10 times stronger than fentanyl, nitazenes are the latest, deadly development in the synthetic opioid crisis

By Elena Escubedo Rafa, Chair professor, Universitat de Barcelona

At the end of 2023, the health crisis caused by fentanyl use in the United States set alarm bells ringing. However, the situation may get even worse with the emergence of another family of synthetic opioids: nitazenes.

This drug is not completely new. In the 1970s chemist Alexander Shulgin warned about the potential abuse of a family of compounds known as benzimidazoles, and half a century later, his words have proven prophetic. Nitazenes…

Read complete article

~	Watch out! Authorities in Turkey are on the lookout for obscenity

~	Hobbits of Flores evolved to be small by slowing down growth during childhood, new research on teeth and brain size suggests

~	From anime to activism: How the ‘One Piece’ pirate flag became the global emblem of Gen Z resistance

~	Detroit’s Gordie Howe bridge is poised to open as truck traffic between US-Canada slows – and low-income residents decide whether to stay or go

~	How a devastating grape pest is reshaping vineyards across Colorado’s Western Slope

~	Trump isn’t cutting Pell Grants, after all − but other changes could complicate financial aid for some students

~	The Ganges River is drying faster than ever – here’s what it means for the region and the world

~	The Biggest Loser: how an aggressive entertainment culture normalised body-shaming

~	Blood, bruises and belief: how England’s women’s rugby team embody physical and mental endurance

~	A contemporary history of Britain’s far right – and how it helps explain why so many people went to the Unite the Kingdom rally in London