For generations, financial literacy has been viewed as a personal skill that helps people budget wisely, save for retirement, and avoid unnecessary debt. Today, it […]
We Know How to Prevent Black Lung. So Why Are Workers Still Dying?
There was a time when black lung was considered an inevitable consequence of working in a coal mine. Miners spent decades underground breathing coal dust, and many eventually developed the respiratory disease that became one of the most recognizable occupational hazards in America. We know better now. Scientists have understood the connection between inhaling dust and developing serious lung disease for generations. Workplace regulations have been written specifically to limit those exposures. Monitoring programs exist. Protective equipment exists. Medical screening exists. And yet American workers are still developing severe, sometimes fatal lung diseases caused by what they breathe on the…
The 9/11 Victims We’re Still Learning About
Twenty-five years after the September 11th terrorist attacks, researchers are preparing to study a group of people whose experiences have received considerably less attention than those of the firefighters, police officers, and other adults who responded to the disaster. They were children. Some were old enough to remember the planes striking the World Trade Center. Others were infants. Some were still in the womb. Many lived in Lower Manhattan or attended school nearby and were exposed to the enormous cloud of dust and debris created when the towers collapsed. Now, a major federal research effort is being established to examine…
The Cost of Closing Forest Research
The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research and development facilities across more than a dozen states as part of a sweeping reorganization of the agency. The move has received considerably less attention than many of the administration's other changes to the federal government, but its implications reach far beyond the offices and employees directly affected. The Forest Service conducts research into some of the most fundamental questions facing America's forests. Its scientists study wildfires, invasive species, forest diseases, water resources, wildlife, and the ways forests respond to changing environmental conditions. The agency says the research itself is not being…
Where Is the Opioid Settlement Money Going?
When opioid manufacturers, distributors, and other companies agreed to pay billions of dollars to settle lawsuits over their role in the nation's opioid crisis, the…
America’s Historic Drop in Homicides Deserves More Attention
For years, Americans have been told that crime is one of the country's most pressing problems. Political campaigns have been built around fears of rising…
When AI Reads Your Medical Records
For years, artificial intelligence in health care was largely discussed as a future technology. Doctors might someday use AI to identify diseases, analyze medical images,…
The Growing Alarm Over Facial Recognition and ICE Detentions
For years, debates about facial recognition technology largely centered on local police departments, airport security, and private sector data collection. More recently, however, a different…
The Cost of Closing Forest Research
The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research and development facilities across more than a dozen states as part of a sweeping reorganization of the…
When Politics Enters the Science: The Fight Over What Judges Should Know
The courts routinely deal with questions that judges cannot answer through legal precedent alone. What caused an environmental disaster? How reliable is a particular scientific…
Why Financial Literacy Matters More Than Ever
For generations, financial literacy has been viewed as a personal skill that helps people budget wisely, save for retirement, and avoid unnecessary debt. Today, it…
How Speculators Move Gas Prices
For most Americans, the price of gasoline feels deeply personal. It determines commuting costs, shipping prices, airline tickets, and, indirectly, the cost of groceries and…
We Know How to Prevent Black Lung. So Why Are Workers Still Dying?
There was a time when black lung was considered an inevitable consequence of working in a coal mine. Miners spent decades underground breathing coal dust,…
The 9/11 Victims We’re Still Learning About
Twenty-five years after the September 11th terrorist attacks, researchers are preparing to study a group of people whose experiences have received considerably less attention than…
Can America’s Power Grid Handle the Future?
Every summer brings familiar headlines about record temperatures, soaring electricity demand, and pleas from utilities asking customers to conserve energy during the hottest hours of […]
Wildfire Season Has Changed Forever
Wildfires have become one of the most recognizable symbols of a changing risk landscape in the United States. Each year, images of neighborhoods surrounded by […]
Kash Patel’s Spoiler Problem
For generations, successful law enforcement investigations have depended on a simple principle: keep suspects guessing. Whether investigators are pursuing a fugitive, dismantling a conspiracy, or […]
The Pest We Thought We Beat
For decades, the New World screwworm was considered a solved problem in the United States. Through sustained eradication campaigns and international coordination, the parasite was […]
Are More Voting Rights in Retreat?
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing Alabama to use a Republican-favored congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections has reignited a longstanding debate about […]
The Growing Alarm Over Facial Recognition and ICE Detentions
For years, debates about facial recognition technology largely centered on local police departments, airport security, and private sector data collection. More recently, however, a different […]
How Worried Should We Be About Hantavirus?
News about outbreaks of rare viruses tends to trigger a familiar cycle of anxiety. Headlines spread quickly, social media speculation accelerates, and comparisons to COVID-19 […]
Not Thinking About Americans
When Donald Trump told reporters this week, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” the remark landed with unusual force because of the moment in […]
How Speculators Move Gas Prices
For most Americans, the price of gasoline feels deeply personal. It determines commuting costs, shipping prices, airline tickets, and, indirectly, the cost of groceries and […]