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Reclassification of marijuana opens doors for much-needed medical research into the benefits and risks of the drug

  • Written by Carey S. Cadieux, Associate Professor of Nursing, Binghamton University, State University of New York
imageThe new federal classification of marijuana regulates only medical use; recreational use is still determined by state laws.tvirbickis/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When the U.S. Department of Justice moved to reclassify medical marijuana to a Schedule III drug on April 23, 2026, it set the stage for a vast amount of medical research that has been...

Read more: Reclassification of marijuana opens doors for much-needed medical research into the benefits and...

Stockings once worn by Philly’s wealthiest man show the value of women’s mending in early America

  • Written by Emily J. Whitted, Ph.D. Candidate in Early American History, UMass Amherst

At the time of his death in 1831, Stephen Girard – a Philadelphia merchant, banker and philanthropist – was the wealthiest man in the United States. In his will, he left the city of Philadelphia an extraordinary gift of roughly US$6 million, which is almost $227 million today.

Girard also left instructions to use a portion of this gift...

Read more: Stockings once worn by Philly’s wealthiest man show the value of women’s mending in early America

Thousands of employed Colorado workers need SNAP benefits to make ends meet

  • Written by Jennifer C. Greenfield, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Denver
imageIn Colorado, even as the minimum wage has increased, thousands of workers still need food assistance.Mark Felix / AFP via Getty Images

In Colorado, more than 600,000 workers received benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, in October 2025. This federal program protects low-income children, disabled adults and...

Read more: Thousands of employed Colorado workers need SNAP benefits to make ends meet

Trump’s Medicaid fraud crackdown may sound sensible, but it could harm Americans who require long-term care

  • Written by Marc Cohen, Professor of Gerontology, UMass Boston
imageU.S. Vice President JD Vance listens as Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, speaks about healthcare fraud.Alex Wong/Getty Images

Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, is ordering all states to step up their efforts to crack down on Medicaid fraud.

His April 21, 2026,...

Read more: Trump’s Medicaid fraud crackdown may sound sensible, but it could harm Americans who require...

The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy is creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that harm water and health of world’s poor

  • Written by Abraham Nunbogu, Researcher, Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWa, United Nations University
imageAn artisanal miner holds a cobalt stone at a mine near Kolwezi, Congo, in 2022. About 20,000 people work there among toxic materials.Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images

There is a troubling contradiction at the heart of the global transition to a cleaner, greener, tech-driven future: Modern technologies – everything from AI to wind turbines,...

Read more: The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy is creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that harm...

UAE’s OPEC exit has been long in the works – and may mark the beginning of a Gulf realignment

  • Written by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute, Rice University
imageThe Emiratis are poised to turn their back on their oil cartel buddies.Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images

The United Arab Emirates’ decision to withdraw from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will leave the oil cartel weakened at a crucial time. It also illustrates the ongoing tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia,...

Read more: UAE’s OPEC exit has been long in the works – and may mark the beginning of a Gulf realignment

Facial recognition data is a key to your identity – if stolen, you can’t just change the locks

  • Written by Jonathan S. Weissman, Principal Lecturer of Cybersecurity, Rochester Institute of Technology
imageWhen you're out and about, your face isn't just visible − it's captured.John Keeble/Getty Images

A woman strolls into a grocery store, thinking about grabbing some apples. Before she even reaches the produce aisle, a security camera has scanned her face. Whether the system is checking for shoplifters or simply logging her arrival, her face...

Read more: Facial recognition data is a key to your identity – if stolen, you can’t just change the locks

More than 140,000 Americans die from COPD each year – here’s why survival depends on more than avoiding smoking

  • Written by Olamide Asifat, Physician and Doctoral Researcher in Public Health, Georgia Southern University
imageCOPD puts people at risk for many other adverse health conditions.AndreyPopov/iStock via Getty Images PlusimageThe Conversation, CC BY-ND

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, caused 141,733 deaths in the United States in 2023 – the latest data that has been reported. That number reflects not just the effects of smoking, but a broader...

Read more: More than 140,000 Americans die from COPD each year – here’s why survival depends on more than...

Wearable glucose monitors offer real-time data, but for healthy people no guidelines exist to interpret the numbers

  • Written by Liao Yue, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, University of Texas at Arlington
imageContinuous glucose monitors once required a prescription but can now be purchased over the counter. Jesus Rodriguez/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Keeping tabs on blood sugar throughout the day used to be the exclusive domain of people with diabetes. But in 2026, anyone can buy a user-friendly wearable device that provides minute-by-minute readouts...

Read more: Wearable glucose monitors offer real-time data, but for healthy people no guidelines exist to...

How the concept of ‘medical freedom’ is reshaping the military’s decades-long stance on the flu vaccine mandate − and endangering troops’ readiness

  • Written by Katrine L. Wallace, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois Chicago
imageVaccine mandates in the U.S. military are nearly as old as the country itself.jacoblund/iStock via Getty Images Plus

For the first time in almost 80 years, U.S. service members will no longer be mandated to receive the annual influenza vaccine.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the change on April 22, 2026. Citing medical autonomy and...

Read more: How the concept of ‘medical freedom’ is reshaping the military’s decades-long stance on the flu...

More Articles ...

  1. Reading gains in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are often touted, but don’t show full picture of literacy
  2. Tapping your genome with AI and quantum computing could deliver on the promise of personalized medicine – but practical and ethical hurdles remain
  3. Your local storm forecast is likely based on weather miles away – we’re trying to bring it closer to home
  4. Why is water wet?
  5. Potential signs of life on distant planets sound exciting – but confirmation can take years
  6. Perseverance doesn’t always pay off for companies – sometimes it’s better to ‘fail fast’
  7. Texas proposes Bible readings for K-12 students, reigniting century-old legal battle over their place in public schools
  8. Donkeys are a symbol of endurance for Palestinians – they are also a target of settler violence and care
  9. America’s founding promise of religious freedom has long coexisted with prejudice, even as many Christians have worked to confront it
  10. Older Americans who vote live longer than those who don’t – new research
  11. Sora’s downfall signals broader problems with AI’s creative utility
  12. Latest attack threatening President Trump reflects rising political violence in US
  13. What to know about sex trafficking as Pittsburgh hosts the NFL draft
  14. Justice Department’s effort to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans could face widespread judicial pushback
  15. What the Declaration of Independence does – and doesn’t – say about God
  16. Meloni and Trump’s cooling relationship marks the failure of an EU-MAGA middle ground
  17. ‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries – including criticism of Iran war
  18. Boom in cremation hides surprising truths about what Americans really want when they die
  19. You probably wouldn’t notice if an AI chatbot slipped ads into its responses
  20. What is black garlic? How heat and humidity turn a pungent ingredient mild and slightly sweet
  21. ‘Affordable’ Pittsburgh doesn’t have enough affordable housing – here’s why
  22. China surpasses US in research spending – the consequences extend far beyond scientific ranking and clout
  23. Trump administration’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center breaks with norms – and may lack evidence of criminal wrongdoing
  24. Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of the reason
  25. Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of the cause
  26. Supreme Court’s ‘shadow docket’ brings hasty decisions with long-lasting implications, outside of its usual careful deliberation
  27. School gardens help students learn science and connect with agriculture – but making them happen isn’t easy
  28. The new brain break app for Philadelphia students raises questions about more screen time
  29. Many churches, synagogues and mosques are built around families – and they’re struggling to respond to rising singles
  30. New reading textbooks, same problem: Why children’s reading scores in the US aren’t rising
  31. What we lose when artificial intelligence does our shopping
  32. If Justice Alito resigns before the midterms, a Trump nominee to the Supreme Court is likely to sail through confirmation
  33. Extreme rain on snow is testing aging dams across Michigan and Wisconsin – this is the future in a warming world
  34. Heavy rain on snow is testing aging dams across Michigan and Wisconsin – this is the future in a warming world
  35. Sorry, Tampa Bay, mixed-use districts don’t reverse the dismal economics of sports venues
  36. Chernobyl at 40: Secret Stasi files reveal extent of Soviet misinformation campaign over nuclear disaster
  37. What a Muslim folk trickster can teach us about the danger of holding a single worldview
  38. Rotavirus cases in children are rising – but a highly effective vaccine has slashed hospitalizations from the virus by 80% in 2 decades
  39. Is Trump heading to a Pyrrhic victory in Iran?
  40. High school yearbooks focus on the fun students had, obscuring the pain people also experienced
  41. HEPA air purifiers may boost brain power in adults over 40 – new research
  42. Why Trump can’t just decree changes to voting by mail – a former federal judge explains how the president’s executive order is ‘a solution looking for a problem’
  43. How personal finance advice is getting political, thanks to ‘finfluencers’
  44. It’s a sing-off! Myth-busting about birds and sex when it comes to defending the nest
  45. Why the US military is stuck using $1 million missiles against Iran’s $20,000 drones
  46. Research at Chernobyl and Fukushima shows how radioactive materials move in the environment
  47. Hurricanes devastated Florida’s East Coast – then seagrass made an unexpected comeback
  48. Attending multiple places of worship is the norm for many Americans
  49. Agricultural work is dangerous – but good communication can save lives in Colorado
  50. Signs of economic instability emerge in Oakland County, one of Michigan’s wealthiest