Painkillers

A synthetic opioid that hits up to 10 times harder than fentanyl is rapidly emerging global health threat, having been officially tied to more than 40 fatal overdoses over the past two years in the US alone. Here's what you need to know.

A supplement best known for helping some people get a better night's sleep may also have a surprising painkilling effect in those with a range of chronic conditions. This could help reduce the use of pain medications that come with more risks.

Here's a rather novel way to keep trash out of landfills: engineering biologists have developed a way to turn common plastic bottles into the popular painkiller paracetamol. All it takes is a bit of bacteria and time to ferment the treated waste.