As temperatures rise, heat illnesses are becoming an increasing risk for athletes, particularly in the first few weeks of practice. We asked Susan Yeargin, a co-author of the National Athletic Trainers Association’s position statement on heat illness, to explain the risks and what coaches and players need to remember to keep kids safe. Why are […]
5 min read
Launching the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) and the heat.gov site on July 26, 2022, the Biden administration cited heat waves and the warming climate as serious health threats. As the new initiative promises a “science informed response” to hotter conditions, five stories from The Conversation’s archive explain what researchers know about heat […]
3 min read
The U.S. Senate approved the Sunshine Protection Act in March 2022, with the goal of making daylight saving time permanent starting in November 2023. If that happens, the U.S. will never again “spring forward” or “fall back.” Following the Senate’s vote and a recent hearing in the House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce – […]
6 min read
Anyone who has suffered from jet lag or struggled after turning the clock forward or back an hour for daylight saving time knows all about what researchers call your biological clock, or circadian rhythm – the “master pacemaker” that synchronizes how your body responds to the passing of one day to the next. This “clock” […]
4 min read
Over one million Americans faint every year, and countless more do worldwide. Fear, pain, the sight of blood or prolonged standing – think the long lines of summer travel – can trigger fainting. These triggers set off a reflex in our nervous system that cause our hearts to paradoxically slow instead of speed up, and […]
4 min read
Blooming spring flowers signal the beginning of spring, but for millions of people, they also signal the onset of the misery: allergy and asthma season. Itchy, watery eyes; sneezing, runny nose; cough and wheezing are triggered by an overreaction of the body to pollen. Every spring, trees and grasses release billions of buoyant pollen granules […]
5 min read