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Mapping the human 'exposome'

Hi folks, health reporter Olivia Willis here, and before we dig into this week's health news … I want to wish you a happy National Science Week!

For the occasion, my ever-enthusiastic ABC Science colleagues are looking to crown Australia's most underrated animal — creatures that have traditionally been overshadowed by more charismatic species, but deserve our attention (and conservation efforts!).

There are 10 incredible creatures you can vote for (including a tiny frog with hilariously buff arms #GoTheTurtleFrog).

Check them out and don't forget to cast your vote by 11.30am AEST Friday!

To this week's health news: more than two decades after mapping the human genome, scientists are turning their attention to the human "exposome".

A measure of all the environmental exposures we face over our lifetime, the exposome includes everything from diet, lifestyle, education and income to air pollution, chemical exposures, and climate conditions.

"If the genome is your biological blueprint, the exposome is the lifelong record of how the world interacts with that blueprint," Johns Hopkins researcher Fenna Sillé says.

In May, Dr Sillé helped to convene a group of international researchers in the US to establish the Human Exposome Project — a global effort to "systematically map the totality of environmental exposures and their effects on human biology".

I've taken a closer look at this emerging field of research and how a new Australian study will improve our understanding of the exposome by tracking 50,000 children — and their parents — over their lifetime.

Also this week, women who have spent years navigating the health system seeking care for extreme pain say they are frustrated at the slow pace of a government inquiry into the issue.

And finally, health authorities are mobilising in the Pacific as they scramble to contain the largest outbreak of dengue fever in a decade.

I'll catch you next week.

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An adults holds a baby's feet in the palm of their hands.

Two decades after mapping the human genome, scientists look to the 'exposome'

Mapping the vast number of environmental and lifestyle factors that influence our health is an enormous task — but one researchers say could hold the key to better understanding disease development.

a teenage girl with long blonde hair and her mother who had dark brown hair, standing cheek to cheek and smiling at the camera.

PCOS sufferers call for 'misleading' name to be changed

Polycystic ovary syndrome affects between 6 and 13 per cent of women, but its name has been labelled misleading. An Australian-led initiative is pushing for a global change.

A pharmacist speaks to a patient in a small room.

'Ambitious' plan could see 80pc of pharmacists diagnose health conditions

The national peak body for community pharmacists wants its members to take on more responsibilities for community care in a new strategic plan, but the initiative also has its critics.

James Tomkins drapped in the Australian flag, in front of the Olympic rings, looking over his right shoulder

Elite male rowers seven times more likely to develop heart disorder, study finds

A Victorian study has found elite male rowers are seven times more likely to develop atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder associated with increased risk of stroke.

A close-up of a mosquito, brown with white spots, on human skin.

'Don't get bitten': Authorities mobilise against Pacific dengue outbreak

Dengue fever has killed 18 people and health authorities have recorded tens of thousands of cases in the Pacific.