Curing Hepatitis C, in an Experiment the Size of Egypt

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/16/health/hepatitis-c-treatment-egypt.html

Donald G. McNeil Jr.

The New York Times

15 December 2015

Text / 1500-3000 Words

A new approach to distributing pharmaceuticals in Egypt could become the blueprint for providing cutting-edge medicines to the poor. The approach, developed to fight Hep. C, capitalizes on local networks and involves negotiating lower prices with drug companies.

Can biomimicry tackle our toughest water problems?

https://www.hcn.org/issues/46.20/can-biomimicry-tackle-our-toughest-water-problems

Benjamin Goldfarb

High Country News

24 November 2014

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Clean water and healthy ecosystems are becoming increasingly difficult to come by. With floating islands and other inventions, eco-entrepreneur Bruce Kania thinks that biomimicry - such as reconstructing wetlands and growing biofilms - can tackle the toughest of water problems.

How Uganda Came To Earn High Marks For Quality Of Death

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/10/16/449243933/how-uganda-came-to-earn-high-marks-for-quality-of-death

Rae Ellen Bichell

NPR

3 January 2016

Text / 800-1500 Words

Uganda has the best quality of death among low-income countries, according to the Economic Intelligence Unit. Its success stems in part from the strictly regulated but available supply of morphine, which is distributed by pharmacists in labeled bottles.

Drugs, Risk and the Myth of the ‘Evil' Addict

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/drugs-risk-and-the-myth-of-the-evil-addict

Maia Szalavitz

The New York Times

27 September 2011

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While critics argue that Naloxone isn't safe for over-the-counter use, some cities have found success distributing Naloxone to community members to help save lives of addicts who overdose. Naloxone can be administered to help those overdosing survive and jump-start the withdrawal process.

One by One, States are Giving Consumers the Right to Know About Chemicals in Products

http://ensia.com/features/one-by-one-states-are-giving-consumers-the-right-to-know-about-chemicals-in-products

Rachel Cernansky

Ensia

1 September 2015

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The U.S. federal government rarely requires manufacturers to list the chemicals in consumer goods outside of food. Various states are starting to enact legislation requiring greater transparency.

For U.S. Tribes, a Movement to Revive Native Foods and Lands

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/for_us_tribes_a_movement_to_revive_native_foods_and_lands/2915

Cheryl Katz

Yale Environment 360

28 September 2015

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Property rights, circumscribed jurisdictions, and conflicts with neighbors exacerbate Native American efforts to restore tribal land and resources. Some tribes have found success by tapping into a trend of support from the government and conservationists.

What To Do About the Antidepressasnts, Antibiotics, and Other Drugs in Our Water

http://ensia.com/features/what-to-do-about-the-antidepressants-antibiotics-and-other-drugs-in-our-water

Elizabeth Grossman

Ensia

11 August 2015

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Prescription drugs are greatly polluting the national water supply, causing researchers to begin looking for a method to better filter water and dispose of unused medicine.

Scientists search Palau's coral reefs for new anti-cancer drugs

http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-02-24/scientists-search-palaus-coral-reefs-new-anti-cancer-drugs

Ari Daniel Shapiro

Public Radio International (PRI)

24 February 2014

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

Often it is faster and easier to harvest molecules for medical purposes from nature than to make them in a laboratory. A scientist is looking for cancer-fighting molecules in coral and sponges in the tropical Pacific.

Helping New Drugs Out of Research's ‘Valley of Death'

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/helping-new-drugs-out-of-academias-valley-of-death

David Bornstein

The New York Times

2 May 2011

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Despite significant increases in funding and advances in biomedical research, the rates of new treatments and drugs for illnesses that reach the market every year have plummeted. A group called the Myelin Repair Foundation, along with several other foundations, uses an intensely goal-directed and collaborative method to tackle the bottleneck.

The irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/03/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255

Gabrielle Glaser

The Atlantic

1 April 2015

Text / Over 3000 Words

For decades, the only good option for alcoholics seeking recovery was an abstinence-based 12-step program called Alcoholics Anonymous. John David Sinclair, an American neuroscientist, has developed a new method, where an alcoholic takes naltrexone one hour before drinking. The naltrexone blocks the brain's opioid receptors and prevents an alcoholics strong synaptic reward response from occurring, which allows their craving for alcohol to eventually subside.