One of Peter Medawar’s pieces of advice to aspiring scientists is to shed the notion that science is a competition where researchers clamour to be the discoverer of a new breakthrough. As a Nobel Prize winner, he understands that researchers may want to keep their ideas to themselves in fear of losing out to a colleague, but he thinks it’s more beneficial for ideas to be expanded upon together to further our collective body of knowledge.
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Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
