Dove is offering $5,000 grants for dads without access to paid paternity leave

The idea of paid paternity leave has hit the national stage as focus shifts from new moms to the whole family unit when a child is born. As companies decide to offer the added benefit to new parents, one company is offering a grant to dads who do not have access to paid paternity leave.…… MORE

Trump administration inches closer to defunding Planned Parenthood

The US Department of Health and Human Services issued its draft final rule to revise the Title X family planning program Friday, jeopardizing a decades-old program that serves millions of low-income people, critics say. Title X, established in 1970, provides more than $250 million in funding for birth control and other reproductive health care services…… MORE

Suppy of food under threat due to biodiversity loss across the globe: UN report

A drop in global biodiversity is putting our ability to produce food at risk, a new United Nations report warns. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, biodiversity in food and agriculture “is indispensable to food security and sustainable development.” However, in recent years biodiversity at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels have all…… MORE

Doctors have been speaking up for gun control, but study finds medical PACs give more to pro-gun candidates

Political action committees, or PACs, that are tied to physicians’ groups in the United States have contributed more money to politicians who oppose certain gun control laws than to those in support of such policies — even though many physicians’ groups have called for stricter gun control, a new study shows. In other words, there’s…… MORE

FDA proposes new sunscreen regulations

The US Food and Drug Administration is proposing new regulations on over-the-counter sunscreens in an effort to keep up with the latest scientific and safety information. The proposal, announced Thursday, is available for public review and comment for the next 90 days and addresses the safety of common sunscreen ingredients, as well their dosage forms,…… MORE

Health agencies to assess chemical exposure in 8 US communities near military bases

People who live near current or former military installations in eight states will have their blood and urine examined by government officials. They want to understand the extent of residents’ exposure to manmade chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic…… MORE

Space probe fires bullet into asteroid

A Japanese space probe has fired a “bullet” into an asteroid as part of a mission to collect rock samples from the celestial body. The projectile will disturb material from the exterior of asteroid Ryugu which will then float from its surface due to the weak gravitational field. These particles will be collected by the…… MORE

Why would anyone lie about being a victim of a crime?

Everyone lies. But some falsehoods have graver consequences than others, such as lying to police about being a crime victim. Regardless of whether you believe actor Jussie Smollett paid two men to stage a hate crime attack on him, the question on many people’s minds is why he — or anyone, for that matter —…… MORE

These states have been hit the hardest by America’s opioid epidemic

While there’s early evidence that the explosive rate of opioid deaths has started to slow, opioids killed more than 49,000 people in the United States in 2017, according to preliminary data. A new study reveals which part of the country has been affected the most by the ongoing epidemic. In a study of opioid deaths…… MORE

FDA official says ongoing blood pressure drug investigation will probably uncover more tainted pills

There’s no end in sight for one of the largest prescription drug recalls in recent memory. The US Food and Drug Administration is continuing an investigation and recall of a class of drugs used by millions that began last summer, yet there’s still “more to find,” an agency director says. Starting in July, separate lots…… MORE