Congenital heart defects in mothers are associated with developmental problems in children, including physical, lingual, social, and emotional maturity
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 14:16 ET (25-Oct-2026 18:16 GMT/UTC)
The children of mothers born with heart defects face a higher risk of being developmentally vulnerable, meaning they face challenges related to physical health, emotional maturity and communication – according to a new study led by Muhammad Zakir Hossin of the Karolinska Institutet, published July 2nd in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.
University of Phoenix College of General Studies announces the publication of a new peer-reviewed article in The Geography Teacher, authored by Jacquelyn Kelly, Ph.D., associate dean, College of General Studies; Dianna Gielstra, Ph.D., full-time faculty, Environmental Science Program; Tomáš J. Oberding, Ph.D. full-time faculty, Environmental Science Program; and Niccole V. Cerveny, Ph.D. The article, titled “The Overview Effect and Sense of Place: Awe-Inspired Learning and Connection Through Geography,” examines how awe and sense of place may influence how learners engage with and interpret geographic concepts, with implications for instructional design in online and classroom environments.
Colin Rhinesmith, associate professor of information sciences at the University of Illinois, has authored a new book examining how community coalitions address digital inequality and strengthen democracy. Digital Equity Ecosystems: How Community Coalitions Reduce Inequality and Strengthen Democracy, published by University of California Press, introduces the concept of "digital equity ecosystems" to describe how community coalitions work to alleviate technological inequity and social injustice. The book is the first in-depth look at how cross-sector coalitions—led by local governments, philanthropic organizations, and community members—address information needs and opportunities. The coalitions' work includes environmental sustainability, featuring examples of technology refurbishers, who provide low-cost computers to individuals and families while keeping e-waste out of landfills.
Researchers at the University of Tartu argue that aphantasia, the inability to form mental images, poses a serious challenge to the 18th-century philosopher David Hume's influential theory that abstract thought depends on mental imagery. Hume maintained that people can think about general concepts only by first imagining particular examples. However, people with aphantasia can reason about abstract concepts despite lacking mental imagery. In a new paper published in Neuropsychologia, the authors systematically examine and reject several possible defences of the Humean account, including appeals to non-visual, involuntary, spatial, linguistic, and unconscious imagery. They conclude that mental imagery is not necessary for abstract thought and that aphantasia cannot be dismissed as a rare exception. The findings suggest that the human mind is more flexible in representing abstract concepts than traditional philosophical theories have assumed and have implications for contemporary cognitive science and philosophy of mind.