 
					Meghan Rosen is a senior writer who reports on the life sciences for Science News. She earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology with an emphasis in biotechnology from the University of California, Davis. Her dissertation work involved studying mutated proteins in liver and kidney cancer. She later graduated from the science communication program at UC Santa Cruz. Prior to joining Science News in 2022, she was a media relations manager at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her work has appeared in Wired, Science, and The Washington Post, among other outlets. Once for McSweeney’s, she wrote about her kids’ habit of handing her trash, a story that still makes her (and them) laugh.
 
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All Stories by Meghan Rosen
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicinePelvic exams at hospitals require written consent, new U.S. guidelines sayHospitals must now get written consent to perform pelvic, breast, prostate and rectal exams on sedated patients or risk losing federal funding. 
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicineA new study has linked microplastics to heart attacks and strokes. Here’s what we knowPatients with microplastics in their arteries were 4.5 times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or die within the next three years. 
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicineLong COVID brain fog may be due to damaged blood vessels in the brainMRI scans of long COVID patients with brain fog suggest that the blood brain barrier may be leaky. 
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicineThe blood holds clues to understanding long COVIDA growing cadre of labs are sketching out some of the molecular and cellular characters at play in long COVID, a once-seemingly inscrutable disease. 
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicineSnake venom toxins can be neutralized by a new synthetic antibodyA lab-made protein protected mice from lethal doses of paralyzing toxins found in a variety of snakes, a new study reports. 
- 			 Agriculture AgricultureCould a rice-meat hybrid be what’s for dinner?A hybrid food that combines rice, animal cells and fish gelatin could one day be a more sustainable way to produce meat. 
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicineWhen it comes to physical activity, every bit countsBiking to the store. Raking leaves. Playing with your kids. Scientists are getting a clearer picture of all the activities that offer health benefits. 
- 			 Animals AnimalsWhen do cats play fetch? When they feel like itMost cats that play fetch picked it up on their own, a study of cat owners suggests. The felines tend to dictate when a fetching session begins and ends. 
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicineWhy weight-loss drugs became more popular than ever this yearOzempic and related drugs can drastically reduce body weight, and more potent versions are on the way. But questions remain about who should take them. 
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicineA gene editing technique shows promise for lowering LDL cholesterolIn a trial of 10 people with familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic medicine reduced levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood by up to 55 percent. 
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicineThe weight-loss drug Wegovy lowered heart attack risk in a large trialAmong 17,000 adults, those on semaglutide were less likely to experience nonfatal heart attacks and strokes or death due to cardiovascular disease. 
- 			 Health & Medicine Health & MedicineBrain tissue may be fuel for marathon runnersMyelin, fatty tissue that insulates nerve cells in the brain, may be a renewable energy source for marathon runners and other endurance athletes.