UNDARK

The name Undark comes from a historical blend of science and business that led to the creation of a radium-infused product known as Undark, which was both fascinating and, as later research revealed, harmful and dangerous. We choose this name to indicate to our readers that our magazine will delve into science not merely as an impressive spectacle, but as a complex, sometimes controversial, and at times unsettling aspect of human culture.

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Amid Turbulence, the NIH's Jay Bhattacharya Era Begins

1 week ago | undark.org | Sara Talpos

Five years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and 82 days after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, dozens of people gathered in a Washington D.C. townhouse to celebrate Jay Bhattacharya, who had recently been confirmed as director of the National Institutes of Health, the world’s top agency for biomedical research.
When People Hear Voices, But Only When They Want To

1 week ago | undark.org | Chris Berdik

Yale psychiatrist Albert Powers didn’t know what to expect as he strolled among the tarot card readers, astrologers, and crystal vendors at the psychic fair held at the Best Western outside North Haven, Connecticut, on a cloudy November Saturday in 2014. At his clinic, Powers worked with young people, mostly teenagers, who had started hearing voices. His patients and their families were worried that the voices might be precursors of psychosis such as schizophrenia. Sometimes, they were.
FDA Plans to Limit Covid Shots. Patients and Advocates See Risks.

1 week ago | undark.org | Stephanie Armour

Larry Saltzman has blood cancer. He’s also a retired doctor, so he knows getting Covid-19 could be dangerous for him — his underlying illness puts him at high risk of serious complications and death. To avoid getting sick, he stays away from large gatherings, and he’s comforted knowing healthy people who get boosters protect him by reducing his exposure to the virus.
Facing Cuts, a Grim Future for America's HIV Response

2 weeks ago | undark.org | Joshua Cohen

Shortly after assuming office, President Donald Trump announced broad cuts in foreign medical, food, and other aid. This included gutting the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and significantly disrupting the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — a 22-year-old program active in dozens of countries.
The EPA Plans to Vastly Change How It Studies Chemical Risks

2 weeks ago | undark.org | Molly Taft

In early May, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would split up the agency’s main arm devoted to scientific research. According to a report from NPR, scientists at the 1,500-person Office of Research and Development were told to apply to roughly 500 new scientific research positions that would be sprinkled into other areas of the agency — and to expect further cuts to their organization in the weeks to come.
Book Review: A Skeptical Look at Grand Designs for the Future

3 weeks ago | undark.org | Dan Falk

Elon Musk once joked: “I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact.” Musk is, in fact, deadly serious about colonizing the Red Planet. Part of his motivation is the idea of having a “back up” planet in case some future catastrophe renders the Earth uninhabitable. Musk has suggested that a million people may be calling Mars home by 2050 — and he’s hardly alone in his enthusiasm.
‘A New Era’ of Cancer Therapies

3 weeks ago | undark.org | Claudia Lopez Lloreda

In 2012, clinicians at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia treated Emily Whitehead, a 6-year-old with leukemia, with altered immune cells from her own body. At the time, the treatment was experimental, but it worked: The cells targeted the cancer and eradicated it. Thirteen years later, Whitehead is still cancer-free. The modified cells, called CAR-T cells, are a form of immunotherapy, where doctors change parts of the immune system into cancer-attacking instruments.
A Clear-Eyed Look at the Risks of 'Diagnosis Creep'

4 weeks ago | undark.org | Lola Butcher

By the time neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan met a patient she calls Darcie, the 20-year-old woman was experiencing daily seizures so disabling she had barely left her home for a year.
Health Experts Say: Don’t Abandon WHO, Reform It

1 month ago | undark.org | Ramin Skibba

When Ebola swept through West Africa in the mid-2010s, Ashish Jha joined a chorus of health experts criticizing the World Health Organization’s response. The global health agency, these critics said, was slow to declare a public health emergency and to coordinate the responses needed to contain the deadly outbreak. The disease killed more than 11,000 people, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
Cannabis Could Be Bad for Your Heart

1 month ago | undark.org | Joshua Cohen

The country’s marijuana use has been rising, especially in the 24 states that allow recreational use and in the 39 states that permit medical use of cannabis products. Twenty-two percent of people aged 12 or older say they used marijuana in 2022. Approximately 17.7 million people reported being daily or near-daily marijuana users that same year, compared to fewer than 1 million in 1992.