For scholars like me who study environmental justice, it has been encouraging to see residents in Flint, Michigan and the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota organize against threats to their homes and health. But elsewhere in our country, other struggles are happening out of the spotlight – and often dragging on for years.

In Puerto...

After the election of Donald Trump, commentators have argued that German Chancellor Angela Merkel may become the leader of the free world, a role typically played by the president of the United States.

After 11 years as chancellor and as the leader of the largest economy in Europe, Merkel is certainly one of the most experienced heads of state in...

The Federal Reserve’s policy committee is expected to lift its target interest rate a quarter-point – to a range of 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent – at its final meeting of 2016.

The main reasons the Fed has kept rates near zero for eight years have been to...

For most of human history, people have been terrified by lightning. Frightening bolts from above, lightning was a tool of the gods to smite mortals for their hubris (or their unfortunate penchant for seeking shelter from storms under trees). The discovery and implementation of Benjamin...

When the Supreme Court took up Apple’s case alleging Samsung had stolen its patented iPhone designs for Samsung’s own smartphones, product designers, lawyers and corporate executives were paying close attention. The case promised to shed new light on a relatively unexplored area of patent law – design patents.

A...

President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 7 nominated Scott Pruitt to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt has close ties with the fossil fuel industry and has been an ardent critic of the agency. As attorney general of Oklahoma, Pruitt has led the legal fight against many of the EPA’s signature regulations during the Obama...

In recent weeks, the amount of online fake news that circulated during the final months of the presidential race is coming to light, a disturbing revelation that threatens to undermine the country’s democratic process. We’re already seeing some real-world...

One of the casualties of this year’s election will be the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an important part of President Barack Obama’s “pivot to Asia” that he had hoped would be a signature part of his legacy.

While both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton eventually came out against the agreement, the former made...

According to research from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, in 2011 about two-thirds of pregnant women had their teeth cleaned in the year prior to delivery, but only about one-half had their teeth cleaned during pregnancy. While plenty of factors may keep pregnant women from...

Pregnant women face a number of choices. Most are pretty noncontroversial: Don’t smoke or use drugs; avoid raw fish and eggs; get lots of rest. But one dilemma some pregnant women face is less intuitive: whether and how to treat their minds and bodies if they are depressed.

Much attention has focused on postpartum...