Category: Analysis
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Autism is not a scare story: What parents need to know about medications in pregnancy, genetic risk and misleading headlines
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sura Alwan, Clinical Instructor in Medical Genetics (Teratology & Birth Defects Epidemiology); Co-Director, TERIS (The Teratogen Information System), University of British Columbia Over the past couple of months, headlines have warned expectant parents that something as ordinary as a pain reliever or an antidepressant taken during…
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What Native-held lands in California can teach about resilience and the future of wildfire
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Nina Fontana, Researcher in Native American Studies, University of California, Davis Blue oak woodlands in California offer beauty and opportunities to sustain traditional knowledge and ecological resilience. Nina Fontana, CC BY-NC-ND It took decades, stacks of legal paperwork and countless phone calls, but, in the…
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Harm-reduction vending machines offer free naloxone, pregnancy tests and hygiene kits
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Alice Zhang, Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Penn State A vending machine dispenses Narcan nasal spray, a medication that reverses opioid overdose, and other items. Penn State College of Medicine In the lobby of the YMCA in Reading, Pennsylvania, stands a row of…
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Even professional economists can’t escape political bias
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Aeimit Lakdawala, Associate Professor of Economics, Wake Forest University Republican-leaning economists tend to predict stronger economic growth when a Republican is president than Democrats do – and because of this partisan optimism, their forecasts end up being less accurate. I’m an economist, and my colleagues…
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Solving the world’s microplastics problem: 4 solutions cities and states are trying after global treaty talks collapsed
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Sarah J. Morath, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for International Affairs, Wake Forest University Microplastics are a growing concern in marine environments. As they break down, the particles can become microscopic. Oregon State University via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Microplastics seem to be everywhere…
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Is your child in a classroom with other year groups? Here’s how it could help them
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Pinky Jain, Head of Teacher Education, Leeds Beckett University Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Some children at primary school, as they head into a new school year, will find themselves learning alongside children of different ages. Year one and year two might be educated in the same classroom, for instance.…
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Is Milei’s electoral blow the beginning of the end for his radical economic vision?
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Matt Barlow, Lecturer International Political Economy, University of Glasgow In his first real electoral test since sweeping to power in October 2023, the party of Argentina’s right-wing populist president, Javier Milei, has suffered a landslide defeat. The result can be read as an emphatic reminder of…
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Child dies from complications of measles years after infection – SSPE explained
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Benedict Michael, Professor, Infectious Neuroscience, University of Liverpool A child with measles. Natalya Maisheva/Shutterstock.com A school-age child has died from a devastating brain complication of measles in Los Angeles, highlighting the deadly consequences of declining vaccination rates. The child, who was too young to receive the…
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Smell triggers the same brain response as taste does – even if you haven’t eaten anything
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Putu Agus Khorisantono, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet Our sense of smell and taste are strongly connected. Dragon Images/ Shutterstock Taste is often thought to be controlled solely by our tastebuds. But maybe you’ve noticed how food can taste bland when you have…
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Americans expect inflation to be far higher than it really is, polling shows
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paul Whiteley, Professor, Department of Government, University of Essex BearFotos/Shutterstock American voters often rank inflation as the most important issue facing the US. But something odd has happened to inflationary expectations since Donald Trump became president in January. Americans believe inflation is much higher than it…