Nearly a half-century after the Supreme Court ruled that school spankings are permissible and not “cruel and unusual punishment”, many U.S. states allow physical punishment for students who have misbehaved.…
Category: Anthropology
The sudden dismissal of public records staff at health agencies threatens government accountability
Mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services are continuing as the agency makes good on its intention, announced on March 27, 2025, to shrink its workforce by…
How bird flu differs from seasonal flu − an infectious disease researcher explains
The flu sickens millions of people in the U.S. every year, and the past year has been particularly tough. Although infections are trending downward, the Centers for Disease Control and…
Preventive care may no longer be free in 2026 because of HIV stigma − unless the Trump administration successfully defends the ACA
Many Americans were relieved when the Supreme Court left the Affordable Care Act in place following the law’s third major legal challenge in June 2021. This decision permitted widely supported…
How the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service protects public health at home and abroad
When the Trump administration announced in February 2025 that it was cutting 10% of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it seemed that a small but storied…
Pennsylvania may be short 20,000 nurses by 2026
Imagine nearly every seat in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center − over 20,000 seats − are empty. That’s the scale of Pennsylvania’s projected shortfall of registered nurses by 2026, according to…
Pornography may be commonplace, but a growing body of research shows it causes lasting harm to the brain and relationships
While pornography has been present throughout human history in various forms, such as ancient erotic art to more modernized motion pictures, research shows an increase in use over recent decades…
Fill-in-the-blank training primes AI to interpret health data from smartwatches and fitness trackers
The human body constantly generates a variety of signals that can be measured from outside the body with wearable devices. These bio-signals – ranging from heart rate to sleep state…
Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe
Americans at all wealth levels are more likely to die sooner than their European counterparts, with even the richest U.S. citizens living shorter lives than northern and western Europeans. That…
Colorado’s early childhood education workers face burnout and health disparities, but a wellness campaign could help
A lot of research has been done on the outcomes of young children who receive care in early education programs across the country. High-quality early childhood education programs positively shape…
