This week, Ira spoke with Asma Tahir, supervisor of the Pollen Monitoring Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in collaboration with the Clark County School District. Asma talks about the origins of the program, which began in 2014; why UNLV is a National Allergy Bureau certified site; why pollen monitoring generates interest in the program from across the country; how pollen is collected and how it is rated; and the unique machine, the Burkard, which is used as a sampler.

Have you ever spent a summer evening outside with friends only to find, hours later, that you’re covered in mosquito bites? Meanwhile, the people you were hanging out with have none. New research suggests that the soap you wash with could be to blame.

Just being a pedestrian is far more dangerous for Black and Hispanic Americans as compared to white Americans, a recent study found.

The shutdown of NYC public swim programs due to a lifeguard shortage is threatening to reduce access for families who don’t have access to private lessons — and worsen longstanding disparities in swimming ability and water safety.

The shutdown of NYC public swim programs due to a lifeguard shortage is threatening to reduce access for families who don’t have access to private lessons — and worsen longstanding disparities in swimming ability and water safety.

In 2019, a team of researchers in Las Vegas set out to show that drivers can be less likely to stop their cars for someone crossing the street in front of them depending on the pedestrian's skin color or gender. They ran a simple test - they sent a white woman, a white man, a Black woman, and a Black man to cross residential streets in suburban Las Vegas, where the speed limit was 35. They took note of which cars hit the brakes and which ones sped on by.

By the end of the century, allergy season could start 40 days earlier and last 19 days longer due to climate change — potentially increasing the pollen count by 250% and making allergies far more intense, new research shows.

Every morning, UNLV lab supervisor Asma Tahir and her staff brace themselves as they count pollen.

Did you know that Las Vegas is home to more than 10,000 LGBTQIA+ people aged 50+?

Spring brings so much beauty, and, for allergy sufferers, so much misery. Allergies are the most common chronic condition worldwide, with effects that can range from mild (sneezing, watery eyes) to more severe (an anaphylactic reaction).

An increasing number of higher education institutions are requiring students to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before attending campuses in the fall. Among these are Rutgers University, Cornell University, Duke University, and Brown University.

Ozone pollution in Las Vegas has improved, but the city still ranks among the most polluted metro areas in the country, according to a newly released report by the American Lung Association.