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Ironstone ceramics became a durable alternative to porcelain

If you’re familiar with 19th-century ceramics, you probably know about ironstone. It was first made by English potter Miles Mason, who sold Chinese export porcelain and decided to make his own replacements for broken dishes. To make these replacements, he created a ceramic using slag from ...

AI companion apps exacerbate teen mental health concerns

Troubling stories about dangerous encounters with chatbots continue to surface in the news, with two recent reports from NPR that focused on teen suicide and mental health worsening due to people seeking “sentient” relationships with artificial intelligence. The teen suicide story ran last ...

Voter ID shouldn’t be this controversial

President Trump says that “Republicans” should “nationalize the election” or at least take over voting in up to 15 places where he says voting is corrupt. His evidence of fraudulent voting is that he lost in such places in 2020, and since it is axiomatic that he won everywhere, the ...

What patients and families should know about kidney transplants

When we think about organ transplants, kidney transplants are often the most common and the most successful. General surgeons frequently encounter questions from patients and families who want to better understand what a kidney transplant involves, who it is for and what life looks like ...

Outgrowing an old friend group

Dear Annie: I’ve been friends with the same group of women since our children were in grade school. We’re now in our late 50s and early 60s, and for years this group has been my main social circle. We’ve shared weddings, divorces, illnesses and losses. I will always value them for ...