The use of digital tools and better coordination between different organisations can help the UK significantly optimise its first line of defence against ecological degradation, new research shows.

Herbal cigarettes, widely sold in India and abroad as natural, tobacco-free, and even therapeutic alternatives to conventional cigarettes, are not safer than regular tobacco cigarettes. They produce emissions that can be comparably or even more damaging than tobacco smoke. That is the conclusion of a new study conducted by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The paper, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, presents a comprehensive comparison of the physical, chemical, and oxidative properties of mainstream (firsthand) smoke from commercially available herbal and tobacco cigarettes in the Indian market. 

New study introduces MEDS, a new data standard and ecosystem designed to improve reproducibility, collaboration, and scalability in clinical AI research.