Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S. Here are a few of our recently published stories:

• How the government shutdown is hitting the health care system – and what the battle over ACA subsidies means
• Children can be systematic problem-solvers at younger ages than psychologists had thought – new research

Every drug has an origin story – and just as developing a new drug brings new possibilities, uncovering how it was discovered can bring new responsibilities.

One “miracle drug” called rapamycin – now used to treat cancer and prevent organ transplant rejection, but which could also possibly address a host of conditions that include diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and aging itself – was found in the soils of Easter Island in 1964. Most researchers studying this drug know that much.

But who, how and why was this discovery made in the first place? The answer to this question is complicated – and raises ethical quandaries for scientists and pharmaceutical companies.

Molecular biologist Ted Powers has spent decades studying how rapamycin affects cells. After taking a pilgrimage to Easter Island to see where his career came from, so to speak, he made a discovery of his own: a newfound obligation to share the story of the Indigenous people whose role as “living laboratories” in the initial expedition have largely been erased from the narrative.

“Omissions in the origin stories of rapamycin reflect common ethical blind spots in how scientific discoveries are remembered,” writes Powers, who is now working toward building a stronger relationship with the island and avenues for more equitable exchange.

He traces the biases and power imbalances that led to discovery of rapamycin – raising questions about what fair compensation and recognition from the scientific community and pharmaceutical industry should look like.