A note from...
Jennifer Weeks
Environment + Energy Editor
Obesity is a major health crisis in the U.S. Although it’s often framed as a personal challenge – eat a better diet, get more exercise – urban scholar John Rennie Short of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, sees an important role for city planners.
Cities didn’t create the epidemic, he explains, but their failure to promote healthier lifestyles exacerbates the problem. Conversely, cities that adopt policies that make it easier to eat well and be active tend to have healthier residents. Integrating healthy lifestyles into urban planning can be a cost-effective way to fight obesity, Short writes.
John Rennie Short, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Four out of 5 Americans live in cities, so urban planning can make a big difference in our lifestyles – especially if it promotes healthy diets and physical activity.
Lisa DeFrank-Cole, West Virginia University; Jeffrey Waddoups, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
In the first debate featuring former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, scholars note the challenges facing women leaders and the diminishing power of labor unions.
For more than half a century, service members who got hurt while on active duty but not in combat – like being hit by a jeep while on base – could never sue for damages. That's now changed – a bit.
Marilyn J. Roossinck, Pennsylvania State University
Viruses are basically parasites and, as such, can wreak havoc – but not always. Viruses are within you right now. Viruses cause the most damage when they jump from a familiar host to a new host.
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Irony is a slippery concept. Sometimes it's used in speech, other times it's used to describe a situation – oh, and it can also characterize an attitude. Is its versatility its downfall?
Christine Crudo Blackburn, Texas A&M University ; Andrew Natsios, Texas A&M University ; Gerald W Parker, Texas A&M University ; Leslie Ruyle, Texas A&M University
While US residents may feel safe from the effects of the coronavirus, the aftershocks could be damaging in unexpected ways. The disruption to China's supply chain could cause drug shortages.
