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Editor's note
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This Earth Day weekend, demonstrators are gathering around the country to show their support for science and evidence-based policies. Some potential marchers debated whether advocating for research and its funding would position science as just another interest group, making it even more of a partisan issue. But does it? Emily Vraga describes research suggesting scientists can make recommendations without compromising their credibility. And University of Washington’s Leah Ceccarelli writes that the art of rhetoric
can help scientists get their messages across effectively.
And since Earth Day can be an occasion for both pessimism and optimism, we offer two takes on the state of the planet: a look at an emerging class of water pollutants, and a call for a moon-shot-style campaign to restore soil health worldwide.
The first round of the French presidential election happens Sunday. Joshua Cole of the University of Michigan offer a quick explanation on how the French electoral system works while Jennifer Sessions listens for echoes of French colonialism in the candidates’ speeches. And for more on a race that is seen as being pivotal not just for France but for all of Europe, check out the latest coverage from Conversations around the world.
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Maggie Villiger
Senior Editor, Science + Technology
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Top story
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What happens to their credibility when scientists take to the streets? February 2017 Stand Up for Science rally in Boston.
Adam Salsman
Emily Vraga, George Mason University
The research community tends to assume advocacy doesn't mix with objectivity. One study suggests there's room for scientists to make real-world recommendations without compromising their trusted status.
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Saturn and its rings backlit by the sun, which is blocked by the planet in this view. Encircling the planet and inner rings is the much more extended E-ring.
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Dan Reisenfeld, The University of Montana
As the probe starts its 'Grand Finale,' a Cassini team member describes the amazing discoveries it made about the ringed planet and its many moons.
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Politics + Society
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Joshua Cole, University of Michigan
Get up to speed before the first round of voting on April 23.
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Jennifer Sessions, University of Iowa
Should French children be taught about the 'positive aspects' of colonialism? What the presidential candidates say.
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Daniel LaChance, Emory University
Trump's promise to appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court could mean the fate of the death penalty rests in the court of public opinion.
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Arts + Culture
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Adam Gustafson, Pennsylvania State University
Just as Fitzgerald's career was taking off, jazz was under attack for its purported connection to drug culture. If she wanted to become a mainstream superstar, she needed to make a choice.
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Elizabeth Cohen, West Virginia University
Don't listen to the headlines linking binge watching to depression and loneliness. It can be a positive experience – but only if we think of it as a good thing.
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Economy + Business
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Marina v. N. Whitman, University of Michigan
The U.S. owes much of its prosperity to investment in public goods like highways, parks and schools. Trump's budget poses a threat to these goods, which have already been on the decline.
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Michele Gilman, University of Baltimore
With Neil Gorsuch's appointment to the high court, conservatives regain their 5-4 majority, which will likely benefit employers over workers.
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Education
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Nancy E. Landrum, Loyola University Chicago
Though business and industry are significantly contributing to climate change, business schools across the country are not preparing our future leaders for the dramatic shift this planet needs.
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Jonathan Wai, Duke University; Heiner Rindermann, Chemnitz University of Technology
While the media glamorizes famous college dropouts like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, the reality is that most successful people in the U.S. went to – and finished – college.
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Environment + Energy
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Lee Blaney, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Ingredients from shampoo, sunscreens and other personal care products are turning up in water supplies. Some are toxic or cause hormonal damage to aquatic life, and could threaten human health.
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Lindsey McDougle, Rutgers University Newark
How could green groups attract more diverse volunteers? Maybe they could put more time and energy into outreach toward the people most affected by environmental injustices.
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David R. Montgomery, University of Washington
To help feed a growing world population, restore biodiversity and slow climate change, a geologist calls for a moon shot effort to restore healthy soil around the world.
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Ethics + Religion
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Beth A. Rosenson, University of Florida
Conflict of interest laws are often not cut and dried. They involve interpretation by lawyers within the Justice Department and judges.
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Rosalyn R. LaPier, Harvard University
As the March for Science takes place in Washington, D.C. and over 500 cities across the world this Saturday, April 22, Native American scholars are expressing support. Here's why this matters.
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Health + Medicine
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Thomas Hooven, Columbia University Medical Center
In planes, trains and cars, we increasingly entrust our lives to automated safety systems. It's time for medical technology to catch up.
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Edward Bell, Drake University
You may not know anyone with an infectious disease covered by the immunizations on the 2017 list of recommended vaccines. Here's why that doesn't matter, and why children still need to be protected.
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Trending on site
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Erin Connelly, University of Pennsylvania
A team of medievalists and scientists look back to history – including a 1,000-year-old eyesalve recipe – for clues to new antibiotics.
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Robert Speel, Pennsylvania State University
Franklin D. Roosevelt is famous for really getting a lot done fast. Will history remember Trump so kindly?
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Thorsten Wuest, West Virginia University; David Romero, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey; Johan Stahre, Chalmers University of Technology
People will still be needed on factory floors, even as robots become more common. Future operators will have technical support and be super-strong, super-smart and constantly connected.
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