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Federal Judge Richard J. Leon’s recent decision ruling the National Security Agency phone surveillance program unconstitutional is absolutely correct as a matter of law, says Neil M. Richards, JD, privacy law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “The bulk data collection at issue in the case reveals a tremendous amount about us – who we know, who we confide in, where we go, and with whom,” he says. “It’s exactly the sort of information that should require a warrant before the government obtains it.” Richards was struck by Judge Leon’s willingness to question whether this surveillance program was effective.

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Forty percent of foreign-educated nurses working in U.S. hospitals and other health care facilities say their wages, benefits or shift assignments are inferior compared to their American colleagues, according to a study published today by researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS). The findings, which appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Nursing, suggest that nurses recruited by staffing agencies and from poor countries are especially vulnerable to potentially discriminatory treatment.

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A genetic trait known to make some people especially sensitive to stress also appears to be responsible for a 38 percent increased risk of heart attack or death in patients with heart disease, scientists at Duke Medicine report.

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For many people, the holidays are a time for family, travel, gifts, food, stress -- and romance (for better or for worse). Mid-December through mid-February is considered a peak period for online dating, said Justin Garcia, scientific advisor for the international online dating site Match.com and faculty member at Indiana University's Kinsey Institute and Department of Gender Studies.

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Two professors of information science received the Best Publication Award at the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) in Milan, Italy, for an article concerning a new methodology to understanding social movements using Saudi Arabia protestors as an example.

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The potential for misuse of prescription drugs and alcohol during the holidays increases because of social gatherings, tradition and travel, so public health experts at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington have a simple message: lock up your Rx drugs and be mindful of the amount of alcohol you consume and make available.

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Small talk is far from "small" or trivial, says psychology professor and shyness expert Bernardo J. Carducci. It is the salve of a disconnected society -- the "cornerstone of civility." "Small talk is really, really important. It helps us connect with people, and not just at holiday gatherings," said Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. "If you make connections with people, it makes it much more difficult for you to treat them in an uncivil way. If you think about being kind to and connecting with people, people you engage in conversation, you're going to open a door for them, you'll let them step in front of you in line. You'll engage in more acts of kindness and fewer acts of rudeness."

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Karyn Rogers researches the relationship between the geochemistry of an environment, particularly extreme environments like volcanic fumaroles and deep sea hydrothermal vents, and the microorganisms found in those environments.

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As China and the United States engage in a dispute over China’s recent proclamation of a new “air defense identification zone,” University of Chicago scholars say the clash illustrates the increasingly complicated geopolitical pressures between these two major powers.

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In a study of national data on colon surgery, Johns Hopkins researchers found that while patients who undergo either minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery or the high-tech robotic approach have similar outcomes, robotic surgery is significantly more expensive.

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People with intermittent explosive disorder — a psychiatric illness characterized by impulsivity, hostility and recurrent aggressive outbursts — have elevated levels of two markers of systemic inflammation in their blood, signs of inflammation not seen in people in good mental health or with other psychiatric disorders.

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Deep brain stimulation may have a beneficial effect on driving ability for people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study published in the December 18, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Deep brain stimulation uses a surgical implant similar to a pacemaker to send electrical impulses to the brain.

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Although the prevalence and impact of cancer-related fatigue has been well established, very little is known about its predictors, mechanisms for development, and persistence post-treatment. A new research study at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, in partnership with UCLA, is aimed at identifying breast cancer patients most susceptible to post-treatment fatigue by measuring biological, behavioral and social risk factors.

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Woodpeckers find emerald ash borers a handy food source and may slow the spread of this noxious pest, even ultimately controlling it, suggest researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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This December marks the 40th anniversary of the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) of the University of Pennsylvania being designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute.

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Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Korbel Albright will return to her alma mater to meet with 40 promising Wellesley students selected as this year’s Albright Fellows. These young women will spend their winter break learning the ropes on how to change the world from Secretary Albright and an all-star faculty roster of influential leaders, academics, policymakers, business executives, and journalists. The 2014 Albright Institute Wintersession Program begins on January 6, 2014 and runs through January 24, 2014.

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: The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) released a special article in the January 2014 issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics titled “Revisiting Oversight and Regulation of Molecular-Based Laboratory-Developed Tests“ (LDTs).

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Ferid Murad and Akos Vertes—two of George Washington University’s scientific pioneers—are among the 143 innovators who have been named 2013 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors.

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Completely banning tobacco use inside the home – or more broadly in the whole city – measurably boosts the odds of smokers either cutting back or quitting entirely.