In a study of more than 5,000 mothers and their children, exposure to air pollution during the three months before pregnancy predicted higher child body mass index (BMI) and related obesity risk factors up to two years of age. In one of the largest studies to date of preconception environmental exposures, researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Duke University and Fudan University in Shanghai, China studied 5,834 mother-child pairs recruited from maternity clinics in Shanghai. They found that greater exposure to PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and NO₂ before pregnancy was linked to increases in BMI or BMIZ, a standardized score that shows how a child’s BMI compares to others of the same age and sex. The findings imply that the three months before conception are important, and that people who plan to bear children should consider taking measures to lower their air pollution exposure to reduce their children’s risk for obesity.

A comprehensive new review by leading experts in the sustainability science field, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, is challenging the long-held assumption that economic growth is necessary for societal progress. The review, led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) and titled “Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries,” explores the rapidly advancing field of post-growth research and presents a compelling case for prioritizing human wellbeing and ecological sustainability over endless economic expansion.

Speaking today at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Gerontological Society of America members Dawn Carr, PhD, FGSA, and Susan L. Hughes, PhD, FGSA, told lawmakers that they need to expand the scope of United States aging policy to ensure that as Americans age, we have access to the services and supports we need to thrive.

AIP is launching its first annual research agenda as part of a new strategy to explore pressing topics at the nexus of history, policy, and culture. The Institute’s 2025 agenda is the result of a monthslong engagement with stakeholders, including AIP’s 10 Member Societies, and throughout the year, AIP’s expert social scientists, historians, librarians, policy analysts, and archivists will work on projects to identify issues where social science, policy analysis, and historical research could provide useful context as the physical sciences community seeks to engage in positive change in how our science is done and by whom.