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Increasing death rates of children and adolescents in the United States

Featured article: *Woolf SH, Wolf ER, Rivara FP. (2023). The New Crisis of Increasing All-Cause Mortality in US Children and Adolescents. JAMA. Published online March

Fear — impacts on decision-making and behavior: update

Fear is corrosive whether caused by events outside our control or if purposefully used (for example, by politicians trying to gain or consolidate power). Fear

Nuclear power and climate change: update

There has been vigorous debate for more than 20 years about whether nuclear energy can be considered a viable option to help mitigate/prevent warming global

ChatGPT and generative AI: What is it all about?

ChatGPT and generative AI (artificial intelligence): a quick primer … *Heaven, W.D. (2023). ChatGPT is everywhere. Here’s where it came from: OpenAI’s breakout hit was

How ChatGPT robs students of motivation to write and think for themselves

Naomi S. Baron, American University (from The Conversation) When the company OpenAI launched its new artificial intelligence program, ChatGPT, in late 2022, educators began to

Food and diet and impacts on human behavior

What are the connections between the food we eat and how we behave? In particular, is there a connection between diet and aggressive behavior? Can

Pharmaceuticals: corporations, markets, and manipulation?

Three books that examine the global pharmaceutical industry, the quest for profit, inequality and inequity, our own perceptions, the value of life itself, and more.

Mental models: misinformation and truth

“A mental model is a form of mental representation for mechanical–causal domains that affords explanations for these domains. Mental models contain mental representations of objects

What is a flash drought? An earth scientist explains

Antonia Hadjimichael, Penn State, from The Conversation Many people are familiar with flash floods – torrents that develop quickly after heavy rainfall. But there’s also

Propaganda and deception in politics

Propaganda “is communication that is deliberately designed by one group in society to influence the attitudes and behavior of others. It often uses symbolism and

Firearm violence in the United States

“Firearm violence in the US is an unrelenting clinical, public health, societal, and political concern of major proportion. The morbidity and mortality attributed to firearms

Looking back on America’s summer of heat, floods and climate change: Welcome to the new abnormal

Shuang-Ye Wu, University of Dayton (from The Conversation) The summer of 2022 started with a historic flood in Montana, brought on by heavy rain and

Cell development and determination

During the development of an embryo, how is the function of a cell determined? How does a cell “know” it is supposed to, for example,

Climate change is intensifying the water cycle, bringing more powerful storms and flooding – here’s what the science shows

Mathew Barlow, UMass Lowell (from The Conservation) Powerful storm systems triggered flash flooding across the U.S. in late July 2022, killing at least 25 people

More droughts and more severe droughts

Most regions on Earth are warmer at present than in past decades and centuries, and many regions are experiencing a drying trend as a result

Full text access through Strategian

Records from the Science Primary Literature database provide (where available) free full text access to journal and magazine articles (example). These links are also available

Buying into conspiracy theories can be exciting – that’s what makes them dangerous

Donovan Schaefer, University of Pennsylvania (from The Conversation) Conspiracy theories have been around for centuries, from witch trials and antisemitic campaigns to beliefs that Freemasons

What are PFAS, and why is the EPA warning about them in drinking water? An environmental health scientist explains

Kathryn Crawford, Middlebury (from The Conversation) “PFAS? What’s PFAS?” You may be hearing that term in the news as the federal government considers new rules

Excessive rainfall: a product of a changing climate

Pockets of intense rainfall occurring over a short period of time amid a larger movement toward drought is a signature of a changing climate. For

Open educational resources (OERs) and science

“Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research resources that are free of cost and access barriers, and which also carry legal permission for

Climate change and agriculture: damage to crops

Our changing climate is impacting agriculture today and will continue for decades to come. No place on Earth is immune to this; the major growing

Mental illness and gun violence: is there a real connection?

Is there a real connection between mental illness and violence, especially gun violence? Mental illness is a frequent scapegoat for politicians, organizations, and groups who

US shootings: Norway and Finland have similar levels of gun ownership, but far less gun crime

Peter Squires, University of Brighton (from The Conversation) In the wake of the most recent US mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 pupils

Food waste: beyond good ideas, what will people actually do?

On an international scale, food waste is a big problem. “The largest contribution to food waste is from the consumption stage, where household food waste

School shootings, firearm laws, and gun ownership in the United States

Featured articles: *Reeping, P. M., Klarevas, L., Rajan, S., Rowhani-Rahbar, A., Heinze, J., Zeoli, A. M., . . . Branas, C. C. (2022). State firearm

Agriculture and climate change: foods for the future

Climate change is impacting agriculture around the world. The greater frequency of weather extremes including heatwaves, drought, and it’s opposite, torrential rainfall and flooding (and

Extreme heat in India and Pakistan–and climate change

“India has witnessed extraordinary spikes in temperatures. This year [2022], though, the heat is unrelenting across a vast swath of the country, and it’s raising

Cities and the lack of water

“São Paulo. Cape Town. Now Santiago and Los Angeles. Cities around the world are being forced to live with less water, as global warming melts

Meet the power plant of the future: Solar + battery hybrids are poised for explosive growth

Joachim Seel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Bentham Paulos, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Will Gorman, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (from The Conversation) America’s electric power

The power of propaganda

Propaganda “is communication that is deliberately designed by one group in society to influence the attitudes and behavior of others. It often uses symbolism and

How do genetics, lifestyle, diet and the environment affect the microbiome-and then affect human health and disease?

Research has shown that the human microbiome can play a large role in a person’s health. But how do “genetics, exposome [environmental factors], lifestyle and

Severe weather in the U.S. Midwest

Thank you to the Iowa Environmental Mesonet (Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA). ‘Strong storms fired over and near Iowa on Tuesday evening [April 12, 2022].

Thawing permafrost is roiling the Arctic landscape, driven by a hidden world of changes beneath the surface as the climate warms

Mark J. Lara, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (from The Conversation) Across the Arctic, strange things are happening to the landscape. Massive lakes, several square

Climate change intersections: wildfires and flooding

Wildfires in the western United States are becoming more intense and are burning larger areas. At the same time, heavy, extreme rainfall is becoming more

People gave up on flu pandemic measures a century ago when they tired of them – and paid a price

J. Alexander Navarro, University of Michigan (from The Conversation) Picture the United States struggling to deal with a deadly pandemic. State and local officials enact

Knowledge and understanding can overcome fear and anxiety

If you believe all of social media or follow politically-aligned media outlets, we live in a scary world. Yet, many people throughout history have felt

Discrimination based on how we talk and how we sound

Does discrimination happen based on how people talk and sound? Based on accents, word choice, enunciation, emotion, etc.? In the United States, people can be

What is the microbiome?

The human microbiome involves the microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that live within or around the human body. Damage or changes or abberations of this

CuratedSci: science news from the best sources

CuratedSci is your one-stop resource for science-related news from the best science news sources. Leveraging the expertise of well-known and respected organizations, CuratedSci provides a

The behavior of crowds: partisan/politicized

More research on the behavior of crowds–benefits and risks … Featured articles: *Becker, J., Porter, E., & Centola, D. (2019). The wisdom of partisan crowds. PNAS

Into the future with COVID: stress, depression, endemic/pandemic … will there ever be “normal” again?

Will we ever return to the world of 2019? A time before COVID-19 dominated the education, work, mental and physical health–the very existence of billions

Caenorhabditis elegans: a model organism in Biology

Caenorhabditis elegans is a small roundworm usually found in soil that often feeds on bacteria among rotting vegetation and decaying organic matter; it is nonparasitic and

Facial recognition technology: privacy and political orientation

There is growing concern that the widespread use of facial recognition technology has led and will lead to the decline of privacy and civil liberties.

Long COVID: what it is, impacts, and treatments

“Long COVID refers to a variety of symptoms affecting different organs reported by people following Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection” (Taquet, 2021). “The symptoms of

The causes of Alzheimer’s disease

“Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common

Extreme weather and a changing climate

Is there a connection between extreme weather events (torrential rain, polar cold, heatwaves, extended droughts, hail, hurricanes, tornadoes, and more) and a changing climate? Yes.

Why do we fear change?

“Fear of change is a natural impulse; the desire to pull up the drawbridge follows. But as we have repeatedly reported, that response is irrational

Preschool: the benefits for children and society

Over the years, research has shown that going to preschool can benefit children immediately in many ways–building and strengthening academic skills plus social and personal

The Strategian “universe”

Use all the sites under the Strategian banner to identify, obtain, understand–to get the most out of science information; these are open resources: Science Evaluation

Using Facebook and Instagram: effects on well-being and mental health

Can using Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms be a genuine hazard to our well-being and mental health? Are the purported benefits of digital

Searching for topics and sources in Biology?

Search Science Primary Literature (external database): Antibiotic resistance Bacterial pathogens Bacterial resistance Biology Botany Caenorhabditis elegans Escherichia coli Food contamination Gut microbiome/microbiota Microbiology Molecular Biology

Off-shore oil drilling can increase the spread of antibiotic resistance

Featured article: *Wang, J., & Jiti, Z. (2021). Petroleum exploitation enriches the sulfonamide resistance gene sul2 in offshore sediments. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,

A strategy to find, understand, evaluate, and use academic information

Explore the microcosm: Questions? Please let me know (engelk@grinnell.edu).

Algorithms, part 2: impact on searching and finding academic information

Algorithms are literally everywhere in the digital environment. The databases, sources, and systems you use at a college or university or high school are not

What will the climate in your city be like in 2050?

What will the climate in your city be like in 2050? The changing climate is driving hotter temperatures and longer and more severe droughts–which, in

Searching for topics and sources in Chemistry and Biochemistry?

Search Science Primary Literature (external database): Chemistry Biochemistry See the Science Bibliographies (external site): The Diels-Alder reaction: a mainstay of organic chemistry For more resources,

Content and source evaluation: the most important thing you do in any search for information

For more information, see — Evaluation Algorithms: what are they? What can they do? The Facebook whistleblower says its algorithms are dangerous. Here’s why. (Karen

Algorithms: what are they? What can they do?

At its most basic, an algorithm is a procedure to solve a problem. A computer program can be a procedure to solve a problem expressed

The consequences and costs of climate risks

Climate risks are increasing in the United States and in many other parts of the world. Yet, some areas that are particular climate “hot spots”–increasingly

The health benefits and risks of cannabis

People have promoted the health benefits of cannabis/marijuana for decades. That has been a factor in the loosening of marijuana use restrictions in the United

Microplastics: impacts on the environment and human health

Hundreds of millions of tons of plastics are produced each year. Millions of those tons enter our air, soil, and water as waste. As waste,

Ransomware: malware and cybercrime

What exactly is ransomware? And what happens in a ransomware attack? What does research say about ransomware and the pervasive and increasing threat and damage

Extreme weather and a changing climate

Our climate is changing, and rapidly. The evidence is all around us. One result of our changing climate is the increased frequency of weather and

Race and class and heat in cities

Hot temperatures in cities and towns are not experienced the same by residents. Neighborhoods with more minority residents (especially), neighborhoods with lower-income residents, and neighborhoods

Sleep, health, and race/ethnicity

Sleep is inextricably tied to our health. Getting enough sleep, the amount of uninterrupted sleep, how deeply we sleep. Are our sleep patterns tied to

Drinking alcohol and the risk of cancer: what do Americans believe?

Can drinking alcoholic beverages cause or increase the risk of developing cancer? Yes. But do Americans believe that? An update to the Drinking alcohol: how

Water purification by solar power: an update

An update to the Solar-powered water harvesting and purification bibliography. The most current version of the bibliography can be seen here — https://sciencebibliographies.strategian.com/solar-powered-water-harvesting-and-purification/. Featured articles

A new way of looking at Alzheimer’s Disease?

A different perspective on the factors that cause Alzheimer’s disease? Will it help bring about successful treatments? Featured article: *Pannuzzo, M. (2021, May 29). Beta-amyloid

Brown adipose tissue/brown fat

Brown adipose tissue, or brown fat, is a type of fat cell that converts energy into body heat when food is eaten and digested, as

Water, drought, and the western United States

The western United States (including parts of the Great Plains) is going through an historic period of drought–a level of extended drought that the region

The Diels-Alder reaction: a mainstay of organic chemistry

The Diels-Alder reaction is one of the most important in Organic Chemistry and plays a role in the synthesis and manufacture of many products including

Climate change and human migration

Background: Hundreds of millions of climate migrants likely by 2050 Lustgarten, Abrahm (2020, July 23). The Great Climate Migration. New York Times Magazine. [Cited by]

Opioids: addiction and overdose — update

An update to the Opioids, addiction, and overdose bibliography; these articles have been added to the bibliography and to the Science Primary Literature Database. **

Climate change = a greater frequency of extreme weather

More evidence … See also: Extreme weather and climate change: the connections and impacts Connections with a changing climate: drought, intense rainfall, and flooding How

T cells and autoimmune disease

An update to the Autoimmune diseases–prevention and control bibliography; this article has been added to the bibliography and to the Science Primary Literature Database. Featured

E-mail and work: enhancing productivity or source of stress?

E-mail … we hate it, we love it. We use it, we have to use it. Or, do we? Is it essential to work? Does

Parent influence on child obesity

How do parents influence the development of obesity in their children? Conversely, how can parents prevent child obesity? An update to the Childhood obesity and

Can viruses do good things?

Can viruses be beneficial? Did they aid the development of life on this planet? Can they be used in treating cancer? Can they protect plants

High-sugar diets: Discovering human impacts through animal models

High-sugar diets can have many negative effects. One way to pinpoint the physical changes they can cause in humans is to test their effects on

Search the Science Primary Literature Database

Students, Educators: use the Science Primary Literature Database … Available at no cost; curated and updated; search for articles, books, and images that actual college

Sea level rise and climate change: impact on the economy and migration

Update to the Sea level rise and climate change bibliography; these articles have been added to the Science Primary Literature database — Feature articles: *Robinson,

Online extremism: the dangers and the psychology

**for the most current version of this bibliography, see — https://sciencebibliographies.strategian.com/online-extremism-the-dangers-and-the-psychology/ Online extremism–through social media and other channels–is real and is very dangerous. The events

Generalized Anxiety Disorder–an update

An update to the Generalized Anxiety Disorder–a sign of the times bibliography … Featured articles (these articles have been added to the Bibliography and to

Hallucinogens, depression, and mental health

Featured article (this article has been added to the Science Primary Literature database): *Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., May, D. G., Cosimano, M. P.,

Bacteriophages: basic science and applications

“We urgently need an alternative method to fight bacterial infection. One promising method for killing bacteria is to use bacteriophages: viruses that infect and kill

Copper nanoclusters: applications

“A nanocluster is a type of nanoparticle in which researchers have pinpointed the precise arrangement of every atom, along with their bond lengths and bond

Extreme weather and climate change: the connections and impacts

Is there a connection between extreme weather events (rain, cold, heat, droughts, hail, hurricanes, tornadoes, and more) and climate change? Yes. Are extreme weather events

Do guns deter crime and violence?

Many people believe that owning a gun makes them safer. That having a gun in their home or carrying a gun deters potential criminal acts

Aging chimpanzees and aging humans: not that far apart

As humans and chimpanzees age, they exhibit similar patterns of social behavior. Aging behavior in humans was thought to be based on the ability to

How and why does false information spread online?

How does false information/”fake news” spread through social media and web sites? And, why does it? See the video — https://youtu.be/OFSwcbHxggY. We are told–frequently–by legitimate,

Technology will not protect us from human weakness–and can make it worse

“When we think about misinformation … we tend to focus on the presence of bad information — but really we should be focusing on the

Is Facebook hazardous to our well-being?

Is use of Facebook (and other social media sites) a genuine hazard to our physical and mental health? Are the purported benefits of digital social

Revisiting: Understand the context of information important to you; reduce the fear and anxiety

Knowledge brings understanding; understanding reduces fear and anxiety. Understand the value of the information that is important to your life; use that understanding to make

Updated: Chatbots — propaganda is being taught how to speak

Bots–“simple computer scripts–were originally designed to automate repetitive tasks … sparing humans hours of tedium.” But, bots “can also be used to operate large numbers

Corruption and power: the connection

Was Lord Acton right? “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Or, is it more as John Steinbeck described “Power does not corrupt.

Voter suppression and nonvoting is a social norm in the United States

Read this — it’s important! The United States prides itself on being a model for democracy. And, yet, widespread (and increasing) voter suppression and high

Updated: A new world disorder?

It may seem like absolutely everyone today is glued to their phones and uses social media incessantly. Facebook, the largest social media network globally, claims

Updated: Narcissism and social media–the connection

Since the early days of social media, researchers have looked at the relationship between narcissism and social media use. Narcissism is a personality type “marked

Electric vehicles: benefits, technology, obstacles

Vehicles (cars and trucks) can be powered partially or wholly by electricity. “All-electric vehicles (EVs) have an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine.

Preterm birth and kidney disease: the risk

“Preterm birth (<37 gestational weeks) interrupts the development and maturation of the kidneys during a critical growth period. The third trimester of pregnancy is the

Updated: In-group bias is ingrained in humans

Adults and children–even children as young as three–“are really quick to sort themselves into … social groups and to form a preference for their in-group.”

Updated: Prejudice, discrimination and social norms

News: Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, continues to make and post derogatory statements that are based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion,

Cancer: is it part of evolution? What can we learn from cancer in animals?

Domestic and wild animals get cancer. Animals, like humans, see an increase in cancer when living in areas of heavy chemical contamination. But, some animal

Why should you critically evaluate information? Because of situations like this …

A key part of information evaluation is to understand the context in which the information was created. What is the motivation? Why was the information

Life expectancy vs. life span for humans: has it really changed?

Are we living longer than our ancestors or even people that lived thousands of years ago? It seems that way; life expectancy, until recent years,

Updated: The psychological origins of prejudice, discrimination, and racism

Are people “hard-wired” to discriminate based on skin color, ethnicity, religion, place of origin, gender, sexual identity, etc.? Is it hereditary? Do we have no

Wildfires and climate change

There is a direct connection between wildfires in the western United States and climate change. Featured article: Park Williams, A., Abatzoglou, J. T., Gershunov, A.,

Where are all the birds?

Where are all the birds? Where have they gone? Even a cursory glace at the skies, in the trees, listening for bird sounds .,. there

Update: the environmental effects of offshore drilling

2020 updates to the bibliography: The environmental effects of offshore drilling **for the most current version of this bibliography, see — https://sciencebibliographies.strategian.com/the-environmental-effects-of-offshore-drilling/ *Cordes, E. E.,

Face shields and their effectiveness in preventing transmission of COVID-19

The transmission of COVID-19 “is believed to be predominantly through respiratory droplets from infected persons in close proximity to uninfected persons, although airborne transmission may

Revisiting: Hurricanes are slowing down and becoming more dangerous

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey moved very slowly across parts of Texas (US) dropping “more than 30 inches of rain in two days and nearly 50

Climate change and human behavior

In the face of the many and significant challenges of a changing climate, how and why do humans act the way they do? Does it

Symmetry breaking and Biology

“During the latter half of the twentieth century, spontaneous symmetry breaking became important in biology. All organisms start off as highly symmetric entities, such as

Arabidopsis: model organism in Biology

Arabidopsis thaliana is a small, annual rosette plant. It belongs to the family of the Brassicaceae in the eudicotyledonous group of angiosperm vascular plants. This

The sixth mass extinction on Earth

Featured article: Ceballos, G., Ehrlich, P. R., & Raven, P. H. (2020). Vertebrates on the brink as indicators of biological annihilation and the sixth mass

Bee populations declining in the United States, especially in the midwest

“Since at least the 1960’s it has been widely recognized that insecticide application can also negatively affect non-target species, including populations of insect pollinators [like

Revisiting: Politics and Fear

Whipping up fear is a common tactic in politics. Providing stark, seemingly life or death choices, us versus them, scapegoating, creating a false bogeyman to

Trends in treating industrial textile wastewater and other effluents using electrocoagulation

Featured article: Gafoor, A., Ali, N., Kumar, S., Begum, S., & Rahman, Z. (2020). Applicability and new trends of different electrode materials and its combinations

Connections with a changing climate: drought, intense rainfall, and flooding

The connection: Extended periods of drought in the U.S. Midwest — Interspersed with briefer periods of intense, even extreme rainfall — Leading to destructive flash

There is a much greater flood risk in the United States

Across much of the United States, the flood risk is greater (in some cases, far greater) than what government estimates and maps currently show. As

Greater air pollution and heat tied to adverse pregnancy outcomes

More and more of us–especially in urban areas–are exposed to greater air pollution and higher temperatures (factors of a changing climate). Based on a review

Current explorations of nutrition and the gut microbiome: a comprehensive evaluation of the review literature

The human gut microbiota — it might be more accurate to think of it like an immune system: a collection of cells that work in

Revisiting: Scapegoats and self-blame

Scapegoating is “the act of blaming and often punishing a person or a group for a negative outcome that is due, in large part, to

Essential workers: economic and health vulnerability

We live in a very unequal society in the United States. Many have pointed this out for years and the COVID-19 pandemic has starkly illustrated

Crowds: behavior, social change, movement, collective action, social media, context, identity

Humans often gather into large groups–crowds. As part of crowds, do we act and think differently than we would if we were isolated or in

The psychological origins of prejudice, discrimination, and racism

Are people “hard-wired” to discriminate based on skin color, ethnicity, religion, place of origin, gender, sexual identity, etc.? Is it hereditary? Do we have no

Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes COVID-19 and is spread person-to-person through close contact. This review investigated the effects of physical distance, face

Lack of sleep linked to cardiovascular problems

We know that sleep is vital for humans. Lack of sleep, sleep disruption, changes in sleep habits, and more can lead to real problems–physical and

The use of face masks/face shields to prevent transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases–are they effective?

How effective is wearing face masks and/or face shields in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases? Recommendations in the United States, at

A healthy lifestyle equals more years of life without major diseases

Connections: “Various healthy lifestyle profiles appear to be associated with extended gains in life lived without type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and cancer.”

Cloud cover, plants, and a changing climate

“Cumulus clouds make a significant contribution to the Earth’s energy balance and hydrological [water] cycle and are a major source of uncertainty in climate projections.”

Freshwater, drought, and climate change

Lack of freshwater for human consumption and agricultural use is a growing and very serious problem globally–including in rich countries like the United States. As

Mental health benefits of nature, green and blue spaces, and being outdoors

White, M. P., Pahl, S., Ashbullby, K., Herbert, S., & Depledge, M. H. (2013). Feelings of restoration from recent nature visits. Journal of Environmental Psychology,

The benefits of kindness

Be kind to others; it’s good for you and for them. “Doing good is, in fact, good for you.” There have been many supporting studies.

Authoritarianism and corruption

Authoritarianism and corruption go together. “Corruption is the misuse of public power for private gain and has become a worldwide problem for economies and social

Further loss of plant and animal species due to climate change may occur abruptly

Earth’s climate is changing. No, it is not a hoax, not a projection, not something that may happen hundreds of years from now, and not

Tribalism in our society

Tribalism is the possession of an identity (cultural, ethnic, national, etc.) that divides a member of one group from members of another group. The identity

How far do COVID-19 particles travel from people who are infected?

Many governments have recommended social distancing guidelines of 6 feet (about 2 meters). A study using surface and air samples obtained in February and early

Childhood obesity and parents’ influence

Child obesity is a major global health problem in both developed and developing countries. Tens of millions of children (perhaps as many as 15-20% of

Is it necessary to take 10,000 steps per day for good health? Part 2

Another look at the association between the number of steps taken per day and health–as measured by the incidence of disease and death. “It is

What can we learn from history about the pace and path of a pandemic?

What can we learn from the past about what we are facing and may face with COVID-19? An increasingly good comparison is the 1918-1919 influenza

What is the impact of COVID-19 on children’s health?

What is the impact of COVID-19 on children? Can children get the disease? If they do, how severe are the symptoms? What does research tell

The effects of stress brought on by pandemic diseases

Pandemic diseases–such as COVID-19–can be extremely stressful. The uncertainty of transmission, the intense desire to protect family and friends (and yourself), the unknown of the

Microplastics, horizontal gene transfer, and impacts on human health

An estimated 300 million tons of plastics are produced annually. Millions of those tons enter our air, soil, and water as waste every year. As

Deaths by injuries in the U.S.–is there a connection to climate change?

Temperatures that differ from the long-term average over time–hotter or colder–will become more frequent as our climate changes. Hotter temperatures have been tied to increases

Pandemics–history, control, and prevention

A pandemic is defined as a disease epidemic occurring over a widespread geographic area. Whether technically a pandemic or not, the world has experienced many

What is linked to autism?

Autism represents a wide spectrum of disorders that impact how a person relates to and communicates with other people. Effects include a variety of social

Integrity and honesty: do they really matter?

Are integrity and honesty important? Do they actually mean enough that they can cause engagement, action, a change of behavior in other people? Are they

Drinking alcohol: how much is too much?

For alcohol consumption, how much is too much? Clearly, prolonged heavy drinking or heavy binge drinking is bad; there are a range of negative effects–health,

Fear — impacts on decision-making and behavior

Fear is corrosive whether caused by events outside our immediate control or if purposefully used (for example, by politicians trying to gain or consolidate power).

Coronaviruses

What are Coronaviruses? What does a Coronavirus infection mean for humans? Have we seen them before? Will we keep seeing them in the future? What

Facial recognition: technology and privacy

Quick bibliography: Reviews/recent articles on facial recognition–the technology and privacy concerns. Classic reviews: Bowyer, K. W. (2004). Face recognition technology: security versus privacy. IEEE Technology

The importance of sleep and its impacts (physical and mental health)

Quick bibliography: Reviews/recent articles on the importance of adequate sleep for good physical and mental health. Classic reviews: Dewald, J. F., Meijer, A. M., Oort,

Stop being manipulated! Take charge of the information in your life: Seek information, not affirmation

Seek information, not affirmation; what does that mean? If you use Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp to get news and learn about current events, you are

Neuroscience, molecular biology, and the childhood roots of health disparities: Building a new framework for health promotion and disease prevention

The origins of adult disease are often found among developmental and biological disruptions occurring during the early years of life.

Stop being manipulated! Take charge of the information in your life.

Disinformation and propaganda are not new; they have been used for hundreds if not thousands of years. With algorithm-driven social media platforms, however, they have

Declining life expectancy in the United States

Life expectancy in the United States is declining–officially since 2014–but the causes have been a long time in the making extending back to at least

Nine evidence-based guidelines for a good life (Gary M. Bakker)

The guidelines (“discovered through observation” and research) are — *Exercise your body and your brain every day. Research shows that “moderate, daily exercise” for your

Sea level rise and climate change

Quick bibliography: Reviews/recent articles on sea level rise and climate change. **Updated January 2021** Classic reviews: *Hallegatte, S., Green, C., Nicholls, R. J., & Corfee-Morlot,

Generalized Anxiety Disorder–a sign of the times?

Quick bibliography: Reviews/recent articles on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)–a sign of our times? **Updated January 2021** Classic review: *Tyrer, P. & Baldwin, D. (2006). Generalised

Nuclear power and climate change

There are many connections between nuclear power and climate change. Public perception of nuclear power has a very important and powerful impact on its current

Opioids, addiction, and overdose

Bibliography: Reviews/recent articles on opioids, addiction, and overdose. **Updated March 2021** Classic review: *Paulozzi, L.J. (2012). Prescription drug overdoses: A review. Journal of Safety Research, 43 (4),

Gun ownership and violence

Quick bibliography: Reviews/articles on the connections between gun ownership and violence. **updated November 2022** Classic review: van Kesteren, J.N. (2014). Revisiting the Gun Ownership and Violence

Excessive rainfall–the new normal

News: Do you see a trend? More episodes of excessive, even extreme rainfall leading to widespread, frequent, and long-lasting flooding. It is happening now in

Solar-powered water harvesting and purification

Quick bibliography: 5 reviews/recent articles on solar-powered water harvesting and purification. Classic review: Sampathkumar, K., Arjunan, T.V., Pritchandi, P., & Senthilkumar, P. (2010). Active solar

Hundreds of millions of climate migrants likely by 2050

News: Are you concerned about immigration? Then, consider this–a report from The World Bank estimates that Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America could see

How cities are/will be impacted by climate change

**updated June 2021** News: City life has changed and will change even more due to the impacts of climate change. Cities in the United States

The environmental effects of offshore drilling

Quick bibliography: Reviews/recent articles on the environmental effects of offshore drilling. **for the most current version of this bibliography, see — https://sciencebibliographies.strategian.com/the-environmental-effects-of-offshore-drilling/ Classic review: *Menzie,

Postmenopausal bone health and nutrition

Quick bibliography: 5 reviews/recent articles on postmenopausal bone health and nutrition. **for the most current version of this bibliography, see — https://sciencebibliographies.strategian.com/postmenopausal-bone-health-and-nutrition/ Classic review: Ilich,

Most-read Science topics (quick post)

Over the last year (since September 2018), the top 5 posts searched and read on Science Connections have been: The impact of sea level rise

Save money, do good–change your light bulbs (quick post)

Switching light bulbs in your home to LED is a simple, relatively inexpensive way to cut your energy bill (the amount of electricity used with

Misinformation and trust

News: “Social media has facilitated the proliferation of false belief at an unprecedented scale.” Why? Humans are social learners. “We develop most of our beliefs

Owning a gun does not make you safer

News: The wide and easy availability of guns is a contentious issue in the United States and in some other countries. Many people believe that

Be kind to others; it’s good for you and for them

News: You can be kind to others–you really can. It’s something you can control. So much of life today seems constrained, controlled, surveilled, forced, overshadowed.

China’s burgeoning scientific muscle

News: It’s well-known that the publication of scientific research in the form of journal articles especially (but also books, book chapters, and other formats) has

Fish oil supplements don’t work for CVD

News: Once in decline, deaths from cardiovascular disease (strokes, heart attacks, etc.) in the United States “have been rising dramatically since 2011.” The American Heart

A new world disorder?

News: It may seem that absolutely everyone today is glued to their phones and uses social media, but that’s not true. Facebook, the largest social

Should anyone be playing American football?

News: The midbrain in humans controls “functions such as hearing and temperature regulation.” But, because of its location–in the middle of the brain–this area is

The heat island effect divides cities as well

**updated June 2021** News: It’s known that there is a “heat island effect” in urban areas–large buildings, industrial zones, uncovered parking lots, paved roads, densely-built

It’s raining plastic

News: It’s literally raining plastic–that is, “multicolored microscopic plastic fibers.” Previous research has found microplastics in mountains in Europe, at the bottom of the ocean,

What’s the best way to get eggs from chickens?

At an exhibit in Iowa, USA, a comparison of the ways of getting eggs from chickens: The “conventional housing” is demonstrated: And, is touted over

We need action

Land and water degradation, food and water supply shortages, drug-resistant infections from overuse of antibiotics, overuse of pesticides and disease, sea level rise affecting coastal

Metals, microplastics, and antibiotic resistance

News: Misuse and overuse of antibiotics with farm animals (especially to promote growth) and with humans “is a main reason behind [the] evolution of antibiotic

The biggest unknown of Climate Change: us

Connections: The difference in human behavior that climate change has been shown to cause can be detrimental in the long run if we get stuck

Prejudice, discrimination and social norms

News: Donald Trump, the President of the United States, continues to make and post derogatory statements that are based on race, ethnicity, and gender (among

Is it necessary to take 10,000 steps per day for good health?

News: For women and men who are not very active? No. Researchers tracked the step volume and step intensity of 16,741 women with an average

Autoimmune diseases–prevention and control (quick bibliography)

Quick bibliography: Reviews on the prevention and control of autoimmune diseases. “An autoimmune disorder is a malfunction of the body’s immune system that causes the

Corporate farming and its consequences in the U.S. Midwest

News: I live in Iowa, USA; I’ve lived here all my life–60 years. My parents, born in the 1920’s, both grew up on small family

We need to work together; can we find a way?

News: This is worth 7 minutes of your time–a story of oil palm, Indonesia, researchers, and large multinational corporations. What does this have to do

Restoring and maintaining natural forests can be a key to controlling carbon in the atmosphere

News: Recent headlines and research built on the 2018 IPCC special report have indicated that planting about 1 billion new hectares of forest globally (and

Climate change impacts on human behavior

Connections: The difference in human behavior that climate change has been shown to cause can be detrimental in the long run if we get stuck in

Advances in solar water purification

News: Here is some potentially very positive news … It’s estimated that nearly 800 million people globally today lack access to safe drinking water–that’s not

The Midwestern U.S. is still flooding (quick post)

News: The lower Mississippi River in the United States is still flooding; some towns have seen continual flooding in 2019 for as long as 100

Large, intense thunderstorms will happen more frequently

News: “Large, intense thunderstorms cause flooding and fatalities.” The United States is especially impacted. Storms of this nature (mesoscale convective system-organized storms) “have increased in

There is no privacy any more (quick post)

News: Would you let an employee from Walmart or Amazon come inside your home (while you’re not there) to deliver packages or put groceries in

Chennai, India is running out of water (quick post)

News: Chennai, India, a city of nearly 5 million people, has become the latest major city to run out of water. Climate change (drought and

In-group bias is ingrained in humans

News: Adults and children–even children as young as three–“are really quick to sort themselves into … social groups and to form a preference for their

Topic of the day (TOTD): Social withdrawal and neuropsychiatric disorders

Review: The mental processes that allow us humans to live beside and with other humans are extremely complex. Our brains have become highly specialized for

A more sustainable version of plastic could be a reality

News: It’s well known; very little plastic is actually recycled globally–only 10% or less. Why? It’s the plastic itself along with the materials that are

Social media and depression

News: These social media behaviors are related to major depressive disorder (MDD): individuals who are more likely to compare themselves to others better off than

Why don’t we do anything about climate change?

News: Our climate–Earth’s climate–is changing. It’s a fact, not a theory, not a guess. Overall, our climate is getting warmer; we will see fewer periods

Microplastics now found in the mountains

News: Microplastics–tiny fragments of plastic waste–can be “ingested and inhaled by humans.” There are many news reports and studies that have shown that microplastics can

Science Primary Literature Database–last 5 added

The Science Primary Literature Database provides access to primarily journal articles and book chapters that have been found useful by college and university science students. The publications

Good carbs and high fiber

Just as with fats, there are “bad carbs” and “good carbs” (and conflicting dietary claims and sometimes controversy). Importantly, good carbs are high in fiber

Politics and Fear

Whipping up fear is a common tactic in politics. Providing stark, seemingly life or death choices, us versus them, scapegoating, creating a false bogeyman to

Is there any privacy left in America?

Connections: 9/11 was a big turning point in sacrificing privacy for national security. While there are differing opinions on whether this was the best decision

How to deal with single-use plastics

Single-use plastics (SUPs) are terrible for our environment. Humans have created an estimated 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics since the 1950’s–79% of this has

Were we scavengers rather than hunters?

For decades, the theory has been that the emergence of stone tools led early humans (around 2.6 to 3.5 million years ago) to hunt for

Science highlights: human adult neurogenesis, and a fungus killing amphibians

A new study provides further evidence that the adult brain in humans does grow new neurons (a process called neurogenesis) in the hippocampus–the section of

Science highlights: threats to global health, and apple trees are dying

See the WHO’s 10 threats to global health in 2019. Diabetes, cancer, and heart disease account for more than 70% of all deaths globally–driven by

Getting kids hooked on sugary beverages

The prevalence of obesity in the United States among those 40-59 and over 60 years of age is an extremely high 41-43% and about 19%

Trending science on Twitter (winter 2019)

Based on an analysis of the Twitter sites, Science Headlines and Headline Science, these were the topics that people were most and least engaged in

Science highlights: insomnia, and maternal mortality

Sleeplessness is a big problem today; its costs from health problems to lost productivity are huge. Recent research has probed the biological basis of insomnia.

Effective leadership and core values

In 2005, Laura Reave reviewed over 150 studies on leadership effectiveness. A focus was on “spiritual values” and the overlap between religion and business. But,

Science highlights: dwindling seafood, Alzheimer’s/Parkinson’s and inflammation, today’s fast food, and disease-carrying mosquitos

Rising sea water temperatures have lowered the yield of 235 fish stocks globally by 4% since 1930. However, by 2100, water temperatures will increase more