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As Russell M. Nelson turns 100, a look back at one of the words that will define his legacy – and the controversial term’s 200-year history

  • Written by Konden Smith Hansen, Lecturer of Religious Studies, University of Arizona
imageRussell M. Nelson, with his wife, Wendy Nelson, looks at the audience after speaking at a devotional in 2019 in Orlando, Fla.Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

On Sept. 9, 2024, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will host a broadcast to celebrate the “life and teachings” of Russell M. Nelson, its president and...

Read more: As Russell M. Nelson turns 100, a look back at one of the words that will define his legacy – and...

How much does aging affect mental acuity? It’s debatable

  • Written by Donald Jurivich, Chair of Geriatrics, University of North Dakota
imagePresident Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump at the CNN presidential debate on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta.Justin Sullivan via Getty Images News

I cringed recently while driving to the clinic where I specialize in geriatric medicine when I heard a young radio announcer refer to old people as “wiggy,” a pejorative for wacky.

As a...

Read more: How much does aging affect mental acuity? It’s debatable

Cats and dogs both like to play fetch − it’s rooted in their hunting instincts

  • Written by Mikel Delgado, Senior Research Scientist, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University
imageThrow it for me! Purple Collar Pet Photography/Moment, via Getty Images

Many people have seen dogs fetch, but cats like to get into the game too. Despite their very different hunting and play styles, fetching appears to combine elements of predatory and social behavior for both species.

Although their domestication histories and natural behaviors...

Read more: Cats and dogs both like to play fetch − it’s rooted in their hunting instincts

Long COVID inflicts deep scars on the lungs, but targeting specific immune cells could reverse damage − new research in mice

  • Written by Harish Narasimhan, Ph.D. Candidate in Immunology, University of Virginia
imageMany respiratory viral infections can cause long-term symptoms.sbk_20d pictures/Moment via Getty Images

The long-term effects of respiratory viral infections such as COVID-19 are a major public health burden. Some estimates suggest over 65 million people around the world suffer from long COVID-19.

Efforts to better understand this condition,...

Read more: Long COVID inflicts deep scars on the lungs, but targeting specific immune cells could reverse...

India’s new mega-dam will roil lives downstream with wild swings in water flow every day

  • Written by Parag Jyoti Saikia, Ph.D. Candidate in Socio-Cultural Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
imageThe Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project, under construction, will be one of India's largest hydropower dams.Nayan J. Nath, CC BY

“Hey Rupam, open the door. Take this fish,” a woman yelled from outside. I was sitting in the kitchen at my friend Rupam’s house in rural northeast India. It was the heart of monsoon season, and rain...

Read more: India’s new mega-dam will roil lives downstream with wild swings in water flow every day

Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits – ‘charisma’

  • Written by Michael Scott Bryant, Professor of History and Legal Studies, Bryant University
imageFormer U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage during a campaign rally in Johnstown, Pa., on Aug. 30, 2024.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Of all the questions confronting voters in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, few are as puzzling as the seemingly unwavering support for a political candidate deeply mired in embarrassing sex scandals and cr...

Read more: Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits –...

No, local election officials can’t block certification of results – there are plenty of legal safeguards

  • Written by Derek T. Muller, Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame
imageA sign at a rally as the Board of State Canvassers voted on Nov. 23, 2020, to certify the 2020 election in Okemos, Mich. Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images

Some local election officials have refused to certify election results in the past few years. Georgia has new administrative rules that invite election officials to investigate results before...

Read more: No, local election officials can’t block certification of results – there are plenty of legal...

New NFL helmet accessory reduces concussions − but players and fans may not be ready to embrace safety over swag

  • Written by Noah Cohan, Assistant Director of American Culture Studies, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

Fall brings football season in the U.S. and, with it, the parade of distinctively decorated helmets that the players wear.

Over time, the shape and size of these helmets have gradually changed, from the leather head coverings of the early 20th century to the space-age plastic domes we’re accustomed to seeing today.

But the visual profiles of...

Read more: New NFL helmet accessory reduces concussions − but players and fans may not be ready to embrace...

Preparing for a pandemic that never came ended up setting off another − how an accidental virus release triggered 1977’s ‘Russian flu’

  • Written by Donald S. Burke, Dean Emeritus and Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Health Science and Policy, and of Epidemiology, at the School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
imageVaccine research quickly picked up to try to prevent a possible flu pandemic in 1976.AP Photo

Nineteen-year-old U.S. Army Pvt. David Lewis set out from Fort Dix on a 50-mile hike with his unit on Feb. 5, 1976. On that bitter cold day, he collapsed and died. Autopsy specimens unexpectedly tested positive for an H1N1 swine influenza virus.

Virus...

Read more: Preparing for a pandemic that never came ended up setting off another − how an accidental virus...

Humans infecting animals infecting humans − from COVID-19 to bird flu, preventing pandemics requires protecting all species

  • Written by Anna Fagre, Veterinary Microbiologist and Wildlife Epidemiologist, Colorado State University
imageHuman, animal and environmental health are interconnected.Tambako the Jaguar/Moment via Getty Images

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, humans had been the only species with reported cases of the disease. While early genetic analyses pointed to horseshoe bats as the evolutionary hosts of SARS-CoV-2,...

Read more: Humans infecting animals infecting humans − from COVID-19 to bird flu, preventing pandemics...

More Articles ...

  1. How HIV/AIDS got its name − the words Americans used for the crisis were steeped in science, stigma and religious language
  2. ‘Social profit orientation’ can help companies and nonprofits alike do more good in the world
  3. Poor people are business owners, too – but myths around poverty and entrepreneurship hold them back
  4. What is the Shroud of Turin and why is there so much controversy around it?
  5. Chip that steers terahertz beams sets stage for ultrafast internet of the future
  6. Domesticating horses had a huge impact on human society − new science rewrites where and when it first happened
  7. 7 years after genocide, plight of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is exacerbated by camp violence
  8. How one 83-year-old fell into a fraudster’s fear bubble – and how gift cards played a key role
  9. In the face of DEI backlash, belonging plays a key role to future success
  10. The workhorse ship of ocean drilling may have made its last voyage – here’s why scientists don’t want to see the JOIDES Resolution mothballed
  11. African immigrant students draw on family and community strengths in quest for college
  12. Putin’s visit to Mongolia defies ICC warrant and tests neutral nation’s ‘third neighbor’ diplomacy
  13. DEI policies work best when they are designed to include everyone and are backed by evidence
  14. What is space made of? An astrophysics expert explains all the components – from radiation to dark matter – found in the vacuum of space
  15. Got an unaffordable or incorrect medical bill? Calling your hospital billing office will usually get you a discount
  16. Trump and Harris, with starkly different records on labor issues, are both courting union voters
  17. If new technologies snarl your airline experience, here are old-school strategies to cope
  18. Is ‘coaching’ a shortcut to mental health care? Not so fast − here are key differences
  19. Apps, 911 services and mobile phones don’t offset deadly consequences of more restrictive border policies
  20. 26 states may soon need to regulate cannabis – here’s what they can learn from Colorado and Washington
  21. ‘Homicide: Life on the Streets’ laid the groundwork for Peak TV – and it’s finally available to stream for new and old fans of the series
  22. COVID-19, flu and RSV shots − an epidemiologist explains why all three matter this fall
  23. Gus Walz’s unbridled emotion on the DNC stage opens the door to more understanding of neurodiversity
  24. 5 lessons from ancient civilizations for keeping homes cool in hot, dry climates
  25. 2 solar probes are helping researchers understand what phenomenon powers the solar wind
  26. The specter of China has edged into US presidential election rhetoric − for Republicans much more than Democrats
  27. The specter of China has edged into US election rhetoric − for Republicans much more than Democrats
  28. The Nuremberg Code isn’t just for prosecuting Nazis − its principles have shaped medical ethics to this day
  29. Retirement doesn’t just raise financial concerns – it can also mean feeling unmoored and irrelevant
  30. Robots are coming to the kitchen − what that could mean for society and culture
  31. Mitochondria keep your brain cells alive − helping them run smoothly may protect against Parkinson’s disease
  32. Today’s school children practice running for their lives – but there are better ways to keep students safe from shooters
  33. Why restaurant self-service kiosks can actually result in customers ordering less food
  34. Conservative opponents of DEI may not be as colorblind as they claim
  35. Democratic men are stepping up for a woman president by stepping back, at last
  36. How the 14th Amendment prevents state legislatures from subverting popular presidential elections
  37. Signs, props and light-up wristbands − the 2024 political conventions find a home in the Smithsonian collections
  38. Cómo la comercialización a lo largo de los siglos transformó el Día de los Muertos
  39. Estate planning lessons from the $600M fight over Michael Jackson’s music catalog
  40. Drinking alcohol before conceiving a child could accelerate their aging – new research in mice
  41. Creative arts therapy programs can help health care workers dance, write and draw their way through burnout and on-the-job stress
  42. Avian flu has infected dairy cows in more than a dozen states – a microbiologist explains how the virus is spreading
  43. Black voters, Latino voters and other voters of color show solidarity at the ballot box
  44. Policy, shmolicy: Election Day weather and football victories could decide the election
  45. I documented dozens of shrines to people who’ve died in North Philly − here’s what they tell us about memory, grief and trauma
  46. Americans love nature but don’t feel empowered to protect it, new research shows
  47. Job supervisors with disabilities can boost productivity, new research shows
  48. When Paralympic athletes fake the extent of their disability
  49. What is an Atlantic Niña? How La Niña’s smaller cousin could affect hurricane season
  50. How a survey of over 2,000 women in the 1920s changed the way Americans thought about female sexuality