Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research

At a time when California’s farm operators are struggling to hire enough people, providing better benefits could attract more workers who are citizens or have legal immigration status.

Zachariah Rutledge, Assistant Professor of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University • conversation
April 8, 2025 ~5 min

US earthquake safety relies on federal employees’ expertise

The US experiences violent earthquakes, but the damage and death toll is much lower than in many countries because of the work of federal seismologists and engineers.

Lucy Arendt, Professor of Business Administration Management, St. Norbert College • conversation
March 31, 2025 ~8 min


Supreme Court sides with San Francisco, requiring EPA to set specific targets in water pollution permits

San Francisco argued that Clean Water Act permits should function like recipes that restrict specific ingredients in a dish, rather than telling cooks not to make the dish too salty.

Robin Kundis Craig, Professor of Law, University of Kansas • conversation
March 5, 2025 ~11 min

How California can rebuild safer, more resilient cities after wildfires without pricing out workers

It starts with better building policies that recognize future risks, but there are many other important steps.

Nichole Wissman, Assistant Professor of Management, University of San Diego • conversation
Feb. 18, 2025 ~10 min

Parents can soon use QR codes to reveal heavy metal content in baby food

A quick scan with a smartphone or an online search can identify foods with lower levels of these toxic substances.

C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut • conversation
Feb. 14, 2025 ~10 min

How satellites and AI help fight wildfires today

Fire spotters used to watch with binoculars from forest towers. Now, technology can help forecast fire behavior, but human experience is still essential.

John W. Daily, Research Professor in Thermo Fluid Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Jan. 30, 2025 ~6 min

LA gets rain, but also risk of flooding and debris flows from wildfire burn scars – a geologist explains the threat

Rain on land burned by a series of devastating fires in the Los Angeles area has the potential to contribute to flooding and debris flows.

Jen Pierce, Professor of Geosciences, Boise State University • conversation
Jan. 23, 2025 ~8 min

After the fire: Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger deadly debris flows – a geologist explains how

In the Los Angeles area, the potential for rain on land burned by a series of devastating fires has people on edge.

Jen Pierce, Professor of Geosciences, Boise State University • conversation
Jan. 23, 2025 ~7 min


Human use of fire has produced an era of uncontrolled burning: Welcome to the Pyrocene

Humans have become a geologic force by cooking the planet – using fire on a scale that is altering land, water, air and ecosystems.

Stephen Pyne, Emeritus Professor of Life Sciences, Arizona State University • conversation
Jan. 22, 2025 ~10 min

How America courted increasingly destructive wildfires − and what that means for protecting homes today

In many parts of the US, Americans must learn to live with fire. That means careful decisions on where homes are built and what’s around them, and allowing more low-risk fires to burn.

Justin Angle, Professor of Marketing, University of Montana • conversation
Jan. 16, 2025 ~11 min

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