NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

The Conversation

Summer visitors to American parks choose safety first over freedom to roam

  • Written by B. Derrick Taff, Assistant Professor, Recreation, Park and Tourism Management, Professor-in-Charge of Graduate Studies, Pennsylvania State University
imageUtah's Bryce Canyon National Park hosted more than 2.5 million visitors in 2019.Anqi Lu/Unsplash, CC BY

In a typical summer, millions of Americans head outdoors to national parks, hiking trails and rivers across the U.S. This summer, because of COVID-19 precautions, getting outdoors will be different, although how different isn’t certain.

My...

Read more: Summer visitors to American parks choose safety first over freedom to roam

A window into the hearts and minds of billionaire donors

  • Written by Hans Peter Schmitz, Associate Professor, University of San Diego
imageSpanx founder Sara Blakely has signed the Giving Pledge.Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images for Massachusetts Conference for Women

As the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic toll increases, many billionaires and their foundations are making very public efforts to pitch in.

This push to give money to support everything from food banks to vaccine research comes...

Read more: A window into the hearts and minds of billionaire donors

What goes into the toilet doesn’t always stay there, and other coronavirus risks in public bathrooms

  • Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia
imagePublic restrooms aren't known for cleanliness to begin with.Jax10289/istock via Getty Images

Most public restrooms are grungy in the best of times. Now, we have the coronavirus risk to contend with, too. There are lots of risks – dirty sinks and door handles, airborne particles and other people in small, enclosed spaces who may or may not be...

Read more: What goes into the toilet doesn’t always stay there, and other coronavirus risks in public bathrooms

Science of 'Seinfeld'

  • Written by Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University
imageActors Jason Alexander (George), Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry), Michael Richards (Kramer) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine) stand behind bars in a scene during the last days of filming the final episode in Studio City, California, April 3, 1998. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

It’s been 31 years since a groundbreaking show about nothing first hit...

Read more: Science of 'Seinfeld'

A few superspreaders transmit the majority of coronavirus cases

  • Written by Elizabeth McGraw, Professor of Entomology and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University
imageA few people in the crowd will be responsible for the bulk of a disease’s spread.Pacific Press /LightRocket via Getty Images

The coronavirus has traveled the globe, infecting one person at a time. Some sick people might not spread the virus much further, but some people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 are what epidemiologists call...

Read more: A few superspreaders transmit the majority of coronavirus cases

Uprisings after pandemics have happened before – just look at the English Peasant Revolt of 1381

  • Written by Susan Wade, Associate Professor of History, Keene State College
imageIn this 1470 illustration, the radical priest John Ball galvanizes the rebels.The British Library

As a professor of medieval Europe, I’ve taught the bubonic plague, and how it contributed to the English Peasant Revolt of 1381. Now that America is experiencing widespread unrest in the midst of its own pandemic, I see some interesting...

Read more: Uprisings after pandemics have happened before – just look at the English Peasant Revolt of 1381

It's time to rethink the disrupted US food system from the ground up

  • Written by David R. Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington
imageCorn stover (stalks, leaves and cobs) left behind after harvesting becomes a mulch and cover crop for soybeans on a Tennessee farm.Lance Cheung, USDA

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic shutdowns have severely disrupted and spotlighted weaknesses in the U.S. food system. Farmers, food distributors and government agencies are working to reco...

Read more: It's time to rethink the disrupted US food system from the ground up

Rain plays a surprising role in making some restored prairies healthier than others

  • Written by Lars Brudvig, Associate Professor of Plant Biology, Michigan State University
imageA restored prairie in southern Michigan.Lars Brudvig

Prairies once covered an enormous area of North America, but today have been reduced to a small fraction of this historical range. Imagine an area the size of Texas, the second largest state, shrinking over the course of decades to an area the size of Massachusetts, the sixth smallest state.

Prair...

Read more: Rain plays a surprising role in making some restored prairies healthier than others

A new hybrid fungus is found in hospitals and linked to lung disease

  • Written by Jacob L. Steenwyk, Graduate Student of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University
imageTheseus fighting against the minotaur, a hybrid of man and bull.clu / Getty Images

From the mythical minotaur to the mule, creatures created from merging two or more distinct organisms – hybrids – have played defining roles in human history and culture. However, not all hybrids are as fantastic as the minotaur or as dependable as the...

Read more: A new hybrid fungus is found in hospitals and linked to lung disease

What is tear gas?

  • Written by Janice Chambers, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine; Director, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Mississippi State University
imagePolice officers wearing riot gear push back demonstrators shooting tear gas next to St. John's Episcopal Church outside of the White House, June 1, 2020 in Washington D.C., during a protest over the death of George Floyd.JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AFP via Getty Images

In the past week, there have been reports oftear gasbeing used to control crowds protesting...

Read more: What is tear gas?

More Articles ...

  1. Compare the flu pandemic of 1918 and COVID-19 with caution – the past is not a prediction
  2. A Lyme disease vaccine doesn't exist, but a yearly antibody shot shows promise at preventing infection
  3. We may be safer now from coronavirus than we were three months ago, but we're not totally safe
  4. A justification for unrest? Look no further than the Bible and the Founding Fathers
  5. How to protest during a pandemic and still keep everyone safe from coronavirus: 6 questions answered
  6. Why Hong Kong's untold history of protecting refugee rights matters now in its struggle with China
  7. Stripping voting rights from felons is about politics, not punishment
  8. Where are the African American leaders?
  9. COVID-19, smell and taste – how is COVID-19 different from other respiratory diseases?
  10. Here's a new way to do study abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
  11. Scientists tap the world's most powerful computers in the race to understand and stop the coronavirus
  12. It can't happen here – and then it did
  13. Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida and Texas beginning this summer – silver bullet or jumping the gun?
  14. Low-wage essential workers get less protection against coronavirus – and less information about how it spreads
  15. California's early shelter-in-place order may have saved 1,600 lives in one month
  16. Parasitic worms in your shellfish lead a creepy but popular lifestyle
  17. Physicists hunt for room-temperature superconductors that could revolutionize the world's energy system
  18. Kids need physical education – even when they can't get it at school
  19. New Jersey's small, networked dairy farms are a model for a more resilient food system
  20. Doctors can't treat COVID-19 effectively without recognizing the social justice aspects of health
  21. In Brazil's raging pandemic, domestic workers fear for their lives – and their jobs
  22. When it comes to reopening churches in the pandemic, Supreme Court says grace ain’t groceries
  23. Can the president really order the military to occupy US cities and states?
  24. George Floyd's death reflects the racist roots of American policing
  25. Militarization has fostered a policing culture that sets up protesters as 'the enemy'
  26. Americans' deepening financial stress will make the coronavirus a lot harder to contain
  27. How the Postal Service helped stamp identity on America – and continues to deliver a common bond today
  28. Mobile technology may support kids learning to recognize emotions in photos of faces
  29. Coronavirus deaths in San Francisco vs. New York: What causes such big differences in cities' tolls?
  30. India's coronavirus pandemic shines a light on the curse of caste
  31. Dying virtually: Pandemic drives medically assisted deaths online
  32. Opening up US will trigger more COVID-19 cases, but disease models suggest how to avoid a second peak
  33. From the research lab to your doctor's office – here's what happens in phase 1, 2, 3 drug trials
  34. Giving private schools federal emergency funds slated for low-income students will shortchange at-risk kids
  35. Coronavirus, 'Plandemic' and the seven traits of conspiratorial thinking
  36. Obamacare's insurance safety net protects many of the millions losing their employer-provided health insurance – but not all
  37. Does your AI discriminate?
  38. The lack of women in cybersecurity leaves the online world at greater risk
  39. Robo-boot concept promises 50% faster running
  40. Solar farms, power stations and water treatment plants can be attractions instead of eyesores
  41. How do Buddhists handle coronavirus? The answer is not just meditation
  42. How Little Richard helped launch the Beatles
  43. Death by numbers: How Vietnam War and coronavirus changed the way we mourn
  44. More than 1 in 5 Americans are taking care of their elderly, ill and disabled relatives and friends
  45. Who's in charge of lifting lockdowns?
  46. Megacity slums are incubators of disease – but coronavirus response isn't helping the billion people who live in them
  47. Prehistoric human footprints reveal a rare snapshot of ancient human group behavior
  48. What makes the wind?
  49. Social distancing is no reason to stop service learning – just do it online
  50. Everyday ethics: Stripping puts me in close contact with others – should I go back to work?