In the News
-
February 17, 2021
A recent poll shows that most Republicans said they felt the country was going downhill and most Democrats said it’s going uphill. “It underscores the enormous challenge that Biden faces going forward. There is a significant base that is unalterably opposed and still questions the legitimacy of him holding office,” said Barry Rabe, professor of public policy.
The Detroit News -
February 17, 2021
“Folks with dementia are more dependent on those around them to do the safety stuff, to remember to wear a mask, to keep people away through social distancing. There is the cognitive impairment and the fact that they are more socially at risk,” said Kenneth Langa, professor of internal medicine, and health management and policy, commenting on research that found people with dementia are more likely to catch severe COVID-19.
Smithsonian Magazine -
February 17, 2021
Blue light from TV screens and mobile devices plays a role in keeping people awake, but the emotional response to what’s being viewed also has a big impact, says Jan Van den Bulck, professor of communication and media: “If you check the news right before bed, and it’s something that upsets you, then it’s the fact that you’re upset that’s going to keep you awake and not necessarily the brief exposure to the light.”
The New York Times -
February 16, 2021
A virtual conference with about 200 participants results in carbon emissions roughly equal to that of driving almost 3,300 miles or burning nearly 1,500 pounds of coal, says Grant Faber, graduate student and research assistant at the Global CO2 Initiative: “It is all too easy to ignore the materiality and energy consumption of the internet, as so much of our time spent using digital devices feels like it takes place in an abstract, incorporeal space.”
Anthropocene Magazine -
February 16, 2021
Everyone has been forced to find coping strategies to manage the uncertainty of the pandemic, and alcohol has been part of that picture, says Sean Esteban McCabe, professor of nursing and director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health: “You’re seeing people with health issues, relationship issues from being on top of each other during COVID, employment issues, financial problems. These are all huge triggers.”
WEYI/Flint-Saginaw -
February 16, 2021
The stress of the pandemic has particularly targeted women — lower wages, less job stability and the burdens of parenting tend to fall more heavily on women’s shoulders, says Jessica Mellinger, assistant professor of internal medicine: “If you have all of these additional stressors, with all of your forms of support gone — and all you have left is the bottle — that’s what you’ll resort to.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer -
February 15, 2021
Supporting women in the sciences can’t be as simple as making sure that everyone has a mentor who is a demographic match, says Reshma Jagsi, professor of radiation oncology. “If every woman needs a woman to be their mentor, and there’s only one senior woman in the department, she ends up having to be a mentor to half a dozen people,” said Jagsi, who advocates for “mentor networks.”
WIRED -
February 15, 2021
“The pandemic emergency led Republicans as well as Democrats to support sending government checks directly to American households. … If this move makes it seem less inappropriate to send families checks, the politics may change around child allowances, too,” co-wrote Elizabeth Popp Berman, associate professor of organizational studies and sociology.
The Washington Post -
February 15, 2021
“Racial ethnic health inequities in the U.S. have persisted long before the COVID-19 pandemic and they’ve become more evident than ever as we learn about the extent that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts minority groups,” said Delvon Mattingly, doctoral student in epidemiology, whose research found that 45 percent of Black coronavirus patients require overnight hospital stays — almost twice the percentage of white patients.
WDET Radio -
February 12, 2021
Research by Christine Nims, a graduate student in earth and environmental sciences, and colleagues found that actual microbial life forms are much less likely to become safely fossilized in rocks compared with nonbiological structures that happen to mimic their shapes — minuscule objects masquerading as fossilized evidence of early life.
Science News
