Lab mice have been used for almost a century to test new drugs, study the impacts of specific environments on the body and improve the medical field. But, those mice don’t have the same immunities as humans and are raised in sterile environments. Scientists have recently started using wild mice to better recreate the immune systems of humans for more accurate results.
October 28th, 2023
Forty-two lawmakers are suing Meta, saying it’s harming children — I have the details. Plus, a car insurer denies a woman’s car because it’s a Kia. A Ring cam saves a teen from a bear, and bootleg weight loss drugs are coming in from China. That and much more, plus all your calls and questions.
🤖 AI saved his life: I love this. Meet Joseph Coates. Just over a year ago, this 37-year-old was on death’s door from a rare blood disorder called POEMS syndrome. But an AI nonprofit called Every Cure found a new drug combo that started working within a week. Today, he’s in remission. Imagine more cures AI can find with drugs we already have.
😱 This could be the start of something terrible: Scientists are on the verge of growing spare human bodies for medicine! Seriously. It’d likely be done using stem cells and artificial wombs, and could help with the organ shortage and testing new drugs. These “bodyoids” apparently wouldn’t feel pain or be able to think. Yikes.
4 to 7 times
Diabetics on Ozempic, Mounjaro or a similar GLP-1 medication are four times more likely to go blind from NAION. This condition cuts off blood flow to the optic nerve. Using one of these drugs for weight loss? That risk jumps to seven times more likely. No one’s talking about this. Share this with anyone you know taking this medication.
$50,000
Cost to remove saggy skin. People who lose a ton of weight on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy are booking “360-degree” body lifts (paywall link). Lower-body procedures are up by 28% and upper-body surgeries have spiked by 86%. Most new patients are in their 20s and 30s. I just have no appetite for this.
🧑🎄 Sleigh what? Elon Musk posted an Ozempic Santa pic on X, with Saint Nick looking festive and slim in a suit and beard. He’s technically using Mounjaro, but it has the same GLP-1 hormone that regulates your blood sugar. Musk says he isn’t a big fan of the gym and uses drugs to drop weight instead.
$4.25 billion
Estimated worth of meth seized by the Indian Coast Guard. The 13,227-pound stash was found on a “fishing” boat traveling from Myanmar equipped with one of SpaceX’s Starlink systems for navigation. Police are demanding to know who bought it.
September 16th, 2023
A cyberattack has impacted all MGM casinos and resorts nationwide — it all started with a 10-minute phone call. A boy gets hope from ChatGPT after years of chronic pain. Also, Sony is giving its old robot dogs foster care, and drugs are being sold on Facebook Marketplace. All that and much more, plus all your calls and questions.
If you see these emojis, your kids are doing drugs
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration put out a list of emojis that teens are using to talk about drugs. Police also arrested a man who used his Apple Watch to stalk his ex-girlfriend. Plus, remote job scams are worse than ever before. Here’s how to protect yourself.
Dark Web 101: What's there and why the government can't shut it down
Wade through the waters of the Dark Web and you’ll find drugs, hitmen and all sorts of disturbing imagery. But it’s also a haven for privacy advocates. In this episode, I speak with ASU professor Victor Benjamin, who reveals just why it’s so hard to regulate — and why folks of all backgrounds can’t stop coming back.
Fake Viagra is not a good thing
Buying drugs online without a prescription is just a bad idea in general. Fake drugs can make you sick. Or, as is the case with Viagra, you’ll get more than you bargained for.
Facebook's drug dealers
How social media allows drugs to be openly peddled to our children