick after his dog got killed. I felt a return of the fighting spirit …. Six key health insights from taking weight-loss drugs Dani Blum | New York Times https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/06/15/six-key-health-insights-from-taking-weight-loss-drugs/ Tens of millions of people around the world are now taking drugs like Ozempic — a kind of real-time experiment that offers far more data than a carefully controlled clinical trial can. ‘Have you asked your doctor?’: AMA launches campaign to counter health misinformation Bruce Japsen | Forbes https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/06/15/have-you-asked-your-doctor-ama-launches-campaign-to-counter-health-misinformation/ The American Medical Association confirmed plans to launch a national campaign to combat health misinformation and “rebuild trust in medicine.” Selective Pressure, Selective Silence Jon Entine, Patrick Whittle | Quillette https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/06/12/selective-pressure-selective-silence/ Human evolution, particularly of the brain, ended a long time ago—at least that is what many educated people, wary of claims about biological differences between human groups, prefer to believe. For much of the postwar era, it was widely assumed that natural selection had largely ceased to shape human populations and that any evolution during the past ten millennia was too slow or too slight to detect. … Will hi-tech genetic fortune-telling really help parents make healthier children? Rob Stein | NPR https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/06/12/will-hi-tech-genetic-fortune-telling-really-help-parents-make-healthier-children/ Like high-tech fortune-telling, the screening estimates the chances that embryos will produce children at risk for thousands of illnesses, from rare inherited disorders such as Tay-Sachs and cystic fibrosis to common diseases with genetic factors such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. ‘Toxin’ detox: A gastroenterologist weighs in on $71 billion health trend Marc Zarefsky | American Medical Association https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/06/12/detoxing-from-toxins-a-gastroenterologist-weighs-in-on-latest-health-trend/ In 2025, the detoxification industry worldwide was valued at over $71 billion, and some estimates have that number approaching $120 billion by 2034. Gen Z burned by sunscreen misinformation and tanning myths American Academy of Dermatology https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/06/12/gen-z-burned-by-sunscreen-misinformation-and-tanning-myths/ The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) released results from its annual Practice Safe Sun Survey, revealing many Americans still engage in risky sun behaviors driven by misinformation, social media, and persistent tanning myths despite their concerns about the long-term aging effects of sun exposure.