State, local and federal authorities can all issue quarantines, which separate and restrict the movement of people who were exposed to a communicable disease. But it’s often state authorities that order them. Those health agencies often have significant powers to issue a quarantine if they suspect someone has come into contact with a disease like […]

In September, the labor force increased for a third straight month, as people began to become more confident in the chances of finding a job. “Labor force growth has been very strong over the last few months,” said Alan Clayton-Matthews, an economist at Northeastern University. That increased labor force pushed the unemployment rate up 0.2 […]

The agency traditionally acts in an advisory role and can only take control from local authorities under two circumstances: if local authorities invite them to do so or under the authority outlined in the Insurrection Act in the event of a total breakdown of law and order. And here the picture becomes murkier yet because […]

A computer model created by Northeastern University physicist Alexi Vespignani attempts to calculate the risks of global travel in the age of Ebola and suggests a travel ban would be of marginal help since air travel is so common and symptoms of the virus can take two to 21 days to develop. The survey was […]

While a number of researchers are modeling the spread of Ebola in West African countries besieged by the deadly virus, a group led by Alessandro Vespignani at Boston’s Northeastern University has used air traffic connections to explore how the disease might spread to the rest of the world. The study, published last month in PLOS […]

There could be as many as two dozen people in the U.S. infected with Ebola by the end of the month, according to researchers tracking the virus with a computer model. The actual number probably will be far smaller and limited to a couple of airline passengers who enter the country already infected without showing […]

It’s not the first time people seeking attention have taken advantage of an unfolding crisis or tragedy to spread panic. After Sept. 11 and around its anniversary, bomb threats have led to numerous buildings being evacuated. This September, a Manhattan man was arrested for making 61 prank calls threatening a terrorist attack. People have screamed […]

For many in Boston, housing is a huge challenge. From price to availability, finding a place where you want to live — and that you can afford — is tough. That there are simply too many people who want to live here and not enough places to meet that demand. It’s a problem that will […]

The idea that people can become invested in a non-human figure like the Prof or Apple’s Siri is not radically new; sometimes, at least in Hollywood, they even fall in love. But, outside of the entertainment industry, fully animated guides have struggled to take hold. Timothy Bickmore, a professor of computer science at Northeastern University, […]

NSF grants to some 50 professors across the country are now being investigated by the Republican-controlled committee. More than a dozen of the researchers, in comments to The Chronicle, said they had little idea what the politicians were seeking, but warned of a dangerous precedent in what they described as a witch hunt.

The announcement came after Wednesday’s meeting of the Boston Foundation’s board of directors. At the meeting, the board approved about $1.63 million in discretionary grants that the foundation plans to make during the next quarter. Among other groups in line for grants is Northeastern University. Northeastern is in line for a one-year, $50,000 grant for […]

While concrete doesn’t corrode easily, steel does, Kevin Hartnett explains in an article for the Boston Globe. Climate change could hasten two natural processes: carbonation, where carbon dioxide gets into the concrete, and chloration, when chloride ions in water get into it. Both processes cause steel to corrode and expand, destroying the concrete from the […]