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Susan Lawrence1

Profesor of History, University of Tennessee
During my career as a historian of medicine, I have worked on projects ranging from hospitals and medical education in 18th century London, to a digital project on Washington, D.C., during the Civil War (see Civil War Washington at www.civilwardc.org), to the effect of HIPAA and research ethics on claims about privacy rights for the dead. Now I am writing a book on the history of whole body donation in the United States with Susan E. Lederer of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Why did Americans – starting with an eccentric few – decide they wanted to donate their corpses to medical schools? By the early 1950s, enough Americans had asked to do this that anatomy departments had to accommodate this unexpected bodily altruism. Over the next three decades, donated bodies slowly replaced the bodies of people who died with no one to claim them for burial. That legal supply had, in its turn, replaced the 19th century practice of dissecting corpses stolen from graves. From the horror of body-snatching to willing gift-giving – what a remarkable transition in attitudes towards, and access to, the dead.

At the University of Tennessee, I teach undergraduate and graduate courses on the history of medicine, in addition to World Civilizations since 1500. Before coming to the University of Tennessee, I was on the history faculty at The Ohio State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Iowa, and Ball State University.

Economy

India Eyes Swift U.S. Trade Deal with Rare Forward MFN Clause

India is accelerating trade talks with the U.S., offering significant concessions to secure a fast-track deal ahead of President Donald Trumps proposed 26% reciprocal tariff deadline in July. According to Indian government...

Sweden’s Q1 2025 GDP Stalls, Missing Growth Forecasts

Swedens economy stagnated in the first quarter of 2025, with gross domestic product (GDP) showing no growth compared to the previous three months, according to preliminary data from the Statistics Office released Tuesday....

Australia's Wine Export Surge to China Loses Steam Amid Global Decline

Australias wine export boom to China is losing momentum, as global wine consumption falls and Chinese demand weakens. Following Beijings removal of tariffs on March 29, 2024, Australia exported just over A$1 billion ($640...

Gold Prices Fall Over 1% as U.S. Eases Auto Tariffs, Investors Eye Key Economic Data

Gold prices slipped more than 1% in Asian trading on Wednesday after the U.S. announced measures to soften the impact of auto tariffs and affirmed ongoing trade talks with China. Spot gold dropped 1.1% to $3,308.93 per...

U.S. Stocks Edge Higher as Investors Focus on Trade Hopes, Earnings Reports

U.S. stocks posted modest moves on Monday as investors digested trade updates and awaited key earnings reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 114 points, or 0.28%, while the SP 500 inched up 3 points, or 0.06%. The...

Politics

Supreme Court Case on Trump Firings May Impact Fed Chair Powell’s Job Security

A Supreme Court ruling on President Donald Trumps removal of two federal labor board members could have major implications for the independence of the Federal Reserve and Chair Jerome Powells job security. Trump dismissed...

Iran Proposes Rome Talks with Europe Amid Renewed U.S. Nuclear Negotiations

Iran has proposed a meeting with Britain, France, and Germany (E3) in Rome this Friday to advance discussions on the 2015 nuclear deal, diplomats said Monday. The proposal follows renewed nuclear negotiations between...

Trump Appoints Ha Nguyen McNeill as Acting TSA Head Amid Union Dispute

Former White House official Ha Nguyen McNeill has been appointed as the acting head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the agency announced Monday. McNeill, who previously served as TSAs chief of staff...

Trump Plans Tariff Relief for U.S. Automakers Ahead of Michigan Rally

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to ease the impact of his automotive tariffs by preventing them from stacking with existing duties, such as those on steel and aluminum, according to a Wall Street Journal report....

Canadians Vote Amid Sovereignty Fears and Economic Turmoil

Canadians are casting their ballots today in a historic election shaped by soaring living costs, U.S. President Donald Trumps aggressive trade moves, and fears over national sovereignty. Months ago, Pierre Poilievres...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

Amazon Enters Satellite Internet Race with First Kuiper Deployment

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has officially entered the satellite broadband market with the successful launch of 27 operational satellites for Project Kuiper, its high-speed internet initiative aimed at rivaling SpaceXs Starlink....

Chinese AI App DeepSeek Resumes Downloads in South Korea After Privacy Update

Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek has resumed availability in South Koreas app stores after a two-month suspension due to data protection concerns. Downloads were halted in February when South Koreas Personal...

Nvidia Shares Dip as Huawei Tests Rival AI Chip

Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) slipped in after-hours trading on Sunday, following reports that Chinas Huawei is testing a powerful artificial intelligence chip aimed at challenging Nvidias dominance. NVDA shares fell...

Huawei Challenges Nvidia with New Ascend 910D AI Chip Amid U.S. Export Curbs

Huawei Technologies is preparing to launch its most advanced artificial intelligence processor yet, the Ascend 910D, aiming to compete with Nvidias high-end chips, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Sample batches...

China Accelerates AI Self-Reliance Amid Nvidia H20 Chip Ban

The U.S. move to tighten export controls on Nvidias H20 chips is adding pressure to Chinas AI sector, but immediate disruption appears limited as domestic firms rapidly pivot to local alternatives. Analysts at Bernstein...