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Kids exposed to flame retardant PBDE are at risk for lifelong liver or cardiovascular problems

  • Written by Alexander Suvorov, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Most baby clothes, toys, bedding and furniture are treated with flame-retardant chemicals.vkuslandia/SHutterstock.com

What factors determine if you will experience healthy and cheerful aging or if it will turn into an endless chain of suffering from numerous health conditions?

Many factors shape our health, including genetics, diet, physical...

Read more: Kids exposed to flame retardant PBDE are at risk for lifelong liver or cardiovascular problems

Did a censored female writer inspire Hemingway's famous style?

  • Written by Cynthia Wachtell, Research Associate Professor of American Studies & Director of the S. Daniel Abrham Honors Program, Yeshiva University
A photograph of Ellen N. La Motte soon after completing 'The Backwash of War' in 1916.Courtesy of the National Archives, College Park, Maryland, Author provided

Virtually everyone has heard of Ernest Hemingway. But you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who knows of Ellen N. La Motte.

People should.

She is the extraordinary World War I nurse...

Read more: Did a censored female writer inspire Hemingway's famous style?

So you want to tax the rich – here's which candidate's plan makes the most sense

  • Written by Beverly Moran, Professor of Law and Sociology, Vanderbilt University
More Americans agree with plans to raise taxes on the wealthy.Rena Schild/Shutterstock.com

Several Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates are proposing taxes on the richest Americans as a way to reduce income and wealth inequality.

But while they agree that the wealthiest need to contribute more to the government’s coffers, they...

Read more: So you want to tax the rich – here's which candidate's plan makes the most sense

Brain scan evidence in criminal sentencing: A blessing and a curse

  • Written by Corey Hill Allen, Ph.D. Candidate in Neuroscience, Georgia State University
Which way does neurobiological evidence tip the scales in sentencing?Alexander Kirch/Shutterstock.com

Brain evidence is playing an increasing role in criminal trials in the United States. An analysis indicates that brain evidence such as MRI or CAT scans – meant to provide proof of abnormalities, brain damage or disorder in defendants –...

Read more: Brain scan evidence in criminal sentencing: A blessing and a curse

Anti-vaxxers appear to be losing ground in the online vaccine debate

  • Written by Filippo Menczer, Professor of Informatics and Computer Science, Indiana University
Scientific evidence is clear: Vaccination is good for people and society. Online discussions are increasingly reflecting that reality.gorillaimages/Shutterstock.com

As measles outbreaks spread across the U.S., our new look at how information about vaccine safety and reliability spreads online suggests that the tide may be turning against the...

Read more: Anti-vaxxers appear to be losing ground in the online vaccine debate

7 unexpected things that libraries offer besides books

  • Written by Mila Gascó-Hernández, Research Associate Professor and Associate Research Director for the Center for Technology in Government, University at Albany, State University of New York
Libraries are offering new and innovative things that belie their historic image as silent places to read.Author provided

Local libraries are often thought of as places to check out books or engage in some silent reading. But libraries offer so much more than just what can be found on their shelves or done in hushed tones.

And, in some instances,...

Read more: 7 unexpected things that libraries offer besides books

The unique vulnerabilities and needs of teen survivors of mass shootings

  • Written by David Rosenberg, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Wayne State University
Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shootings in Parkland, Fla., speaking at a demonstration in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2018. Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

The tragic deaths of Sydney Aiello and Calvin Desir, teen survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, remind us that for too...

Read more: The unique vulnerabilities and needs of teen survivors of mass shootings

Is it the end of 'statistical significance'? The battle to make science more uncertain

  • Written by Valen E. Johnson, University Distinguished Professor and Department Head of Statistics, Texas A&M University
Some scientists think it's time to hang up statistical significance.mariakraynova/Shutterstock.com

The scientific world is abuzz following recommendations by two of the most prestigious scholarly journals – The American Statistician and Nature – that the term “statistical significance” be retired.

In their introduction to the...

Read more: Is it the end of 'statistical significance'? The battle to make science more uncertain

As its ruling dynasty withers, Gabon – a US ally and guardian of French influence in Africa – ponders its future

  • Written by Gyldas A. Ofoulhast-Othamot, Adjunct professor, Political Science and International Studies, University of Tampa

The fragility of one of the world’s longest-lasting political dynasties was exposed when the military attempted a coup in Gabon in January.

The coup, orchestrated by junior members of Gabon’s military, failed to unseat Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose family has run the central African country since the late 1960s. And Gabon’s next...

Read more: As its ruling dynasty withers, Gabon – a US ally and guardian of French influence in Africa –...

Atheism has been part of many Asian traditions for millennia

  • Written by Signe Cohen, Associate Professor and Department Chair, University of Missouri-Columbia
Atheism is not a modern concept.Zoe Margolis, CC BY-NC-ND

A group of atheists and secularists recently gathered in Southern California to talk about social and political issues. This was the first of three summits planned by the Secular Coalition for America, an advocacy group based in Washington D.C.

To many, atheism – the lack of belief in a...

Read more: Atheism has been part of many Asian traditions for millennia

More Articles ...

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  2. Citizen science shows that climate change is rapidly reshaping Long Island Sound
  3. How state power regulators are making utilities account for the costs of climate change
  4. Rail travel is cleaner than driving or flying, but will Americans buy in?
  5. Microbes that live in fishes' slimy mucus coating could lead chemists to new antibiotic drugs
  6. Last of the giants: What killed off Madagascar's megafauna a thousand years ago?
  7. Data reveals the value of an assist in basketball
  8. What happens to rural and small-town Trump voters after Trump is gone?
  9. Medicaid work requirements: Is there a path forward that could help the poor, not harm them?
  10. Jessie Simmons: How a schoolteacher became an unsung hero of the civil rights movement
  11. For a flooded Midwest, climate forecasts offer little comfort
  12. Want to fix gerrymandering? Then the Supreme Court needs to listen to mathematicians
  13. What Oklahoma's opioid settlement means for other states, cities and counties suing Purdue Pharma
  14. Why pay transparency alone won't eliminate the persistent wage gap between men and women
  15. How single women are driving gentrification in Hong Kong and elsewhere
  16. Net price calculators were supposed to make it easier to understand the cost of college – instead, many are making it more difficult
  17. Do you have a moral duty to pay taxes?
  18. Nonprofits that scrimp on overhead aren't necessarily better than those spending more
  19. When Ebola and other epidemics strike, a dysfunctional 'outbreak culture' hinders adequate response
  20. What you need to know about the Mueller report: 4 essential reads
  21. When medical workers behave badly during disease outbreaks, everyone suffers
  22. Attacks against elections are inevitable – Estonia shows what can be done
  23. The surprising (and Long) story of the first use of ether in surgery
  24. Fending off new Sackler money is easier for museums and schools than returning old gifts
  25. An unexpected pathway to treating neurodegenerative diseases
  26. How the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings turned baseball into a national sensation
  27. Principle behind Google's April Fools' pigeon prank proves more than a joke
  28. Extreme weather news may not change climate change skeptics' minds
  29. You'll hear these 4 arguments in defense of the Electoral College – here's why they're wrong
  30. DOJ efforts to kill Obamacare, the cat with 9 lives, could cause health care havoc for millions
  31. Supreme Court to rule on use of religious symbols in war memorials
  32. The science and politics of genetically engineered salmon: 5 questions answered
  33. How higher ed can earn the public's trust after the admissions scandal
  34. Statistics ruined baseball by perfecting it
  35. Beyond 'Bandersnatch,' the future of interactive TV is bright
  36. How social media is helping Big Tobacco hook a new generation of smokers
  37. Trump and obstruction of justice: An explainer
  38. Russia responds to Mueller report: Moscow wins, Putin is stronger than Trump and US is a 'global pain in the a--'
  39. Russia responds to Mueller report: Moscow wins, Putin is stronger than Trump and US is a 'pain in the a - -'
  40. Romney's Mormon religion helps explain his criticism of Trump
  41. In the future, everyone might use quantum computers
  42. Colorectal cancer increase in younger adults: What could be the cause?
  43. Why the next terror manifesto could be even harder to track
  44. 7 tips to stay safe while studying abroad
  45. Apollo 11 brought a message of peace to the Moon - but Neil and Buzz almost forgot to leave it behind
  46. Dynasties still run the world
  47. Boeing is doing crisis management all wrong – here's what a company needs to do to restore the public's trust
  48. A chess program helped this 8-year-old raise $240,000 and get his family out of a homeless shelter – here's what to look for in a chess program for your child
  49. The promise and peril of the Dominican baseball pipeline
  50. Why the Vatican needs to open its archives on Pope Pius XII