“Forever chemicals”, farmland, and cancer

For many years, farmers across the United States have been encouraged by the Federal Government to spread sewage from homes and factories on farmland as fertilizer. This sludge, obtained from wastewater treatment plants, was rich in nutrients, and it helped keep the sewage out of landfills. But research now shows that this black sludge (called “biosolids”) can contain heavy concentrations of chemicals that can increase…

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Artificial intelligence and libraries

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a ubiquitous topic.  Looking at social media and technology news gives the impression that the world abounds in AI experts and superusers.  But that is misleading. For most of us, including those of us at the libraries of higher ed institutions facing financial and enrollment challenges, AI can seem an especially daunting topic.  We should pay attention.  After all, will AI…

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Long COVID puzzle pieces are falling into place – the picture is unsettling

Ziyad Al-Aly, Washington University in St. Louis (from The Conversation) Since 2020, the condition known as long COVID-19 has become a widespread disability affecting the health and quality of life of millions of people across the globe and costing economies billions of dollars in reduced productivity of employees and an overall drop in the work force. The intense scientific effort that long COVID sparked has…

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AI tools for academic research

There is an ever-growing array of artificial intelligence-based tools available for research use by students and faculty. These tools often use AI to create and find connections and themes between academic papers pulled from very large databases. The tools then use the power of visualizations to illustrate the connections and the power of summary to concisely describe the information, much the same way as abstracts…

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Binge drinking is a growing public health crisis − a neurobiologist explains how research on alcohol use disorder has shifted

Nikki Crowley, Penn State (from The Conversation) With the Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black” in U.S. theaters as of May 2024, the late singer’s relationship with alcohol and drugs is under scrutiny again. In July 2011, Winehouse was found dead in her flat in north London from “death by misadventure” at the age of 27. That’s the official British term used for accidental death…

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Professor’s choices: Environmental Sciences (2023-2024)

Selected articles and books chosen by U.S. college/university professors for use in class and research during the 2023-2024 academic year: *Huang, Y., Stein, G., Kolle, O., Kübler, K., Schulze, E., Dong, H., Eichenberg, D., Gleixner, G., Hildebrandt, A., Lange, M., Roscher, C., Schielzeth, H., Schmid, B., Weigelt, A., Weisser, W. W., Shadaydeh, M., Denzler, J., Ebeling, A., & Eisenhauer, N. (2024). Enhanced stability of grassland…

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