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Editor's note
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President Donald Trump has been threatening China with tariffs over allegations that it’s been stealing the intellectual property of American companies. As a result, a trade war is brewing. But Rochester Institute of Technology economist Amitrajeet Batabyal believes there is a less risky way to tackle the problem of Chinese piracy: persuade Western companies to boycott China.
This week scientists reported that they had measured a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Oman, where deep waters are so depleted of oxygen that no life forms can survive. This dead zone is the world’s largest, but there are hundreds around the globe. Donald Scavia, professor emeritus of environment and sustainability at the University of Michigan, explains how they form and why it’s challenging – but not impossible – to reduce them.
Eczema causes dry, itchy and inflamed skin in about a third of Americans. Physician Ian Myles describes a clinical trial in which he applied “good” bacteria to the skin of patients suffering from the painful condition. The promising results suggest it may not be long before we use probiotic creams and lotions containing various microbes to treat other skin infections.
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Bryan Keogh
Economics + Business Editor
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Top Stories
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China hopes to make more microprocessor chips in China, which makes it a great industry to lead a boycott.
AP Photo
Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology
If companies in key industries collectively shunned the Chinese market, that would force China's leaders to take notice, with less risk of blowback.
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Blooms of algae, like this growth in 2015 in Lake St. Clair between Michigan and Ontario, promote the formation of dead zones.
NASA Earth Observatory
Donald Scavia, University of Michigan
Scientists have mapped a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Oman, without enough oxygen in the water to support life. This Speed Read explains why dead zones form in waters around the world.
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Eczema, which is common in babies, is itchy and painful.
silentalex88/Shutterstock.com
Ian Myles, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
In this clinical trial, the first of its kind, physicians explore whether directly applying a 'good' strain of bacteria to the skin can heal eczema
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Politics + Society
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Patricia Rodrigues Samora, Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas
Hundreds of homeless people were living in an abandoned police headquarters in São Paulo when a massive fire broke out on May 1. The residents were part of a scattering nationwide movement in Brazil.
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David J. Wasserstein, Vanderbilt University
A mummy unearthed during construction in Iran may be the body of a former shah. For the Islamic regime, the discovery is an unwelcome reminder of Iran's secular past. For protesters, it holds promise.
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Scott L. Montgomery, University of Washington
Who do you call when there's a nuclear crisis? The International Atomic Energy Agency, unless the crisis involves North Korea -- then things get complicated.
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Science + Technology
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Sandeep Nair Narayanan, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Anupam Joshi, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Sudip Mittal, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Here's how to secure your home network, whether or not it has already been attacked by hackers.
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Sarah Coseo Markt, Harvard University
Perhaps you've noticed something unusual in the bathroom after you consume this healthy spring vegetable. A Speed Read explains there's two parts to the stinky puzzle: production and perception.
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From our International Editions
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Ivan Manokha, University of Oxford
The routine gathering and monetisation of vast amounts of personal data has been normalised.
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Anelyse Weiler, University of Toronto
Female migrant farm workers across North America are vulnerable to sexual abuse and assault because the systems set up to temporarily employ them offer no protections or access to citizenship.
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Adrian Martineau, Queen Mary University of London
Vitamin D could help the 20m children worldwide who suffer from acute, severe malnutrition.
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