Saving your bacon: healthy-eating policy evolves

Governments are increasingly adopting aggressive regulatory measures to combat rising obesity rates, shifting from public health advice to economic interventions like mandatory food labeling, marketing bans, and potential taxes. These strategies aim to mitigate the significant GDP losses attributed to poor nutrition. Simultaneously, the mysterious death of a researcher at Russia’s Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute has raised international alarm, underscoring deep-seated mistrust regarding Russia's transparency and its potential maintenance of offensive biological weapons programs. Beyond these geopolitical and public health concerns, the episode honors the legacy of Cyril Hilsum, a prolific scientist whose foundational work in liquid crystal displays and semiconductor lasers transformed modern electronics. Hilsum’s career, marked by over 70 patents and a commitment to gender equality in research, serves as a testament to the profound impact of practical scientific innovation.