Science Oct 13 This leather substitute is grown in a New Jersey lab Modern Meadow, a New Jersey-based startup, is using biotechnology to produce material that looks and feels similar to leather. The company says that producing this leather-like material, made of lab-grown collagen, carries a lower environmental impact than other means of…
Nation Sep 15 Can blockchain help fill journalism’s funding gaps? The New York-based startup Civil launched last year with the goal of using blockchain -- the same technology that powers the cryptocurrency Bitcoin -- to help to build a network of independent news organizations with a sustainable business model. Civil…
Nation Aug 04 Police face new challenges when determining if someone is too high to drive As states across the country legalize marijuana, efforts to determine whether someone is too high to drive is becoming a thorny public health issue. From brain functioning analyses and phone apps to training police officers on looking for signs, Hari…
Science Jul 14 ‘Living shorelines’ use oyster shells and marsh grass to reverse coastal erosion Americans who live along coastlines are watching their land disappear and property threatened as climate change causes sea levels to rise. While homeowners often rely on expensive seawalls and bulkheads to slow the erosion, a growing number are building “living…
Nation Jun 09 Schools resolve conflicts by getting kids to talk things out Schools across the country are moving away from an era of zero-tolerance policies and shifting toward methods that involve restorative justice, encouraging students to resolve their differences by talking to each other rather than resorting to violence. In New York…
Politics May 26 Voters will rank candidates in Maine’s June primary As states around the country run primaries ahead of midterm elections, Maine will be the first to use a ranked-choice system where voters rate candidates instead of voting for their favorite. This structure ensures that winners collect the majority of…
Nation May 06 How work requirements for social security programs impact people in need President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month pushing certain work requirements for access to social security programs like Medicaid. But lawmakers in Maine, which requires individuals work at least 20 hours a week to qualify for more than…
Education Apr 22 Black families increasingly choose to homeschool kids In the last 15 years, the number of black children in homeschool has doubled from 103,000 to about 220,000. Black parents cite a number of reasons for homeschooling children, including concern over peer pressure and drugs at school -- but…
Health Mar 24 What makes eggs ‘organic’? It depends on who you ask The U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized a plan under the Obama administration that required chickens laying organic eggs to have access to soil, not just enclosures attached to hen houses. But before the rule could be implemented under the Trump…
Economy Mar 11 What a well-off couple learned from cutting consumer habits A software engineer and professional fundraiser in Boston decided four years ago to purge some of their consumerist habits to save more than 70 percent of their salaries. The result was a big move to rural Vermont and the release…