Overlooking Skin Cancer in People With Dark Skin
Given the known disparities in outcomes, experts say two areas of research are needed: studying educational initiatives to see if awareness might lead to earlier diagnosis; and determining risk factors...
View ArticleThe Monkeypox Epidemic Is Unusual: Here’s How I Know
While sexual encounters are currently the predominant mode of transmission among reported cases, monkeypox is neither a new disease, nor a sexually transmitted infection. STIs are spread primarily...
View ArticleThe Federal Government Alone Won’t Save Us from Climate Change
The recently announced Inflation Reduction Act might provide some hope on climate change, but in the face of a regressive Supreme Court and a slow-moving Congress, it's clear the federal government is...
View ArticleThe Fervent Debate Over the Best Way to Confront Global Warming
The struggle between scientists focused on reducing carbon emissions and advocates for climate-change adaptation strategies has long been based on controversy and misunderstanding, and may have stymied...
View ArticleResearchers Ask: Does Enforcing Civility Stifle Online Debate?
Americans and social scientists are deeply concerned about online civility. But some researchers say that insisting on perfectly civil speech can stifle debate while allowing hate — donning a cloak of...
View ArticleIn Georgia, the EPA Takes Action Against ‘Forever Chemicals’
Public records show PFAs have turned up in water samples from home water wells, churches, schools, military bases, nursing homes, and municipal water supplies. In North Georgia, the city of Rome is...
View ArticleIn the U.S., A New Approach to Counting Overdoses
Accessing overdose data is particularly tricky in Texas, although a dearth of timely and complete numbers is also a problem in many other states. Often, the data isn’t updated in real time, nor does it...
View ArticleFor a More Sustainable Afterlife, Try Human Composting
Vermont recently legalized Natural Organic Reduction, touted as an eco-friendly alternative to cremation and burial. With climate change already here, more states should follow suit. We need to take...
View ArticleBook Review: A Psychologist Plumbs the Cultural Roots of Emotion
In “Between Us,” psychologist Batja Mesquita argues that not all of humankind experiences the same set of evolutionarily hard-wired emotions. Instead, she writes, emotions are profoundly shaped by...
View ArticleIn Tennessee, an Experiment to Manage Behavior with an App
The BehaviorFlip program claims to rely heavily on restorative practices, a framework rooted in criminal justice reform. Although technology companies boast transformative results, distilling human...
View ArticleIn Texas, Chemical Leaks Lack Consequences
In Texas, polluters often get the benefit of the doubt. A 2003 rule allows the state’s oversight agency to waive penalties for incidents that are “unplanned, unavoidable and properly reported,” but the...
View ArticleIn New Zealand, Conservation Is Buoyed by Indigenous Knowledge
University researchers partnered with a local tribe to assess the genetic diversity of crayfish populations. The research approach was described as “looking to the past to navigate the future.” The...
View ArticleThe United States’ Unvarnished Cruelty in Afghanistan
The House’s proposed National Defense Authorization Act restricts sending lifesaving aid to Afghanistan, but societal collapse only plays into the hands of the Taliban. After a 20-year occupation, the...
View ArticleBook Review: The Downside of Human Exceptionalism
In “If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal,” ethologist Justin Gregg argues the animal kingdom thrives without complex cognition, and human intellect may represent an evolutionary dead end rather than the...
View ArticleMelting Himalayan Glaciers Alter Water Supplies Near and Far
Even people very far away from the Himalayas will feel the effects of the range’s melting glaciers — and the populations impacted are not likely to be small: Communities directly downstream of, and...
View ArticleAccess to New Cancer Treatment Is a Hurdle for Rural Americans
A promising therapy uses a patient’s T cells, a key part of the immune system, to fight cancer. But a potentially toxic immune response is also a common side effect, so the treatment is only available...
View ArticleFor Childhood Ear Infections, Ear Tubes May Be Overprescribed
Ear infections are a common childhood diagnosis. Sometimes the infection clears up without intervention, or doctors will prescribe antibiotics. To treat persistent infections, however, about half a...
View ArticleUniversal School Meals Should Be Extended Indefinitely
Early pandemic-era school meal vouchers allowed every child to be well-fed at school — regardless of income. But Congress has not extended the universal waiver program. Rather than re-institute red...
View ArticleWhat Is an Old-Growth Tree Actually Worth?
In setting fines for timber poaching, experts are experimenting with different ways to calculate the financial value of trees that go beyond market-based valuations to consider North American forests...
View ArticleIn the Great Lakes, the Pandemic Disrupted Sea Lamprey Control
A program to control invasive sea lampreys was disrupted significantly amid pandemic restrictions. Now, as control measures return to normal, biologists, conservationists, and fishery scientists worry...
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