Tylenol and Autism, a Shark Threesome and a Typhoon

This week’s roundup breaks down the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to revise the safety label for acetaminophen (Tylenol) following the Trump administration’s misleading claims about a link between use of the drug during pregnancy and autism—which were made despite inconsistent data and no proven causation. It also highlights new findings on the safety of COVID vaccination during pregnancy, promising results from a trial of gene therapy for Huntington’s disease and rare animal behaviors, including a notable instance of shark mating and a climate-driven coupling that resulted in a jay hybrid. Plus, the world’s strongest storm of the year reshapes the Pacific typhoon season.

Recommended Reading

Does Tylenol Use during Pregnancy Cause Autism? What the Research Shows

Nobody Knows How Tylenol Really Works

Fat Bear Week 2025

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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices