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The horror and devastation left by the July 4 floods in central Texas cannot be understood or captured adequately by words, even for those of us fortunate enough to be removed from the disaster. But for the people who lost loved ones, grief will take many forms that may seem unrecognizable to other people in their lives.
The so-called “five stages of grief” that have been embedded in American culture since the concept arose in the 1970s were misapplied and do not adequately capture the bereavement process, explains social worker and grief researcher Liza Barros-Lane.
But when death arises from traumatic circumstances, the path to healing is longer, with more intense and acute grief, she writes. In fact, Barros-Lane herself experienced the loss of her husband to tragic circumstances in 2020. “When death is sudden, violent, or when a body is never recovered, grief gets tangled up with trauma,” she writes.
Barros-Lane explains that there are specific ways to support people as they move forward from traumatic loss of loved ones, offering lessons to anyone who knows someone feeling grief. “Coping can look messy or self-destructive, but these are often survival strategies, not conscious choices,” she writes.
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Amanda Mascarelli
Senior Health and Medicine Editor
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Rain falls over a makeshift memorial for flood victims along the Guadalupe River on July 13, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
Liza Barros-Lane, University of Houston-Downtown
Contrary to popular belief, grief doesn’t unfold in 5 neat stages. Yet, when loss is traumatic, it can take a heavy emotional and physical toll, leaving mourners and their supporters overwhelmed and unsure how to help.
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Science + Technology
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Adam Eichen, UMass Amherst; Alexander Theodoridis, UMass Amherst; Sara M. Kirshbaum, UMass Amherst; Tatishe Nteta, UMass Amherst
Democrats and Republicans alike have concerns about AI and want to see the rapidly developing technology regulated to protect the public.
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Robin R. Murphy, Texas A&M University; Thomas Manzini, Texas A&M University
It might seem like an obvious move to deploy drones to help look for flood victims, but floods pose unique challenges that stymie the technology.
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Amanda Kay Montoya, University of California, Los Angeles
Replication research can take the temperature on how accurate science in a given field is, but research replication is easier said than done.
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Health + Medicine
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Lisa McKenzie, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Nicole Deziel, Yale University
As overall cancer rates in the US decline, childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia continues to rise.
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Politics + Society
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Joshua Boston, Bowling Green State University; Christopher Krewson, Brigham Young University
The public typically finds out about the Supreme Court from the news media. And the way reporters have covered the court has recently changed – dramatically.
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Sarah James, Gonzaga University
The government, because it takes the lead in implementing official policies, is in a unique position to collect and store sensitive data collected over long periods of time.
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Gabriel L. Schwartz, Drexel University
If housing violations arise, it’s on tenants to defend their rights. It’s a system that may not be effective at preventing poor health.
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Ethics + Religion
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Evan Stewart, UMass Boston; Diane Beckman, UMass Boston
New research from sociologists finds that local Catholic leaders are more likely than many other Christian clergy to speak about immigration with their congregations.
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Education
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Kelly Ritter, Georgia Institute of Technology
The architects of general education envisioned it would benefit all students. Decades later, political affiliation plays a role in determining whether people agree.
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Environment + Energy
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Aishwarya Veerabahu, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Kits that help people grow their own golden oyster mushrooms at home may be one reason this nonnative species is now spreading in the wild.
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