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A newly published study out of Harvard University suggests that consuming fruits and vegetables containing pesticide residues can lead to a reduction in semen quality. Researchers found that men who ate the most fruits and vegetables with high pesticide residue levels had, on average, a 49% lower sperm count and 32% fewer normally formed sperm than men who ate less produce tainted with pesticides. The team has made clear, however, that not all fruits and vegetables pose a risk to male fertility. “These findings should not discourage the consumption of fruit and vegetables in general,” Jorge Chavarro, an assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a press release. “In fact, we found that total intake of fruit and vegetables w...

Everyone agrees that children learning science is crucial, especially in the face of economic and environmental challenges that will require science, technology, engineering and math-heavy solutions in the years to come. But does one of the best-known processes in science education -- the science fair -- meaningfully support that goal? That’s what a new study is aiming to figure out, backed by a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Science fairs have “never been really rigorously researched,” Abigail Jurist Levy, the leader of the research team, told Education Week April 24. “As valued as they are by some, and as criticized as they are by others, we really don't know what they offer students in terms of learning experiences and engendering enthusiasm in science.” Over t...