Travel

"Cultural transmission of behaviour is an important aspect of many animal communities ranging from humans to birds. Male humpback whales ... sing a repetitive, stereotyped, socially learnt and culturally transmitted song display that slowly evolves each year. Most males within a population sing the same, slow-evolving song type; but in the South Pacific, song ‘revolutions’ have led to rapid and complete replacement of one song type by another introduced from a neighbouring population. Songs spread eastwards, from eastern Australia to French Polynesia, but the easterly extent of this transmission was unknown. Here, we investigated whether song revolutions continue to spread from the central (French Polynesia) into the eastern (Ecuador) South Pacific region. Similarity analyses using three consecutive years of song data (2016–2018) revealed that song themes recorded in 2016–2018 French Polynesian song matched song themes sung in 2018 Ecuadorian song, suggesting continued easterly transmission of song to Ecuador, and vocal connectivity across the entire South Pacific Ocean basin." more »

As of August 17, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule to improve access to hearing aids which may in turn lower costs for millions of Americans. This action establishes a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, enabling consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment to purchase hearing aids directly from stores or online retailers without the need for a medical exam, prescription or a fitting adjustment by an audiologist. The rule is expected to lower the cost of hearings aids, furthering the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of expanding access to high-quality health care and lowering health care costs for the American public. It is designed to assure the safety and effectiveness of OTC hearing aids, while fostering innovation and competition in the hearing aid technology marketplace. more »

"Concerns about air travel's role in disease transmission have intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers have examined how factors like aircraft boarding methods affect the exposure risk of passengers and crew members. However, stakeholders said more research involving real-world situations and human behavior is needed and could guide actions to protect public health. Stakeholders noted a lack of federal leadership to advance such research. Congress should consider directing FAA to develop and implement a strategy for research on communicable diseases in air travel, in coordination with other federal agencies and external partners."  more »

Among other responsibilities, the Task Force will monitor and evaluate all state and local legislation, regulations, and enforcement actions that threaten to: Infringe on federal legal protections relating to the provision or pursuit of reproductive care; Impair women’s ability to seek reproductive care in states where it is legal; Impair individuals’ ability to inform and counsel each other about the reproductive care that is available in other states; Ban Mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA’s expert judgment about its safety and efficacy; or Impose criminal or civil liability on federal employees who provide reproductive health services in a manner authorized by federal law. more »