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As genetic testing for breast cancer gene mutation expands, questions arise about treatment decisions

  • Written by Katherine Drabiak, Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Genomics, University of South Florida
Genetic testing for breast cancer gene mutations is now available. But it could lead to over treatment. Fotos593/Shutterstock.com

The Food and Drug Administration recently announced its authorization that permits genetics testing company 23andMe to market a test for gene mutations associated with risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

In response,...

Read more: As genetic testing for breast cancer gene mutation expands, questions arise about treatment...

How artificial intelligence can detect – and create – fake news

  • Written by Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University
Is that clickbait true?Crystal Eye Studio/Shutterstock.com

When Mark Zuckerberg told Congress Facebook would use artificial intelligence to detect fake news posted on the social media site, he wasn’t particularly specific about what that meant. Given my own work using image and video analytics, I suggest the company should be careful. Despite...

Read more: How artificial intelligence can detect – and create – fake news

Ben Carson's effort to 'reform' housing safety net would deepen poverty by hurting poorest Americans

  • Written by Alex Schwartz, Professor of Urban Policy, The New School
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson argues his housing reforms would increase self-sufficiency.AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

The Trump administration recently proposed fundamental changes to how the federal government helps low-income families pay for housing.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson claims his...

Read more: Ben Carson's effort to 'reform' housing safety net would deepen poverty by hurting poorest Americans

Another problem with China's coal: Mercury in rice

  • Written by Noelle Eckley Selin, Associate Professor of Data, Systems, and Society and Atmospheric Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mercury enters rice through local industrial activities and through burning coal. David Woo, CC BY-ND

Mercury pollution is a problem usually associated with fish consumption. Pregnant women and children in many parts of the world are advised to eat fish low in mercury to protect against the adverse health impacts, including neurological damages,...

Read more: Another problem with China's coal: Mercury in rice

From the Middle East to the Kentucky Derby, the mint julep has always been about staying cool

  • Written by Jeffrey Miller, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Hospitality Management, Colorado State University
A woman shares a mint julep with her husband before the running of the 2013 Kentucky Derby.David Goldman/AP Photo

The Kentucky Derby is about more than horses and hats. It’s also where one of the South’s favorite cocktails – the mint julep – takes center stage.

Since the 1930s, the drink – a mix of mint, syrup,...

Read more: From the Middle East to the Kentucky Derby, the mint julep has always been about staying cool

End of the gig economy? Don't read too much into a California court ruling

  • Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon
Uber and Lyft drivers shouldn't celebrate just yet. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

A recent California Supreme Court ruling is being hailed as a “game changer” for the gig economy.

That’s because the court adopted a more streamlined test for deciding whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee. Gig economy companies,...

Read more: End of the gig economy? Don't read too much into a California court ruling

Meet the ocean creatures that use a mesh of mucus to catch their food

  • Written by Kelly Sutherland, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Oregon
A pelagic snail ensnares food with with a mucous web.Linda Ianniello https://lindaiphotography.com, CC BY

All animals must eat to survive. If you’ve heard the term “grazer” before, it may bring to mind familiar farm animals, such as cows or sheep munching on pastureland. But the ocean has its own suite of grazers, with very...

Read more: Meet the ocean creatures that use a mesh of mucus to catch their food

Could bats guide humans to clean drinking water in places where it's scarce?

  • Written by Theresa Laverty, Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University
Long-eared Myotis bat (_Myotis septentrionalis_), photographed in Arizona.Srikanth Vk, CC BY

Desert life depends on reliable access to water. In Namibia’s stark Namib Desert, where I spent 18 months doing research for my Ph.D., wildlife concentrates around natural springs. Increasingly, animals there also rely on man-made ponds intended for...

Read more: Could bats guide humans to clean drinking water in places where it's scarce?

Are public objections to wind farms overblown?

  • Written by Jeremy Firestone, Professor, and Director of the Center for Carbon-free Power Integration (CCPI), University of Delaware
Wind turbines are becoming as American as haybales.MattJP, CC BY-SA

While most surveys suggest that the public generally supports wind and solar power, opposition from local communities and residents sometimes blocks or delays specific new projects.

Consider the ill-fated Cape Wind offshore project, which was slated to be powering Cape Cod by now....

Read more: Are public objections to wind farms overblown?

Feminist activists today should still look to 'Our Bodies, Ourselves'

  • Written by Sara Hayden, Professor of Communication Studies, The University of Montana
Nancy Miriam Hawley, founder of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, Inc., with different editions of 'Our Bodies, Ourselves' at her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Bizuayehu Tesfaye/AP Photo

In April 2018, the Our Bodies, Ourselves collective, the group responsible for publishing the book of the same name, decided to stop offering new...

Read more: Feminist activists today should still look to 'Our Bodies, Ourselves'

More Articles ...

  1. Anti-war protests 50 years ago helped mold the modern Christian right
  2. Bacteria may be powerful weapon against antibiotic resistance
  3. In Brazil, patients risk everything for the 'right to beauty'
  4. Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer ends mission after 'listening' to the universe
  5. Elements from the stars: The unexpected discovery that upended astrophysics 66 years ago
  6. Nicaragua protests threaten an authoritarian regime that looked like it might never fall
  7. 10 years after, Cyclone Nargis still holds lessons for Myanmar
  8. Why does Congress have a chaplain?
  9. Why Venezuelans are some of the unhappiest people in the world
  10. Central American migrant caravan begins crossing US border: 5 essential reads
  11. How does Congress have chaplains without violating the separation of church and state?
  12. Nike's #MeToo moment shows how 'legal' harassment can lead to illegal discrimination
  13. Will Trump's ire force Montana’s Senator Tester away from political center?
  14. Why top US universities have law schools but not police schools
  15. Nazis pressed ham radio hobbyists to serve the Third Reich – but surviving came at a price
  16. Being clear about your last wishes can make death easier for you and loved ones
  17. Technology is better than ever – but thousands of Americans still die in car crashes every year
  18. 3 vital ways to measure how much a university education is worth
  19. Black employees in the service industry pay an emotional tax at work
  20. The goal in Korea should be peace and trade – not unification
  21. Nitrogen from rock could fuel more plant growth around the world – but not enough to prevent climate change
  22. Local governments' cybersecurity crisis in 8 charts
  23. Your genome may have already been hacked
  24. I did research at Rajneeshpuram, and here is what I learned
  25. The deadliest drug in America at center of VA nominee withdrawal: Alcohol
  26. Tariffs are the wrong weapon in fight against China's 'pirates' – here's the right one
  27. With the Supreme Court's pending sports gambling decision, states are already prepping for legalization
  28. George H. W. Bush has sepsis - why is it so dangerous?
  29. Internet openness pits collaborative history against competitive future
  30. The internet is designed for corporations, not people
  31. Want to understand gun owners? Watch their videos
  32. As the Royal Wedding approaches, what can one of the world’s greatest novels teach us about marriage?
  33. We calculated how much money trees save for your city
  34. Pompeo confirmation makes Mideast war more likely
  35. 3 reasons why teachers are striking right now
  36. Armenia rejects the 'politics of eternity'
  37. Senate confirmation: The grilling can be grueling
  38. VA nominee debacle may distract from the agency's 3 major problems
  39. Why cities are becoming reluctant to host the World Cup and other big events
  40. An addiction researcher shares 6 strategies to address the opioid epidemic
  41. How transshipment may undercut Trump's tariffs
  42. Melting Arctic sends a message: Climate change is here in a big way
  43. Mother's milk holds the key to unlocking an evolutionary mystery from the last ice age
  44. When college tuition goes up, campus diversity goes down
  45. Female firefighters defy old ideas of who can be an American hero
  46. Invoking noble coal miners is a mainstay of American politics
  47. Beaches are becoming safer for baby sea turtles, but threats await them in the ocean
  48. Immigration policies can make the difference between life and death for newborn US children
  49. Defending hospitals against life-threatening cyberattacks
  50. How the pretzel went from soft to hard – and other little-known facts about one of the world's favorite snacks