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Health risks are rising in mountain areas flooded by Hurricane Helene and cut off from clean water, power and hospitals

  • Written by Jennifer Horney, Professor of Epidemiology and Core Faculty of Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware
imageFlooding across North Carolina's mountains left many residents with muddy, debris-strewn yards and flooded homesMelissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

Hurricane Helene’s flooding has subsided, but health risks are growing in hard-hit regions of the North Carolina mountains, where many people lost access to power and clean water.

More than 150 deaths...

Read more: Health risks are rising in mountain areas flooded by Hurricane Helene and cut off from clean...

Being ‘mindful’ about your bank account can bring more than peace of mind − a researcher explains the payoff

  • Written by Emily N. Garbinsky, Associate Professor of Marketing, Cornell University
imageProducts tout 'mindfulness' in financial planning, but it's not always clear what that means.Oscar Wong/Moment via Getty Images

Mindfulness, the meditation practice that brings one’s attention to present experiences, is gaining traction in the business world.

Researchers have long known that being mindful causes physical and mental benefits...

Read more: Being ‘mindful’ about your bank account can bring more than peace of mind − a researcher explains...

Yes, calling someone ‘mentally disabled’ causes real harm

  • Written by Kathleen Béres Rogers, Professor of English and Director, Program in Medical Humanities, College of Charleston
imageDonald Trump at an Erie, Pa., rally on Sept. 29, 2024, at which he said Democratic rival Kamala Harris was 'mentally impaired.'Dustin Franz/AFP/Getty Images

In a recent speech, Donald Trump used the language of intelligence, or intellectual impairment, as a weapon against Kamala Harris. And he used similar language about vice presidential candidate...

Read more: Yes, calling someone ‘mentally disabled’ causes real harm

Kamala Harris’ and Donald Trump’s records on abortion policy couldn’t be more different – here’s what actions they both have taken while in office

  • Written by Rachel Rebouché, Professor of Law, Temple University
imageDemocratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris shakes hands with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during their debate on Sept. 10, 2024. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Abortion is a critical, if not the most important, issue for many voters – especially women, according to polls – ahead of the U.S. presidential election in...

Read more: Kamala Harris’ and Donald Trump’s records on abortion policy couldn’t be more different – here’s...

Want to solve a complex problem? Applied math can help

  • Written by Alan Veliz-Cuba, Associate Professor of Mathematics, University of Dayton
imageApplied mathematicians use math to model real-world situations.Ariel Skelley/DigitalVision via Getty Images

You can probably think of a time when you’ve used math to solve an everyday problem, such as calculating a tip at a restaurant or determining the square footage of a room. But what role does math play in solving complex problems such as...

Read more: Want to solve a complex problem? Applied math can help

You can count female physics Nobel laureates on one hand – recent winners have wisdom for young women in the field

  • Written by Filomena Nunes, Professor of Physics, Michigan State University
imageThe Nobel Prize is regarded as one of the most prestigious medals in science.Angela Weiss/Pool Photo via AP, File

Out of 225 people awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, only five have been women. This is a very small number, and certainly smaller than 50% – the percent of women in the human population.

Despite several studiesexposing the...

Read more: You can count female physics Nobel laureates on one hand – recent winners have wisdom for young...

Being bullied in high school can make teens less optimistic about the future

  • Written by Hannah L. Schacter, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Wayne State University
imageBullying that leads to exclusion and damaged relationships can be particularly harmful.HRAUN/E+ via Getty Images

The effects of bullying on teens’ mental health are well-documented. But could bullying also shape their future aspirations?

Our latest research reveals that teens who are bullied in ninth grade become more pessimistic about their...

Read more: Being bullied in high school can make teens less optimistic about the future

Congress is trying to force carmakers to keep AM radio − it should also use this opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past

  • Written by Matthew Jordan, Professor of Media Studies, Penn State
imageIn the 1950s, transistor technology allowed smaller radios to be installed in the dashboard.H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock via Getty Images

A lament about the demise of AM radio has been rising in the halls of Congress.

Several automakers, most notably Tesla and Ford, have decided to stop putting AM radios in their electric vehicles. They claim...

Read more: Congress is trying to force carmakers to keep AM radio − it should also use this opportunity to...

Toxic chemicals from Ohio train derailment lingered in buildings for months – here’s what our investigation found in East Palestine

  • Written by Andrew J. Whelton, Professor of Civil, Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University
imageA black plume of smoke spreads out from burning railcars. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

On Feb. 3, 2023, a train carrying chemicals jumped the tracks in East Palestine, Ohio, rupturing railcars filled with hazardous materials and fueling chemical fires at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

The disaster drew global attention as the governors of Oh...

Read more: Toxic chemicals from Ohio train derailment lingered in buildings for months – here’s what our...

NYC’s ‘Eric Adams Show’ heads for a final curtain, with echoes of another New Yorker more focused on style than policy

  • Written by Lincoln Mitchell, Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science, Columbia University
imageNew York City Mayor Eric Adams leaves after appearing at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Court House in New York on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. AP Photo/Andres Kudacki

As the Democratic primary for mayor in New York approached in the spring of 2021, most of my friends and colleagues were supporting one of three candidates.

My lefty friends were all...

Read more: NYC’s ‘Eric Adams Show’ heads for a final curtain, with echoes of another New Yorker more focused...

More Articles ...

  1. Voters without kids are in the political spotlight – but they’re not all the same
  2. Trump and Harris have clashing records on clean energy, but the clean power shift is too broad for any president to control
  3. We studied 19,898 Kickstarter campaigns − and discovered that talking politics hurts fundraising
  4. Companies keep selling harmful products – but history shows consumers can win in the end
  5. In storms like Hurricane Helene, flooded industrial sites and toxic chemical releases are a silent and growing threat
  6. How the Taliban’s new ‘vice and virtue’ law erases women by justifying violence against them
  7. Is it bad to listen to music all the time? Here’s how tunes can help or harm
  8. Why trying to protect freedom may work better than campaigning to protect democracy
  9. Does Hezbollah represent Lebanon? And what impact will the death of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah have?
  10. Brown bananas, crowded ports, empty shelves: What to expect if there’s a big dockworkers strike in the US
  11. Brown bananas, crowded ports, empty shelves: What to expect with the US dockworkers strike
  12. What White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf can learn from the last team to lose 120 games
  13. Hurricane Helene power outages leave over 4 million in the dark – history shows poorer areas often wait longest for electricity to be restored
  14. Hurricane Helene power outages leave millions in the dark – history shows poorer areas often wait longest for electricity to be restored
  15. Autoworkers, Boeing machinists, cannabis drivers: Labor unions are mobilizing in new and old industries alike
  16. Rising electricity demand could bring Three Mile Island and other prematurely shuttered nuclear plants back to life
  17. Prepare your social media for the election − 3 tips to stay sane and connected without being overwhelmed
  18. Police stop more Black drivers, while speed cameras issue unbiased tickets − new study from Chicago
  19. Why some flowers are so pleasing for Hindu gods and goddesses
  20. Teachers feel most productive when they use AI for teaching strategies
  21. CubeSats, the tiniest of satellites, are changing the way we explore the solar system
  22. Afrofuturism thrives in Philly − 5 artists you should know
  23. The contradictions of ‘Minnesota nice’
  24. Eric Adams indictment: How campaign finance violations often grow into dramatic scandals
  25. Big lithium plans for Imperial Valley, one of California’s poorest regions, raise a bigger question: Who should benefit?
  26. Drug prices improved under Biden-Harris and Trump − but not for everyone, and not enough
  27. Post-election violence is possible in US, political scientist says − and it could be worse than Jan. 6
  28. Grocery stores that donate expiring food − instead of price discounting or discarding − make higher profits
  29. How the US government can stop ‘churches’ from getting treated like real churches by the IRS
  30. Bees have irrational biases when choosing which flowers to feed on − just like human shoppers do
  31. Fungal infections known as valley fever could spike this fall - 3 epidemiologists explain how to protect yourself
  32. Who is Tim Walz? Understanding the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party can help make sense of the VP candidate
  33. The audacity of Kamala Harris’ laughter – and the racist roots of Trump’s derision
  34. Airdropping vaccines to eliminate canine rabies in Texas – two scientists explain the decades of research behind its success
  35. Why do people still back Trump, after everything? 5 things to understand about MAGA supporters’ thinking
  36. Diet-related diseases are the No. 1 cause of death in the US – yet many doctors receive little to no nutrition education in med school
  37. Can you change your personality? Psychology research says yes, by tweaking what you think and do
  38. Local government controls your roads, schools and utilities − but that doesn’t mean the US president doesn’t touch your life in important ways
  39. What is ‘dark money’ political spending, and how does it affect US politics?
  40. Climate change is easier to study when it’s presented as a game
  41. Continuing crackdown on churches and NGOs moves Nicaragua further from democracy to authoritarianism
  42. What America’s history can teach us about debates on religious freedom and its importance for democracy
  43. America is increasingly dependent on foreign doctors − but their path to immigration is getting harder
  44. Lebanese civilians are fleeing the south, fearing an Israeli invasion − a look back at 1982 suggests they have every reason to worry
  45. US home insurance rates are rising fast – hurricanes and wildfires play a big role, but there’s more to it
  46. Why home insurance rates are rising so fast across the US – climate change plays a big role
  47. A brief history of former presidents running for reelection: 3 losses, 1 win and 1 still TBD
  48. No, immigrants aren’t eating dogs and cats – but Trump’s claim is part of an ugly history of myths about immigrant foodways
  49. On the US-Mexico border, the records of Trump and Harris reflect the national mood of less immigration, not more
  50. How to archive your photos in the digital age