A cash program for pregnant women and babies in Flint, Michigan, halved newborn deaths, a JAMA Pediatrics study finds

The stories

19 stories on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   A cash program for pregnant women and babies in Flint, Michigan, halved newborn deaths, a JAMA Pediatrics study finds

   10 to 5

   newborn deaths per 1,000 births in Flint, before and after Rx Kids

   deaths in the first four weeks, 2021-2024 against 2025 [1]

   $500

   paid each month in a baby's first year, after $1,500 in pregnancy

   no income test and no rules on spending [1][2]

   60+

   Michigan communities now in the program, plus a start in Ohio

   more than 15,000 families have had over $55 million [2]

   What happened

   • A program in Flint, Michigan, gives cash to pregnant women and new babies. [1] In 2025, newborn deaths in the city fell by half. [1]
   • Deaths in a baby's first four weeks fell from 10 to 5 for every 1,000 born alive. [1] A study in JAMA Pediatrics reported it on 2 November. [1]
   • Deaths in the first week of life fell from 8 to 2 per 1,000. [1] In the rest of Michigan, the rates stayed steady. [1]
   • The program, Rx Kids, pays $1,500 once during pregnancy and $500 a month in the baby's first year. [1]
   • There is no income test and no rule on how the money is spent. [2] Everyone who lives in a community in the program can join. [2]
   • Nearly every family in Flint takes part. [1] Families have spent the money on nappies, transport, housing and safe places for babies to sleep. [1]
   • Flint also saw 18% fewer babies born early since the program began, Hanna writes. [2] Babies born too small fell by 27%. [2]
   • Mothers in the program were 14 percentage points less likely to screen positive for depression after birth. [3] That finding is from a 2025 study. [3]
   • The same study found their risk of eviction fell by 4.2 percentage points. [3] Eviction means being forced out of a rented home. [3]
   • Brazil pays poor families through a cash program, Bolsa Familia. [6] A 2022 study found mothers in it less likely to have very small babies. [6]
   • In Alaska, 11 years of yearly cash payments to all residents showed no rise in serious injuries or deaths. [5]
   • Rx Kids now runs in more than 60 Michigan communities, including Detroit since February 2026. [2] It has also launched in Ohio. [2]
   • More than 15,000 families have received over $55 million so far. [2]

   Who is involved

   Mona Hanna, a children's doctor at Michigan State University in Flint, founded Rx Kids and runs it. [1] It began in January 2024. [1]

   • Mona Hanna a children's doctor at Michigan State University in Flint; founded and runs Rx Kids
   • Michigan State University a US public university; its medical school runs the program with public and private money
   • Flint families almost every family with a new baby in the city takes part

   How it unfolded

   Flint has a high rate of child poverty. [1] It is still living with lead that got into its water pipes. [1]

   1. Jan 2024 Rx Kids starts paying families in Flint [1]
   2. 2025 a study links it to less depression after birth and fewer evictions [3]
   3. Feb 2026 the program reaches Detroit [2]
   4. 2 Nov 2026 JAMA Pediatrics: newborn deaths in Flint halved [1]

   Why it matters

   Mothers and babies in the US fare worse than in other rich countries, the program's 2025 study notes. [3] The US is 1 of only 7 countries without paid maternity leave. [3]

   Income falls and costs rise in the months around a birth. [1] Losing a home is linked to babies born early and small. [1]

   How it works

   In public health, a family's income counts as one of the strongest forces on health. [2] Hanna calls poverty something doctors can treat and prevent. [2]

   The cash arrives during pregnancy, when income drops, and goes on housing, transport and nappies. [1] Mothers then start check-ups in pregnancy earlier and keep going. [2]

   Seen it before

   A pupil who skips breakfast struggles in class, and a meal fixes what extra lessons cannot.

   The truth

   • What is really going on In Flint, Michigan, newborn deaths halved after the city began paying cash to families before and after birth. [1]
   • The halving compares one city's 2025 with its own earlier years. [1] Hanna calls these early findings. [1]
   • A separate US trial paid mothers $333 a month for four years. [4] It found no change in the children's main brain-activity measure at age 4. [4]
   • Who gains Families with new babies in Flint — The monthly $500 arrives just as income drops after a birth, and the program's studies find steadier housing and better food. [1][2]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Flint's halving of newborn deaths will hold.

     The result compares one city's 2025 with its own earlier years, and its founder calls it an early finding. [1]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Which part of the cash did the work.

     Families spent it on nappies, transport, housing and safe places for babies to sleep, and no source says which mattered most. [1]

   Good news

   • In Flint, Michigan, newborn deaths fell from 10 to 5 for every 1,000 babies born alive in 2025, after the city began paying cash to pregnant women and new families.

1. 02

   A ministroke raises dementia risk

   What happened

   • Even a ministroke is linked to a higher risk of dementia, a study in the journal Neurology finds. [7]
   • A ministroke, or TIA, is a stroke that lasts only a few minutes. [8] Blood to part of the brain is briefly blocked. [8]
   • The study followed 113,081 people, with an average age of 70, after a first ministroke. [7]
   • They were compared with similar people with no stroke, and with people who had a full stroke. [7]
   • Over about 7 years, 19% of the ministroke group got dementia. [7] So did 20% after a stroke, and 15% with neither. [7]
   • After a ministroke, people were 2.5 times as likely to get dementia as to have a stroke. [7]

   Why it matters

   Ministroke symptoms pass in minutes, usually with no damage a scan can see. [7] Yet the dementia risk rose almost as much as after a stroke. [7]

   How it works

   The US brain-disease institute, NINDS, calls ministrokes warning signs of stroke. [8] About 1 in 3 people who have one later have a severe stroke. [8]

   A ministroke shares its causes with stroke, such as high blood pressure and smoking. [8] So when the symptoms pass, those causes are still there. [8]

   Seen it before

   A smoke alarm that beeps once and stops still means something set it off.

   The truth

   • The groups were matched on age, sex and health, so the study shows a link, not proof of cause. [7]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether a ministroke itself causes dementia.

     The study found a link in matched groups. [7] A ministroke's own causes, such as high blood pressure, could also be at work. [8]

2. 03

   NHS list overstates Palantir's reach

   What happened

   • NHS England lists 29 hospital trusts as gaining from its Palantir data system. [9] Asked directly, those trusts said it was not live or that they used none of its apps. [9]
   • The answers came from more than 100 freedom of information requests by Medact, a medical charity that wants Palantir out. [9]

   Who is involved

   Palantir is a US data company. [9] Its £330m contract runs the NHS platform meant to link scattered patient records. [9]

   • Palantir US data company; runs the £330m platform
   • NHS England lists the trusts gaining

   How it unfolded

   This summer NHS England admitted it could not prove the system caused 117,539 extra operations it had claimed. [9]

   Why it matters

   Chi Onwurah, who chairs a Commons science committee, wants the contract's 2027 break clause used to end it. [9]

   How it works

   NHS England counts a trust as 'live' when its data flows through the platform, even with no app in use. [9]

   Torbay's trust says it is not using the platform day to day. [9] NHS England still records it as live. [9]

   Seen it before

   A club that counts everyone who once bought a ticket as a member looks bigger than the crowd at games.

   The truth

   • Why it works on people A precise number, like 117,539 extra operations or a smaller wrinkle, feels like proof even when nobody has shown the cause. [9][25]
   • NHS England says nearly 140 trusts now report benefits, including back-office data work. [9] Palantir says users cut long-stay discharge delays by 14.3%. [9]
   • Who gains Palantir — Its NHS contract is defended partly with a benefits list that includes trusts not using its system. [9]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How many NHS trusts really use Palantir's platform for patient care.

     NHS England says nearly 140 report benefits, counting back-office data work, and 29 on its list say they use none of its apps. The statistics watchdog is now looking at it. [9]

   What comes next

   The Office for Statistics Regulation, the UK's statistics watchdog, says it will now look into the claim. [9]

3. 04

   Hospital admits a baby would have lived

   What happened

   • A Newcastle hospital trust has admitted a baby would have survived had her mother not been sent home. [10]
   • Danielle Brown, 31, was seven months pregnant with pre-eclampsia when she was discharged in February 2023. [10]
   • Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy illness that can threaten the mother's life. [10]
   • When she insisted on being seen, staff could not find a heartbeat. [10] Her daughter, Maisie, had died. [10]
   • She was then given a booklet for bereaved parents and told to book a slot to give birth. [10]
   • The trust paid an undisclosed settlement and apologised. [10] It says it improved urgent checks for pregnant women after a 2023 review. [10]

   Who is involved

   • Danielle Brown seven months pregnant; sent home
   • Royal Victoria Infirmary Newcastle

   How it unfolded

   One consultant said she should stay in hospital until the birth. [10] A different consultant sent her home 24 hours later. [10]

   1. First told to stay until birth
   2. 24 hours later sent home

   Why it matters

   Irwin Mitchell, her law firm, says it acts for hundreds of families hurt by maternity failings in England. [10]

   How it works

   Her lawyer says pre-eclampsia is serious and needs close monitoring. [10] Sending her home took away the checks that could catch it getting worse. [10]

   Seen it before

   A pan left on the stove needs someone watching, because it can boil over in a minute.

   The truth

   • The trust says it was recently judged to be performing well against national standards. [10]
   • Who pays Danielle Brown and her family — Their daughter Maisie died, and the trust's admission came with a settlement more than two years later. [10]

1. 05

   Spain adds paid leave for menopause

   What happened

   • Spain will give paid sick leave for disabling menopause symptoms from 1 December. [11] Spain's government approved it on 20 October. [11]
   • Going through the menopause is not enough. [11] A doctor must find a menopause-linked condition that stops the woman doing her job. [11]
   • The state benefit starts on day 2 of leave, not day 4 as with ordinary sick leave. [11] The employer pays the first day. [11]
   • The benefit is 60% of the usual pay measure for 20 days, then 75%. [11] Women need no minimum record of contributions. [11]

   Who is involved

   Elma Saiz, Spain's minister for social security, defended the change. [11] She said more than 10.5 million women pay into the system. [11]

   How it unfolded

   In 2023, Spain gave paid leave for disabling period pain. [11]

   Why it matters

   Germany, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Turkey have no special menopause leave. [11] In Germany and Portugal, women use ordinary sick leave instead. [11]

   How it works

   Spain calls this a new labour right: a legal claim to paid time off for a health condition. [11]

   With a benefit from day 2, a short spell of symptoms costs a woman less than ordinary leave. [11]

   Seen it before

   A school that excuses a pupil with a doctor's note still keeps their place in class.

   Money around birth keeps more newborns alive

   Social epidemiology studies how money, housing and work shape illness, and a family's money runs shortest around a birth.

   The twist

   A newborn's death can start months earlier with a bill a family could not pay. Paying the family before the birth can stop that chain.

   The picture

   Flint, earlier years10 deaths per 1,000 births

   Flint, 20255 deaths per 1,000 births

   Step by step

   1. 1 Income falls just as a birth makes costs rise
   2. 2 Families fall behind on rent, food and travel to check-ups
   3. 3 Stress, poor food and losing a home raise the risk of early, small births
   4. 4 Early and small babies are the most likely to die in their first weeks
   5. 5 Cash paid before the shortfall keeps those bills covered

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • Millions miss care for lack of a ride

     The care exists, but 3.8 million adults on Medicaid could not afford a reliable way to reach it, so the gap was money for transport, not medicine.

   • Spain adds paid leave for menopause

     A benefit from day 2 removes the lost income that pushes women with disabling symptoms to keep working while ill.

   • US Medicaid work rules near their start

     Health cover will depend on proving 80 hours of work a month, so a job, a website and a form decide who keeps seeing a doctor.

   Where you've seen this

   Free school meals

   a fed pupil concentrates better, and that shows up in health and grades

   Help with winter heating

   a warm home means fewer chest illnesses in old people

   Bus routes to hospitals

   a stop near the clinic means fewer missed appointments

   The catch

   Cash helps where shortage is the cause; it cannot fix an illness money did not cause, and one city's early result may shrink as other places try it.

   And the whole of it

   The doctor in Flint sees the baby, the landlord sees the rent, and the city sees its budget. None of them sees the whole chain, and most of us sit somewhere along one like it.

   The truth

   • Only symptoms a doctor judges disabling count, so milder ones bring no new right. [11]
   • Who gains Women in Spain with disabling menopause symptoms — They can stop work for symptoms with less income lost than under ordinary sick leave. [11]

1. 06

   A clinic for sudden menopause after cancer

   What happened

   • A Brighton hospital has opened a pilot clinic for breast cancer patients pushed into sudden menopause by treatment. [12]
   • Doctors call it complex menopause: symptoms that start abruptly and hit harder. [12]
   • After one injection to shut down her ovaries, she had 20 to 30 hot flushes a day. [12]
   • Dr Renske McFarlane leads the clinic. [12] Surgeons, breast nurses, cancer teams or GPs can refer patients to it. [12]

   Who is involved

   Rachel Bowman, from Hove, was 46 when her cancer treatment began four years ago. [12]

   • Rachel Bowman from Hove; treated for breast cancer
   • Renske McFarlane leads the pilot clinic
   • University Hospitals Sussex runs it

   Why it matters

   McFarlane says the effects of treatment can last for years after cancer care ends. [12]

   How it works

   Natural menopause happens as hormone levels fall slowly over several years. [12]

   Cancer treatments such as ovarian suppression cut those hormones at once. [12] For Rachel Bowman, symptoms came overnight, with no time to adjust. [12]

   Seen it before

   Walking slowly into a cold sea feels very different from being thrown in.

   Good news

   • A new clinic in Brighton now treats women thrown into sudden menopause by breast cancer treatment.

   What comes next

   University Hospitals Sussex plans to spread the service across Sussex. [12]

2. 07

   A robot and £1.95m for endometriosis

   What happened

   • Northern Ireland's health minister, Robbie Butler, was expected on Monday to announce £1.95m for endometriosis care. [13]
   • Endometriosis is when tissue like the womb's lining grows elsewhere, often around the ovaries. [13]
   • The money includes £700,000 for two specialist centres, at Belfast City and Altnagelvin hospitals. [13]
   • A £2.4m surgical robot at Belfast City Hospital has done 130 operations since May. [13] Of those, 105 were for complex endometriosis. [13]

   Who is involved

   Colleen Crothers had period pain from 14 and waited 22 more years for a referral. [13]

   How it unfolded

   Women in Northern Ireland wait about 7 years, on average, for complex gynae surgery. [13]

   1. Age 14 pain begins
   2. 22 years on referred

   Why it matters

   Delays mean some women need their womb removed, as Crothers did at 41, and cannot have children. [13]

   How it works

   Surgeons use the robot because its wrists turn in tight spaces in the pelvis. [13] It is also steadier than a human hand. [13]

   Complex cases need several specialists at once. [13] They are now treated as a priority and no longer bumped by other operations. [13]

   Seen it before

   A bus lane keeps buses moving even when the rest of the road is jammed.

   The truth

   • The £2.4m robot was paid for by charity donations. [13]

   Good news

   • A surgical robot at Belfast City Hospital has done 130 operations since May, 105 of them for women with complex endometriosis.
3. 08

   Breast cancer first put down to anxiety

   What happened

   • A woman in Wales says a GP told her a growing breast lump might be 'medical anxiety'. [14]
   • Beth Jenkins was 40 and says she was told she was 'too young' for breast cancer. [14]
   • It was lobular breast cancer, a 5cm tumour that had spread to three lymph nodes. [14]
   • She is now classed as having no evidence of disease and will be checked for 15 years. [14]

   How it unfolded

   A second GP at the practice said she should have been referred straight away. [14]

   Why it matters

   UK breast screening starts at 50, so younger women depend on a GP to refer them. [14]

   How it works

   NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, writes care guidelines. [14] Its guidance says people aged 40 and under with an unexplained breast lump should be referred. [14]

   Cancer Research Wales found some GPs follow the guidance closely and others go by instinct. [14] Age should not decide a referral, its expert says. [14]

   Seen it before

   A referee who ignores the rulebook gives two teams two different games.

   The truth

   • The practice would not discuss her case. [14] In 2025 it said a serious diagnosis was missed at first. [14]

   Good news

   • Beth Jenkins, whose breast cancer was first put down to anxiety, is now classed as having no evidence of disease.
4. 09

   US Medicaid work rules near their start

   What happened

   • From 1 January, many adults on Medicaid must work, volunteer or study 80 hours a month to keep it. [16]
   • Medicaid is the US public health insurance for people on low incomes and with disabilities. [16] The rule covers 43 states and Washington, DC. [16]
   • After three years it covers 20,606 people. [15] The state expected more than 25,000 after one year. [15]
   • The law lets states excuse counties where joblessness reaches 8%, or 1.5 times the US rate if lower. [16]
   • Using July figures, 95 counties would qualify. [16] Using a 12-month average, 120 would. [16]

   How it unfolded

   Georgia's Pathways program, a model for the rule, has tied cover to work since 2023. [15]

   Why it matters

   Researchers estimate 60,000 more people in one California district could lose cover by 2034, partly because of the law. [16]

   How it works

   A work requirement ties health cover to hours of work that people must prove. [15] In Georgia, the sign-up has been hard for many to get through. [15]

   Georgia's benefits website has a record of glitches, errors and slow processing. [15] Critics of the state say people are turned away over forms, not work. [15]

   Seen it before

   A pupil who did the homework but lost the sheet still gets marked as not handing it in.

   Health cover will depend on proving 80 hours of work a month, so a job, a website and a form decide who keeps seeing a doctor.

   The idea, in story 05: Money around birth keeps more newborns alive →

   The truth

   • CMS, the US agency running the rule, has not said which jobless figures count or how long exemptions last. [16]
   • Who pays Georgia Pathways members such as Trey Wright — If the program ends in December, they lose cover; it saves Wright more than $1,700 a year on allergy shots. [15]
   • Who pays Medicaid users in counties just under the jobless line — They must log 80 hours a month while people a county away may be excused. [16]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Which US counties will be excused from Medicaid's work rule.

     CMS has not said which jobless figures count, and that choice moves the total between 95 and 120 counties. [16]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Georgia's Pathways program survives past December.

     It ends unless renewed, and the state wants extra federal money that CMS will not comment on. [15]

   What comes next

   Pathways ends this year unless renewed. [15] Georgia says the federal exemptions would cost it an extra $1.4bn by mid-2028. [15]

5. 10

   Millions miss care for lack of a ride

   What happened

   • More than 3.8 million US adults on Medicaid missed care, work or daily needs for lack of reliable transport. [17]
   • The count is from KFF, a US health research group, using a 2024 national health survey. [17]
   • Medicaid must pay for rides to care, by van, bus, taxi or ride share, for people with no other way. [17]
   • The rides cost less than 1% of Medicaid spending. [17]

   How it unfolded

   In September, a US House committee report named the rides among services with 'high rates of fraud'. [17]

   Why it matters

   People who use the rides are more likely to be older, disabled or living with long-term illness. [17]

   How it works

   Health policy researchers weigh fraud checks against access. [17] KFF warns more paperwork could leave fewer ride firms. [17]

   Fewer ride firms means fewer trips for people who cannot drive themselves. [17]

   Seen it before

   When a school cuts a bus route, pupils who live farthest away miss the most lessons.

   The care exists, but 3.8 million adults on Medicaid could not afford a reliable way to reach it, so the gap was money for transport, not medicine.

   The idea, in story 05: Money around birth keeps more newborns alive →

   The truth

   • What is really going on Across the rest of the day, money and paperwork decided who reached care. [17][16]In the US, 3.8 million adults on Medicaid missed care for lack of a ride. [17]
   • KFF says some people who qualify for the rides may not know the benefit exists. [17]
   • Who pays Older, disabled and chronically ill people on Medicaid — They use the rides most, so fewer ride firms reach them first. [17]

   What comes next

   A bill would make every ride logged electronically, as home care visits already are. [17]

6. 11

   Psychiatry's manual plans to add biology

   What happened

   • The next edition of psychiatry's main diagnosis manual, the DSM-6, plans to add biological factors. [18]
   • The DSM is the book clinicians use to diagnose mental disorders such as depression and PTSD. [18]
   • Today diagnoses rest on symptoms found by interview, case history, questionnaire or observation. [18]
   • Apart from Alzheimer's, no blood test or scan can diagnose a mental disorder, Kumar says. [18] Alzheimer's now has an approved blood test. [18]

   Who is involved

   Anand Kumar, a Chicago psychiatrist who sat on the planning committee, explained it in an interview this week. [18]

   How it unfolded

   The current edition, the DSM-5, came out in 2013. [19] It lists nearly 300 conditions. [20]

   Its publisher, the American Psychiatric Association, set out the plan in January. [20]

   1. 2013 DSM-5 published
   2. January plan for DSM-6 set out

   Why it matters

   Diagnosis will stay based on symptoms, Kumar says, with biology added as background. [18]

   How it works

   Psychiatric genetics finds hundreds of genes, each raising the risk of depression or anxiety by a small amount. [18]

   Many disorders share genes. [18] So about 45% of people with a major mood disorder also have an anxiety disorder. [18]

   Seen it before

   Height runs in families through hundreds of genes, with no single tall gene.

   The truth

   • Kumar has left the committee, and calls his own example of clinic use 'reaching a bit'. [18]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What biology the DSM-6 will include, and when it comes out.

     Outside Alzheimer's no test can diagnose a mental disorder, and Kumar says agreeing what goes in is still tricky. [18]

7. 12

   Dutch bill targets addictive app design

   What happened

   • A Dutch MP has proposed a law banning the most harmful addictive design in apps and websites. [21]
   • It names endless scrolling, autoplay videos, push notifications and manipulative algorithms. [21]
   • Platforms would have to prove their services are not addictive. [21] Kathmann says the ban protects adults as well as children. [21]

   Who is involved

   Barbara Kathmann, of the opposition party PRO, filed it on 2 November. [21]

   How it unfolded

   In July, the European Commission charged Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, over addictive design. [22]

   1. July EU charges Meta
   2. 2 November Dutch bill filed
   3. November EU proposal due

   Why it matters

   Lawmakers in 7 other countries, including Germany and France, are working with Kathmann. [21]

   How it works

   The Commission says autoplay and endless scrolling put the brain into 'autopilot mode'. [22]

   Autoplay starts the next video before the viewer chooses. [22] Endless scrolling never reaches an end, so there is no natural place to stop. [22]

   Seen it before

   A bowl of crisps that refills itself gets eaten long after hunger has gone.

   The truth

   • No country has such a ban yet; Kathmann wants the Netherlands to be the first. [21]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the EU proposes its addictive-design ban this month.

     The Commission is due to table it in November, and a Dutch member of the European Parliament says the tech industry is lobbying to weaken the rules. [21]

   What comes next

   The Commission is due to propose an EU-wide ban on addictive design this November. [21]

8. 13

   Stanford sets out to model a brain

   What happened

   • Stanford University is launching a project to build an AI copy of the human brain, a 'digital twin'. [23]
   • It plans about 14,000 hours of brain scans from around 100 people over five years. [23]

   Who is involved

   Billionaire Mark Stevens and his wife, Mary, are paying for it; Stanford will not say how much. [23]

   • Mark and Mary Stevens donors paying for it
   • Stanford will not say how much

   How it unfolded

   In August, Meta gave $15m to a similar project aiming for 15,000 hours of scans. [23]

   Why it matters

   The goal is a model that predicts how a person responds to treatments such as magnetic brain stimulation. [23]

   How it works

   A foundation model is an AI trained on a huge amount of data, then reused for other jobs. [23]

   Hundreds of hours of one person's scans should let the model learn that brain. [23] It can then fit others with far less data. [23]

   Seen it before

   Learning one town's streets well makes the next town quicker to learn.

   The truth

   • Today's best models predict only about half the activity in the brain parts they copy. [23] A good prediction may still explain little, scientists warn. [23]

   What comes next

   Data collection starts early next year, says Russell Poldrack, a Stanford psychologist. [23]

9. 14

   Voices showed shift workers' tiredness

   What happened

   • A study of 1,197 shift workers in six countries tested whether short voice recordings can show tiredness. [24]
   • Shift work means working outside normal body-clock hours. [24] It is linked to fatigue and poorer health. [24]
   • Each worker recorded their voice twice a day for 2 weeks. [24]
   • Features of the voice predicted sleep loss and sleepiness about as well as the best current methods. [24]
   • Following each person over time also picked up deeper physical and mental exhaustion. [24]
   • The study appeared in npj Digital Medicine on 3 November. [24]

   Why it matters

   Current ways of measuring fatigue make it hard to follow how it builds in one person, the authors say. [24]

   The truth

   • Most of the authors work for thymia, a London company that has applied for patents on such tools. [24]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether voice checks for tiredness work outside a study.

     The test ran for two weeks, on recordings that workers made twice a day. [24]

10. 15

    The evidence on collagen pills

    What happened

    • Collagen pills do not deliver collagen to the skin, a New Scientist look at the evidence finds. [25]
    • Collagen is the main protein holding skin firm. [25] Skin makes less of it with age, so it sags and wrinkles. [25]
    • Digestion breaks supplement collagen into pieces of one to three amino acids, the same as from meat. [25]
    • A skin researcher says a supplement does no more than 'a good steak'. [25]
    • Some trials report smaller wrinkles, but by only a fraction of a millimetre. [25]

    Why it matters

    Exercise and sun protection have better evidence for keeping collagen, dermatologists told the writer. [25]

    How it works

    Skin researchers found ageing skin still has the building blocks. [25] Its cells just assemble them into collagen less well. [25]

    So adding more building blocks does not fix the slow assembly. [25]

    Seen it before

    Buying more bricks does not speed up a builder who is working slowly.

    The truth

    • In September, two researchers flagged 'substantial methodological concerns' in collagen studies. [25] Most were funded by industry or had authors tied to makers. [25]
11. 16

    A fluoride-free toothpaste, tested

    What happened

    • US dentists report more patients asking about fluoride-free toothpaste made with hydroxyapatite. [26]
    • Hydroxyapatite is a calcium phosphate mineral. [26] Tooth enamel is mostly made of calcium and phosphate. [26]
    • Two trials, of 177 children and 171 adults, found it about as good as fluoride at preventing decay. [26]

    How it unfolded

    Some of the interest seems to follow attacks on fluoride by Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary. [26]

    Why it matters

    The CDC, the US public health agency, says fluoride in water cuts tooth decay by 25%. [26]

    How it works

    Dentists call it remineralisation when minerals move back into enamel. [26] Bacteria feeding on sugar make acid that strips them out. [26]

    Fluoride left in saliva after brushing brings calcium and phosphate back. [26] Hydroxyapatite seems to fill tiny gaps in enamel instead. [26]

    Seen it before

    Filling small cracks in a path stops them growing into potholes.

    The truth

    • Both trials were part-funded by Dr Wolff Group, a German firm selling hydroxyapatite toothpaste. [26] Most people in them had a low risk of decay. [26]
12. 17

    Abu Dhabi weight programme reports its first year

    What happened

    • More than 6,500 people have lost weight in a government-backed obesity programme in Abu Dhabi. [27]
    • People with obesity lost 14% of their body weight on average in the first year. [27] Some lost up to 22%. [27]
    • Patients chose weight-loss injections or, since May, pills. [27]

    Who is involved

    Abu Dhabi's health department and its public health centre run it. [27] It is open to adults with a Thiqa health card who are overweight. [27]

    • Department of Health, Abu Dhabi pays for and runs it
    • Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre runs it

    Why it matters

    Losing 13% of body weight is linked to a 41% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, one study found. [27]

    How it works

    The programme's director calls obesity 'a complex chronic disease'. [27]

    Drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro curb appetite and dampen food cravings. [27] Eating less then lets weight fall. [27]

    Seen it before

    A lid on a sweet jar makes it much easier to walk past it.

    The truth

    • The results are the programme's own figures, given by the health centre that runs it. [27] The report does not say how many joined in all. [27]

    What comes next

    The drugs are offered at 54 health centres, with 15 more planned. [27]

13. 18

    Waiting for an inspection keeps staff on edge

    What happened

    • A researcher studied university staff in the UK and Ireland who train teachers, while they waited for inspections. [28]
    • Many described anticipatory stress: worry about an event that has not happened yet. [28]
    • In England, every teacher-training provider is inspected by Ofsted, the education inspector. [28]
    • Some said they lived on 'constant red alert' while waiting for the call. [28]
    • One said every family plan came with 'but I could get the call'. [28]
    • Preparing for it could 'almost double' the workload, some said. [28]

    Who is involved

    Sabrina Fitzsimons, the researcher, wrote up the work for The Conversation on 2 November. [28]

    Why it matters

    Restructures, mergers and new AI tools now leave many workers in the same long wait, she writes. [28]

    How it works

    Psychologists call it perseverative cognition: worry that keeps a stress alive when the event itself is absent. [28]

    When people cannot control the event or know how to prepare, the mind keeps working on it. [28] With no clear end, there is no moment to stand down. [28]

    Seen it before

    Waiting outside the head teacher's office can feel worse than the talk itself.

    The truth

    • The findings come from interviews the researcher quotes, not from a count of how many staff feel this. [28]
14. 19

    Office days without meeting anyone

    What happened

    • Nearly half of US office workers had no in-person meetings on their last office day, a survey finds. [29]
    • The share was 48.8%. [29] The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, part of the US central bank, ran the survey. [29]
    • It asked 1,835 college-educated workers in September. [29]
    • 37% had at least one video meeting with everyone in the same office. [29]
    • 70.6% had at least one teammate missing on their office days. [29]

    Who is involved

    Economists Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington wrote the paper. [29]

    • Natalia Emanuel New York Fed economist
    • Emma Harrington University of Virginia economist

    How it unfolded

    About 1 in 4 US workers is now fully remote, US labour figures show. [29]

    Why it matters

    US time-use data show people spend more time physically alone on office days than before the pandemic. [29] The authors warn of effects on mental health. [29]

    How it works

    The authors call it 'in-office remote work'. [29]

    Teams are spread across offices, and some colleagues stay home. [29] So those who come in still meet them on screens. [29]

    Seen it before

    Sitting in a full classroom with headphones on still leaves you working alone.

    The truth

    • The survey does not count meetings with clients or people outside the team, the authors say. [29]