Americans may be divided on many issues, but this midterm election season has shown a strong desire for access to health care. But “access” is not as simple as providing insurance to people with pre-existing conditions, explains health finance expert J.B. Silvers of Case Western University, because access means different things to different people. “A narrow definition of ‘access,’ coupled with ideological commitment to completely unfettered markets, even if they fail many potential customers, leads to this dilemma,” writes Silvers.

Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new screen time recommendations: No more than one hour of screen time for children ages 2 to 5. But for older children and teens, they simply caution against too much screen time – there’s no suggested limit. Psychologist Jean Twenge thinks this directive is too vague. She makes the case for specific screen time guidelines for teens, pointing to new research showing that teens are the most vulnerable age group when it comes to the negative effects of too much screen time.

One of the big questions is whether we’re alone in the universe or, is there other life out there? As space scientists canvass our own solar system for signs of life, they’ve been careful to try not to contaminate other worlds with Earthling life. Vanderbilt astronomer David Weintraub worries that sending human astronauts to Mars will by default contaminate our neighboring planet – and at the same time make it hard to tell if the red planet is home to its own Martian life.