Sightings
California, Oregon Pharmacists Can Prescribe Birth Control Pills: Uncoupling Exams From Prescriptions
Oregon’s move to pharmacist-prescribed birth control is an attempt to increase access to the drugs and reduce unintended pregnancies, which make up more than half of all pregnancies in the United States. It also is part of a movement toward team-based medical care, in which doctors and other medical professionals together oversee patients’ care. more »
Smaller Share of Women Ages 65 and Older are Living Alone; More are Living With Spouse or Children
After rising steadily for nearly a century, the share of older Americans who live alone has fallen since 1990, largely because women ages 65 to 84 are increasingly likely to live with their spouse or their children. Older adults not only are less likely to live alone today than in 1990, but they are also less likely to live in nursing homes or other group quarters. In 2014, 3% of older Americans lived in nursing homes or other group quarters, down from 6% in 1990.
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Congressional Hearing on Zika Epidemic, STEM Funding for Women & Minorities, a Bill to Improve Child Care for Military Veterans, Treating Drug Addiction
On February 11, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed, by voice vote, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (S. 524), as amended, sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Among other provisions, the bill would authorize a pilot program to pr… more »
Ripples in the Fabric of Spacetime: "Bells That Are Ringing in the Universe"
The ringing bell that LIGO heard early in the morning of Sept. 14, 2015, was the result of two massive black holes merging together 1.3 billion light-years away. As the two black holes spiraled around each other, they radiated energy in the form of gravitational waves. While they merged into one even more massive black hole, they released three solar masses of energy. Imagine a Hydraulic and electromagnetic system that also compensates for the tidal stretching of Earth's crust! more »
