Michigan stands out for its aggressive bird flu response. Will other states follow its lead?

For weeks now, as bird flu has been spreading into dairy cattle herds in more and more places, one state continues to lead the pack. Michigan currently accounts for about one-third of the country's confirmed cases in livestock. This has led many scientists and public health officials following the situation to wonder among themselves: What exactly is going on in Michigan? But not for the reason you might think. Read more.

By Megan Molteni

KC McGinnis for STAT

With placenta-on-a-chip, researchers hope to gauge how drugs and toxins impact pregnancy

Nicole Hashemi (above) is one of a handful of biomedical researchers in the U.S. and overseas exploring how the placenta — a notoriously understudied organ, unique in its complexity and impermanence — can be modeled outside the body. The placenta-on-a-chip, as it's refined in the coming years, could be used to answer research questions and determine the impact of drugs and toxins during pregnancy, these investigators say. Read more.

By Deborah Balthazar

Evan Vucci/AP

Exclusive: Biden and Trump are fighting to claim credit for $35 insulin. It was actually a pharma giant's idea

Both President Biden and former President Trump love to claim credit for getting more Americans $35 insulin. But the credit should actually go to a giant pharmaceutical company — just the type that both men claim to have challenged. Read more.

By Rachel Cohrs Zhang

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