Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Your Custom Text Here
On U.S. Barrier Islands, African-Rooted Traditions Protect against a Relentlessly Rising Ocean
Once you are across the bridge onto Saint Helena Island, S.C., trinket shops and strip malls give way to fishing shacks and saltwater marshes. Secluded from the bustling tourist traffic just a bridge away, the island remains largely untouched. It preserves traditions fostered even before some of its residents’ ancestors were forced to traverse the more than 4,000 miles of ocean that separates the Saint Helena salt marshes from Africa.
READ MORE IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
Idalia and a ‘Supermoon’ Could Swamp Charleston and Savannah
On Wednesday morning, Darragh Simon skimmed the aisles for last minute items at Royall Ace Hardware in Mount Pleasant, S.C., a suburb of about 95,000 located to the east of Charleston Harbor. Awaiting the storm, she ran through what she called “her mental check list of items” — water, batteries, flashlights and candles at the ready.
Ms. Simon noticed the storm changing rapidly overnight, which put her on edge. “I’ve lived through a lot of hurricanes and rarely see one that comes on this strong this fast,” she said, even after losing her home and nearly all her belongings to Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
“Those were tough times,” Ms. Simon said. “I had a 1-year-old and 3-year-old living in an Airstream.”
READ MORE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
How the Gun Became Integral to the Self-Identity of Millions of Americans
Over the past 150 years, American gun owners have gone from viewing their weapons largely as utilitarian farm tools to weapons that provide both a feeling of physical security and a sense of psychological solace. Guns’ importance to their owners now goes much deeper than merely being implements of self-defense.
READ MORE IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
Half of the 250 Kids Expelled from Preschool Each Day Are Black Boys
In early October 2022 Jane Stadnik, a family resource specialist at the Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership (PEAL) Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., got a frantic call from the mother of a three-year-old boy who was about to be expelled from preschool. The school was tiring of his disruptive behavior, which, it claimed, included throwing blocks, not following directions, refusing to sit at “circle time” and periodically running from the classroom. Stadnik says that this would normally be seen as “typical developmental preschool behavior,” especially for a child with a speech impediment.
READ MORE IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
The Mythical Golden Nautilus, Too Rare for Its Own Good
Marine biologist Gregory Barord remembers the anticipation building as he pulled a bulky nautilus trap back up from the ocean floor. It was heavy, and he had to struggle to haul the leaden box to the surface, but his excitement grew with each passing moment. He had already seen the bright-orange coat of the golden or “fuzzy” nautilus when he looked overboard 15 meters down. He knew his hard work was paying off.
READ MORE IN SIERRA MAGAZINE
Giovanni Aldini: This Real-Life Dr. Frankenstein Electrified the Dead
On a frosty day in January 1803, George Forster was executed at Newgate Prison for the supposed drowning of his wife and daughter — and his body was left hanging in temperatures two degrees below freezing for two hours afterwards. Perfectly chilled, he was hastily carted the mile long journey to London’s Royal College of Surgeons’ anatomy theater.
READ MORE IN DISCOVER MAGAZINE
A Wandering Mind is Part of Our Evolution
Mindfulness is such a buzzword. We all want it, but our ability to attain it is fleeting. We fear life is passing us by, and as the world moves faster and faster, living in the present moment seems more difficult. But while mindfulness is the key to happiness, mind wandering is the key to our survival as a species.
READ MORE IN DISCOVER MAGAZINE
This Public Health Measure Bridges the National Divide over Firearms
—Just Don’t Call It Gun Control
For Jess Hegstrom, suicide prevention coordinator for Lewis and Clark County, Montana, the greatest gifts we can give to people struggling with suicide are time and space between their thoughts and their firearms. Suicide is often an impulsive decision, she says, but with guns, “you can’t call a bullet back.” When you’re in a dark place and don’t have access to highly lethal means such as a firearm, you’re less likely to die, she says.
READ MORE IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
Draconian Laws Deter Pregnant Women from Treating Drug Abuse
Neonatologist Stephen W. Patrick of Vanderbilt University Medical Center recalls one patient in particular. She was seeking care for an opioid use disorder (OUD) at the treatment facility that he runs in Nashville, Tenn. The patient came in frantic after an exchange at her first prenatal visit. The sonographer who conducted her ultrasound, she recounted, told her in a disdainful tone that she should have a home for the child lined up because drug users never leave the hospital with their babies.
READ MORE IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
Student Loan Debt Takes a Toll on a Vulnerable Population’s Mental Health
Thirteen years ago, Melanie Lockert, now age 38, thought she wanted to become a university theater professor. She was thrilled to start her Ph.D. journey in performance studies at New York University. Midway through, however, she realized that she did not want to work in academia but preferred nonprofit art education. After graduating with a master’s degree in theater performance, she searched for a job in art education in New York City. With the Great Recession of the late 2000s in full swing, however, she couldn’t find work.
READ MORE IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN