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Lead story
Lots of people around the U.S. are concerned about data centers being proposed and built in their communities. But it can be hard for some to express worries about what might happen, and for officials to determine how seriously to take certain issues.
In an effort to bring some clarity to these hypotheticals and possibilities, a group of scholars analyzed the effects of existing data centers in northern Virginia – which boasts the densest concentration of them in the world.
Science communicator Neha Gour, public health scholar Ed Maibach and climate scientist Luis Ortiz summarized their findings in five general categories: air quality, water quality, noise levels, land use and energy costs, identifying what is actually happening as a result of existing data centers. It’s worth a read to calibrate your own concerns.
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An Amazon data center sits next to a neighborhood in northern Virginia.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Neha Gour, George Mason University; Ed Maibach, George Mason University; Luis Ortiz, George Mason University
Even as they create and enable expansive virtual worlds, data centers are physical buildings in real communities around the nation and the globe.
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Health + Medicine
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Andrés Henao, University of Colorado Anschutz
Respiratory diseases like measles and flu pose a much bigger threat to public health for the World Cup than does Ebola.
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Education
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Stephanie Aguilar-Smith, University of Georgia; Heather McCambly, University of Pittsburgh
Democrats tend to give less than Republicans when it comes to earmarked funding for universities – but they give more to minority-serving institutions.
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Politics + Society
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Jordan Cash, Michigan State University
You know how important the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were to making the United States. But do you know about The Federalist and the crucial role it played in the founding era?
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Tian An Wong, University of Michigan-Dearborn; Divya Ramjee, Rochester Institute of Technology
New research on ShotSpotter’s deployment in Detroit suggests the technology did not reduce officer response times.
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Jay Blitzman, Northeastern University
There’s a separate justice system for people under 18 because their brains are still developing. Treating them as adults can turn them into repeat offenders.
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Kevin A. Young, UMass Amherst
Recent military and economic pressure on Cuba, including Trump’s threats of a ‘friendly takeover’ of the island, follow a long pattern of US hostility toward its southern neighbor.
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Science + Technology
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Marco Ajello, Clemson University; Christopher Karwin, Clemson University
Scientists study small galaxies to look for hints of dark matter in the universe.
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Smita S. Iyer, University of Pittsburgh
Immune cells can carry HIV into the brain, leading to problems with memory and cognition. Blocking other immune cells from the brain can make matters worse.
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Arts + Culture
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Eileen G'Sell, Washington University in St. Louis
Glamour isn’t just for the rich and famous. As the ‘Ball Without Billionaires’ showed, the blue collar can bedazzle.
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Ethics + Religion
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Gustavo Morello, Boston College
As millions watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, players’ tattoos will be on display – offering a glimpse into the inner lives of soccer’s biggest stars.
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Matthew Smith, Miami University
For more than a century, anti-Catholicism was a powerful force in the region’s culture and politics. But religious pluralism ultimately triumphed in the ‘Queen City.’
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