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Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 239 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:
It may be possible in the coming years to gestate premature babies—as young as 22 weeks—in devices called “biobags,” which are engineered to emulate the environment of a mother’s womb. Researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have successfully used the technology to save premature lambs; they’re now petitioning the FDA for approval to perform clinical trials with human children. Biobags represent a potentially enormous step forward for the care of premature babies, though some physicians, including a pioneer in the field of fetal surgery, say the technology isn’t ready for prime time.
Long used as an anesthetic and pain reliever, ketamine may also prove to be a blockbuster treatment for major depression. The drug’s efficacy against mental illness remains in doubt until scientists gather more evidence, though existing research indicates that ketamine may be as effective as existing interventions. The ultimate problem, though, may be abuse. Physicians working in the so-called “wellness industry” have apparently started prescribing ketamine off label to patients under guise of vitamin or mineral infusions. This practice invites serious side effects and, according to some experts, downplays the risks posed by ketamine use. Will the FDA step in?
Glyphosate has been studied time and again for more than 40 years. It’s a low-toxicity weedkiller that poses minimal risk to human health and the environment. Nevertheless, what would happen if the pesticide’s vocal opposition finally got its way and convinced governments to ban glyphosate? Officials in the Netherlands commissioned a team of scientists to study that counterfactual. Their conclusion: banning glyphosate would boost the use of more toxic pesticides.
Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on X @DrLizaMD
Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on X @camjenglish
