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Top headlines
Lead story
Many Americans take public health for granted – at least the elements of it that have generally been working well. After all, those parts are often invisible by design. If public health policies are on point, nobody but the professionals needs to think about the hows and whys.
But over the past few months, federal health officials have scrambled the well-oiled system that the U.S. has relied on for more than 20 years to make sure that seasonal vaccines are available in the fall for whoever needs or wants to get them.
One major source of confusion hitting parents and caregivers as they get ready to send their children back to school: Should children get an updated COVID-19 vaccine – and will they even have the option?
David Higgins, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, lays it all out: how the process normally works, why it’s been upended this year, and how parents and caregivers can make decisions for children amid the uncertainty.
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Alla Katsnelson
Associate Health Editor
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The coordinated process for recommending and ensuring access to vaccines has been disrupted.
Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images
David Higgins, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Abrupt policy changes and confusing public messaging have injected confusion in back-to-school vaccine protocols.
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International
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Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University
Judging by much mainstream commentary, the meeting has little chance of resolving the war in Ukraine. But a few signs suggest that outcome is not foreordained.
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Environment + Energy
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Kenneth J. Davis, Penn State
Carbon dioxide emissions trap heat in the atmosphere, warming the planet. Too much CO2 can disrupt the climate and oceans.
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Education
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Deborah L. Schussler, University at Albany, State University of New York
Understanding the nuances of what mindfulness can look like in a classroom can help educators, parents and policymakers decide whether it belongs in their schools.
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Science + Technology
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Ella Kellner, University of North Carolina – Charlotte
7 distinct types of silk allow different spider species to build webs with various jobs – including to catch prey, tether themselves and protect their eggs.
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M. Hadi Amini, Florida International University; Ervin Moore, Florida International University
Data poisoning corrupts AI systems by teaching them with bad data. There’s no silver bullet to protect against it, but researchers are building defenses.
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Politics + Society
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Charli Carpenter, UMass Amherst; Geraldine Santoso, UMass Amherst
As National Guard troops head to the streets of Washington, and likely civilian encounters, a new survey reveals service members’ understanding of the distinction between legal and illegal orders.
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Economy + Business
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Jeffrey Sklansky, University of Illinois Chicago
Both holidays arose at the same time, nearly 150 years ago, in the midst of an explosive labor uprising.
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Arts + Culture
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Naomi S. Baron, American University
Even before generative AI went mainstream, fewer people were reading books.
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Health + Medicine
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Liza Barros-Lane, University of Houston-Downtown
Grief affects the mind, body, emotions, nervous system and even deeply held beliefs – a reality many only grasp once loss arrives.
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