Rural areas seemed immune as the coronavirus spread through cities earlier this year. Few rural cases were reported, and attention focused on the surge of illnesses and deaths in the big metro areas. But that false sense of safety is now falling apart as infection rates explode in rural areas across the country. Of the...
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The Right Way to Breathe During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. It’s not just something you do in yoga class – breathing this way actually provides a powerful medical benefit that can help the body fight viral infections. The reason is that your nasal cavities produce the molecule nitric oxide, which chemists abbreviate NO, that increases blood...
What the U.S. Supreme Court’s DACA Ruling Means for Undocumented Students and the Colleges and Universities They Attend
Editor’s note: The Supreme Court voted, 5-4, on June 18, 2020 that the Trump administration can’t immediately end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. Sayil Camacho, a Vanderbilt University postdoctoral fellow who studies immigrants, answers four questions about how the decision will affect undocumented students and higher education. 1. What’s...
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Dreamers Sends a Clear Message to the White House: You Have to Tell the Truth
When it came down to it, the fate of 700,000 immigrants brought to U.S. as children hung on a simple question: Does the White House have to tell the whole truth in justifying its move to deport them? On June 18, the Supreme Court said “yes.” In a 5-to-4 decision that came as a major...
When the Camera Becomes a Mirror
As of late, so many of us are spending time on Zoom, Skype and Google meetings and we get to see each other in our usually private spaces. You may be chatting not only with your family members and close friends, but also work colleagues, clients and individuals near and far with whom you have...
As Food Insecurity Continues to Plague New Yorkers, Impact on Children Is Worrisome
One in four households with children have reported a child experiencing hunger as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis, according to the latest CUNY SPH COVID-19 tracking survey. Many New Yorkers continued to report difficulties in getting the food they needed, but of particular concern is the impact on households with children under the...
Use of Unproven COVID-19 Therapies by African American Patients Poses Risks
Nearly one out of every 10 African Americans has a genetic variant that puts them inherently at an increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Writing in the journal Heart Rhythm, investigators observe that along with socioeconomic and cultural factors, this genetic risk factor may contribute to the racial health disparities that have been documented...
Turning Faces into Thermostats: Autonomous HVAC System Could Provide More Comfort with Less Energy
As lockdown requirements ease, COVID-19 is changing the way we use indoor spaces. That presents challenges for those who manage those spaces, from homes to offices and factories. Not least among these challenges is heating and cooling, which is the largest consumer of energy in American homes and commercial buildings. There’s a need for smarter,...
Cash Me Outside: Transfers to the Poor Linked to Eco-Benefits
In a new study, researchers recently discovered that Indonesia’s national anti-poverty program reduced deforestation by about 30%. The study’s findings were published in Science Advances. “Two of the great global challenges of the 21st century are to reduce poverty and slow deforestation. Unfortunately, the solutions to those challenges are often perceived as conflicting with each...
In Vermont, Pandemic’s Impact Falling Disproportionately on Lower Income Groups
High percentages of Vermonters agree with the social distancing measures put in place by the state in response to the coronavirus pandemic and have complied with them, according to a new survey. But their attitudes and actions, while protecting their health, have come at a significant economic cost, especially for low income Vermonters, one of...