The conditions within a person’s home, family and community affect their ability to stay healthy. Scientists studying these social determinants of health[1] are trying to understand whether nature or nurture[2] has a stronger effect on a person’s ability to fight disease.
I am a developmental physiologist[3] studying the ways that drinking...
SpaceX’s upcoming Polaris Dawn mission aims to be historic[1] in more ways than one. Polaris Dawn plans to not only orbit Earth higher than any astronauts have in more than 50 years but to also feature the first private spacewalk.
The mission was expected to launch Aug. 27, 2024, but after detecting a helium leak, SpaceX pushed the...
As humans alter the planet’s climate and ecosystems, scientists are looking to Earth’s history to help predict what may unfold from climate change. To this end, massive ice structures like glaciers serve as nature’s freezers[1], archiving detailed records of past climates and ecosystems – including viruses.
About one-third of the global population, around 3 billion people, don’t have access to the internet or have poor connections because of[1] infrastructure limitations, economic disparities and geographic isolation.
Today’s satellites and ground-based networks leave communications gaps where, because of geography[2], setting up traditional...