Feature
Blood in the Well: One Town’s Fight Against the Slaughterhouse Polluting It
Residents of a Pennsylvania town took on a beef processor after its waste polluted their wells. They won — but little may change.
Health•11 min read
Public Health
News
The Flesh-Eating Pest That Once Cost Ranchers Millions Is Back
New World screwworm’s long-dreaded arrival in the U.S. jeopardizes a 40-year-old agricultural victory.
Health•5 min read
News
An Iowa Town Spent $800,000 on a New Well. It Pumps Undrinkable Water.
After shuttering two wells for recurring nitrate contamination, the riverside community of Princeton may face yet another costly fix.
Health•9 min read
News
Why Is Drug-Resistant Salmonella Breaking Out in Backyard Chicken Flocks so Far Apart?
The outbreak has hit 31 states, with 184 infections and one death. About 30% of cases have been in children under 5.
Health•3 min read
Analysis
Ready to Recall: These Meats Are Behind 40% of USDA Food Warnings
A Sentient analysis reveals that at least 40% of USDA food safety warnings over the past decade are linked to ready-to-eat meats, such as deli meats, hot dogs and pâté.
Health•12 min read
Feature
Iowa Senator Catelin Drey Knows her State’s Cancer Crisis. She’s Living it.
Drey’s diagnosis comes amid national attention on Iowa’s cancer crisis, which experts believe could be tied to a “toxic mix” of environmental and health risk factors.
Health•8 min read
News
Cancer Rates Are Higher Near Factory Farms, Study Finds
In California, Texas and Iowa, cancer rates are 4-8% higher in areas with more industrial animal agriculture.
Health•5 min read
News
Iowa’s High Cancer Rate Linked to Nitrate, Pesticides, PFAS and Radon, New Report Finds
The new analysis combines science on environmental risk factors with the lived experiences of Iowans battling cancer.
Health•5 min read
News
Bird Flu Detected in Iowa Backyard Chicken Flocks as Migration Raises Risk
Backyard chickens are also vulnerable to avian flu, and experts warn that spring migration can accelerate infections across these bird populations.
Health•5 min read
News
TB-Infected Cow in Michigan Discovered Beyond High-Risk Zone
A new bovine tuberculosis case shows that the disease, long thought largely eradicated, persists despite years of statewide efforts.
Health•5 min read
News
Livestock Pharmaceutical Sales Still Booming Despite Public Health Concerns
Elanco Animal Health reported $1.14 billion in quarterly revenue, and its farm animal sector increased 17% year-over-year.
Health•4 min read
News
Bird Flu Cases Are Surging in 2026. What Does It Mean?
Millions of birds have been exposed to the avian flu virus since the beginning of January alone.
Health•9 min read
News
Sales of Antibiotics for Farm Animals Jumped 16%, FDA Data Shows
The sharp one-year increase is raising concerns among public health experts.
Health•4 min read
News
People Can Give Cows Tuberculosis, But We Rarely Look For It
Cattle with drug-resistant tuberculosis lead researchers to call for better monitoring of cross-species transmission of TB.
Health•5 min read
Analysis
Avian Flu: Sentient’s Complete Coverage
Avian flu poses an increasing risk to humans. Here's what we know, and a link to all of our coverage.
Health•2 min read
News
The New World Screwworm Has Reached Human Flesh In the US
The flesh-eating parasite has moved from cattle to people. Should we be worried?
Health•6 min read
Investigation
What Happened to America’s Meat Recalls?
Recalls of meat, poultry and egg products have gradually begun to rebound. But the numbers haven’t fully recovered, raising questions about what’s changed and why.
Health•3 min read
Feature
Inside the Race to Track and Stop the Spread of Avian Flu
Amid fears of a potential pandemic, researchers are busy preparing for the worst.
Health•6 min read
Feature
Two States Declared Themselves Bird-Flu Free. But What Does That Really Mean?
Why the threat is far from over, regardless of state lines.
Health•6 min read
Solutions
How a Group of Immigrant Farmworkers Is Preparing for Avian Flu to Hit New York Dairy Farms
Amid heightened fears of immigration raids, Alianza Agricola has spent months educating hundreds of their coworkers on how to prepare for an avian flu outbreak.
Health•8 min read
Reported
Will Trump’s Diminished Data Sharing at CDC Hamper Bird Flu Preparedness?
In the U.S., bird flu is spreading rapidly on poultry and dairy farms—and data censorship could pose risks to combating it, experts say.
Health•7 min read
Fact Check
RFK’s Stance on Raw Milk, UPFs, Oils & Organic Food, Fact-Checked
His takes on food and medicine are anything but scientifically reliable.
Health•8 min read
Reported
Tracking Bird Flu Is Largely Left to States. Under Trump, the Federal Government Might Step Even Further Back.
With human infections of avian flu present in the U.S., workers remain most vulnerable to the virus.
Health•6 min read
Analysis
Every Human Case of Avian Flu Reported So Far
Human cases remain rare but the risk of an outbreak could change at any time.
Health•2 min read
Investigation
Few States Are Tracking Dairy Farm Worker Health Protections Amid Bird Flu Outbreak
States with confirmed dairy cattle bird flu cases have drastically different personal protective equipment responses.
Health•11 min read
Reported
Avian Flu Is Spreading, and the Raw Milk Trend Could Make It Worse
CDC recommends consumers avoid dairy and poultry farms, and drinking raw milk.
Health•4 min read
Explainer
Why the McDonald’s E. Coli Outbreak Still Comes Back to Meat
Onions are at the center of a nationwide outbreak — but the source comes back to beef.
Health•8 min read
Reported
Got Bird Flu? Milk Production May Lead to More Human Infections, Study Finds
How bird flu puts vulnerable workers at even greater risk.
Health•4 min read
Explainer
Humans Can Get Bird Flu, and Here’s What You Need to Know
A brief explainer of the risks of avian flu for humans.
Health•8 min read
Reported
Bird Flu Has Spread to Dairy Cows in Five States
Cows in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico have tested positive for bird flu.
Health•4 min read
Reported
When Tyson ‘Depopulates’ Chickens, Taxpayers Are Left Footing the Bill
Despite more humane alternatives, the poultry industry continues to use ventilation shutdown to cull millions of birds in the cruelest ways.
Health•4 min read
Explainer
Antibiotics in Chicken and Other Animals Is a Big Public Health Risk
Consumers should be wary of “antibiotic-free” claims on meat.
Health•8 min read
Reported
Factory Farms’ Antibiotic Use Is Mounting, Despite Promises to Cut Back
The meat industry’s routine use of antimicrobials is making humans more vulnerable to disease and death.
Health•6 min read
Explainer
The Clean Water Act Is Important — but a New Supreme Court Decision Limits It
A new ruling threatens the power of one of the most important environmental laws in the United States.
Health•9 min read
Reported
What Do We Have to Fear From Swine Flu?
Most human cases of swine flu are found at agricultural fairs but there are other disease hotspots to consider, like factory farms.
Health•5 min read
Reported
Chickens Burned and Buried as Avian Flu Hits the Yucatán
Workers and residents say companies have downplayed avian flu, burning and burying culled birds just outside of town.
Health•5 min read
Explainer
How Do Factory Farms Use Antibiotics?
Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health threat responsible for 1.2 million deaths worldwide. A leading driver of this crisis? Antibiotic use on factory farms.
Health•8 min read
Analysis
Freshwater Fish Are a ‘Significant Source’ of Forever Chemicals
New research finds significantly higher levels of PFAS in locally caught freshwater fish than store-bought fish.
Health•3 min read
Reported
Avian Flu Is Making it Tougher to Keep Backyard Chickens
Domestic chicken-keeping surged in popularity during lockdown. Then avian flu happened.
Health•5 min read
Analysis
Pandemic Risk on the Rise Thanks to How We Eat
Pandemic risk is on the rise, but researchers know the cause and how to reduce the risk.
Health•4 min read
Reported
These Flu Shots Are Better for Animals and Just as Effective, Researchers Say
More than 80 percent of flu vaccines rely on chickens confined in secret FDA facilities. But there are alternatives.
Health•6 min read
Reported
On Small Farms, the Threat of Zoonotic Disease Still Looms Large
The connection between factory farms and zoonotic diseases is well-established. But new research shows that less-intensive farming styles also come with their own risks.
Health•4 min read
Reported
New Documentary Predicts ‘The End of Medicine’
A new documentary film by BAFTA-award-winning director Alex Lockwood explores the underreported connections between animal farming and human disease.
Health•5 min read
Reported
First Human Case of H3N8 Bird Flu Confirmed in China
Doctors confirmed that a four-year-old child in the country’s Henan province has been infected with the illness. Millions of birds are already suffering.
Health•3 min read
Reported
Superbugs on the Shelves: Diseased Chicken Being Sold Across America
A new investigation reveals that companies routinely exceed level of bacteria allowed by USDA—and do not have to recall their products.
Health•18 min read
Reported
Veterinarians Play Pivotal Role in Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance
The threat of antibiotic resistance looms large for veterinarians. We spoke with infectious disease specialist and veterinarian Dr. J. Scott Weese to understand why.
Health•7 min read
Reported
The Next Pandemic Is Already Here: Superbugs and Factory Farms
A new study published in The Lancet found that 1.2 million people died from antibiotic-resistant infections in 2019. Experts fear this is just the beginning.
Health•8 min read
Reported
The Ever-Clearer Link Between Deforestation and Public Health
Efforts to decolonize forest protection have been stalling for years. COVID-19 might give the movement the urgency it needs.
Health•1 min read
Reported
Antibiotic Resistance Starts on the Farm, but Marginalized Communities Pay the Price
The widespread use of antibiotics on factory farms is exposing everyone who lives within a 3-mile radius to significant health risks. Low-income people of color are often the most affected.
Health•9 min read
Perspective
Why Factory Farming’s Pandemic Risk Is Being Ignored
Activists, disease specialists, and environmentalists are making the connection between the way we eat and the risk it poses to public health. Sometimes it feels like they're the only ones.
Health•4 min read
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Sentient investigates and explains factory farms and their effect on climate, the environment, animals, health, politics and rural communities.