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Wildfires have broken out across the Western U.S. this week, many of them triggered by lightning strikes in heat-dried vegetation, and tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate. Living in the smoke downwind from one can be eerie. The sky casts a yellow-orange glow on everything, and when the wind blows, flecks of ash glitter in the air like dirty snow.
Watching the haze from wildfires raging a few miles from where I live in California, I wondered: What’s actually in that smoke and ash, and how hazardous is it? I tracked down Luke Montrose, an environmental toxicologist at Boise State University, to explain the hazards of wildfire smoke, what it can do to your lungs and how to protect your health.
Also today:
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Stacy Morford
General Assignments Editor
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The health impact of wildfire exposure depends in part on the fire itself and how much smoke a person breathes in, how often and for how long.
AP Photos/Noah Berger
Luke Montrose, Boise State University
Wildfires blanketing several Western cities are creating hazardous health conditions. Don't count on cloth masks to protect your lungs.
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Politics + Society
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Todd Shaw, University of South Carolina; Cynthia Young, Pennsylvania State University
Two scholars react to Biden's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
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Penny Venetis, Rutgers University Newark
In lawsuits across the country, the GOP and Trump campaign are trying to stop or dramatically curtail mail-in voting. Courts have largely sided with them, threatening massive disenfranchisement.
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Bruce Whitehouse, Lehigh University
The transition to a civilian government won't be smooth.
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Andrea Robbett, Middlebury; Peter Hans Matthews, Middlebury
Despite partisan affiliation, American voters tend to share views on common facts about the world. But recent research suggests that when it comes to COVID-19, voters live in alternative realities.
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Economy + Business
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Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, University of Notre Dame
A nonprofit law expert explains the federal case against the former Trump adviser.
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Eugene Y. Chan, Purdue University
Millennials and Gen Z overwhelmingly support the movement, and consumer brands are well aware of their growing spending power.
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Science + Technology
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Amanda Cote, University of Oregon
Combating sexism and other forms of harassment in online videogames comes down to community standards.
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Jeffrey M. Sturek, University of Virginia
In the blood of COVID-19 survivors are antibodies that can defeat SARS-CoV-2. Researchers are testing whether these antibodies can be collected and injected into others to save them from the virus.
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Education
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Tracey Birdwell, Indiana University; Tripp Harris, Indiana University
Holding classes inside college classrooms puts students and faculty members at risk. A handful of colleges and universities are finding innovative ways to hold classes outdoors.
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Ethics + Religion
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Irwin N. Sandler, Arizona State University
A professor reflects on his four decades of working with families dealing with grief and how the program he helped set up could be applied today.
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Environment + Energy
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Scott L. Montgomery, University of Washington
The Trump administration is opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing – a step that's as much about politics as it is about energy.
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Arts + Culture
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David Ridpath, Ohio University
Football forms the financial backbone of many athletic programs, with some schools deriving over 80% of their department revenue from the sport.
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From our international editions
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Matthew Sharpe, Deakin University
The Roman Stoic Seneca is the author of many letters and dialogues that can help us overcome adversity.
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Chris Gosden, University of Oxford
Is magic all about spells and hocus pocus, or is it simply another way of looking at how the universe works?
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Alexey D Muraviev, Curtin University
We have become very China-centric in our strategic thinking — and this could be to our detriment. We need to pay more attention to Beijing's deepening defence ties with Russia.
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