KENNEDY TO DEFEND HEALTH CUTS AMID OUTCRY
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will testify before Congress to defend sweeping cuts he’s made to the federal health system as part of President Trump’s budget plan, which drastically reduces funding for the NIH and CDC. The restructuring—co-designed with Elon Musk’s team—has eliminated 20,000 jobs and collapsed agencies into a vague new entity. Critics, including Senator Bernie Sanders, say the reforms amount to a “war on science,” pointing to slashed cancer research and weakened emergency preparedness. A measles outbreak has also raised concerns about Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism and promotion of unproven treatments. Republicans like Senator Bill Cassidy, who previously requested Kennedy’s testimony, are demanding clarity on how these changes will improve Americans’ lives. Democrats, meanwhile, are expected to argue the cuts undermine critical medical research and clinical trials. Public opinion reflects strong opposition to the changes, with a majority viewing them as reckless and harmful to essential public health functions. (New York Times)
TEXAS MEASLES OUTBREAK SPREADS AS WASTEWATER WARNS EARLY
The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported eight new measles cases, including the first two from Dallas linked to the major outbreak in West Texas, which now totals 717 cases across 32 counties. The latest Dallas-area cases are from Collin and Rockwall counties. Garza and Lynn counties were removed from the active transmission list after two full incubation periods passed without new cases. Separately, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions detected the measles virus in Houston wastewater on January 7, ten days before confirmed infections in two travelers from the same area. This early warning came from a surveillance program monitoring wastewater samples, marking a significant finding since 821 previous samples over nearly three years had tested negative. The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, highlights wastewater surveillance as a valuable tool for detecting outbreaks ahead of clinical diagnoses. (CIDRAP)
US SUSPENDS LIVESTOCK ENTRY AMID DEADLY PARASITE THREAT
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has temporarily suspended the transport of live cattle, horses, and bison through ports of entry along the Mexico border to curb the spread of New World screwworm, a flesh-burrowing parasite deadly to livestock. Detected as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, the outbreak has raised serious concerns for U.S. animal and food safety. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called the suspension a matter of national security, while Mexican officials, including President Claudia Sheinbaum, criticized the measure as unfair. The USDA will review the ban monthly until containment is demonstrated. Screwworm larvae infest open wounds, causing severe damage and even death, and can infect humans as well—Mexico recently confirmed a human case. Though eradicated in the U.S. in 1966, past outbreaks have caused massive livestock losses. The parasite has gradually moved north from Central America, prompting joint U.S.-Mexico efforts to stop its spread, though officials say current progress is insufficient. (CNN)
NEW MERS CASES IN SAUDI ARABIA SPARK CONCERN
The World Health Organization has reported nine new MERS-CoV cases in Saudi Arabia, including two deaths and a hospital cluster in Riyadh—the first confirmed cases since March. One fatality involved an older adult from Hail with indirect camel contact, while the second involved a younger adult in Riyadh with no camel exposure. The Riyadh cluster began with an older adult patient hospitalized on April 6; six healthcare workers subsequently tested positive, though only two showed mild symptoms. All healthcare workers recovered. The WHO noted the virus continues to pose a threat in areas where it circulates in dromedary camels. Despite recent cases, the global and regional risk level remains moderate. MERS case reporting declined during the COVID-19 pandemic due to focus on SARS-CoV-2, but surveillance has since increased. Infection control practices and possible cross-protection from COVID-19 may have limited MERS spread, though further study is needed. Saudi Arabia has reported 2,627 cases and 946 deaths since 2012. (CIDRAP)
CHINA REPORTS NEW H9N2 AND H10N3 FLU CASES
China has reported eight new human H9N2 avian flu cases across four provinces, bringing the 2025 total to 18. The infections occurred between April 1 and April 19 and affected mostly young children, including six girls and two boys, aged 1 to 7, as well as a 67-year-old man. While the report did not detail exposure routes, H9N2 infections are typically linked to contact with poultry or live poultry markets. Most cases are mild, though severe or fatal outcomes have occurred. Additionally, China reported a new human case of H10N3 avian flu—the first since December 2024—affecting a 68-year-old woman in Guangxi province. Her illness began on April 13, and like past cases, the exposure source remains unclear. This marks China’s fifth recorded H10N3 case, most of which have been severe. The data highlights ongoing risks from avian flu strains in regions with close human-poultry contact. (CIDRAP)
NSF GUTTED AS TRUMP SHIFTS FOCUS TO INDUSTRY
The Trump administration is enacting sweeping changes to the National Science Foundation (NSF), reshaping it into a smaller, more economically focused agency. A major restructuring plan would reduce the NSF’s \$9 billion budget by over half, eliminate 37 divisions in favor of five targeted areas—AI, quantum science, biotech, nuclear energy, and translational science—and terminate over 1,400 research grants, disproportionately affecting women and minority scientists. Programs supporting diversity and basic research have been defunded or eliminated, and the number of visiting academic scientists, or “rotators,” will drop by 81%. The plan also slashes executive staff and imposes an additional layer of review for grant proposals, raising concerns about political interference. A federal judge temporarily blocked some layoffs, but the broader overhaul continues. Critics, including Democrats and scientific leaders, argue these changes undermine U.S. research and threaten the future of discovery-driven science, while a growing chorus demands clarity on who is directing these ideologically driven reforms. (Science)
CHIMPS DRUM WITH REGIONAL RHYTHMS TO COMMUNICATE
Chimpanzees drum on tree roots with distinct, regular rhythms, a behavior scientists believe may have evolved as a form of long-distance communication. A new study analyzing 371 drumming episodes found that chimps produce consistent rhythmic patterns, with individuals displaying unique “signatures” that could identify the drummer. Chimps from different regions also exhibit regional drumming styles: western chimps tend to drum with evenly spaced beats, while eastern chimps favor more varied rhythms. Researchers suggest this rhythmic behavior—using tree roots as tools—may predate human rhythmic abilities, hinting at deep evolutionary roots in our capacity for rhythm and social signaling. Additionally, chimps appear selective about which trees they drum on, choosing those with shapes and wood types that amplify sound. A related study found that chimps combine vocal calls to convey complex meanings, like inviting others to nest together. Both findings highlight previously underestimated sophistication in chimpanzee communication and tool use. (AP)
CHIMPS PRACTICE MEDICINE AND CARE FOR EACH OTHER
Chimpanzees engage in hygiene and healthcare behaviors strikingly similar to humans, according to a new study from the University of Oxford. Researchers observed chimps in Uganda’s Budongo Forest wiping their bottoms, cleaning genitals after sex, tending wounds with leaves or chewed plants, and even helping others—sometimes unrelated individuals—with wound care or snare removal. These actions suggest a broader capacity for self-care and social caregiving among wild chimpanzees than previously recognized. Some of the plants used have known medicinal properties, though it’s unclear if chimps understand their effects. The study supports the idea that the roots of human healthcare may lie in shared evolutionary traits with our primate relatives and challenges assumptions that empathy or altruism are uniquely human. Experts say the findings have implications for understanding the cognitive capacities of early human ancestors and may reshape how we interpret the origins of medicine and caregiving behaviors in our species. (The Guardian)
BRONX DUO FIGHTS TO SAVE CENTRAL PARK GEESE
Two Bronx-born retirees, wildlife photographer Edward Dorson and environmental lawyer Larry Schnapf, are fighting to stop the destruction of Canada goose eggs at Central Park Reservoir, a measure taken by federal agencies to reduce bird strikes near airports. The men met this past winter and have joined forces to advocate for the geese, arguing that Central Park lies outside the five-mile radius recommended for aviation wildlife control and poses little threat to air safety. Canada geese, protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, have become year-round residents in urban parks, prompting population control efforts. Since the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson,” the Port Authority has increased surveillance and partnered with the USDA to manage geese near airports. Dorson and Schnapf aim to create a sanctuary for the reservoir’s geese and are pushing for meetings with local and federal authorities. They fear future regret if no action is taken to preserve this urban wildlife presence. (New York Times)
OLDEST EUROPEAN SINGING CICADA FOUND IN GERMANY
A newly described 47-million-year-old cicada fossil from Germany, Eoplatypleura messelensis, is the oldest known “true” singing cicada in Europe. Discovered at the Messel Pit, a renowned Eocene fossil site, the specimens are remarkably well preserved, showing wing patterns and body structures that allowed researchers to place them within the modern Platypleurini tribe—now found in Africa and Asia but absent in Europe. This discovery pushes back the group’s fossil record by 20 million years, suggesting slower evolutionary rates than previously thought. While only females were found, their anatomy implies males likely produced songs similar to modern cicadas, possibly even louder due to their broader abdomens. With only 44 known singing cicada fossils, these findings shed new light on cicada evolution and biogeography. The Messel Pit’s oxygen-deprived lakebed enabled exceptional fossil preservation, highlighting E. messelensis as one of the best-preserved insects in a collection of over 20,000. (CNN)
Thanks for reading. Let’s be careful out there.
WORDS: The Biology Guy.
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