Science is, at its heart, a system for asking questions and seeking answers. Researchers must detect clues amid a cacophony of information. Pharmacist Joseph Lambson is one person with a gift for identifying signals in the noise. When he got a call from a poison control specialist saying that people were overdosing on the drug semaglutide, used to treat obesity and diabetes, he knew what this meant. Pharmaceutical companies were unable to keep up with demand for the drug, which comes in a prefilled injector pen, and people were buying alternative versions that are not as error-proof. Even with the drug no longer in shortage, the dangers persist. Senior writer Meghan Rosen talked with Lambson as part of her investigation into a proliferating online market where patients say they’re willing to take risks to get what they see as a life-altering drug. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.