Biodevastation

Babies may consume millions of microplastics and traces of harmful chemicals through infant formula, plastic bottles, and other feeding products, according to a scientific review.

Gifts, payments, free meals, and other marketing ploys by pharmaceutical companies heavily influence doctors to prescribe more drugs, choose less appropriate treatments, and drive up prescription costs, according to a systematic review of 93 studies. These prescribing choices can expose patients to drugs that offer fewer benefits, cause more side effects or are unnecessary, while increasing health system costs, the review found.

Dr Gideon Polya examines estimates of the death toll in Gaza, arguing that the widely reported figure of 74,000 Palestinians killed substantially understates the total impact of the conflict. Drawing on epidemiological studies, medical experts, humanitarian researchers and journalists, he argues that deaths caused by deprivation—including the lack of food, water, shelter, sanitation and medical care—must be counted alongside deaths from bombardment and other violence. Citing research published in The Lancet and assessments by public health experts, Polya estimates that the combined toll from violence and deprivation could reach one million. He also examines the role of Western media in reporting these deaths.

The continued threats to medical facilities, following three years of systematic destruction of the healthcare system and despite the knowledge that depriving the population of treatment leads to deaths, indicate the specific intent required for genocide

The Western Indian Ocean is a connected ecosystem, with migratory species, shared habitats and coastal communities linking countries across the region. Protecting these systems requires cooperation that extends beyond national borders and finance capable of supporting conservation over the long term. The article examines regional efforts to build sustainable blue economies, strengthen ocean governance and meet the goal of protecting 30% of marine and coastal areas by 2030. It highlights community-led conservation initiatives, the role of the Nairobi Convention and the proposed Western Indian Ocean Regional Conservation Trust Fund as mechanisms for sustaining cross-border conservation and regional leadership.

Rivers are ecological systems that sustain food, livelihoods, landscapes and human settlements. Yet modern development increasingly treats them as infrastructure for dams, water extraction, waste disposal and other demands. Climate change is intensifying pressures through changing rainfall, droughts, floods, rising temperatures and glacier retreat. Pollution from sewage, industry, plastics and agriculture further threatens ecosystems and communities. Advocate Sudhakar Shunmugam examines rivers through the principles of environmental justice, public trust and ecological limits, arguing that development must respect the systems that sustain rivers. Protecting floodplains, wetlands and water quality, while involving affected communities, is essential to sustaining rivers and human civilization.

A cancer-linked pesticide banned in more than 60 countries around the world contaminates an estimated 25% of river and stream miles in the lower 48 US states, including many waterways used for drinking water, according to a new analysis.

Ocean ecosystems are undergoing profound changes as warming waters, declining oxygen levels and marine heatwaves disrupt food webs. The article examines the expansion of oceanic hypoxic dead zones, the decline of gray whale populations, widespread fish deaths and growing pressures on species such as Antarctic krill. It traces how melting Arctic sea ice is disrupting the food chain that sustains gray whales, while extreme heat is causing mass mortality in marine and aquaculture environments. With ocean temperatures continuing to rise and carbon dioxide remaining in the atmosphere, the article considers the shrinking time available to address climate change and its consequences for marine life.

Coral reefs support about a quarter of all marine life and sustain the livelihoods of more than a billion people through fisheries, tourism and other marine industries. Yet rising global temperatures, ocean acidification, sewage and industrial pollution are driving unprecedented coral dieback. The article examines why coral reefs may represent one of the first climate tipping points and the consequences of their decline for marine ecosystems and coastal communities. It also highlights “Super Reefs” that have shown unusual resilience to heat and the work of scientists seeking to identify and protect these surviving coral strongholds, alongside efforts to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.