A note from...
Jennifer Weeks
Environment + Energy Editor
Dockless electric scooters are rolling into many U.S. cities, and everyone has an opinion about them. Advocates say they’re hip, convenient, and good for the planet – two wheels, a mini-motor, no tailpipe. But North Carolina State University environmental engineer Jeremiah Johnson suspected it might not be that simple.
Johnson and two graduate students inventoried every material that goes into an e-scooter, plus the energy needed to collect, charge, and redeploy them daily. They found that many scooter trips had bigger environmental impacts than options such as walking or taking the subway. Fortunately for hipsters, they also found ways to turn scooters into greener rides.
Why do even the rich cheat on their taxes? New research suggests some people may be genetically predisposed to break the rules for their own financial gain.
Many articles describe the rise of superbugs - bacteria that are resistant to antibiotic drugs - as inevitable. But society has the knowledge to stop the spread of these microbes.
Extreme, dehumanizing language like the words used by President Trump to describe Baltimore can escalate into destructive outcomes, writes a scholar of hostage negotiation.
Elizabeth Aranda, University of South Florida; Alessandra Rosa, University of South Florida
Rosselló's corruption is just the latest in a string of disasters for Puerto Ricans -- but it also created an opportunity for a stressed community to come together.
Anita Layton, University of Waterloo; Mehrshad Sadria, University of Waterloo
Mathematics researchers have developed a technique for detecting autism that could eventually make a diagnostic process faster and less stressful for children and families.
