August 19, 2026
CDC Director Eric Schwartz is seen here at her confirmation hearing in Washington last month.
Finn Gomez/Getty Images

STAT+ | New CDC director tells staff she is prepared to speak ‘truth to power’

In an all-hands meeting, Schwartz said she wasn’t blind to what her predecessor, Susan Monarez, went through and was clear with RFK Jr. about her approach.

By Daniel Payne and Helen Branswell

STAT+ | Brain organoids, kept alive more than five years, matured like human brains

Harvard scientists feared ruining their oldest brain organoids. Instead, the tiny models kept developing, revealing remarkable internal clock

By Megan Molteni

STAT+ | In wake of boy’s death, gene editing experts dissect Huidagene’s decisions

Experts question technical improvements Huidagene tried when using a Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment strategy largely abandoned by U.S. companies.

By Jason Mast
Adobe

STAT+ | Moderna and Merck say mRNA cancer vaccine succeeded in late-stage melanoma trial

The personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, added to Merck's Keytruda, slowed the return of melanoma and its spread to other parts of the body in the study.

By Matthew Herper and Angus Chen

STAT+ | What Epic did — and didn’t — say about AI at its annual meeting

At Epic's annual meeting, which covered AI, Big Tech, etc. the question behind closed doors is “What the heck is going on with Epic?”

By Brittany Trang

STAT+ | Regeneron drug for disease that causes dangerous bone growth earns FDA approval

Patients with FOP form bone where it shouldn't be. The drug, Pasatru, drastically cut the risk of new bone growth in a trial.

By Andrew Joseph
Liz Marnik. a health communicator who grew up in an anti-vaccine household, strives to counteract the kind of misinformation that ensnared her mother.
Ashley L. Conti for STAT

She grew up unvaccinated. Now she’s a leading voice for science — and empathy

Science communicator Liz Marnik brings a special empathy to vaccine-hesitant families. The immunologist wasn't vaccinated until she was 23.

By Felice J. Freyer

Physician group sues Trump administration over dietary guidelines process 

The suit, brought by advocates for plant-based diets, claims HHS and USDA used a “secret panel” of scientists to flip the food pyramid.

By Isabella Cueto
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