Health and Science
The Effort That It Takes to Give Someone a Good Death at Home; Hospice Care Can Badly Strain Families
The for-profit hospice industry has grown, allowing more Americans to die at home. But few family members realize that "hospice care" still means they'll do most of the physical and emotional work. When it comes to where we die, the US has reached a tipping point. Home is now the most common place of death, according to new research, and a majority of Medicare patients are turning to hospice services to help make that possible. Fewer Americans these days are dying in a hospital, under the close supervision of doctors and nurses. more »
England's Information Commissioner's Office, Publishes Code to Protect Children’s Privacy Online: "We need our laws to protect children in the digital world too”
The code will require digital services to automatically provide children with a built-in baseline of data protection whenever they download a new app, game or visit a website. That means privacy settings should be set to high by default and nudge techniques should not be used to encourage children to weaken their settings. Location settings that allow the world to see where a child is, should also be switched off by default. Data collection and sharing should be minimised and profiling that can allow children to be served up targeted content should be switched off by default too. more »
Vera C. Rubin Observatory: In Honor of the Carnegie Astronomer Whose Research Confirmed Existence of Dark Matter
“Vera was not only a brilliant scientist whose groundbreaking discoveries are as relevant today as they were 50 years ago, she was also a tireless advocate for women in astronomy.” added Richard Carlson, Director of Carnegie Earth and Planets, where Rubin worked. “She mentored several generations of women in science. This honor will ensure that her legacy inspires many more.” “Vera challenged conventional thinking and transformed our understanding of the universe,” said Carnegie Science President Eric D. Isaacs more »
US National Institutes of Health: Understanding Allergic Reactions to Skin Care Products
Many allergic reactions start when immune system cells known as T cells detect a foreign substance, called an antigen, and attempt to neutralize it. A common mechanism for allergic reactions involves T cells recognizing parts of proteins, or peptides. However, personal care products contain other types of compounds that were believed to go undetected by T cells. Researchers set out to uncover how such chemical compounds in personal care products could trigger a T cell reaction. The research team was led by Drs. Annemieke de Jong of Columbia University, D. Branch Moody of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Jamie Rossjohn of Monash University and Cardiff University School of Medicine. more »
