Science & Society

Anthropology

Demond Mullins climbed Everest to inspire more Black outdoor enthusiasts

Mullins hopes his successful Mount Everest summit will encourage more Black people to experience the great outdoors.

Health & Medicine

College COVID-19 testing can reduce coronavirus deaths in local communities

Counties with colleges that did COVID-19 testing fared better against the coronavirus in fall 2020 than towns with colleges that did not test.

Psychology

The idea that many people grow following trauma may be a myth

Studies of posttraumatic growth are fundamentally flawed and can contribute to toxic cultural narratives, researchers say.

Science & Society

Russia’s invasion could cause long-term harm to Ukraine’s prized soil

War will physically and chemically damage Ukraine’s prized, highly fertile chernozem soils. The impacts on agriculture could last for years.

Health & Medicine

Western wildfires’ health risks extend across the country

As western wildfires become more common, hazardous smoke is sending people — especially children — to emergency rooms on the East Coast.

Science & Society

How having health care workers handle nonviolent police calls may impact crime

A new study analyzes a Denver program that sends a mental health professional and EMT to handle trespassing and other minor crime offenses.

Science & Society

Growing wildfire threats loom over the birthplace of the atomic bomb

Climate change is expected to make wildfires worse across much of the Southwest United States. A key nuclear weapons lab could be in the hot zone.

Science & Society

Mass shootings and gun violence in the United States are increasing

In the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, a gun violence researcher shares what can be done to reduce gun violence deaths.

Science & Society

Why some scientists want serious research into UFOs

Science grapples with unknown phenomena all the time. Investigating UAP and whether they're related to aliens shouldn't be different, researchers say.

Science & Society

COVID-19 has killed a million Americans. Our minds can’t comprehend that number

We intuitively compare large, approximate quantities but cannot grasp such a big, abstract number as a million U.S. COVID-19 deaths.

Science & Society

Pressure to conform to social norms may explain risky COVID-19 decisions

As a science reporter covering COVID-19, I knew I should mask up at Disney World. Instead, I conformed, bared my face and got COVID-19.

Humans

Eating meat is the Western norm. But norms can change

A meat-heavy diet, with its high climate costs, is the norm in the West. So social scientists are working to upend normal.