The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Feeling hopeless about the future is one of the primary reasons Black young adults consider suicide.…
Category: Anthropology
Emergency contraception is often confused with abortion pills – here’s how Plan B and other generic versions work to prevent pregnancy
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and the end of constitutional protection for abortion, emergency contraception has become more difficult to obtain and – more than…
Psychedelics may better treat depression and anxiety symptoms than prescription antidepressants for patients with advanced cancer
In people with advanced cancer, psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, LSD and MDMA may significantly reduce the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. Roughly 10% of patients with cancer experience anxiety,…
Anti-mifepristone court decisions rely on medical misinformation about abortion and questionable legal reasoning
An early April 2023 decision by a U.S. district judge in Texas to reverse 23 years of approval of the abortion pill mifepristone has sparked explosive debate. Mifepristone is a…
Rare and tragic cases of postpartum psychosis are bringing renewed attention to its risks and the need for greater awareness of psychosis after childbirth
Lindsay Clancy, a labor and delivery nurse at the prestigious Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, is the latest tragic and high-profile example of a mother allegedly taking the lives of…
What causes motion sickness? Here’s how to reconcile the mismatch in what your senses are telling your brain
My first experience with motion sickness was as a college student, standing on the back of a marine research vessel looking at interesting things dredged from the seafloor off the…
Millions of Americans at risk of losing free preventive care after Texas ruling on ACA
Many Americans breathed a sigh of relief when the Supreme Court left the Affordable Care Act in place following the law’s third major legal challenge in June 2021. This decision…
Misuse of Adderall promotes stigma and mistrust for patients who need it – a neuroscientist explains the science behind the controversial ADHD drug
The nationwide shortages of Adderall that began in fall 2022 have brought renewed attention to the beleaguered drug, which is used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. Adderall became a…
The FDA’s rule change requiring providers to inform women about breast density could lead to a flurry of questions
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a regulation in early March 2023 that updates mammography reporting requirements. The new regulation goes into effect on Sept. 10, 2024, and will…
