Health

The implant is a coin-shaped chip embedded into the skull with threads that reach into the brain.

In the weeks following the surgery, a number of threads retracted from the brain

That limited how much data it could collect, but Neuralink found a workaround by making its algorithm more sensitive. The Elon Musk company wrote about the problem in a blog after The Wall Street Journal asked about the issue.

A number of private equity firms are thinking about buying Peloton and taking it private, according to CNBC. That’s after the company’s bad quarter (and lack of strategy) led to both a 15 percent staff layoff and CEO Barry McCarthy stepping down. How will the PE vultures fix things? They have “zeroed in on cutting Peloton’s operating expenses,” of course. That’ll fix it, sure.

The partnership follows a similar one with Hilton announced in 2022. “Select” luxury and lifestyle hotels in the US are getting the Peloton Row, while there are also rewards for World of Hyatt members, and equipment-less workouts via hotel TVs.

This news comes ahead of Peloton’s next earnings report on Thursday, and rumors of “financial distress” that could lead to bankruptcy.

That means breaking waves could be a major source of PFAS pollution in the air, according to a new study. For decades, manufacturers used forever chemicals (AKA PFAS) in everything from food packaging to carpet cleaners to make things water, stain, and heat resistant. We’re just starting to understand how prevalent these chemicals have become in the environment and the health risks that could pose.

Federal antitrust enforcers are working with the Department of Health and Human Services to collect examples of harm to healthcare competition through a new website. If you think your healthcare provider is keeping you in the dark about the cost of services or is using your health data unfairly, you might be able to submit a complaint.

That includes chemicals used to make rubber, sterilize medical equipment, and more. The new regulations are expected to slash releases of smog-forming volatile organic compounds by 23,700 tons annually, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is a big deal for communities bordering industrial facilities, including Louisiana’s Cancer Alley.

The 3D X-ray startup Lumafield did a CT scan of a Stanley Quencher water bottle to show you without destroying one (but if your viral insulated cup does happen to break, you should return it).

You can see where an airhole in the stainless steel outer layer is vacuum-sealed with a small lead pellet, which appears red in the image below. That way, it never comes in contact with your beverage in the inner flask or with you on the outside.

That’s a haunting thought, but the letter outlines principles for the responsible use of AI in designing new proteins (aka the building blocks of life). The fear is that AI could be used to generate new viruses or toxins. That said, the letter doesn’t seek to ban AI use completely — in fact the scientists say the benefits outweigh the harms. Rather, they’re hoping to regulate the actual equipment used to generate new genetic materials.

Usually, the health tech I see at CES is vaporware, but good news! Dexcom’s Stelo continuous glucose biosensor just got FDA clearance, making it the first ever to not require a prescription. Stelo is meant to help folks with Type 2 diabetes who don’t use insulin better manage their condition.

It’ll be available starting this summer. We still don’t know pricing, but when I spoke with Dexcom in January they said it was meant to be an affordable.

Withings users can access the feature by pressing the “+” icon in the app’s Home tab and entering some basic questions about their period. You can also add tags for symptoms, and receive trends based on your last three cycles.

Withings is late to the game. Most major wearables started adding period tracking in 2018. That said, the timing makes sense as it recently launched its ScanWatch 2, which has temperature sensors and lets you add cycle data straight from the wrist. Ah well, better late than never.

The largely conservative Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday for Ohio v. EPA, and it sounds like SCOTUS is sympathetic to plaintiffs fighting the agency’s Good Neighbor Plan. The plan would force states, including Ohio, to prevent smog-forming pollution from drifting downwind to other states. More than a dozen states are fighting the plan in lower courts, and Ohio wants SCOTUS to force the EPA to pause the plan entirely while those legal battles are ongoing. Whether SCOTUS sides with Ohio now likely points to how it would rule later if any of those cases in lower courts ultimately make their way to SCOTUS.

The new coating was cheaper, and much less effective. Did Vestergaard disclose the change to malaria control organizations, at least? No.

“This is a huge embarrassment,” [Tim] Freeman said. [He is a program manager for an organization attempting to eliminate malaria.] “They’ve been distributing, for 10 years, lower quality nets than in the past. No one wants to admit that.”

One reason GLP-1 drugs are tough for patients to take long-term is the cost... even without a telehealth subscription (expensive in its own right), the drugs are pricey. Doctors tell The Wall Street Journal that insurers are approving fewer patients’ prescriptions. And it’s not yet clear how to get off Ozempic and its ilk without regaining weight.