Two professors lay out the surprising backstory on tampon technology, toxic shock syndrome and period poverty. Tampons are having a moment — an “oh crap I can’t find any at the store” moment. Companies like Tampax say they are scrambling to produce more of the product but facing the same kinds of that have left shelves empty in other sections of stores as well.Hear more from Suzette Lohmeyer about this story:For people who depend on tampons to keep their cycle from interfering with their lives — at work, school or while playing sports, for example — this is serious. And go ahead, ask...…Two professors lay out the surprising backstory on tampon technology, toxic shock syndrome and period poverty. Tampons are having a moment — an “oh crap I can’t find any at the store” moment. Companies like Tampax say they are scrambling to produce more of the product but facing the same kinds of that have left shelves empty in other sections of stores as well.Hear more from Suzette Lohmeyer about this story:For people who depend on tampons to keep their cycle from interfering with their lives — at work, school or while playing sports, for example — this is serious. And go ahead, ask...WW…

ADVERTISEMENTMisinformationExperts are divided over how much sway political ads will have on the platform but agree money is at the heart of the decision. I feel like there’s not enough talk about politics on Twitter — said no one ever. Well, Twitter users, get ready for even more. The company is set to lift its 2019 ban on political advertisements in the coming weeks, Twitter’s Safety account confirmed in a tweet.It’s a change from the 2019 Twitter policy put into place globally under then-CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey, who stated that political reach “should be earned, not bought,”...…ADVERTISEMENTMisinformationExperts are divided over how much sway political ads will have on the platform but agree money is at the heart of the decision. I feel like there’s not enough talk about politics on Twitter — said no one ever. Well, Twitter users, get ready for even more. The company is set to lift its 2019 ban on political advertisements in the coming weeks, Twitter’s Safety account confirmed in a tweet.It’s a change from the 2019 Twitter policy put into place globally under then-CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey, who stated that political reach “should be earned, not bought,”...WW…

From inflation to the pandemic, Taiwan to Ukraine, and beyond — Grid’s global editor looks at the year ahead and what to watch for.When it comes to global events, forecasting can seem a fool’s errand. I recall moderating a panel in the last days of 2019, with experts opining about the year ahead. They offered GDP forecasts, predictions for geopolitical hot zones and so on. I went home feeling well-informed, a bit more mentally prepared for whatever 2020 might bring.Hear more from Tom Nagorski on this story:Your browser does not support the audio element.Pity the prognosticators, I thought...…From inflation to the pandemic, Taiwan to Ukraine, and beyond — Grid’s global editor looks at the year ahead and what to watch for.When it comes to global events, forecasting can seem a fool’s errand. I recall moderating a panel in the last days of 2019, with experts opining about the year ahead. They offered GDP forecasts, predictions for geopolitical hot zones and so on. I went home feeling well-informed, a bit more mentally prepared for whatever 2020 might bring.Hear more from Tom Nagorski on this story:Your browser does not support the audio element.Pity the prognosticators, I thought...WW…

The $11 billion James Webb Space Telescope endured huge cost overruns and long delays in three decades of development. It also seems to owe a little-noted debt to U.S. spy satellites. While NASA’s newest, biggest telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), has from some 1 million miles away in space, its curious, half-sized look-alike now quietly resides in an engineering lab at the Navy’s postgraduate school, a gift of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).The NRO is the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency, and the Segmented Mirror Telescope (SMT) has a lot in common with ,...…The $11 billion James Webb Space Telescope endured huge cost overruns and long delays in three decades of development. It also seems to owe a little-noted debt to U.S. spy satellites. While NASA’s newest, biggest telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), has from some 1 million miles away in space, its curious, half-sized look-alike now quietly resides in an engineering lab at the Navy’s postgraduate school, a gift of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).The NRO is the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency, and the Segmented Mirror Telescope (SMT) has a lot in common with ,...WW…

Grid/Getty Images360°Student loan debt: What it is, how we got it, and why it’s so hard to cancelLENSESEEconomicsPPolicyLLegalRRacePausing student loan payments is easy. Fixing the system will be much harder. ContributorsWhat are 360s? Grid’s answer to stories that deserve a fuller view.LENSESThe yearslong debate about what to do with over $1.5 trillion worth of student debt may be coming to a conclusion — or at least a partial one. Friday that the White House was planning on canceling $10,000 of debt per borrower, with some income limits for who would receive the partial...…Grid/Getty Images360°Student loan debt: What it is, how we got it, and why it’s so hard to cancelLENSESEEconomicsPPolicyLLegalRRacePausing student loan payments is easy. Fixing the system will be much harder. ContributorsWhat are 360s? Grid’s answer to stories that deserve a fuller view.LENSESThe yearslong debate about what to do with over $1.5 trillion worth of student debt may be coming to a conclusion — or at least a partial one. Friday that the White House was planning on canceling $10,000 of debt per borrower, with some income limits for who would receive the partial...WW…

Massive job growth, employer demand for labor and a booming housing market are all starting to come off the post-covid boom. This is one of the most confusing times in recent memory for the economy. , there’s unprecedented gloom; meanwhile, employers are hiring at a pace that’s only modest compared with . The housing market is in a state of flux, no longer buoyed by low and falling interest rates; some of the hottest markets in the country haven’t just seen slowing price growth, but the beginning of an outright reversal. Meanwhile, for many renters, housing costs continue to climb.And the...…Massive job growth, employer demand for labor and a booming housing market are all starting to come off the post-covid boom. This is one of the most confusing times in recent memory for the economy. , there’s unprecedented gloom; meanwhile, employers are hiring at a pace that’s only modest compared with . The housing market is in a state of flux, no longer buoyed by low and falling interest rates; some of the hottest markets in the country haven’t just seen slowing price growth, but the beginning of an outright reversal. Meanwhile, for many renters, housing costs continue to climb.And the...WW…

Crypto is punishing retail traders. What about the countries that bought in? The crash of cryptocurrency prices has been well documented, particularly when it comes to retail investors and traders who have lost huge sums of money.Hear more from Benjamin Powers about this story:But crypto isn’t only an economic story — and the crash isn’t only hitting individual investors. For countries ranging from El Salvador to North Korea, Venezuela to Iran, cryptocurrencies have also emerged in recent years as a tool for achieving geopolitical goals — goals that are taking a hit along with all the other...…Crypto is punishing retail traders. What about the countries that bought in? The crash of cryptocurrency prices has been well documented, particularly when it comes to retail investors and traders who have lost huge sums of money.Hear more from Benjamin Powers about this story:But crypto isn’t only an economic story — and the crash isn’t only hitting individual investors. For countries ranging from El Salvador to North Korea, Venezuela to Iran, cryptocurrencies have also emerged in recent years as a tool for achieving geopolitical goals — goals that are taking a hit along with all the other...WW…

Here’s how scientists are rethinking the endgame as omicron variants continue spreading.The idea that herd immunity would bring an end to the ever-lengthening covid pandemic was probably always a mirage.Hear more from Jonathan Lambert about this story:In the early days of covid’s global march, when vaccines were still said to be well over a year away and social distancing was the only way to slow transmission, the country needed a goal, a way to conceptualize the pandemic’s end. Herd immunity became that finish line, as experts including Anthony Fauci, now President Joe Biden’s chief...…Here’s how scientists are rethinking the endgame as omicron variants continue spreading.The idea that herd immunity would bring an end to the ever-lengthening covid pandemic was probably always a mirage.Hear more from Jonathan Lambert about this story:In the early days of covid’s global march, when vaccines were still said to be well over a year away and social distancing was the only way to slow transmission, the country needed a goal, a way to conceptualize the pandemic’s end. Herd immunity became that finish line, as experts including Anthony Fauci, now President Joe Biden’s chief...WW…

Capacity is up, but the U.S. is struggling to connect people with tests.When an infectious disease outbreak starts, it’s like a brush fire. The flames are small and, in theory, can be contained if chains of transmission — blowing, burning debris — are snuffed out before they spark more small fires that eventually grow into a raging epidemic.The key to it all is testing, a lesson the United States painfully learned early on with covid and is once again confronting as monkeypox spreads across the country.Two months into this latest epidemic, the U.S. has enlisted commercial labs to increase...…Capacity is up, but the U.S. is struggling to connect people with tests.When an infectious disease outbreak starts, it’s like a brush fire. The flames are small and, in theory, can be contained if chains of transmission — blowing, burning debris — are snuffed out before they spark more small fires that eventually grow into a raging epidemic.The key to it all is testing, a lesson the United States painfully learned early on with covid and is once again confronting as monkeypox spreads across the country.Two months into this latest epidemic, the U.S. has enlisted commercial labs to increase...WW…

Grid/Getty Images360°What the science says about trans kids and medical careLENSESMMedicineMMental HealthPPoliticsIInternationalNew laws targeting trans children and their parents are based on politics, not research.ContributorsWhat are 360s? Grid’s answer to stories that deserve a fuller view.LENSESEditor’s note: The following story deals with suicide. If you have suicidal thoughts, the is 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889).For suicide prevention resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, click .Heather Crawford came...…Grid/Getty Images360°What the science says about trans kids and medical careLENSESMMedicineMMental HealthPPoliticsIInternationalNew laws targeting trans children and their parents are based on politics, not research.ContributorsWhat are 360s? Grid’s answer to stories that deserve a fuller view.LENSESEditor’s note: The following story deals with suicide. If you have suicidal thoughts, the is 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889).For suicide prevention resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, click .Heather Crawford came...WW…