USA Archives

Co-learning, translanguaging and English language acquisition

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The researchers’ translanguaging concept regards teachers as co-learners.

The US has the largest number of English-speakers in the world, but it is also multilingual: according to 2018 census data, 23% of children aged 5 to 17 speak another language at home. English language acquisition for those who speak English as a second language is therefore an important issue for educators. Mary Amanda Stewart and Holly Hansen-Thomas of Texas […]

Treating low testosterone in males: A nasal gel shows promising results

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Natesto increases testosterone into normal range.

Ranjith Ramasamy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urology, University of Miami. His clinical work focuses on treating male infertility and sexual dysfunction, and he is involved in several research projects. One such project investigated a novel treatment for low testosterone, a nasal gel known as Natesto. An initial clinical trial showed that Natesto is a promising treatment […]

The Neuropsychology of How Ritual Creates Religion

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Rituals are able to generate transcendental mental states.

The research of Dr James Jones, clinical psychologist and Emeritus Professor of Religion at Rutgers University in the U.S., exists on the border of religion and science. He fuses neuropsychology with philosophy of mind to discover scientific explanations for religion. In his most recent publication, Dr Jones specifically explores how bodily behaviours, such as religious ritual, can affect a person’s […]

Effective communication in times of risk and crisis: The IDEA model for translating science to the public

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The IDEA model helps craft effective crisis communication messages.

From biosecurity and food security to earthquakes and health pandemics, disaster alerts and warning messages can mean the difference between life and death. The COVID-19 crisis for example can at least in part be ascribed to failed risk communication. At the University of Central Florida, Prof Deanna Sellnow and Prof Timothy Sellnow, experts in strategic communication, are tackling this issue. […]

The Social Scientist – providing STEM career guidance from global mentors

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The Social Scientist provides career guidance from global mentors.

The Social Scientist is a revolutionary mentorship programme for the STEM community. The online platform enlists mentors from around the world to provide guidance and career advice to students and professionals in STEM fields. Here, Dr Danielle Tomasello, Founder of The Social Scientist, tells us how her own experiences as a STEM graduate led her to create a platform that […]

Engineering virus nanoparticles to modulate coagulation

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Using chemistry, Dr Andrew K. Udit, Occidental College, Los Angeles, is exploring novel ways that bacteria-infecting viruses (bacteriophage) may be able to reverse the anti-clotting effects of heparin. By specifically engineering a bacteriophage nanoparticle known as Q-beta, he has identified several candidates and now focuses on optimising and understanding what makes these nanoparticles so effective, as well as further studying […]

Breath hold techniques during volumetric modulated arc therapy in breast cancer patients

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The research of Dr Vishruta Dumane, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, focuses on developing approaches to radiotherapy that will minimise risk to neighbouring organs and tissues, whilst maximising the impact of treatment to the tumour. Her recent work adds further support for the use of deep inspiration breath holds during radiotherapy (VMAT) to reduce exposure of […]

Antlers: The long and short of it

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Antlers play a central role in deer mating behaviour as both a weapon for competition between rivals, and a visual signal of mate quality. However, antler growth is energetically costly and the allocation of resources must be balanced against survival. Research led by Dr Bronson Strickland and Dr Steve Demarais, co-directors of the Deer Ecology and Management Research Laboratory at […]

Traversing the minefield: A professional humanitarian for a new world of risk

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Syrians in a refugee camp in Suruc, Turkey.

The inhumanity of war has always put the humanitarian in peril. But today aid workers stand in the crosshairs of armed adversaries with new tactics and targets for their violence, while competition between aid agencies creates even more insecurity on the ground. So, who should the humanitarian be? An altruistic do-gooder governed by feelings of empathy? Or a professional who […]

Using a computer to fight malaria: Finding new artemisinin-based combination therapies

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Sporozoite forms of the Plasmodium parasite infect red blood cells.

Malaria still claims the lives of hundreds of thousands of people a year and the World Health Organisation identifies half the world’s population at risk from the disease. Even more worryingly, an increasing number of malaria strains are showing signs of drug resistance to existing treatments. One approach that still seems to be effective is the use of artemisinin-based combination […]