In the News
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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 -
February 12, 2021
“The trial can’t really affect him anyway, but it can still affect us. … The Senate will determine to what extent Trump was responsible. More than that, though, the trial will recognize, grieve, memorialize, reflect and judge. It will not only judge the man, but also the moment,” co-wrote Will Thomas, assistant professor of business law.
The Hill -
February 12, 2021
The high number of executive actions being signed by President Biden is less important than what they actually do, says Kenneth Lowande, assistant professor of political science: “Some of this is … because the previous administration had so many policies that were easy wins for President Biden to reverse. But for most of them, it will take months, if not years, to understand whether they were impactful.”
CNN -
February 11, 2021
“A judge should instruct a jury that what Fox does later to try to show they’re acting in good faith doesn’t settle the question of whether they were acting in good faith at some earlier time,” said Don Herzog, professor of law, regarding the cancelation of Lou Dobbs’ show on Fox Business after the talk show host was named in a multibillion lawsuit for spreading baseless theories of electoral fraud.
The New York Times
