Megalodon Diets, Teeth Sensitivity and a Bunch of Vaccine News
Rachel Feltman: Happy Monday, listeners! It may technically still be spring, but with Memorial Day firmly in the rearview mirror and June upon us, let's be real: it's spiritually summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and we hope you're enjoying it. For Scientific American 's Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Feltman. Let's kick off the month with a quick roundup of some recent science news you may have missed.
First, a measles update: the good news is that the massive outbreak we've been following for the last few months in Texas seems to be slowing down, though it certainly isn't over. While cases in the West Texas-centered outbreak appeared to be leveling off last week, there have been other concerning incidents of recent measles exposure around the U.S. In mid-May, someone attended a Shakira concert at MetLife Stadium while contagious. Also in mid-May, a traveler with measles flew through the Denver airport. Meanwhile, Canada and Mexico are both dealing with measles outbreaks of their own. A public health doctor told the CBC that Ontario is now reporting more measles cases every week than it previously saw in a decade.
Health officials told ABC News and other outlets that they think an increase in vaccination rates contributed to the slowdown of the Texas outbreak. That leads me to a big caveat in the good news about measles case counts: last week Texas lawmakers approved a bill that would make it easier for parents to get exemptions for standard vaccinations against illnesses such as measles, polio and whooping cough when enrolling their kids in school. There's already a legal process in place that allows parents to skip vaccinating their children based on religious and personal beliefs, which requires them to contact state officials to request a physical form by mail. During the 2023–2024 fiscal year parents filed almost 153,000 exemption requests, which was almost double the number of requests seen in 2019. The proposed new law, which was still pending approval from the Governor as of the time of our recording on Thursday, would allow parents to download the required form instantly using a computer or smartphone, making the process quicker and easier.
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Speaking of vaccines: Last Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer recommend COVID vaccines for children or pregnant people without underlying health conditions. This could impact whether insurance companies will pay for COVID vaccines, making it harder for people who want the jab to get it.
Steven J. Fleischman, a physician who serves as president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in a statement that the organization was 'extremely disappointed' by the announcement, citing ob-gyns' firsthand knowledge of the danger of COVID infections during pregnancy and in newborns, who can receive some protection via a pregnant parent's vaccine.
In less troubling vaccine news, officials in England and Wales recently announced the world's first rollouts of a gonorrhea vaccine. The shot, called 4CMenB, isn't new; it's used in a number of countries globally to prevent meningococcal disease in infants, children and other high-risk groups. Because the bacteria that causes meningococcal disease is closely related to the one that causes gonorrhea, the proteins in the shot also provide some protection against the STI. Studies suggest the vaccine is roughly 30 to 40 percent effective against gonorrhea. That might not sound like a huge deal, but given the rise of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, experts say the jab could have a big impact.
Now we'll slide from health news to animal news with a study that's right smack dab in the middle. According to the authors of a recent Nature paper, if you have sensitive teeth you might be able to blame an ancient armored fish—which you were probably already doing, right?
The research suggests that dentin, the layer of material just beneath the enamel of our teeth that encases the soft dental pulp, first evolved in fish exoskeletons hundreds of millions of years ago. Back then, dentin was contained in bumps along the tough, bony skin of armored fish. Just like modern invertebrates with exoskeletons, these fish would have needed some sensitivity in their shell-like outer layer so they could pick up information about the waters they swam through such as temperature and pressure. So it's possible the unpleasant zap of pain you might sometimes feel while drinking ice water is an evolutionary holdover from a time when sensitive dentin helped fish navigate the world.
In other toothy animal news a study published last Monday in Earth and Planetary Science Letters attempts to puzzle out the dietary habits of the long-extinct megalodon. These sharks, which have reached near-mythical status thanks to the hard work of Jason Statham, may have grown up to about 80 feet [24.3 meters] long, with teeth that could reach roughly seven inches [18 centimeters]. One 2022 study estimated that megalodons would have needed to consume more than 98,000 kilocalories a day to sustain themselves. That certainly suggests the sharks ate some massive sea creatures during the almost 20-million-year period when they dominated the ocean, and this new study doesn't dispute that—scientists have the massive fossilized bite marks to prove it.
But a close look at the zinc content of megalodon teeth suggests that the predators weren't too picky about the place their meals occupied on the food chain. This paints a picture of an opportunistic carnivore that often munched on relatively small critters and that probably had lots of overlap with other, smaller predators. One of the researchers told CNN that the study supports the theory that the megalodon's eventual competition for food with the sleeker, likely more nimble great white may have contributed to the prehistoric creature's extinction.
That's all for this week's science news roundup. We'll be back on Wednesday with a look inside a shocking investigation about the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.
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Bymuratdeniz / Getty Images, Tessa Hennis / Getty Images On an episode of his podcast back in 2022, RFK said, based on a study done on frogs on the affects of endocrine disruptors (chemicals that can affect reproductive functions and "biological processes like normal growth, fertility, and reproduction"), that materials found in tap water could have the "capacity" to "induce these very profound sexual changes" in children. Medical experts have refuted this claim. Dr. Andrea Gore, professor of pharmacology and toxicology at University of Texas at Austin, told CNN that while "sex in frogs is determined by environmental factors such as temperature and chemicals," the "sex of humans is determined at the moment of conception, and cannot later be altered by endocrine-disrupting chemicals." In 2023, regarding this statement and a similar statement made to CNN's KFile, a spokesperson for RFK said, "Mr. Kennedy's remarks are being mischaracterized. He is not claiming that endocrine disruptors are the only or main cause of gender dysphoria. He is merely suggesting that, given copious research on the effects on other vertebrates, this possibility deserves further research." During RFK's Senate confirmation hearing in 2025, when asked, "Did you say that exposure to pesticides causes children to become transgender?" RFK responded, "No, I never said that." Related: A Republican's Response To A "Tax The Rich" Chant At His Town Hall Is Going Viral 2."COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese." At a press event dinner in 2023, RFK was quoted saying, "Covid-19. There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. [It] attacked certain races disproportionately." Specifically, 'COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.' He added, "We don't know whether it was deliberately targeted or not but there are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential and impact." Medical researchers have said otherwise. BBC spoke with Professor Melinda Mills at Oxford University's Nuffield Department of Population Health, who stated, "The claims of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are very damaging given they do not follow scientific evidence." She said, "As many credible peer-reviewed Covid-19 studies have shown, differences in Covid infections and deaths between socioeconomic and ethnic groups is related to inequalities, deprivation and living in larger or intergenerational households." He faced steep criticism for his 'irresponsible, hateful comments' from the Stop Asian Hate Project and the Anti-Defamation League, who called out the health official for his "deeply offensive" comment that "feeds into Sinophobic and antisemitic conspiracy theories." 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You could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did," he said in criticism of US vaccination mandates. This is not the first time RFK had to apologize for invoking the Holocaust when referencing his feelings on vaccination. Dr. David Gorski, a cancer surgeon at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit and a critic of the anti-vaccine movement who has followed Kennedy's rhetoric for over 15 years, told AP News, "Kennedy has been making Nazi and Holocaust references in relation to vaccines since at least 2013." RFK shared an apology on X, writing, "I apologize for my reference to Anne Frank, especially to families that suffered the Holocaust horrors. My intention was to use examples of past barbarism to show the perils from new technologies of control. To the extent my remarks caused hurt, I am truly and deeply sorry." 4."Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease." In 2024, RFK wrote on X, alleging the effects of fluoride in water and how it affects American health in a myriad of accusations that included "arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease." An article published by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health states the opposite, claiming that, historically, fluoride has improved our dental health, along with the CDC praising its inclusion in our waters as "one of the 20th century's greatest public health achievements." Charlotte Lewis, MD, a pediatrician at Seattle Children's hospital and a professor at University of Washington Medicine, shared in the article that fluoride has long been naturally present in drinking water and that the levels of fluoride found in our waters today are at a "low enough level that we know that it's advantageous." Small amounts of fluoride help with teeth decay and overall have led to a "drop in cavities," which is why toothpastes today market fluoride in their products. She added that the inclusion of fluoride in our water systems makes it available to everyone, "regardless of their access to dental care," and that removing it would only cause "vulnerable populations to suffer." In April 2025, RFK said he plans to tell the CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water nationwide, and praised Utah Governor Spencer Cox for signing legislation barring cities and communities from deciding whether to add fluoride to their drinking water. He said, "I'm very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will." Related: "I Am So Torn With What You Are Doing" — 11 Posts From MAGA Business Owners Who Are So Close To Getting It 5."I only drink raw milk." RFK has publicly stated that he only drinks "raw milk." He wrote on X in 2024 that he is unhappy with the FDA's "aggressive suppression" of raw milk. Health experts — including the FDA and the CDC — have warned about the risks of drinking raw milk. Raw milk is milk that hasn't undergone the pasteurization process, where milk is heated to get rid of potential cross-contamination and bacteria, such as E. coli, before it's packaged and sent to grocery shelves. Proponents of raw milk have claimed that the pasteurization process gets rid of "bioactives," and that the unpasteurized version contains more nutritional benefits, such as "amino acids, antimicrobials, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids," according to Healthline. Experts say there is not enough evidence to support these claims. 6."Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children." At an April 2025 press conference sharing the CDC's latest findings on autism, RFK spoke of how "autism destroys families" and some of those diagnosed with autism will "never pay taxes," "hold a job," "play baseball," "write a poem," or "date," and that many of them "will never use a toilet unassisted." Medical professionals and experts have criticized RFK's "fixed, myopic" view of autism and reasserted evidence-based research on what they know of its development. Studies have shown that "majority (around 80%) of autism cases can be linked to inherited genetic mutations" and "during early brain development," said Dr. Geschwind, a Senior Associate Dean and Associate Vice Chancellor of Precision Health in the UCLA Health System and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM) and director of UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART) in an article by UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. David Mandell, a University of Pennsylvania psychiatry professor and director of the Penn Center for Mental Health, told Politifact, 'I wish he would spend some time with parents of other autistic children, and well-regarded scientists who have studied this condition for decades." In regard to RFK's statements, department press secretary Vianca N. Rodriguez Feliciano told PolitiFact, "Secretary Kennedy remains committed to working toward a society where people with autism have access to meaningful opportunities, appropriate supports, and the full respect and recognition they deserve. His statements emphasized the need for increased research into environmental factors contributing to the rise in autism diagnoses, not to stigmatize individuals with autism or their families." 7."We should not be giving Black people the same vaccine schedule that's given to whites, because their immune system is better than ours." At RFK's January 2025 Senate confirmation hearing, RFK was questioned about when, in 2021, he stated, 'We should not be giving Black people the same vaccine schedule that's given to whites, because their immune system is better than ours.' Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), who is Black, countered, "So what different vaccine schedule would you say I should have received?" NPR reported. "With all due respect, that is so dangerous." When asked to clarify his previous statement, RFK said, "There's a series of studies, I think most of them by, uh, Poland, that show that, to particular antigens, that, um, blacks have a much stronger reaction. There's differences in reaction to different products by different races. ... The Poland article suggests that blacks need few antigens..." The author of the studies refuted RFK's claims. Dr. Richard Kennedy (no relation to RFK), a vaccine researcher at the Mayo Clinic, whose studies Kennedy seemingly referenced, told NPR, "the data doesn't support a change in vaccine schedule based on race." While the study of "immune response" to vaccinations by race did show there was a "higher antibody response after MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccination compared to white people," Dr. Kennedy reiterated that the suggestion of different vaccination schedules would be "twisting the data far beyond what they actually demonstrate." "The comment that [Kennedy] made about the vaccine schedule, it's basically scientific racism, which has been debunked," said Dr. Oni Blackstock, a primary care and HIV physician and founder and executive director of Health Justice, a racial and health equity consulting company, told HuffPost. 'He's really perpetuating this false belief that Black people are somehow biologically different from white people and, in that way, justifying differential and ultimately unequal treatment for Black people versus white people." 8."Heavy recreational drug use in gay men and drug addicts was the real cause of immune deficiency among the first generation of AIDS sufferers." Based on a debunked theory by Peter Duesberg, a molecular biologist and discredited face of AIDS denialism, RFK wrote in his 2021 book, The Real Anthony Fauci, "heavy recreational drug use in gay men and drug addicts was the real cause of immune deficiency among the first generation of AIDS sufferers." He's also argued that the early signs of AIDS were linked to the use of "poppers" — "a popular drug amongst promiscuous gays" and that early symptoms were due to heavy drug use and lifestyle stressors. The conclusion that HIV causes AIDS has long been backed by the science and research community. A Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to virologist Luc Montagnier "for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus" and how its discovery has led to "radically improved treatment methods for AIDS sufferers." According to the NIH, if HIV is left untreated, it can lead to AIDS, "the most advanced stage of HIV infection." In March, the Office of Infectious Diseases and HIV Policy, which oversees federal strategy on HIV prevention, was shut down by the Trump administration as part of RFK's "drastic overhaul of the Department of Health and Human Services agency," HuffPost reported. Research and federal funding have supported the development of medications that have helped suppress the progression of HIV and prolong lives. Concerns have now been raised about the potential rise of HIV and AIDS-related deaths, especially for those in marginalized and lower socioeconomic communities. Ironically, when asked at his Senate confirmation hearing if he would support PEPFAR (an HIV/AIDS relief program) during his tenure, RFK responded, "I absolutely support PEPFAR and I will happily work with you to strengthen the program." When asked at a different point during the hearing if he'd ever said, "It's undeniable that African AIDS is an entirely different disease from Western AIDS," RFK responded, "I'm not sure." 9."Prior to the introduction of Prozac, we had almost [no school shootings]." In a 2023 X livestream with Elon Musk, RFK stated that there's "tremendous circumstantial evidence" linking people taking antidepressants to school shootings. He told Musk, "Prior to the introduction of Prozac, we had almost none of these events." A study published by the National Library of Medicine found that "most school shooters were not previously treated with psychotropic medications," and if they were, there was "no direct or causal association" linking the use of psychotropic medication to gun violence. At RFK's Senate confirmation hearing in 2025, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) disapproved of the statements, saying they "reinforce the stigma that people who experience mental health [conditions]…face every single day." She said, "Instead of letting this be an issue between Americans and their physicians, under this executive order, Mr. Kennedy is planting the seeds to undermine people's trust in medications that are proven safe, effective, and in some circumstances save lives." When Smith directly asked RFK, "Do you believe, as you've said, that antidepressants cause school shootings?" He responded, "I don't think anybody can answer that question; I didn't answer that question. I said it should be studied along with other potential culprits." As of May 1, "There have been 18 school shootings in the United States so far this year," CNN reported. 10."If you look at the kids in Africa who die from Measles or these other infectious disease, they're all malnourished. In fact, the only people really dying from Measles in the '60s before they introduced the vaccines ... they were all kids in the Mississippi Delta, Black kids, severely malnourished, and they were dying of measles." On Joe Rogan's podcast in 2023, RFK denied that the the measles vaccine led to the drop in measles-related deaths and instead suggested malnutrition as the root cause of measles deaths. He added that by the time the vaccine was launched in 1963, "mortality was already low." The deaths that did occur "were all kids in the Mississippi Delta, Black kids, severely malnourished, and they were dying of measles," he said. Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that's spread airborne with symptoms that start with a fever, runny rose, watery eyes, and coughing, then progresses into a rash that spreads across the body. According to the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases, "1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the US who get measles will be hospitalized." Measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000, CNN reported. However, in recent years, there's been a steady rise of reported cases, with Texas being the latest state dealing with an outbreak. Experts say measles is "preventable, thanks to a highly effective vaccine." Dr. Michael Mina, chief scientific officer of the telehealth company eMed and an expert in the epidemiology, immunology, and spread of infectious disease, told CNN, the current outbreak "is absolutely being driven and started by unvaccinated individuals." In light of the recent measles outbreaks across the US, RFK has, at least, publicly changed his stance on measles vaccinations. He wrote in a lengthy X post, "The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine." 11."The MMR vaccine contains a lot of aborted fetus debris and DNA particles." While addressing the rise of measles outbreaks on NewsNation in April 2025, RFK shared this: "The MMR vaccine contains a lot of aborted fetus debris and DNA particles." Experts have decried his statements as misleading. According to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center, "Even though fetal cells are used to grow vaccine viruses, vaccines do not contain these cells or pieces of DNA that are recognizable as human DNA." In the development phase of creating a vaccine, human DNA cells have at times become a necessary part of the scientific development process, especially as its objective is to test how it reacts with human DNA. The "rubella portion of the vaccine" originates from "an abortion that took place in the 1960s," Reuters reported. However, "The MMR vaccine does not contain the cells in its final form." Through decades of testing, "the cells are derived from fetal cells that have been replicated over decades in test tubes in laboratory settings, thousands of times removed from the original ones." In May 2025, RFK doubled down on his statement, telling Tom Llamas from NBC News, "There are many people in this country who won't take the vaccine for religious reasons. The MMR vaccine contains millions of particles that are derived from fetal tissue, millions of fragments of human DNA from aborted fetuses. And for religious reasons they don't want to take it." More information about the development of vaccines can be found here. 12."Let's go put the bear in Central Park, and we'll make it look like he got hit by a bike." In a video shared on X in August 2024, RFK reminisced about the time he dumped a bear cub carcass in Central Park nearly 10 years ago. He said in the video clip, on an early morning drive in the Hudson Valley, he saw a woman run over a bear cub with her car. The dead cub was "in good condition," and so he put the bear in his van with plans to "skin" and "put the meat in [his] refrigerator." However, the day got ahead of him, and he later had to head to the airport. Since he didn't have time to refrigerate the meat, he had the idea of staging a cycling incident involving the cub at Central Park in response to the then-newly-installed bike lanes (he had an old bicycle in his car that someone had asked him to get rid of). A dog walker found the cub, and its discovery made national news at the time. It was a puzzling, unsolved mystery of how the bear ended up in Central Park. Well, according to RFK, it was him. do you think of these statements? Tell us in the comments. 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