News at a glance: ‘Cherry-picked’ vaccine guidance, AI-written papers, and an apology for prisoner research

ENVIRONMENT Utah’s Great Salt Lake may dry up within 5 years North America’s largest saline lake could be gone by 2028 if water inflows are not restored, researchers warned last week. The Great Salt Lake in Utah has lost nearly three-quarters of its water and 60% of its surface area since 1950, a report from 32 scientists at multiple institutions concludes, and a recent drought has accelerated the losses. To restore the lake, farmers, homeowners, and others will need to reduce the amount of water they take from feeder streams by 30% to 50% . If they don’t, the continent could lose a key habitat for some 10 million migratory birds and the dry lakebed could become a major source of dangerous dust pollution. “Most Utahns do not realize the urgency of this crisis,” the researchers wrote, adding that the state’s governor and legislature should immediately launch “a watershed-wide emergency rescue” that includes more funding for water conservation efforts. In 2022, Utah enacted new policies that allow those permitted to withdraw water to limit their take without losing their rights. But the amount conserved that year was less than one-tenth the average annual rate of loss, the report says. INFECTIOUS DISEASES Ebola outbreak nears official end An Ebola outbreak in Uganda that surfaced in September 2022 and led to 77 probable and confirmed deaths was expected to be declared over on 12 January, 2 days...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research