Exposure to a chemical commonly used to make plastic more flexible may have contributed to about 1.97 million preterm births in 2018 alone, or more than 8 percent of the world’s total, a new analysis of population surveys shows. The chemical was also linked to the deaths of 74,000 newborns, the researchers further estimate.

The emissions trading system launched by the European Union in 2005 could one day also be used to capture CO₂ on a large scale. A new model study quantifies the potential, and outlines that phased integration of removals into the trading system can avoid misguided incentives, while providing industry with planning security for residual emissions that are hard-to-abate. The study, led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in Joule, ties in with current discussions in Brussels on future regulation.

New modelling shows almost one in three Americans will routinely breathe air considered unhealthy for sensitive people by the year 2100 due to climate change, a sevenfold increase compared to the turn of the century. 

Everyday financial anxieties and frustration with low-quality work – rather than immigration alone – helped populist politics explode across Europe from the mid-2010s, according to a new book that analyses data from over 75,000 voters.

An analysis of an Oregon financial assistance policy found that it led to a significant drop in medical debt statewide. The program's successes and pitfalls may offer a roadmap for other states looking to alleviate the burden of medical debt on local communities.

History education standards were originally meant to ensure students received the highest quality history education possible. But they have become part of the culture wars, with politicans sometimes writing standards line by line, Stephen Jackson of the University of Kansas argues in a new study. There is little evidence the standards have improved education and complicated matters for teachers, Jackson argues, therefore a "standards minimalism" approach, like that taken in Kansas and Maine's standards could give educators the support they need to teach students and avoid politicization.