Latest news with #CUNYGraduateCenter
National Observer
6 days ago
- Health
- National Observer
Climate disasters can alter kids' brains before they're even born
This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration When Superstorm Sandy made a beeline for New York City in October 2012, it flooded huge swaths of downtown Manhattan, leaving 2 million people without electricity and heat and damaging tens of thousands of homes. The storm followed a sweltering summer with a procession of heat waves nearing 100 degrees. For those who were pregnant at the time, enduring these extreme conditions wasn't just uncomfortable — it may have left a lasting imprint on their children's brains. That's according to a new study published on Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One. Using MRI scans, researchers at Queens College, City University of New York, found that children whose mothers lived through Superstorm Sandy had distinct brain differences that could hinder their emotional development. The effects were even more dramatic when people were exposed to extreme heat during their pregnancy, in addition to the tropical storm, the researchers found. 'It's not just one climate stressor or one isolated event, but rather a combination of everything,' said Donato DeIngeniis, the lead author of the study and a doctoral student in neuropsychology at the CUNY Graduate Center. DeIngeniis' study is the first of its kind to examine the joint effects of natural disasters and extreme heat — events that often coincide. A few years ago, scientists dubbed summer 'danger season' since it's a time of colliding risks, including heat, hurricanes, wildfires, and toxic smoke. And summertime temperatures keep climbing to new heights. The study analyzed brain imaging data from a group of 34 children, approximately 8 years old, whose mothers were pregnant during Superstorm Sandy — some of whom were pregnant at the time that Sandy made landfall, and some of whom were exposed to heat 95 degrees F or higher during their pregnancy. While the researchers didn't find that heat alone had much of an impact, living through Superstorm Sandy led to an increase in the basal ganglia's volume, a part of the brain that deals with regulating emotions. While that larger size could be a compensation in response to stress, changes in the basal ganglia have been linked to behavioral challenges for children, such as depression and autism, DeIngeniis said. 'What we are seeing is compelling evidence that the climate crisis is not just an environmental emergency, it is potentially a neurological one with consequence for future generations who will inherit our planet,' said Duke Shereen, a co-author of the study and the director of the MRI facility at CUNY Graduate Center, in a press release. Global warming made Superstorm Sandy more damaging as a result of rising sea levels and higher ocean temperatures that might have amped up its rainfall. Yoko Nomura, a co-author of the study and a psychology professor at the Queens College, CUNY, said that the time before birth is 'very, very sensitive' for development because the fetus' body is changing so drastically. The human brain grows the most rapidly in the womb, reaching more than a third of its full adult volume before birth, according to the study. Any added stress at that time, even if small, 'can have a much bigger impact,' Nomura said. But that extra-sensitive period also presents a window of opportunity. 'Developmental science, including the science in this paper, is exciting because it not only tells us what we can do to protect children from the effects of climate change, but it also tells us when we can step in to protect children to make the greatest difference,' Lindsey Burghardt, chief science officer at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, said in an email. Although there's a lot of evidence that prenatal stress generally can affect child brain development, according to DeIngeniis, research on climate-related stress specifically is lacking. 'It is still a field that has potential for explosive growth,' said Jennifer Barkin, a professor at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia, who is studying the effects of last year's Hurricane Helene on maternal health. DeIngeniis' study offers concrete evidence of how climate-charged events can affect the brain, Barkin said. 'People have a hard time sometimes with mental health, because it's not like you can take an X-ray and see a broken bone.' But it's easier to understand imaging showing a difference in brain volume based on exposure to environmental stress, she said. Barkin, who developed an index for measuring maternal health after childbirth, says that people are beginning to pay more attention to mothers and their mental health — not just in terms of delivering a healthy baby, but over the long term. 'We tend to focus things on the child's outcome, which is important, but to keep the child healthy, the mother has to be healthy, too,' she said. 'Because when Mom's struggling, the family's going to struggle.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Climate disasters can alter kids' brains — before they're even born
When Superstorm Sandy made a beeline for New York City in October 2012, it flooded huge swaths of downtown Manhattan, leaving 2 million people without electricity and heat and damaging tens of thousands of homes. The storm followed a sweltering summer in New York City, with a procession of heat waves nearing 100 degrees. For those who were pregnant at the time, enduring these extreme conditions wasn't just uncomfortable — it may have left a lasting imprint on their children's brains. That's according to a new study published on Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One. Using MRI scans, researchers at Queens College, City University of New York, found that children whose mothers lived through Superstorm Sandy had distinct brain differences that could hinder their emotional development. The effects were even more dramatic when people were exposed to extreme heat during their pregnancy, in addition to the tropical storm, the researchers found. 'It's not just one climate stressor or one isolated event, but rather a combination of everything,' said Donato DeIngeniis, the lead author of the study and a doctoral student in neuropsychology at the CUNY Graduate Center. DeIngeniis' study is the first of its kind to examine the joint effects of natural disasters and extreme heat — events that often coincide. A few years ago, scientists dubbed summer 'danger season' since it's a time of colliding risks, including heat, hurricanes, wildfires, and toxic smoke. And summertime temperatures keep climbing to new heights. The study analyzed brain imaging data from a group of 34 children, approximately 8 years old, whose mothers were pregnant during Superstorm Sandy — some of whom were pregnant at the time that Sandy made landfall, and some of whom were exposed to heat 95 degrees F or higher during their pregnancy. While the researchers didn't find that heat alone had much of an impact, living through Superstorm Sandy led to an increase in the basal ganglia's volume, a part of the brain that deals with regulating emotions. While that larger size could be a compensation in response to stress, changes in the basal ganglia have been linked to behavioral challenges for children, such as depression and autism, DeIngeniis said. 'What we are seeing is compelling evidence that the climate crisis is not just an environmental emergency, it is potentially a neurological one with consequence for future generations who will inherit our planet,' said Duke Shereen, a co-author of the study and the director of the MRI facility at CUNY Graduate Center, in a press release. Global warming made Superstorm Sandy more damaging as a result of rising sea levels and higher ocean temperatures that might have amped up its rainfall. Yoko Nomura, a co-author of the study and a psychology professor at the Queens College, CUNY, said that the time before birth is 'very, very sensitive' for development because the fetus' body is changing so drastically. The human brain grows the most rapidly in the womb, reaching more than a third of its full adult volume before birth, according to the study. Any added stress at that time, even if small, 'can have a much bigger impact,' Nomura said. But that extra-sensitive period also presents a window of opportunity. 'Developmental science, including the science in this paper, is exciting because it not only tells us what we can do to protect children from the effects of climate change, but it also tells us when we can step in to protect children to make the greatest difference,' Lindsey Burghardt, chief science officer at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, said in an email. Although there's a lot of evidence that prenatal stress generally can affect child brain development, according to DeIngeniis, research on climate-related stress specifically is lacking. 'It is still a field that has potential for explosive growth,' said Jennifer Barkin, a professor at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia, who is studying the effects of last year's Hurricane Helene on maternal health. DeIngeniis' study offers concrete evidence of how climate-charged events can affect the brain, Barkin said. 'People have a hard time sometimes with mental health, because it's not like you can take an X-ray and see a broken bone.' But it's easier to understand imaging showing a difference in brain volume based on exposure to environmental stress, she said. Barkin, who developed an index for measuring maternal health after childbirth, says that people are beginning to pay more attention to mothers and their mental health — not just in terms of delivering a healthy baby, but over the long term. 'We tend to focus things on the child's outcome, which is important, but to keep the child healthy, the mother has to be healthy, too,' she said. 'Because when Mom's struggling, the family's going to struggle.' This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Climate disasters can alter kids' brains — before they're even born on Jun 11, 2025.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
This Study On Orgasms Should Be Required Reading For Men
Researchers have long known that straight women statistically have fewer orgasms than their male partners. One particularly depressing 2018 study found that 87% of husbands compared to 49% of wives reported consistently experiencing an orgasm. While you might assume the chasm would close as women aged and became more sexually experienced and assertive in bed, the gap lingers through a woman's lifetime. But no such orgasm gap exists when women are masturbating, or are having sex with other women ― suggesting the problem lies somewhere in a tilted sexual script shared by men and women. A new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships gives that cultural conditioning a name: the 'orgasm pursuit gap.' In plain English, lead researcher Carly Wolfer says the orgasm goal pursuit 'refers to how much someone wants an orgasm to happen ― whether it's their own or their partner's ― and how much effort they put into making it happen.' To figure out how men and women's effort differs, Wolfer, a doctoral candidate in social psychology at CUNY Graduate Center, studied the 21-day online 'sex diaries' of 127 heterosexual adults in monogamous relationships (ages 18-40). She found that men's orgasms were disproportionately prioritized during sex by both parties: Straight men tend to focus on their own orgasm and feel supported by their partner in that pursuit. Conveniently enough, straight women's focus in bed lies in getting their male partner to climax, too. Men reported experiencing orgasms in 90% of their sexual encounters, while women reported orgasms in only 54% of their encounters, the researchers found. Men also reported significantly higher levels of overall sexual satisfaction and satisfaction with their orgasms compared to women. 'In our sample, men had 15 times higher odds of orgasming than women in any given sex act,' Wolfer told HuffPost. 'Not because it's 'just naturally harder' for women to orgasm ― a common myth ― but because we put less effort into the sexual practices that support women's pleasure, like clitoral stimulation.' Part of the problem lies in how we treat penetration as the be-all-end-all goal of sex. That's the most reliable way for a man to climax, but the majority of women reach orgasm through clitorial stimulation. Too often, playing with the clit is treated as 'foreplay,' if it's played with at all. (Speaking of which, guys, now might be a good time to read this article about how to go down on a woman, according to queer women. Or this one about a twist on missionary that emphasizes clit stimulation.) Vanessa Marin, sex therapist and creator of Finishing School, an online orgasm course for women, wasn't surprised by the findings of the study, which she is unaffiliated with. In Marin's work, she's 'definitely seen that men often feel more entitled to orgasm or view it as a given part of sex.' This isn't because men are inherently selfish ― it's more about cultural conditioning: We tend to think of men's orgasms as the natural conclusion of sex and during sex, so that's what we're working toward. Women lose out when penetrative sex is treated as the 'main event,' but men do, too. 'When we focus solely on orgasm, we miss out on the richness of the entire experience — like the intimacy, connection and pleasure that come from simply being present with each other,' she said. 'Orgasm is wonderful, but it's not the only measure of a satisfying sexual encounter.' For Wolfer, delving into this research was important because of how one-sided the current advice is on closing the orgasm gap. 'So much advice around the orgasm gap focuses on trying to 'fix' women,' she said. 'It's like, 'Get out of your head, speak up, masturbate more.' We see headlines like, 'What women can do about the orgasm gap.' No one was asking: 'What can men do about it? How can men help?'' Women are enculturated to put their pleasure second then subtly chastised for not bringing themselves to orgasm during sex. But this isn't a 'women's issue,' it's a shared couples' issue, Wolfer said. That's where interdependence theory comes in ― a framework from relationship science that emphasizes how, in close relationships, your outcomes are linked to your partner's. The goal of mutual orgasm could use a little of that understanding. 'When partners work together to support each other's goals — including sexual ones — both people benefit,' Wolfer said. Interestingly, in Wolfer's study, perceived partner orgasm goal pursuit appeared to be an even stronger predictor of orgasm and sexual satisfaction than personal orgasm goal pursuit alone. In other words, when you feel your partner is deeply invested in you orgasming, you're more likely to get there (or at least walk away without disappointment or in dire need of a vibrator). Ultimately, closing the orgasm gap requires men's support, buy-in and collaboration. In fact, her data show that the benefits of pursuing an orgasm for yourself disappear when you feel like your partner isn't supportive. 'So pleasure is fundamentally a shared process. It's about collaboration and mutual care, effort and responsiveness,' she said. The key takeaway from Wolfer's study 'isn't to count orgasms or make sex feel tit-for-tat,' she said. The goal isn't so much orgasm equality ― where both partners orgasm equally ― but what Wolfer likes to call 'sexual pleasure equity.' 'True pleasure equity means both partners feel supported, seen, and have the opportunity to experience safe and fulfilling sexual experiences, whether that includes orgasm or not.' How to get closer to 'sexual pleasure equity' in your own relationship. For women wanting to get their partner more involved, it starts with feeling worthy of pleasure, Marin said. (Spending some time learning how you personally get off during masturbation might be a good goal, too, so you can communicate to your partner what you need.) 'For many women, this means unlearning years of societal conditioning that taught us to prioritize others over ourselves,' Marin said. 'It's about giving yourself permission to see your pleasure as valuable — not just for your partner's ego or the relationship, but for you.' Be specific about what you need with your partner — whether it's more clitoral stimulation, slower pacing, or just feeling like your pleasure is a priority. Men need to ask their partner what feels good for her, and really listen. Use open, nonjudgmental communication to bring it up with your partner, Marin said. 'You could say something like, 'I love being intimate with you, and I'd love for us to explore ways to make it even more enjoyable for both of us. Can we talk about what feels good for each of us and how we can support each other's pleasure?'' Be curious and open to trying new things, like focusing on clitoral stimulation or experimenting with different techniques, she said. 'Communicate during and after sex. Check in with her, not just about what feels good physically, but about how she's feeling emotionally.' For men, the most important step is to shift the mindset of 'getting' to one of 'giving and sharing,' Marin said. Ultimately, this approach will pay off for both of you and at least get you two one step closer to closing that pesky orgasm gap. This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Buzz Feed
18-05-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
Men Need To Read This Eye-Opening Orgasm Study
Researchers have long known that straight women statistically have fewer orgasms than their male partners. One particularly depressing 2018 study found that 87% of husbands compared to 49% of wives reported consistently experiencing an orgasm. While you might assume the chasm would close as women aged and became more sexually experienced and assertive in bed, the gap lingers through a woman's lifetime. But no such orgasm gap exists when women are masturbating, or are having sex with other women ― suggesting the problem lies somewhere in a tilted sexual script shared by men and women. A new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships gives that cultural conditioning a name: the 'orgasm pursuit gap.' In plain English, lead researcher Carly Wolfer says the orgasm goal pursuit 'refers to how much someone wants an orgasm to happen ― whether it's their own or their partner's ― and how much effort they put into making it happen.' To figure out how men and women's effort differs, Wolfer, a doctoral candidate in social psychology at CUNY Graduate Center, studied the 21-day online 'sex diaries' of 127 heterosexual adults in monogamous relationships (ages 18-40). She found that men's orgasms were disproportionately prioritized during sex by both parties: Straight men tend to focus on their own orgasm and feel supported by their partner in that pursuit. Conveniently enough, straight women's focus in bed lies in getting their male partner to climax, too. Men reported experiencing orgasms in 90% of their sexual encounters, while women reported orgasms in only 54% of their encounters, the researchers found. Men also reported significantly higher levels of overall sexual satisfaction and satisfaction with their orgasms compared to women. 'In our sample, men had 15 times higher odds of orgasming than women in any given sex act,' Wolfer told HuffPost. 'Not because it's 'just naturally harder' for women to orgasm ― a common myth ― but because we put less effort into the sexual practices that support women's pleasure, like clitoral stimulation.' Part of the problem lies in how we treat penetration as the be-all-end-all goal of sex. That's the most reliable way for a man to climax, but the majority of women reach orgasm through clitorial stimulation. Too often, playing with the clit is treated as 'foreplay,' if it's played with at all. (Speaking of which, guys, now might be a good time to read this article about how to go down on a woman, according to queer women. Or this one about a twist on missionary that emphasizes clit stimulation.) Vanessa Marin, sex therapist and creator of Finishing School, an online orgasm course for women, wasn't surprised by the findings of the study, which she is unaffiliated with. In Marin's work, she's 'definitely seen that men often feel more entitled to orgasm or view it as a given part of sex.' This isn't because men are inherently selfish ― it's more about cultural conditioning: We tend to think of men's orgasms as the natural conclusion of sex and during sex, so that's what we're working toward. Women lose out when penetrative sex is treated as the 'main event,' but men do, too. 'When we focus solely on orgasm, we miss out on the richness of the entire experience — like the intimacy, connection and pleasure that come from simply being present with each other,' she said. 'Orgasm is wonderful, but it's not the only measure of a satisfying sexual encounter.' For Wolfer, delving into this research was important because of how one-sided the current advice is on closing the orgasm gap. 'So much advice around the orgasm gap focuses on trying to 'fix' women,' she said. 'It's like, 'Get out of your head, speak up, masturbate more.' We see headlines like, 'What women can do about the orgasm gap.' No one was asking: 'What can men do about it? How can men help?'' Women are enculturated to put their pleasure second then subtly chastised for not bringing themselves to orgasm during sex. But this isn't a 'women's issue,' it's a shared couples ' issue, Wolfer said. That's where interdependence theory comes in ― a framework from relationship science that emphasizes how, in close relationships, your outcomes are linked to your partner's. The goal of mutual orgasm could use a little of that understanding. 'When partners work together to support each other's goals — including sexual ones — both people benefit,' Wolfer said. Interestingly, in Wolfer's study, perceived partner orgasm goal pursuit appeared to be an even stronger predictor of orgasm and sexual satisfaction than personal orgasm goal pursuit alone. In other words, when you feel your partner is deeply invested in you orgasming, you're more likely to get there (or at least walk away without disappointment or in dire need of a vibrator). Ultimately, closing the orgasm gap requires men's support, buy-in and collaboration. In fact, her data show that the benefits of pursuing an orgasm for yourself disappear when you feel like your partner isn't supportive. 'So pleasure is fundamentally a shared process. It's about collaboration and mutual care, effort and responsiveness,' she said. The key takeaway from Wolfer's study 'isn't to count orgasms or make sex feel tit-for-tat,' she said. The goal isn't so much orgasm equality ― where both partners orgasm equally ― but what Wolfer likes to call 'sexual pleasure equity.' 'True pleasure equity means both partners feel supported, seen, and have the opportunity to experience safe and fulfilling sexual experiences, whether that includes orgasm or not.' How to get closer to 'sexual pleasure equity' in your own relationship. For women wanting to get their partner more involved, it starts with feeling worthy of pleasure, Marin said. (Spending some time learning how you personally get off during masturbation might be a good goal, too, so you can communicate to your partner what you need.) 'For many women, this means unlearning years of societal conditioning that taught us to prioritize others over ourselves,' Marin said. 'It's about giving yourself permission to see your pleasure as valuable — not just for your partner's ego or the relationship, but for you.' Be specific about what you need with your partner — whether it's more clitoral stimulation, slower pacing, or just feeling like your pleasure is a priority. Men need to ask their partner what feels good for her, and really listen. Use open, nonjudgmental communication to bring it up with your partner, Marin said. 'You could say something like, 'I love being intimate with you, and I'd love for us to explore ways to make it even more enjoyable for both of us. Can we talk about what feels good for each of us and how we can support each other's pleasure?'' Be curious and open to trying new things, like focusing on clitoral stimulation or experimenting with different techniques, she said. 'Communicate during and after sex. Check in with her, not just about what feels good physically, but about how she's feeling emotionally.' For men, the most important step is to shift the mindset of 'getting' to one of 'giving and sharing,' Marin said. Ultimately, this approach will pay off for both of you and at least get you two one step closer to closing that pesky orgasm gap. HuffPost.
New York Post
10-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
NYC students scores far below state, national SAT averages
New York City students scored far below the rest of the state and country on the SAT — producing the lowest average scores in at least seven years, troubling new data show. Public school students in the Big Apple scored an average 473 on the math portion of last year's standardized test, which is widely used for college admissions in the US. It was a whopping 71 points below the average for the rest of New York, and 32 points below that of the rest of the country. Reading and writing scores remained flat, with NYC students averaging 482, the same as 2023 — but the rest of the state and country again far outperformed the city, with average scores of 553 and 519, respectively. 6 NYC public school students scored an average 473 on the standardized test, 71 points below the average for the rest of New York, and 32 points below that of the rest of the country. nyced The math and reading and writing portions of the test are each scored out of 800, making the highest possible score a 1600. 'It's another wake up call for New York City Public Schools to concentrate on improved instruction in core subjects,' remarked David Bloomfield, an educator professor at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. The Big Apple's SAT flop continued a steady decline that began in 2022 and marked the lowest average cores in at least seven years, according to data released by the city Department of Education Friday. 6 NYC students' participation in the exam dropped from 71.5% of graduating students taking the exam in 2023 to 70.9% last year. nyced The tests are typically administered from August through June. A school-by-school or borough breakdown was not immediately available. Bloomfield was shocked by an especially wide gap between Asian and white test takers compared to Black and Hispanics. Performance among each demographic on the math portion dropped in NYC compared to 2023. Asian students scored an average 582, down four points from the year before, and white students averaged a 536, down eight points from the year prior. 6 Nationally, SAT math scores dropped by three points, and statewide, they ticked down one point. panitan – But Hispanic students scored an average of 430 on the math section — more than 100 points less than their white counterparts and five points less than they did the year before. Black students scored an average of 426, down two points from 2023, and 118 points lower than the rest of the state's average. Nationally, math scores dropped by three points, and statewide, they ticked down one point. Asian kids in NYC did better in reading and writing compared to last year, however, while white students dropped from on average of 555 to 549. Black students' reading and writing average went up slightly, from 446 to 449, while Hispanic kids' average dropped 1 point to 445. 6 Celine Bach, a 10th grader at the Trinity School, attends test prep at Kweller. Courtesy of Frances Kweller Across the country, the reading and writing average dropped one point, while the rest of New York, not including the city, increased by one point. 'These results are a reminder that we need to keep expanding access to academic support — especially for students who haven't traditionally had it,' said Frances Kweller, director of the Manhattan- and Queens-based tutoring company Kweller Prep. 'The population of students in New York City compared to the rest of the state, compared to the rest of the country, is poorer and has more kids of color, more special ed kids and more immigrants who whose native language is other than English,' said Eric Nadelstern, who was the deputy chancellor for instruction at the DOE under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, told The Post. 6 Leo Niyazov, an 11th-grader at Brooklyn Technical High School, attending an SAT prep course. Courtesy of Frances Kweller 'Those are the factors that I think account for the disparity in SAT scores,' he added, noting also that students who took the test last year were starting high school when COVID-19 lockdowns hit. NYC students' participation in the exam dropped from 71.5% of graduating students taking the exam in 2023 to 70.9% last year. The only demographic whose participation increased were Asians. The College Board, which administers the SAT, transitioned the test to a fully digital format in the spring of 2024. 6 The College Board transitioned the SAT to a fully digital format in the spring of 2024. Christopher Sadowski Many colleges stopped requiring SAT and ACT scores during the pandemic, but have recently reversed course. 'Colleges are moving back to 'test required' precisely because they have seen a direct correlation between SAT and ACT performance and college readiness and success,' said Linda Quarles, a Brooklyn Tech parent and vice president of the Citywide Council on High Schools. The DOE did not respond to an inquiry from The Post.
