The argument over the ethics of the famous material’s iconic material is one of the only things that seem to be more ageless than a leather jacket. Leather, like actual animal fur and feathers, is hotly disputed in the fashion business. It is primarily manufactured from the skins of bulls and calves. Veganism and the…
As scientists and engineers, we consider ourselves fortunate to work in fields that advance knowledge and understanding. Participating in research and discovery, as well as mentoring young scientists, has enormous benefits. Science is a unique and vital institution in and of itself. It thrives after centuries of human ingenuity and effort and continues to make…
In normal times, there would be no doubt that a medication having opioid-like effects should be shown safe and effective before being extensively promoted and authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But these aren’t ordinary times, and kratom, a herbal supplement, isn’t a regular medication. In reality, whether or not to prohibit kratom…
What would you do with 1,000 butts if you had them? Ramisyllis multicaudata, a sea worm, is one of only two known creatures to find itself in this precarious predicament (shopping for trousers must be a nightmare)—and it isn’t telling. Given that a worm doesn’t “just happen” to have that many booties, there must be…
Snakes are cunning creatures. They’ve slithered their way into almost every corner of the globe in their 150 million-odd years on our planet. Saint Patrick, on the other hand, can’t take credit for eradicating our scaly companions from any of them. Ireland, like almost every other country without snakes, never had them to begin with.…
Stanton Glantz is one of the few scientists who has battled smoking as fiercely as he has. Glantz led campaigns to ban smoking in public places, exposed secret tobacco industry documents, and wrote or co-wrote five books and nearly 400 papers, the majority of which documented the harm caused by tobacco. Glantz was a professor…
The earth is warming at an unprecedented rate in the last 2,000 years as a result of modern society’s continuous reliance on fossil fuels. and its consequences are already being felt as record droughts, wildfires, and floods wreak havoc on communities around the world. according to a groundbreaking United Nations assessment on the state of…
Vaccinated Americans will be permitted to go to Canada again, but the US will keep its side of the border closed as Delta continues to spread, particularly in the South. Meanwhile, it’s becoming clear that kids can develop lengthy COVID, and some Americans are self-medicating with illicit booster doses. Here’s what’s new in COVID this…
I went for a run on June 27 as the rest of the Pacific Northwest huddled indoors due to record-breaking heat. I’m used to jogging in the heat as a former cross-country runner: I hit the trails around 7:00 a.m. and chose a more shady path The weather was nice when I left the home,…
Despite our near-constant anxiety about restlessness, Americans today sleep about the same amount as they did 50 years ago. But it doesn’t mean we’re getting enough shut-eye. According to a 2020 poll by the National Sleep Foundation, over one-third of US citizens aren’t getting the seven or more hours of sleep each day suggested by…