Epidemiologist Joel Schwartz is noted for his work on the acute and chronic health effects of fossil fuel air pollution.  One of his recent collaborative studies revealed that exposure to fine combustion particles in the air at concentrations well below current standards are associated with a range of conditions, including dementia, asthma, heart attacks, and lung cancer.  The study indicated that the death rate from this pollution is almost 1 in 5 deaths worldwide, about twice the previous mortality estimate.  Not surprisingly, the pollution impact falls disproportionately on poorer communities.  This research is finally leading to tighter U.S. air quality standards. In this program, Dr. Schwartz discusses the wide health effects of fossil fuel pollution and why restrictions have been so lax.  

This is a most exciting period for cosmology, especially for scientists whose focus is the early universe. The James Webb Space Telescope and other advanced technologies are providing unprecedented new insights about the early universe, especially the emergence of the first stars and galaxies and the relationship between these formations and mysterious dark matter. Professor Julian Muñoz explains both the newest discoveries and the techiques he uses to investigate the very early universe.

Studies also show that Black women have a 38% higher mortality rate from breast cancer than white women despite a slightly lower overall incidence.

From the PBS science series NOVA, a biweekly podcast digging into the science behind the headlines. Alok Patel takes you behind the scenes with the people—scientists, engineers, technologists, mathematicians and more—working to understand our world. Now it's more critical than ever to distinguish fact from fiction and find science-based answers to the most pressing questions of our time.Subscribe, and learn more by visiting pbs.org/novanowpodcast

These tiny bits of genetic material serve as on and off switches that help control what cells do.

A study found that those with upper gastrointestinal damage are 76% more likely to develop Parkinson's disease, signaling a potential paradigm shift in how the disease is studied.

Coral Hoh is a linguist and CEO of Dysolve, a Lagrangeville, New York-based company that creates generative AI-based programs designed to address dyslexia.

Professor James Urban oversaw the transfer of materials to NASA, which astronauts will use to conduct wildfire experiments on the International Space Station.

Cellular and molecular biologist Jason Buenrostro was one of 2023’s MacArthur Foundation fellows, a recipient of one of its “genius grant.”

Boston College Professor Sam Ransbotham says it's incumbent on professors to prepare students with the tools to excel as AI use rises.