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Determining Whether There Is a Link Between Antimalarial Drugs and Persistent Health Effects Requires More Rigorous Studies

Although the immediate side effects of antimalarial drugs are widely recognized, few studies were designed specifically to examine health problems that might occur or persist months or years after people stopped taking them.




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New Fronts in the War on Misinformation

National Academies host three events to explore ways to expand the reach of accurate science and health information online




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Food and Nutrition Board Marks 80 Years of Advising the Nation

Symposium participants examine what climate change, obesity, and personalized medicine mean for nutrition in the future




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Statement From the Presidents of the NAS, NAE, and NAM Supporting Steps Necessary to Assess the Potential for Human Convalescent Plasma to Help Control COVID-19

In light of the present situation in the U.S., we believe that it is essential to explore a wide range of options for treating the increasing numbers of very ill patients with COVID-19 respiratory illness.




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One Year After Release, National Academies Report Guides Lawmakers and Communities Looking to Cut Child Poverty

More than 9.6 million children — or 13 percent of all children in the U.S. — live in families with annual incomes below the poverty line, according to data from 2015. As closures and restrictions related to COVID-19 begin to impact the U.S. economy, it’s clear many more families will be receiving fewer paychecks and less income in the coming months, putting more children at risk of falling below the poverty line.




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Effectiveness of Homemade Fabric Masks to Protect Others from Spread of COVID-19 Examined in New Rapid Response to Government from Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases

A new rapid expert consultation from a standing committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine responds to questions from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) regarding the effectiveness of homemade fabric masks to protect others from the viral spread of COVID-19 from potentially contagious asymptomatic or presymptomatic individuals.




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Exploring the Importance of Pharmacies to Public Health

Research by NAM Pharmacy Fellow Dima M. Qato has shed light on “pharmacy deserts” and closures that reduce people’s access to medications.




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National Academies, National Science Foundation Create Network to Connect Decision-Makers with Social Scientists on Pressing COVID-19 Questions

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the National Science Foundation announced today the formation of a Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN) to connect social and behavioral science researchers with decision-makers who are leading the response to COVID-19. SEAN will respond to the most pressing social, behavioral, and economic questions that are being asked by federal, state, and local officials by working with appropriate experts to quickly provide actionable answers.




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How Nursing Homes Are Handling COVID-19 - Best Practices from Maryland and Massachusetts

The 1.3 million nursing home residents in the U.S. make up less than 0.5 percent of the nation’s population, but represent approximately 15 percent of COVID-19 related deaths to date.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - May 2020

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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NAM President Victor Dzau Joins World Leaders at May 4 Event on Coronavirus Response Funding

National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau will provide remarks on behalf of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board during a virtual event on May 4 to launch an online pledging effort, the Coronavirus Global Response.




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Basic Research, Interdisciplinary Teams Are Driving Innovation to Solve the Plastics Dilemma

From N-95 masks that are protecting health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic to food packaging found in every aisle of the grocery store, plastics play an essential role in our lives.




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Making Diversity Programs More Effective

Increasing diversity among employees is a priority for many organizations, which spend substantial resources on diversity initiatives.




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Why Arctic Permafrost Is Thawing — and How it Affects the Whole Planet

Only about 4 million people live in the Arctic, but despite its relatively small population, the region is hugely consequential.




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CHR Endorses Call for Human Rights-Based Approach to COVID-19

The Committee on Human Rights (CHR) of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine fully endorses the Call for a Human Rights-Based Approach to COVID-19, issued by the Executive Committee of the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies (IHRN).




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To Maintain Leadership in Plasma Science, U.S. Should Increase Interagency Coordination and Collaboration

Federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), should better coordinate their activities in plasma science research if the United States is to remain a leader in plasma science and engineering (PSE), says a new decadal report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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National Academies Release COVID-19 Data Guide for Decision-Makers

The recently formed National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN), which connects social and behavioral science researchers with decision-makers leading the response to COVID-19, today released a rapid expert consultation to guide leaders using COVID-19 measurements like hospitalizations and reported confirmed cases to understand the spread of the disease in their communities.




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Will COVID-19 Permanently Change Cancer Care?

COVID-19 cases are surging again in parts of the U.S., but that doesn’t mean other medical issues can be put on hold. Cancer care is particularly complex in the age of COVID-19, said panelists during a July 13 and 14 National Academies webinar, Opportunities and Challenges for Using Digital Health Applications in Oncology. It involves a spectrum of services — including screening, diagnostics, surgery, radiation, palliative care, and survivorship care.




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Categorizing Workers’ Needs by Generation Such as Baby Boomers or Millennials Is Not Supported by Research or Useful for Workforce Management

Categorizing workers with generational labels like “baby boomer” or “millennial” to define their needs and behaviors is not supported by research, and cannot adequately inform workforce management decisions, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Promising Strategies for Encouraging COVID-19 Protective Behaviors, Including Mask Wearing and Physical Distancing, Identified in New Guidance

A new rapid expert consultation from the Societal Experts Action Network identifies promising strategies to make the adoption of protective behaviors against COVID-19, such as wearing a mask or regularly washing your hands, more likely.




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To Improve Measurement of Changing Nature of Employment, Bureau of Labor Statistics Should Add Questions, Make Other Changes to Workforce Survey

To better measure the changing nature of employment, independent contracting and freelance work, and jobs with unstable hours, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) add questions to the Contingent Worker Supplement (CWS) about work done by people who may not be steadily employed, details about secondary jobs, and work scheduling practices.




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New Review Finds NYC Watershed Protection Program Successful in Maintaining and Enhancing Water Quality

A review of the New York City Watershed Protection Program, released today by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, says the program has been largely successful in maintaining and enhancing water quality for New York City’s drinking water since its inception in 1997.




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To Reduce Food Waste Standardized Date Labeling, Behavior Change Campaign, and Marketing Changes Needed, Says New Report

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identifies promising strategies for reducing consumer food waste nationwide, including a national campaign to change consumer behavior, federal standardization of food date labeling, and changes to retailer marketing and food service practices, among other measures.




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New Guidance Says Decision-Makers Can Offer Incentives and Partner with Trusted Sources, Among Other Strategies, to Encourage Cooperation in COVID-19 Contact Tracing

A new rapid expert consultation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Societal Experts Action Network says strategies such as giving advance notice, partnering with trusted sources, and offering incentives can encourage individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 to respond to health department contact tracing and share information about people they may have exposed to the virus.




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The Challenge of Maintaining and Reopening Buildings During a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses and government agencies to close or restructure to allow their employees to work remotely. However, the now-empty facilities still require some maintenance and engineering staff to remain on-site to ensure the basic operations of the buildings are running smoothly and safely. Keeping these employees safe during the pandemic so they can continue their essential duties is a priority.




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Heritable Genome Editing Not Yet Ready to Be Tried Safely and Effectively in Humans - Initial Clinical Uses, If Permitted, Should Be Limited to Serious Single-Gene Diseases

Human embryos whose genomes have been edited should not be used to create a pregnancy until it is established that precise genomic changes can be made reliably without introducing undesired changes — a criterion that has not yet been met by any genome editing technology, says a new report by an international commission of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.K.’s Royal Society.




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Stephen Hinshaw Receives National Academy of Medicine’s Sarnat Award for Contributions to Understanding and Treating Mental Health Conditions in Childhood and Adolescence and Stigma Prevention Efforts

The National Academy of Medicine today announced Stephen P. Hinshaw is the recipient of the 2020 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health, for basic and applied research on individuals with externalizing disorders, and for efforts to reduce mental illness stigma through youth-based programs and the promotion of humanization.




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How Sports Logos on Masks and Better Signage Can Help Prevent COVID-19, According to Social Science

By now, we’ve all heard the official COVID-19 prevention guidance - wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay 6 feet away from other people. But hearing information, and turning it into an everyday habit, are two very different things.




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New Study Will Assess How Climate Disasters, Other Events Affect Restoration Projects in the Gulf of Mexico

This summer, the Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine started work on a new study that will assess how climate disasters, oil spills, and long-term environmental changes such as sea level rise are affecting environmental restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico. The study will help fulfill one of GRP’s top goals — monitoring progress and documenting how the Gulf is changing over time.




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Fishing for Answers - Genomes of Some Ocean Creatures May Reveal How We Could Live to Be 100

What Can Lobsters, Clams, and Rockfish Tell Us About Human Aging? Some species of rockfish only live to age 7. Others live over 200 years while maintaining the necessary functions to find food, mate, resist disease, and evade predators.




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How an Implantable Dialysis Device May Extend Life for People with Kidney Failure

A few years ago, Nikhil Shah and Hiep Nguyen were touring the German Aerospace Center after giving a presentation about the future of surgery. One of the in-house researchers showed off a model of an implantable heart, and they thought — Why can’t we do that with a kidney?




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Taking Flight -The Mars Helicopter Ingenuity and the Future of Mars Exploration

Creating an aircraft that will fly in the Martian atmosphere is an engineering tour de force.




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Can Manipulating the Gut Microbiome Slow Age-Related Inflammation?

There are the telltale signs of aging — a few more wrinkles, graying hair, and changes in posture. Other changes are less obvious. Aging-related changes also occur within the gut microbiome — a collection of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in your digestive tract.




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National Academies’ Gulf Research Program Awards $5.27 Million to Enhance Understanding of Gulf Ecosystems and Their Interactions with Natural Processes and Human Activities

The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine today announced grant awards totaling $5.27 million for six new projects. These projects, planned to span two to three years, aim to improve understanding of how natural processes and human activities interact to affect coastal ecosystems in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.




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More Strategic Approach Needed for Coast Guard to Exploit Advancements in Unmanned Systems Technology

As unmanned systems (UxS) continue to develop and be used by military services and federal agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard should proceed more aggressively and deliberately in taking advantage of UxS advancements, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Returning Human Spaceflight to the United States

In my nearly 20 years at SpaceX, I have experienced hundreds of Falcon launches and test firings. As such, my level of anxiety prior to these events had been waning until, of course, Saturday, May 30, 2020. On that day, and for days leading up to it, my heart was in my throat.




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Can Community Health Workers Make Hearing Health Care More Accessible for Older Adults?

Age-related hearing loss is common in the United States, with two-thirds of adults over age 70 experiencing a clinically significant hearing loss. However, that doesn’t mean that hearing loss should be something we learn to live with.




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Your Holiday Leftovers and the Myths That Might Make You Waste Them

Last week, millions of Americans made a trip to the grocery store to buy a fuller cart than their usual weekly shopping. Thanksgiving is the beginning of the holiday season, centered on cooking, abundance, and plenty, even as celebration get-togethers are scaled back because of the pandemic.




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Eliminating Lead Emissions From Small Aircraft Will Require Concerted Efforts Across the Aviation Sector, Says New Report

Significantly reducing lead emissions from gasoline-powered aircraft will require the leadership and strategic guidance of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a broad-based and sustained commitment by other government agencies and the nation’s pilots, airport managers, aviation fuel and service suppliers, and aircraft manufacturers, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Advising the Nation on Climate Change

As the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly engulfed the nation and the world, a slower-moving crisis — but potentially even more damaging — has been unfolding for decades. The effects of climate change are already being felt by millions.




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What Does a Changing Climate Mean for the Fish on Your Plate?

Research by Gulf Research Program Early-Career Research Fellow Amina Schartup Explores How Mercury Levels in Fish May Rise with Climate Change




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New Report Charts Path to Net-Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050, Recommends Near-Term Policies to Ensure Fair and Equitable Economic Transition and Revitalization of Manufacturing Industry

Achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the U.S. by 2050 is feasible and would not only help address climate change but also build a more competitive economy, increase high-quality jobs, and help address social injustice in the energy system, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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To Increase Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines, Decision-Makers Need to Showcase Public Support, Leverage Endorsements, Focus on Hesitant Individuals, and Engage Communities

Decision-makers leading COVID-19 vaccine rollouts need to begin communicating with the public immediately if they have not already — emphasizing public support for vaccinations, leveraging celebrity and community champion endorsements, and focusing on those who are skeptical or hesitant of the vaccines rather than firmly opposed — to ensure demand and promote uptake, says a new rapid expert consultation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Cancer and Its Treatment May Have Consequences for Survivors’ Ability to Work, Says New Report

Although cancer survivors are living longer, cancer and its treatment can result in long-lasting or late-onset impairments that may affect their ability to work, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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For Humans to Reach Mars, Advances Are Needed in Space Nuclear Propulsion Technologies

Using nuclear propulsion technologies to support a human mission to Mars in 2039 will require NASA to pursue an aggressive and urgent technology development program, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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National Academies Recommend Changes to EPA’s TSCA Systematic Review Process

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) should make changes to its systematic review process under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ensure it is comprehensive, workable, objective, and transparent, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - March 2021

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Emerging Evidence Indicates COVID-19 Pandemic Has Negatively Impacted Women in Academic STEMM Fields, Endangering Progress Made in Recent Years

Preliminary evidence indicates that the COVID 19 pandemic has negatively affected the well-being of women in academic STEMM fields in a range of areas, including productivity, work-life boundary control, networking and community building, and mental well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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U.S. Global Change Research Program Should Shift Focus to Preparing for and Avoiding Worst Potential Consequences of Climate Change, Says New Report

As it drafts its next decadal strategic plan, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) should shift its focus to providing insights that help society prepare for and avoid the worst potential consequences of climate change, while protecting the most vulnerable, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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National Academy of Medicine Launches Initiative Supported by YouTube on Evaluating the Authoritativeness of Online Providers of Health Information

In order to enhance the accessibility of trustworthy health information on its platform, YouTube asked the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to identify preliminary definitions of “authoritative” sources of health information and the criteria by which these sources derive and maintain their authority.