A Woman in Eclipse: Maria Mitchell and the Great Solar Expedition of 1878
The Vassar College eclipse party, an all-female expedition, came to Denver in an era when science was a male bastion and even higher education was deemed risky for the “fairer sex.” Maria Mitchell,...
View ArticleShould Johnson & Johnson Be Helping to Fund the World Conference of Science...
As a general rule, journalists aren’t allowed to take money from the people, organizations, and companies they cover. But as journalism organizations increasingly rely on corporate sponsors to fill out...
View ArticleAbstracts: Empathy, Eclipse Crowds, and More
National Geographic dives into the science behind altruism, empathy, and psychopathy. Though crowds might overwhelm many towns during the upcoming solar eclipse, some say the viewing experience is...
View ArticleIs a Dubious ‘Brain Health Quiz’ Stoking Alzheimer’s Anxiety to Lure Patients?
The American Medical Association’s Code of Ethics prohibits advertising that is “misleading” or creates “unjustified medical expectations,” and it requires claims to be “factually supportable.” But a...
View ArticleFlourish or Perish: A Grad-School Novel Hits Almost Too Close to Home
Weike Wang’s novel “Chemistry” was a struggle to read, but that’s no fault of the author. Though her unnamed narrator and I have our differences, we have two big things in common: We both pursued a...
View ArticleAbstracts: Hydropower, Water Bears, and More
The Trump administration is looking to privatize much of the nation's hydropower electricity. Researchers have decoded the DNA of tardigrades, also known as water bears, which are among the most...
View ArticleThe Great Soy Formula Experiment
Parents choose to feed their babies soy-based formulas as an alternative to breast or cow milk for a variety of reasons. But the science seems to suggest that we are rather casually testing the effect...
View ArticleAbstracts: Embryos, Oceans, and More
Researchers have edited human embryos to correct a genetic mutation for the first time. Countries around the world agree on the need to begin treaty negotiations concerning parts of the ocean that are...
View ArticleTrump Targets Environmental Justice at EPA, but a Kindred DOT Program Could...
The White House’s budget proposal for the EPA effectively cuts the agency’s environmental justice program. While this decision has been criticized by environmental organizations and Democrats, another...
View ArticleFDA Announces Plan to Tackle Tobacco Use … Someday
Deaths from smoking-related diseases have dropped for many Americans, thanks in part to strong regulations on Big Tobacco. But with 480,000 of us dying from smoking annually, officials aim to do...
View ArticleAbstracts: Eclipses, Emojis, Heat Waves, and More
A deadly heat wave dubbed "Lucifer" hit parts of Europe last week for several days in a row, fueling wildfires, harming crops, and killing at least two people. Thanks to emojis, computers can now pick...
View ArticleWildfires Pollute Air More Than Previously Thought. Are Prescribed Burns the...
Recent plume-sampling research finds that wildfires release three times more of a harmful type of air pollution than previously thought. Prescribed or controlled fires, however, release less of the...
View ArticleThe Poisoning of Bangladesh: How Arsenic Is Ravaging a Nation
Researchers say there is no question that the mass arsenic contamination is largely solvable by drilling deeper wells. But the reasons why that hasn't been done reach back to the moment, several...
View ArticleA Woman in Eclipse: Maria Mitchell and the Great Solar Expedition of 1878
The Vassar College eclipse party, an all-female expedition, came to Denver in an era when science was a male bastion and even higher education was deemed risky for the “fairer sex.” Maria Mitchell,...
View ArticleShould Johnson & Johnson Be Helping to Fund the World Conference of Science...
As a general rule, journalists aren’t allowed to take money from the people, organizations, and companies they cover. But as journalism organizations increasingly rely on corporate sponsors to fill out...
View ArticleIs a Dubious ‘Brain Health Quiz’ Stoking Alzheimer’s Anxiety to Lure Patients?
The American Medical Association’s Code of Ethics prohibits advertising that is “misleading” or creates “unjustified medical expectations,” and it requires claims to be “factually supportable.” But a...
View ArticleFlourish or Perish: A Grad-School Novel Hits Almost Too Close to Home
Weike Wang’s novel “Chemistry” was a struggle to read, but that’s no fault of the author. Though her unnamed narrator and I have our differences, we have two big things in common: We both pursued a...
View ArticlePutting Digital Health Monitoring Tools to the Test
If you have a common chronic condition such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, the expert most in charge of your health is you. Fitness trackers and other digital health tools hold promise, but...
View ArticleAn Unsettled Future for Free Meals at School
Federal support for free school lunches dates to the Great Depression. Today, millions of students, many of whom face food insecurity at home, benefit from these meals for which schools receive...
View ArticleAbstracts: Monuments, Power Grids, and More
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced that he would recommend changes to the borders of a "handful" of national monuments. A commercial tanker has sailed the northern route from Europe to Asia...
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