Governments

How do rapid antigen COVID-19 tests work? Why did the US government just pledge to buy 280 million of them? And is that even enough to help curb the spread of the virus?

A five-year trial in Iceland exploring the effects of a shorter working week is reporting positive outcomes. The results suggest cutting just four or five hours from a work week can lead to increases in worker well-being and improvements in productivity.

A study has found a CIA plot to capture Osama Bin Laden led to significant drops in vaccination rates in Pakistan. The plot, a fake vaccination campaign designed to capture children’s DNA samples, was used in anti-vaccine propaganda in the following years.

The UK government has announced a legally binding commitment to hit a 78 percent emissions reduction target by 2035, as compared to 1990 levels, on the way to net zero emissions by 2050. For the first time, this target includes aviation and shipping.

Results from the first year of a small basic income trial in California show those receiving monthly unconditional payments report increased rates of employment and improved mental health. Full results of the 24 month trial will be released next year.

The state of Oregon will officially vote on legalizing psilocybin psychotherapy in the upcoming November election. The initiative focuses solely on licensed and regulated psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in clinical environments.

A study tracking the potency of cannabis products found most medical marijuana is stronger than it needs to be for pain relief. The research suggests high THC levels are unnecessary for medical uses and can increase the risk of negative side effects.

Billions of people are currently confined to their homes, many are asking how long will this lockdown last, and what happens when we re-emerge? New models are suggesting this wave of social distancing is just the first phase of a war that may last until 2022.

A new report, from the world’s leading epidemic modeling group at Imperial College London, is suggesting intensive active suppression may be the best intervention to reduce mortality and healthcare demand as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread.

A US federal court has temporarily blocked a law, passed in Arkansas earlier in 2019, which made it illegal for terms such as "burgers" and "sausages" to be applied to products made from plant-based materials.

As Canada becomes only the second country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana, the world is closely watching. The country will offer the grandest social experiment we have ever seen in drug legalization and may help answer some questions that have been divisively debated for decades.

US lawmakers have drafted legislation proposing the formation of a new branch of the military called the Space Corps. This new space-orientated military service would join the five other branches of the United States Armed Forces and is intended to manage national security in space.