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A realistic statue of Mary giving birth was criticized, then vandalized − but saints and artists have often reimagined Christ’s birth

  • Written by Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emerita, College of the Holy Cross
imageA silhouette of onlookers in front of Esther Strauss' sculpture 'Crowning.' Michel M. Raguin with cooperation of the Mariendom Linz , CC BY

A sculpture of the Virgin Mary showing her giving birth to Jesus was recently attacked and beheaded. Called “Crowning” by the artist Esther Strauss, the sculpture had been part of a temporary...

Read more: A realistic statue of Mary giving birth was criticized, then vandalized − but saints and artists...

‘Cajun Navy’ volunteers who participate in search-and-rescue operations after hurricanes are forming long-lasting organizations

  • Written by Kyle Breen, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M International University
imageVolunteers with Savage Freedoms Relief Operation coordinates aid in Swannanoa, on Oct. 7, 2024, after Hurricane Helene severely damaged the North Carolina town.Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images

The volunteers who take part in search-and-rescue operations and then support disaster survivors belong to organizations that have become more formal and...

Read more: ‘Cajun Navy’ volunteers who participate in search-and-rescue operations after hurricanes are...

Machine learning cracked the protein-folding problem and won the 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry

  • Written by Marc Zimmer, Professor of Chemistry, Connecticut College
imageProtein molecules can have complicated structures that dictate their functions.Christoph Burgstedt/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

The 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry recognized Demis Hassabis, John Jumper and David Baker for using machine learning to tackle one of biology’s biggest challenges: predicting the 3D shape of proteins and...

Read more: Machine learning cracked the protein-folding problem and won the 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry

Buyer beware: Off-brand Ozempic, Zepbound and other weight loss products carry undisclosed risks for consumers

  • Written by C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

In just a few years, brand-name injectable drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound have rocketed to fame as billion-dollar annual sellers for weight loss as well as to control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.

But the price of these injections is steep: They cost about US$800-$1,000 per month, and if used for...

Read more: Buyer beware: Off-brand Ozempic, Zepbound and other weight loss products carry undisclosed risks...

Columbus who? Decolonizing the calendar in Latin America

  • Written by Elena Jackson Albarrán, Associate Professor of History and Global and Intercultural Studies, Miami University
imageDemonstrators make graffiti reading 'Columbus Out, Long Live the People' on a fence protecting a statue of Christopher Columbus in Mexico City on Oct. 12, 2020. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images

This is the season of patriotism in Latin America as many countries commemorate their independence from colonial powers. From July to September, public...

Read more: Columbus who? Decolonizing the calendar in Latin America

Blitz of political attack ads in Pennsylvania and other swing states may be doing candidates and voters more harm than good

  • Written by Heather LaMarre, Associate Professor of Media and Communication, Temple University
imageNearly $11 billion is projected to be spent on political advertising in the 2024 fall election season.PM Images/DigitalVision Collection via Getty Images

For Pennsylvania residents like me, there is no escape from the record-breaking number of political attack ads disrupting our favorite shows and filling our social media feeds.

A projected US$10.7...

Read more: Blitz of political attack ads in Pennsylvania and other swing states may be doing candidates and...

Misspoke: The long and winding road to becoming a political weasel word

  • Written by Valerie M. Fridland, Professor of Linguistics, University of Nevada, Reno
imageDemocratic candidate Tim Walz, during the vice presidential debate in which he said he ‘misspoke’ about being in Hong Kong during Tiananmen Square protests.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

During the Sept. 24, 2024, debate, Democratic vice presidential hopeful Tim Walz said he “misspoke” when asked to clarify his story of...

Read more: Misspoke: The long and winding road to becoming a political weasel word

DEA could reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive category – a drug policy expert weighs the pros and cons

  • Written by Chris Meyers, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, George Washington University
imageThe move would not make marijuana legal at the federal level for recreational use and would require dispensaries to comply with medical marijuana requirements.Nathalie Jamois/SOPA Images, LightRocket via Getty Images

The Drug Enforcement Administration announced in early 2024 that it would act on President Joe Biden’s call to reclassify...

Read more: DEA could reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive category – a drug policy expert weighs the...

So you don’t like Trump or Harris – here’s why it’s still best to vote for one of them

  • Written by Daniel F. Stone, Associate Professor of Economics, Bowdoin College
imageIn a close election, every vote really does matter.Nadzeya Haroshka/iStock / Getty Images Plus

Many Americans are not thrilled with either of the two major-party candidates for president. As of Oct. 4, 2024, polls showed that 46.5% had an unfavorable opinion of Kamala Harris and 52.6% felt unfavorably toward Donald Trump.

Some of these unhappy...

Read more: So you don’t like Trump or Harris – here’s why it’s still best to vote for one of them

More Articles ...

  1. Though home to about 50 white extremist groups, Ohio’s social and political landscape is undergoing rapid racial change
  2. The woman who revolutionized the fantasy genre is finally getting her due
  3. 5 kinds of American evangelicals and their voting patterns
  4. Harris proposes that Medicare cover more in-home health care, filling a large gap for older Americans and their caregivers
  5. Nobel Prize in physics spotlights key breakthroughs in AI revolution − making machines that learn
  6. How foreign operations are manipulating social media to influence your views
  7. Trump and Harris are sharply divided on science, but share common ground on US technology policy
  8. Can Montana’s ‘last rural Democrat’ survive another election?
  9. Is it COVID-19? Flu? At-home rapid tests could help you and your doctor decide on a treatment plan
  10. Kamala Harris has spoken of her racial backgrounds − but a shared identity isn’t enough to attract supporters
  11. ‘No antidote for bad polls’: Recalling the New York Times’ 1956 election experiment in shoe-leather reporting
  12. Why wildfires started by human activities can be more destructive and harder to contain
  13. European court ruling finds just cause to award soccer players greater freedom of movement
  14. Swing state voters along the Great Lakes love cleaner water and beaches − and candidates from both parties have long fished for support there
  15. Hurricane Milton explodes into a powerful Category 5 storm as it heads for Florida − here’s how rapid intensification works
  16. Many stable atoms have ‘magic numbers’ of protons and neutrons − 75 years ago, 2 physicists discovered their special properties
  17. MicroRNA is the Nobel-winning master regulator of the genome – researchers are learning to treat disease by harnessing how it controls genes
  18. How Hurricane Helene became a deadly disaster across six states
  19. Air pollution inside Philly’s subway is much worse than on the streets
  20. When and why do girls start forming cliques?
  21. NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s − a crewed mission could unlock some of the red planet’s geologic mysteries
  22. Why would people vote for Kamala Harris? 5 things to understand about why her supporters back her
  23. How a newspaper revolution sparked protesters and influencers, disinformation and the Civil War
  24. A year ago, the hostages were a rallying point for solidarity in Israel – now, their families are symbols of the country’s sharp divides
  25. Colleges could benefit from taking a data-driven look at hostility toward Jews on campus
  26. Palestinians want to choose their own leaders – a year of war has distanced them further from this democratic goal
  27. A year of escalating conflict in the Middle East has ushered in a new era of regional displacement
  28. Dockworkers pause strike after Biden administration’s appeal to patriotism hits the mark
  29. A year after Hamas attack, more continuity than change for the Palestinians and Israel
  30. Some online conspiracy-spreaders don’t even believe the lies they’re spewing
  31. Trees’ own beneficial microbiome could lead to discovery of new treatments to fight citrus greening disease
  32. Nuclear rockets could travel to Mars in half the time − but designing the reactors that would power them isn’t easy
  33. Low pay, high staff turnover and employee burnout took a toll on social service nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic − new research
  34. As Yelp turns 20, online reviews continue to confound and confuse shoppers
  35. Kamala Harris illustrates how complex identity is − and the pressure many multiracial people feel to put themselves in one ‘box’
  36. Iran’s strike on Israel was retaliatory – but it was also about saving face and restoring deterrence
  37. Presidential immunity has clear limits, special counsel filing says, and Trump should be tried for efforts to overturn 2020 election
  38. Up against Hank Greenberg, baseball’s first Jewish superstar, antisemitism struck out
  39. Israeli actions have the cover of ‘moral hazard’ − a touch of ambiguity might give US pressure greater weight
  40. Black Pentecostal and charismatic Christians are boosting their visibility in politics − a shift from the past
  41. Bottled up in the Black Sea: Russia is having a dreadful naval war, hindering its great power ambitions
  42. Latino voters are a growing force in Pennsylvania’s old industrial towns − and they could provide Harris or Trump with their margin of victory
  43. Centuries ago, the Maya storm god Huracán taught that when we damage nature, we damage ourselves
  44. In ‘Nobody Wants This,’ rom-com gets century-old tropes with a new twist – the cute rabbi
  45. UAW is threatening new, smaller strikes against Stellantis − while contending with pressure from a court-appointed monitor
  46. What to expect from federal judges appointed by Trump or Harris − based on what we’ve seen from Trump and Biden picks for the Supreme Court and lower courts
  47. While Republicans are downplaying abortion ahead of November, Democrats are leaning in on the issue
  48. More and more, business schools want to show they’re making a positive impact on society. But how should they measure it?
  49. Cities are clearing encampments, but this won’t solve homelessness − here’s a better way forward
  50. Gut microbe imbalances could predict a child’s risk for autism, ADHD and speech disorders years before symptoms appear