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4 ways 'internet of things' toys endanger children

  • Written by Marie-Helen Maras, Associate Professor, Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York
Are toys sharing too much information on the internet?mhong84/Shutterstock.com

As Amazon releases an Echo Dot smart-home device aimed at children, it’s entering a busy and growing marketplace. More than one-third of U.S. homes with children has at least one “internet of things” connected toy – like a cuddly creature who can...

Read more: 4 ways 'internet of things' toys endanger children

Sugars in mother's milk help shape baby's microbiome and ward off infection

  • Written by Steven Townsend, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University
Sugar mama? Researchers are teasing out the benefits of various molecules in human milk.Stefan Malmesjö, CC BY

While living in a mother’s womb, cushioned by amniotic fluid and protected from the outside world, babies have only minimal exposure to microorganisms like bacteria and viruses. Shortly after birth, a newborn’s collection...

Read more: Sugars in mother's milk help shape baby's microbiome and ward off infection

A hangover pill? Tests on drunk mice show promise

  • Written by Yunfeng Lu, Professor Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles
Keep the buzz. Lose the hangover.By bogdanhoda/Shutterstock.com

“Civilization begins with distillation,” said William Faulkner, a writer and drinker. Although our thirst for alcohol dates back to the Stone Age, nobody has figured out a good way to deal with the ensuing hangover after getting drunk.

As a chemical engineering professor...

Read more: A hangover pill? Tests on drunk mice show promise

Avoid high student debt and dropping out by asking these 4 questions about any college

  • Written by Jake Murray, Faculty Director for Professional Education, BU School of Education, Boston University
High student debt levels and low salaries can make it difficult for graduates to get ahead.Burlingham/www.shutterstock.com

Even though for-profit colleges get a bad rap for being predatory and leaving students saddled with debt but no degree, a significant number of private nonprofit and public colleges have the same issues.

For example, a recent...

Read more: Avoid high student debt and dropping out by asking these 4 questions about any college

How one early 20th-century performer defanged her fat-shamers

  • Written by Lauren Rebecca Sklaroff, Associate Professor of History, University of South Carolina
Sophie Tucker defiantly embraced her fuller figure. AP Photo/Remo Nassi

It’s all-too-common for women – especially those in the public spotlight – to be criticized for their weight. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Lena Dunham and Rihanna have borne the brunt of fat-shamers.

Amy Schumer’s recent film “I Feel Pretty”...

Read more: How one early 20th-century performer defanged her fat-shamers

Ohio voters make conservative choices in governor's primary – picking DeWine, Cordray

  • Written by Nathaniel Swigger, Associate Professor of Political Science, The Ohio State University
It's DeWine versus Cordray in the Ohio governor's race.AP Photo/John Minchillo

Ohio politics is shifting to the right.

As a political scientist at Ohio State University, that’s my takeaway from seeing Mike DeWine and Richard Cordray win overwhelming victories to secure their parties’ nominations in the primary for governor on May 8.

It...

Read more: Ohio voters make conservative choices in governor's primary – picking DeWine, Cordray

Lava, ash flows, mudslides and nasty gases: Good reasons to respect volcanoes

  • Written by Brittany Brand, Assistant Professor of Geosciences, Boise State University
Lava flow moves in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii, May 6, 2018.USGS via AP, CC BY

Volcanoes are beautiful and awe-inspiring, but the ongoing eruption of Kilauea on Hawaii’s Big Island is showing how dangerous these events can be. So far this event has destroyed dozens of homes and displaced hundreds of...

Read more: Lava, ash flows, mudslides and nasty gases: Good reasons to respect volcanoes

Studying chimpanzee calls for clues about the origins of human language

  • Written by Michael Wilson, Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota
Nisarg Desai observes wild chimps known as Sandi, Ferdinand and Siri in Tanzania.Michael Wilson, CC BY-ND

Freud, Wilkie and the other chimpanzees peacefully fed and rested in the sun-dappled Tanzanian forest. Mzee Hilali stood next to me, writing notes on the chimpanzees’ behavior, as he had been doing for over 30 years as a field assistant...

Read more: Studying chimpanzee calls for clues about the origins of human language

Why graduation rates lag for low-income college students

  • Written by Nathan Favero, Assistant Professor of Public Administration & Policy, American University School of Public Affairs
Just under half of all Pell Grant recipients graduate on time, new data show.Joseph Sohm/www.shutterstock.com

As college students nationwide prepare for graduation, a new analysis has shown that just under half of all those who receive Pell Grants – the federal government’s main form of direct financial aid for low-income students...

Read more: Why graduation rates lag for low-income college students

Presidents often reverse US foreign policy — how Trump handles setbacks is what matters most now

  • Written by Charles Hermann, Senior Professor, and Brent Scowcroft Chair Emeritus, Bush School of Government & Public Service, Texas A&M University

The United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, according to a May 8 announcement by President Donald Trump. The decision reverses a hardwon agreement that President Barack Obama negotiated with European allies, Russia, Iran and other nations in 2015.

This is hardly Trump’s first foreign policy turnaround.

The president plans to...

Read more: Presidents often reverse US foreign policy — how Trump handles setbacks is what matters most now

More Articles ...

  1. What Mary Shelley's Frankenstein teaches us about the need for mothers
  2. The thinking error at the root of science denial
  3. Ending sexual assault in youth detention centers
  4. Reading and singing to preemies helps parents feel comfortable with their fragile babies
  5. Cryptojacking spreads across the web
  6. The EPA says burning wood to generate power is 'carbon-neutral.' Is that true?
  7. Americans are becoming more socially isolated, but they're not feeling lonelier
  8. History shows why school prayer is so divisive
  9. Don't expect professors to get fired when they say something you don't like
  10. Making a cleaner, greener, environmentally safe sunscreen
  11. Spotting the political calculus behind some acts of corporate charity
  12. Is air pollution making you sick? 4 questions answered
  13. Most successful entrepreneurs are older than you think
  14. Redefining 'impact' so research can help real people right away, even before becoming a journal article
  15. Touch forms the foundation of the powerful human-horse relationship
  16. Should we celebrate Karl Marx on his 200th birthday?
  17. What is full employment? An economist explains the latest jobs data
  18. Dead zones are a global water pollution challenge – but with sustained effort they can come back to life
  19. Boycott China and avoid a trade war
  20. Unearthed mummy recalls an Iran before the ayatollahs
  21. Deadly highrise fire in Brazil spotlights city's housing crisis and the squatter movement it spawned
  22. Sexism isn't just unfair; it makes women sick, study suggests
  23. Michigan says Flint water is safe to drink, but residents' trust in government has corroded
  24. Are North Korean media outlets signaling that the regime is getting serious about diplomacy?
  25. That distinctive springtime smell: Asparagus pee
  26. Russians hack home internet connections – here's how to protect yourself
  27. The world's nuclear energy watchdogs: 4 questions answered
  28. Applying live bacteria to skin improves eczema
  29. As Israel turns 70, many young American Jews turn away
  30. #MeToo in the art world: Genius should not excuse sexual harassment
  31. As genetic testing for breast cancer gene mutation expands, questions arise about treatment decisions
  32. How artificial intelligence can detect – and create – fake news
  33. Ben Carson's effort to 'reform' housing safety net would deepen poverty by hurting poorest Americans
  34. Another problem with China's coal: Mercury in rice
  35. From the Middle East to the Kentucky Derby, the mint julep has always been about staying cool
  36. End of the gig economy? Don't read too much into a California court ruling
  37. Meet the ocean creatures that use a mesh of mucus to catch their food
  38. Could bats guide humans to clean drinking water in places where it's scarce?
  39. Are public objections to wind farms overblown?
  40. Feminist activists today should still look to 'Our Bodies, Ourselves'
  41. Anti-war protests 50 years ago helped mold the modern Christian right
  42. Bacteria may be powerful weapon against antibiotic resistance
  43. In Brazil, patients risk everything for the 'right to beauty'
  44. Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer ends mission after 'listening' to the universe
  45. Elements from the stars: The unexpected discovery that upended astrophysics 66 years ago
  46. Nicaragua protests threaten an authoritarian regime that looked like it might never fall
  47. 10 years after, Cyclone Nargis still holds lessons for Myanmar
  48. Why does Congress have a chaplain?
  49. Why Venezuelans are some of the unhappiest people in the world
  50. Central American migrant caravan begins crossing US border: 5 essential reads