Health

Russian-born Kseniia Petrova has been detained since she was arrested at a Boston airport in February for allegedly not declaring samples of frog embryos for Harvard, which recruited her to work on cutting-edge research into aging and cancer detection.

According to TheNew York Times, his ring asked him if he was working out and showed that “his heart rate shot up to over 100 beats per minute.”

First announced at CES 2025 alongside a telemedicine service for Withings Plus subscribers, the BPM Vision at-home blood pressure reader is now available with FDA clearance through the company’s online store.

Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter notes Apple’s push for an AI agent-powered “Project Mulberry” upgrade for its Health app next year, and that its its long-running attempt noninvasive glucose monitoring via Apple Watch sensors is still “many years away.” (Here’s more on why that’s been so difficult).

The Trump administration announced 20,000 layoffs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, part of a drastic restructuring of the agency that includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and that oversees Medicare and Medicaid.

The SpellRing was developed by Cornell researchers and uses AI plus micro-sonar tech to track real-time fingerspelling. Right now, it can be used to input text into computers and smartphones. It’s a neat, given that the researchers say alternatives have been too bulky and impractical for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.

“It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research activities that focuses gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment,” says an internal NIH email obtained by Science andThe Washington Post.

The program, DOSAir, monitored air quality at embassies around the world, helping to prevent hundreds of premature deaths. Now, the program is ending “due to budget constraints,” Wired reports.

The algorithm behind the smart ring’s Readiness Score — a 0-100 body recovery ranking that considers your sleep quality, body signals, and activity levels — now includes menstrual cycle fluctuations. Users need to opt into Cycle highlights to access the update.

According to the FDA, there is no longer a shortage of semaglutide, the active ingredient in the wildly popular Ozempic and Wegovy — a very bad omen for the countless telehealth and pharmacy businesses selling “compounded” versions of the diabetes and weight-loss drug. The FDA has clarified that state-licensed and out-sourcing operations have to cease production of the “compounded” medication by April 22nd and May 22nd, respectively.

It’s part of the Human Virome Program, an effort to better understand the many viruses that invade our bodies without making us sick. The researchers plan to collect samples from thousands of volunteers this year to analyze using AI.

Reuters reports that roughly 20 people in the FDA’s office of neurological and physical medicine devices were let go over the weekend. Including staffers overseeing clinical trial applications from Neuralink, Elon Musk’s company developing a brain-computer interface. The report states the firings also affect the FDA’s ability to ensure safe trials for other companies exploring the tech.

The company completed its acquisition of meal-planning software startup Intent and plans to launch personalized meal features to fit users’ dietary needs, make nutrition logging easier, automate grocery lists, and even add ingredients to online store carts.

I tried out the Feno toothbrush: a full-mouth, U-shaped toothbrush. It brushes your entire mouth in 20 seconds as opposed to the typical 2-minute brush time recommended for standard toothbrushes. The Feno toothbrush seemingly did a pretty thorough job of brushing my teeth and was quick and comfortable.

That includes at least 168 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who worked in its Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. The Trump administration is following a play out ofProject 2025, which calls for “eliminating” the office.

I got to try out EssilorLuxottica’s Nuance Audio glasses last month at CES 2025. They look like normal glasses, but can amplify the voice of whoever you’re speaking to while also dampening noisy environments. Plus, since it can handle prescription lenses, it’s sort of like killing two birds with one stone. Now that they’ve got FDA clearance, the glasses are set to launch in the US in Q1 this year and the first half of 2025 in Europe.

After studying Apple Watch noise data from the past four Super Bowl Sundays, we have quantifiable data showing that people get 1.5 to 3 decibels louder in the three hours before and after the game compared to the following Sunday. And yes, folks in game states are indeed louder than those in non-game states. Are we surprised at these findings? No, but it’s kind of fun to have data to point to.

Android Authority reports that Samsung may be the first to noninvasive blood glucose monitoring in the Galaxy Watch, citing comments from Samsung senior vice president Hon Park saying the tech will be a “game-changer.”

National Institutes of Health is reportedly reeling from canceled meetings and a communications and hiring freeze under the new Trump administration.

The company, whose patent infringement claim led Apple to remove blood oxygen sensing tech from newer Apple Watches, has named Katie Szyman, worldwide president of Advanced Patient Monitoring at Becton Dickinson, for the role, The Wall Street Journal reports.