Severe winter weather has a grip on much of the United States, which increases the risk of injuries from slipping on ice, shoveling, sports such as skiing and sledding, and car crashes. “One of the most frequently seen causes for visits to the emergency room this time of year is from slipping on icy sidewalks,”…  read on >  read on >

Before you venture onto frozen ponds, lakes and rivers, it’s critical to make sure they’re safe, an expert cautions. “A minimum of four inches of clear, newly formed ice is needed to support one person on foot,” according to Curt Sinclair, a natural resources specialist at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. “New ice is usually…  read on >  read on >

In a grim development for allergy sufferers in North America, a new investigation warns that pollen seasons are getting longer and worse. Over the last three decades, the annual pollen season has expanded by nearly three weeks, accompanied by a 21% jump in pollen concentrations. A big underlying cause: climate change. “It is clear that…  read on >  read on >

Getting a driver’s license is an important milestone for many teens and young adults, including those with autism. But all beginner drivers face hazards on the road. New research analyzing motor vehicle crashes shows that teens with autism are half as likely to crash due to speeding as their peers, but three times more likely…  read on >  read on >

It’s a link few might have considered, but a new study indicates that climate change may have prompted the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising temperatures caused by greenhouse emissions have boosted the growth of bat-friendly forest habitat in China’s southern province of Yunnan and neighboring areas, making the region a hotspot for bat-borne coronaviruses, the researchers explained.…  read on >  read on >

Combining drugs with driving is a potentially deadly but all too common combination in the United States, according to a new report. University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers found that almost 9% of adults reported driving under the influence of alcohol. Marijuana use among drivers was more than 4%, while many adults also use both pot…  read on >  read on >