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This article reports results from a three-year panel study of a nonrandom sample of 76 South Carolina citizens, recruited from a variety of walks of life, and their impressions of emerging nanotechnology. This discussion focuses on material from depth interviews conducted alongside a baseline opinion and awareness inventory at the beginning of the study, the most intensive data-gathering phase. These results are placed in the context of data from three additional surveys conducted at about equal intervals over the three years, plus exit interviews from 21 of the 34 individuals who completed the entire study. The results give insight into popular thinking about technology but little indication of strong emerging concerns, a trajectory of amplification of those concerns, or opinion polarization over time, despite some awareness of risks and potential ethical dimensions. Nanotechnology may stand out more as an example of risk attenuation than of risk amplification, consistent with most results from national surveys.

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This entry provides an overview of health communication research surrounding infertility and pregnancy loss. Although infertility and pregnancy loss are relatively common, they are socially complex phenomena. Those who experience infertility and/or pregnancy loss must navigate not only their loss and grief but also privacy management, disclosure of their diagnosis, and seeking social support. This entry covers aspects of interpersonal communication, clinician–patient communication, and public discourse surrounding infertility and miscarriage. This entry suggests that future research should include better representation of ethnic/racial minorities, low‐income populations, and LGBTQ+ communities, given the reproductive health disparities and the unique challenges faced by individuals in these groups. Future research should also examine how religious and cultural expectations of fertility, loss, motherhood, and grief affect how people discuss and cope with infertility/miscarriage.