Priyanka Runwal

New York

Science, Environment and Health Journalist at Freelance

Freelance science reporter | previously @NatGeo covering COVID-19 and health | @UCSC_SciCom | 🇮🇳 in 🇺🇸

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Articles

A baby gets the world's first personalized CRISPR therapy

3 weeks ago | cen.acs.org | Priyanka Runwal

In the first 48 h after K.J. Muldoon's birth last year, doctors noticed signs of lethargy and respiratory distress. A blood test revealed off-the-charts ammonia levels-they exceeded 1,000 µmol/L, which is far above the 9-33 µmol/L range considered normal. Soon, doctors diagnosed K. J. with a severe form of a rare genetic disorder known as carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) deficiency, which affects approximately 1 in 1.3 million people worldwide.
Congressional hearing confronts contentious deep-sea mining issues

4 weeks ago | cen.acs.org | Priyanka Runwal

Several developments last month are likely to shape the future of the controversial deep-sea mining industry. A congressional hearing on the subject highlighted the widely touted promise of seabed mining and its perils. On April 24, US president Donald J. Trump signed an executive order to expedite the review and issuing of seabed mining licenses and permits in international waters.
OxyVinyls will contribute to the $600 million settlement in the East Palestine train derailment case

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Priyanka Runwal

In September, a federal judge approved a $600 million class-action settlement against Norfolk Southern-the freight company responsible for the Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which released toxic chemicals into the air and local environment. The payment would compensate individuals and businesses affected by the derailment.
WHO member states finalize pandemic treaty

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Priyanka Runwal

Around 2am on April 16 in Geneva, the World Health Organization's member states finalized the draft of a global pandemic agreement. Aimed at strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, the agreement took 3½ years of intensive negotiations. "Tonight marks a significant milestone in our shared journey toward a safer world," the WHO's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in his concluding remarks.
Deep-sea mining company eyes US approval to extract critical minerals

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Priyanka Runwal

In late March, The Metals Company, a Canadian deep-sea mining firm, announced that it would seek approval from US agencies to extract critical minerals in areas of the ocean floor that are beyond US jurisdiction. If approved, the move would be the first to bypass the International Seabed Authority (ISA). These seabed mineral resources are in demand for clean energy technologies, but mining them could disturb fragile marine environments and disrupt unique biodiversity.
Glowing cave compounds could aid search for extraterrestrial life

2 months ago | cen.acs.org | Priyanka Runwal

If you've ever been on a cave tour where the guide shines a black light, you've seen the walls and formations glow. The stunning fluorescence is often the result of impurities trapped in calcite rocks that illuminate under UV light that is otherwise invisible to the human eye. Now, researchers at the University of Northern Iowa are using these UV spectral signatures to assess the chemical makeup of these cave features.
'Shocking' signs of damage in plastic-eating chicks

2 months ago | cen.acs.org | Priyanka Runwal

Seabirds and other marine creatures are particularly vulnerable to plastic pollution. They mistake plastic debris floating in the ocean for food. Researchers recently coined the term ' plasticosis,' a condition that's causing seabirds' digestive tracts to become scarred from eating pieces of plastic. Now the same team, along with their colleagues, have found signs of dementia-like brain damage, kidney and liver dysfunction, and disruptions to the stomach lining of sable shearwater chicks ( Sci. Adv.
White House pulls CDC director nomination hours before hearing

2 months ago | cen.acs.org | Priyanka Runwal

In a statement he shared with C&EN, David Weldon- a physician and former Republican congressperson from Florida -says he received a call late March 12 from an assistant at the White House. Weldon was told that his nomination to lead the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was being withdrawn. The reason: "there were not enough votes to get me confirmed," Weldon says in the statement.
NIH director nominee pledges to repair 'distrust' in research

Mar 6, 2025 | cen.acs.org | Rowan Walrath |Priyanka Runwal

Stanford University health policy professor and economist Jay Bhattacharya is poised to become the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) after testifying before a key US Senate committee on Wednesday. Bhattacharya says he has no concrete plans for additional layoffs at the organization, should he be confirmed as director.
Thousands of federal employees fired from US regulatory and science funding agencies

Feb 19, 2025 | cen.acs.org | Krystal Vasquez |Britt E. Erickson |Laurel Oldach |Prachi Patel |Priyanka Runwal |Rowan Walrath

Credit: AP Photo/Mark SchiefelbeinOver the past week, thousands of employees have been fired across multiple US regulatory and science funding agencies. The majority of those affected were probationary employees, a classification that includes newly hired or recently promoted workers who haven't been in their positions long enough to qualify for civil service protections.