Chronic Disease Deaths Have Fallen Globally, but Progress in U.S. Stalled

Among working-age Americans, death from chronic disease actually increased — a rarity among high-income countries, a new report shows.

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This Is Why New Orleans Never Recovered From Katrina

New Orleans after Katrina is a cautionary tale for every place in America that will one day face its own disaster.

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New Study Shows Heat Waves Make People Age Faster

Exposure to heat waves over just two years could add up to 12 extra days of age-related health damage.

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Immigrant Population in U.S. Drops for the First Time in Decades

An analysis of census data by the Pew Research Center found that between January and June, the foreign-born population declined by nearly 1.5 million.

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No Running Water and No Electricity, but for Some Venetians, This Island Is Paradise

A citizens’ group is now in charge of the island of Poveglia, where they will create a park for anyone who wants to leave Venice’s maddening crowds of tourists behind.

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The 6 Social Security Myths That Won’t Go Away

The program gave birth to the idea of retirement and covers nearly all Americans — but now it faces major financial and customer service challenges.

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Early Humans Settled in Cities. Bedbugs Followed Them.

A new study suggests that bedbugs were the first urban pest, and their population thrived in that environment. For the bloodsucking insects, it’s been the perfect 13,000-year-long marriage.

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U.N. Report Says We’re Missing the Real Fertility Crisis

Policymakers in many countries assume that birthrates have fallen because people want fewer children, but a global study says financial insecurity is driving those decisions.

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Vietnam Abolishes Two-Child Policy

Even though the regulation was loosely enforced, the nation’s birthrate fell to a record low last year.

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Birthrates Languish in Record Lows, C.D.C. Reports

Despite a 1 percent increase in 2024, U.S. birthrates remained in a historic slump, a trend that worries demographers and cultural critics.

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