Snip or Skip? The Complicated Debate Over Circumcision.
In the U.S., circumcision is a common surgery. But the procedure’s medical benefits are not clear-cut. And for many men, being circumcised — or, for that matter, being uncircumcised — is not merely a...
View ArticleIn Developing Nations, ‘Green Roads’ Buffer Drought and Floods
As the developing world witnesses a boom in road building, a movement to retrofit existing roads is gathering steam. Using embankments, channels, and dikes, so-called “green roads” help control floods,...
View ArticleAdvances in Mind-Decoding Technologies Raise Hopes (and Worries)
As brain-computer interface technology advances at a dizzying clip, the possibility that machines might someday read people’s minds, alter human identities, or hinder free will have begun to seem less...
View ArticleRestricting Obese Women From IVF Is Discriminatory
As more people postpone parenthood to older ages, demand for assisted reproduction has grown. Many fertility clinics bar women categorized as obese from in vitro fertilization, but critics argue that...
View ArticleInterview: Retracted Papers and Collateral Damage
Materials scientist Eva Zurek says there are reasons why superconductivity research has drawn both hype and intense scrutiny, including a flurry of high-profile retractions of papers in leading...
View ArticleDid the Battle Against ‘Misinformation’ Go Too Far?
The Covid-19 pandemic brought an unprecedented effort to limit the spread of false or misleading health misinformation online. But some experts are questioning whether those efforts did much to improve...
View ArticleIn Texas, Use of AI in Government Comes Under Scrutiny
According to a 2022 report, more than a third of the state’s agencies use artificial intelligence, sparking fears of the technology’s unintended consequences. But this year, a new advisory council...
View ArticleValuing Indigenous Knowledge in Permafrost Research
Scientific research historically hasn’t prioritized Indigenous knowledge. But that’s beginning to change: In the Canadian Arctic, two ambitious research initiatives, Permafrost Pathways and...
View ArticleWhy Incentives to Attract Doctors to Rural Areas Haven’t Worked
Since 1965, a U.S. federal program has offered financial incentives to encourage doctors to practice in underserved, mostly rural, areas. But Increased payments and student loan forgiveness haven’t...
View ArticleBook Excerpt: Can Robots Make Us More Emotionally Intelligent?
Chatbots, avatars, and other emerging forms of AI are being designed to serve as virtual therapists for those who feel depressed or anxious. Advocates say the robots can benefit many people, but there...
View ArticleThe Cost of Freeing Drinking Water from ‘Forever Chemicals’
Persistent pollutants known as PFAS contaminate air, soil, and water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set to issue a cap of 4 parts per trillion on PFAS in drinking water — among the...
View ArticleFor Narcolepsy Patients, Drug Shortage and Stigma Restrict Care
An estimated 160,000 people in the United States live with narcolepsy, which impairs the ability to stay awake and can involve temporary loss of muscle control or paralysis. The stimulant Adderall is...
View ArticleThe Unseen Barriers Around Bathroom Breaks in the Field
Taboos around toilet care can make fieldwork uncomfortable and even dangerous, some scientists say. And a culture of silence may fall heaviest on people already marginalized in science. Can something...
View ArticleEmbracing Uncertainty When Searching for Life Beyond Earth
Does alien life exist? The many unknowns about detecting biological signatures of life on Mars and other planets shouldn’t undermine support for high-risk space exploration, says one evolutionary...
View ArticleBook Review: The Secrets of Earth’s ‘Silvery Sister’
In “Our Moon,” a sweeping survey of lunar science and lore, journalist Rebecca Boyle makes a convincing case that our planet — and the evolution of life — cannot be understood without turning attention...
View ArticleThe Burgeoning Science of Search and Rescue
In a field where minutes can mean the difference between life and death, researchers have attempted to make search tactics more efficient. By analyzing reports of people who wandered off track and...
View ArticleBring Science to Policy by Forging Connections
Researchers want real-world impact. Lawmakers want programs that work. The public wants to benefit from taxpayer-funded research. But there’s a disconnect between the lab and the legislatures that...
View ArticleHow the World’s Deadliest Crises Go Unseen
A study suggests the world’s deadliest humanitarian crisis in 2022 was not in Afghanistan, Ukraine, or other places featured regularly in the news — but in the Central African Republic, a landlocked...
View ArticleTreating Displaced Gazans’ Trauma Will Require Cultural Respect
The Israeli bombardment has displaced many of Gaza’s citizens. In the past, programs to alleviate stress among displaced and refugee populations haven’t taken religion and spirituality into account. A...
View ArticleBook Review: How to Confront the Fear of Cancer
In “Curing Cancerphobia,” risk expert David Ropeik takes a deep dive into the world of cancer screening and raises a troubling question: Has screening, despite its clear benefits, inadvertently created...
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