Genetic studies overwhelmingly are based on data from people of European descent. But University of Maryland, Baltimore scientists are working to change that.
Researchers have developed the Genetics of Latin American Diversity database, pulling information from more than 200 genetic studies on almost 54,000 people of Hispanic and Latin descent.
Timothy O'Connor, associate professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore School of Medicine Institute for Genome Sciences, said the diversity is important because 95% of participants in genetic studies come from northwestern Europe.
"What ends up happening as a result of that is, we have a restricted view of genetic variation that we see in the world," said O'Connor. "Because of that, we miss out on genetic variation that might be causing a disease in one population, but not in another population."
Even though Latino representation makes up less than 1% of genetic data, O'Connor added that the number of people in datasets is exploding.
He said that made it possible to gather so much genetic data on this population.
The University of Maryland database should save other researchers time and money they'd be using to collect this information on their own.
O'Connor said he believes the creation of this database moves past large categorizations in ancestry that are largely based on race.
"What this allows us to do is to say, 'No these are distant cousins. These are people that are closely related at a much more fine scale,'" said O'Connor. "It moves us from this thinking about groups as kind of separate, into starting to think of everybody as kind of a continuous ancestry."
The Census Bureau says more than 19% of Americans identify as Latino, including more than 12% of Marylanders.
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With book bans in public schools increasing, public libraries have a larger purpose. The Town of Little Elm in northeast Texas has found a unique way to help people get a library book.
Little Elm is the latest city in Texas to provide the public with a 24-hour library kiosk to dispense books and DVDs.
The library's Managing Director of Library Services Diana Slavinsky said there is only one main library in the town, and they wanted to offer services to more people.
"The kiosk itself is like a vending machine," said Slavinsky. "There are 340 titles on display, and you can use your library card to check out materials from there. It - like - rotates around like a carousel. It displays everything nicely, so it's a fun kiosk."
Other library systems across the state offering kiosks include Garland, Grand Prairie, Harlingen, and Houston.
The Little Elm Kiosk is available to anyone with a library card, which are free for all Texas residents.
Slavinski said books from the main library can be transferred to the kiosk for after-hours pick-ups.
She added that with book bans increasing, she said she hopes the kiosk is a way to ensure anyone who wants a book can get it.
"I think always as a library we want to get books in hands," said Slavinsky. "We want to get library cards in hands. We definitely see this as a method of improving access to materials. "
House Bill 900, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023, restricts what books students can check out of school libraries - leading districts across the state to take hundreds of books off school shelves.
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More Americans are learning about the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation this election season, but its influence has been decades in the making.
Its controversial Project 2025 to reshape the federal government includes standard conservative ideas like slashing regulations, along with more extreme plans to restrict abortion and certain contraceptives.
Zachary Albert, assistant professor of politics at Brandeis University, said the think tank has played a key role in pushing Republicans toward more conservative policies.
"They are policy demanders, who have strong opinions about the direction they want government to go and the research is the first step in pushing for that type of policy change," Albert explained.
Albert pointed out a growing share of think tanks, including the more liberal-leaning Center for American Progress, are engaged in direct political advocacy. The President of the Heritage Foundation has described its role as "institutionalizing Trumpism."
It is also spending money to influence elections and lobby politicians through its 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, Heritage Action for America. It spent more than $13 million in the 2022 midterms through its Super PAC, Sentinel Action Fund.
Albert noted it has earned Heritage and similar groups the label of "do tanks" rather than think tanks.
"By forming these other 501(c)(4)s and even Super PACs, these think tanks are allowed to engage in aggressive, direct political advocacy to force their ideas into the political system, rather than hoping that they trickle in," Albert emphasized.
Ideas presented in Project 2025 may already be ingrained. Nearly two-thirds of the authors behind the plan served in former President Donald Trump's administration.
Albert added the fact it has gained such widespread attention ahead of the November elections is a telling indication of its expected influence.
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