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A young Black scientist discovered a pivotal leprosy treatment in the 1920s − but an older colleague took the credit

  • Written by Mark M. Lambert, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Medicine, Medical Humanities, and Bioethics, Des Moines University
imageThe island of Molokai, where the Ball Method successfully treated leprosy sufferers.Albert Pierce Taylor

Hansen’s disease, also called leprosy, is treatable today – and that’s partly thanks to a curious tree and the work of a pioneering young scientist in the 1920s. Centuries prior to her discovery, sufferers had no remedy for...

Read more: A young Black scientist discovered a pivotal leprosy treatment in the 1920s − but an older...

Colorado is latest state to try turning off the electrical grid to prevent wildfires − a complex, technical operation pioneered in California

  • Written by Kyri Baker, Assistant Professor of Building Systems Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

The U.S. power grid is the largest and most complex machine ever built. It’s also aging and under increasing stress from climate-driven disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes and heat waves.

Over the past decade, power grids have played roles in wildfires in multiple states, including California, Hawaii, Oregon and Minnesota. When wind...

Read more: Colorado is latest state to try turning off the electrical grid to prevent wildfires − a complex,...

Nitazenes found in 5 overdose deaths in Philly – here’s what they are and why they’re so deadly

  • Written by Christopher P. Holstege, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Virginia
imageNitazenes are a class of synthetic opioids more potent than fentanyl.Joe Lamberti/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office found that nitazenes, a synthetic opioid up to 40 times more powerful than fentanyl, were connected to at least five overdose deaths in Philadelphia in the past two years.

The...

Read more: Nitazenes found in 5 overdose deaths in Philly – here’s what they are and why they’re so deadly

The unfinished business of John F. Kennedy’s vision for world peace

  • Written by Philip A. Goduti, Jr., Adjunct Assistant Professor of History, Quinnipiac University
imageJohn and Jackie Kennedy in Paris in May 1961. Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Less than a week after her husband’s assassination in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, Jackie Kennedy granted an interview with esteemed political writer Theodore White for Life magazine, one of the leading national publications of its day.

Determined to prote...

Read more: The unfinished business of John F. Kennedy’s vision for world peace

Medieval Europe was far from democratic, but that didn’t mean tyrants got a free pass

  • Written by Joelle Rollo-Koster, Professor of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island
imageRichard II became king of England when he was 10 and was deposed at 32.British Library/Wikimedia Commons

My students tend to imagine the Middle Ages as something like the “Kingdom Come” or “Total War” video games: an age of utter political chaos, when swords and daggers ruled, and masculinity and physical strength mattered...

Read more: Medieval Europe was far from democratic, but that didn’t mean tyrants got a free pass

How Iran responds to Damascus attack could determine trajectory of conflict in the Middle East

  • Written by Javed Ali, Associate Professor of Practice of Public Policy, University of Michigan

Reports that Iran is preparing reprisal attacks following the deadly bombing of a facility that Israel claims is linked to threats against its interests have provoked fears of conflict widening in the Middle East.

U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed “ironclad” support for Israel, which is widely considered to be responsible for the April...

Read more: How Iran responds to Damascus attack could determine trajectory of conflict in the Middle East

Taxes are due even if you object to government policies or doubt the validity of the 16th Amendment’s ratification

  • Written by Michele Frank, Associate Professor of Accountancy, Miami University
imageTaxes can be tough – to file and to pay.Kameleon007/iStock / Getty Images Plus

Most Americans don’t like doing, or paying, their income taxes. But every year, about 85% of them will voluntarily pay the full amount of the taxes they owe.

Even so, the IRS estimates that it loses over US$400 billion of revenue each year because people fail...

Read more: Taxes are due even if you object to government policies or doubt the validity of the 16th...

The backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion in business is in full force − but myths obscure the real value of DEI

  • Written by Adia Harvey Wingfield, Professor of Sociology, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
imageInclusive workplaces are good for morale as well as the bottom line.Luis Alvarez/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Few ideas in business are as misunderstood as DEI.

While opposition to DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – has a long history, it has picked up steam recently.

In 2023, when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, detractors claimed t...

Read more: The backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion in business is in full force − but myths...

How jurors will be selected in Trump’s legal cases - a criminal law expert explains

  • Written by Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., Professor of Law, Harvard University
imageDonald Trump appears outside a Manhattan criminal court on March 25, 2024. Mary Altaffer-Pool/Getty Images

Every defendant is entitled to a fair and impartial jury.

But the process to find one can be long and taxing, particularly in a high-profile trial such as the one in New York, in which Donald Trump stands accused of fraud in his efforts to...

Read more: How jurors will be selected in Trump’s legal cases - a criminal law expert explains

Starbucks seeks Supreme Court protection from being preemptively ordered to rehire baristas who say they were fired for union-promoting activities

  • Written by Michael Z. Green, Professor of Law and Director, Workplace Law Program, Texas A&M University
imageA group of fired Starbucks employees celebrate the result of a vote to unionize a Memphis shop on June 7, 2022.AP Photo/Adrian Sainz

What factors must a court consider when the National Labor Relations Board requests an order requiring an employer to rehire terminated workers before the completion of unfair labor practice proceedings?

That’s...

Read more: Starbucks seeks Supreme Court protection from being preemptively ordered to rehire baristas who...

More Articles ...

  1. I spent a decade helping Afghan girls make educational progress − and now the Taliban are using these 3 reasons to keep them out of school
  2. Elephant tourism often involves cruelty – here are steps toward more humane, animal-friendly excursions
  3. Domestic violence survivors seek homeless services from a system that often leaves them homeless
  4. Personalized cancer treatments based on testing drugs quickly leads to faster treatment, better outcomes
  5. Newly discovered genetic variant that causes Parkinson’s disease clarifies why the condition develops and how to halt it
  6. PFAS ‘forever chemicals’: Why EPA set federal drinking water limits for these health-harming contaminants
  7. Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research
  8. Bollywood is playing a large supporting role in India’s elections
  9. New York City greenlights congestion pricing – here’s how this toll plan is expected to improve traffic, air quality and public transit
  10. Using research to solve societal problems starts with building connections and making space for young people
  11. Trump pushes the limits of every restriction he faces – including threatening judges and their families
  12. Talking to Americans reveals the diversity behind the shared opinion ‘the country is on the wrong track’
  13. House of Representatives holds off on Ukraine aid package − here’s why the US has a lot at stake in supporting Ukraine
  14. Is this the dawn of a new era in women’s sports?
  15. Are embassies off-limits? Ecuadorian and Israeli actions suggest otherwise − and that sets a dangerous diplomatic precedent
  16. From Reagan to Obama, presidents have left office with ‘strategic regret’ − will leaving troops in Iraq and Syria be Biden or Trump’s?
  17. Family caregivers can help shape the outcomes for their loved ones – an ICU nurse explains their vital role
  18. How to battle boredom at work
  19. Silicon Valley and Shenzhen, China, will get all the growth from AI if other regions don’t invest now to compete
  20. In a future with more ‘mind reading,’ thanks to neurotech, we may need to rethink freedom of thought
  21. Tiny crystals capture millions of years of mountain range history – a geologist excavates the Himalayas with a microscope
  22. Fossilized dinosaur eggshells can preserve amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, over millions of years
  23. Why Sikhs celebrate the festival of Baisakhi
  24. Rebuilding Gaza was seen as a ‘Herculean’ task before Oct. 7; six months of bombing has led to crises that will long outlive the war
  25. Dali hit Key Bridge with the force of 66 heavy trucks at highway speed
  26. US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names
  27. Coastal wetlands can’t keep pace with sea-level rise, and infrastructure is leaving them nowhere to go
  28. A dramatic schism over social issues? The United Methodist Church has been here before – but this time, America’s religious landscape is far different
  29. Fetal personhood rulings could nullify a pregnant patient’s wishes for end-of-life care
  30. Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains
  31. Happier, more connected neighborhoods start right in the front yard
  32. What causes earthquakes in the Northeast, like the magnitude 4.8 that shook New Jersey? A geoscientist explains
  33. College athletes still are not allowed to be paid by universities − here’s why
  34. Biden steps up pressure on Israel − using the key levers available against an ally with strong domestic support
  35. Rwandan genocide, 30 years on: Omitting women’s memories encourages incomplete understanding of violence
  36. Yes, efforts to eliminate DEI programs are rooted in racism
  37. Loneliness can kill, and new research shows middle-aged Americans are particularly vulnerable
  38. Rural students’ access to Wi-Fi is in jeopardy as pandemic-era resources recede
  39. Why the Chiefs and Royals couldn’t convince Kansas City voters to foot the bill for their stadiums
  40. Why courts aren’t the fastest or clearest ways to solve election disputes – a former federal judge explains
  41. Brain scans of Philly jazz musicians reveal secrets to reaching creative flow
  42. Why batteries come in so many sizes and shapes
  43. A natural deception: 3 marketing myths the supplement industry wants you to swallow
  44. In 1877, a stained-glass window depicted Jesus as Black for the first time − a scholar of visual images unpacks its history and significance
  45. During the 2024 eclipse, biologists like us want to find out how birds will respond to darkness in the middle of the day
  46. Philadelphia’s minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009 – here’s why efforts to raise it have failed
  47. Climate engineering carries serious national security risks − countries facing extreme heat may try it anyway, and the world needs to be prepared
  48. For some Christians, a solar eclipse signals the second coming of Christ
  49. Would you sit on a jury to review government regulations? Citizen oversight panels could make this process more open and democratic
  50. What is metabolism? A biochemist explains how different people convert energy differently − and why that matters for your health