Undark Magazine

💉 Vaccines have transformed public health, but their journey is far from over. Join us for a 4-week deep dive into the past, present, and future of immunization, curated from our extensive archive. Subscribe for free ⬇️

Opinion: Instead of trying to extend the lives of a privileged few, we should invest in improving the lives of all people today. undark.org/2025/07/23/opi…

Opinion: What if MAGA Has a Point About Science? undark.org/2025/06/19/opi…

Opinion: Conservative distrust of science helped set the stage for its dismantling. Can scientists bridge the partisan divide? 🔗: undark.org/2025/06/19/opi…

Opinion: The Ripple Effects of Shrinking U.S. Science undark.org/2025/05/01/opi…

Uri Manor's lab used $1.5M over two years to develop imaging tools for hearing loss research. When his grant was terminated in April, he worried about four trainees "whose careers now hung on a political whim." 🔗: undark.org/2025/07/11/int…

More than 3,500 FDA employees were laid off in April but while inspectors kept their jobs, the support staff who make overseas drug safety inspections possible didn't. Nearly 70 coordination staff were cut, with only 1/3 brought back. undark.org/2025/07/14/fda…

Ten years ago, atmospheric scientist Tracey Holloway would have called U.S. air pollution a huge success story. Then wildfire smoke from Canada turned Wisconsin's air hazardous in June 2023, erasing decades of progress. undark.org/2025/07/04/wil…

"Things will be missed. We are going to have a lot less safe drugs," said former FDA inspector Patrick Stone about the impact of the layoffs on drug safety inspections. undark.org/2025/07/14/fda…

"It's difficult to get inspections done. The pace has slowed down. You can't inspect as many sites," said a veteran drug inspector about the impact of support staff layoffs on overseas drug factory inspections. undark.org/2025/07/14/fda…

Uri Manor, who has severe hearing loss, studies inner ear biology at UC San Diego. His federal research grant was canceled as part of DEI elimination efforts, forcing him to lay off staff from his dozen-person lab. undark.org/2025/07/11/int…

59% of U.S. counties lack air quality monitors, creating "monitoring deserts" mostly in rural South/Midwest. Counties with higher poverty rates and more Black/Hispanic residents are more likely to lack monitors. 🔗: undark.org/2025/07/04/wil…

UC San Diego scientist Uri Manor received a 5-year federal grant in 2023 to study hearing loss. After using $1.5M over two years, his funding was terminated this spring in DEI crackdown. He's now laying off trainees. undark.org/2025/07/11/int…

Just 10 years ago, U.S. air pollution was a success story. Now wildfires are "erasing the gains" from decades of emission controls, pushing air quality to hazardous levels hundreds of miles away.  🔗: undark.org/2025/07/04/wil…

As the U.S. and other countries cut funding for global health initiatives, what role will philanthropy take? undark.org/2025/07/02/gat…

Researchers have long advocated for a more systematic approach to environmental health, but funding may not hold. undark.org/2025/06/16/unc…

For weeks, a major university quietly froze incoming NIH funding. The details — reported for the first time — show how universities are struggling with Trump administration policies and False Claims Act threats. undark.org/2025/06/17/nih…

A new study offers more evidence linking frequent marijuana use to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. undark.org/2025/05/05/can…

RFK Jr. has said the U.S. should rid its food supply of synthetic ingredients. How would that affect public health? undark.org/2025/04/21/rfk…

After a federal journal asked researchers to remove demographic data from their tobacco use study, the scientists withdrew it entirely. One consequence of executive orders affecting scientific publishing. undark.org/2025/05/14/dei…

Following immunotherapy treatments in the last decade, new therapeutic strategies for cancer are beginning to emerge. undark.org/2025/05/12/can…