The tilt of Earth's axis as it orbits the sun results in the seasonal changes.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Science
Analysis and Comment
History shows that Latin American presidents usually don't last long after they use violence to repress mass protests. Is Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega the next to fall?
A reflection of its own time, the iconic arcade game planted the seeds of today's video game culture.
35 years ago Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. But rather than focus on her own extraordinary achievements, her passion became boosting the number of girls pursuing STEM. Another pioneering astronaut remembers her friend and colleague.
Yemen's civil war is a stew of local and foreign interests, from Washington, Saudi Arabia to Iran. And the latest battle may cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians, if not millions.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation allegedly violated charitable norms and laws.
Canadians were shocked by Donald Trump's outburst about Justin Trudeau. Canada and the United States have been allies for more than a century, but there have been disputes between presidents and PMs.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has proposed steps that would reduce economic benefits to society from new regulations. An economist who worked for Presidents Clinton and Obama calls this a strategy to justify deregulation.
Things and experiences that once seemed so enjoyable usually grow dull over time, something known as hedonic adaptation. Chopsticks offer one way to get some of that pleasure back.
The US is currently short on 182 drugs and medical supplies. The problem isn't new, but it's frustrating health care workers.
The collapse of Venezuela's public health system has terrible consequences inside the country, but it also is giving rise to mosquito-borne viruses that could spread to nearby countries.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation allegedly violated charitable norms and laws.
Time often seems to fly by when you're a parent. A social psychologist explains why it actually – and fortunately – does not.
The concept of three-parent babies defies what we learned in health class. But how and when is the third parent involved? At what stage? Jennifer Barfield gives us an update on the birds and the bees.
If the US were to stop dumping these valuable metals in landfills and to cease exporting them as cheap scrap, its imports could fall, and there would be less of these metals being made from scratch.
Indigenous people from around the world revere certain traditional foods as sacred. Activists, scholars and chefs are revitalizing these food systems.
International law recognizes that women and LGBTQ people face unique forms of violence that may qualify them for asylum. The US now asserts that domestic abuse is a 'private' matter.
A survey shows that most Puerto Ricans didn't highly rate the official information coming out of the island. With the Institute of Statistics in trouble, the situation is likely not to improve.
A lack of affordable housing makes homelessness especially pervasive and visible on the West Coast.
Any movement against sexual assault must take into account historical, state-sanctioned violence against black women in the US that goes back centuries.
Though free speech on campus is often a divisive issue, solutions are not hard to find, a First Amendment scholar argues.
The declaration was thin, but the meeting itself will have a significant impact on how Trump makes foreign policy decisions moving forward.
As the US talks up denuclearizing North Korea, a former defense department official takes a look at the status of America's stockpile of nuclear weapons.
Research and News
As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, rice plants produce fewer vitamins and other key nutrients. This could worsen hunger, malnutrition, child stunting and other diet-related health problems.
Last summer one of Antarctica's floating ice shelves calved an iceberg the size of Delaware – but scientists say other less dramatic changes reveal more about how and why Antarctica is changing.
In 2016, the number of international tourists to the US dropped by more than 2 percent, while tourism trended upward worldwide. There are several explanations for the dip.
Immigration
Immigrant raids can cause long-term community trauma. The raids can also lead to new political alliances that reshape the meaning of community.
World Cup
The Russian leader seems to understand the ability of sport to foment feelings of national pride and enhance his popularity at home.
A spike in suicides
Deaths from opioid overdose and suicide are at an all-time high. One in 10 adult Americans uses marijuana. And only 1 in 3 Americans self-describes as 'happy.' A public health expert asks, what's going on?
Research and Expert Database
Analysis from academics around the world
Editors’ Picks
Privacy rules enacted in Europe are affecting companies – and their customers and users – all around the world.
Lincoln's description of the Union as a house divided is well-remembered today. But many Americans fail to heed its lessons about equality and the moral foundations of popular government.
Venezuela has freed 79 political prisoners in recent months, to global plaudits. But the hard-line regime has also charged 100 military officials with conspiracy. Does President Maduro fear overthrow?
Sen. John McCain, facing terminal cancer, will end his career with growing repudiation by his party and the public of positions, from national defense to bipartisanship, that he has long embodied.
When covering Africa, Bourdain rejected the monolithic way media outlets have historically depicted the continent's diverse cultures and populations.
Psychedelic drugs have inspired great songs and works of art. But they may also have potential for treating disease like depression and PTSD by helping to regrow damaged regions of the brain.
Missing a meal can certainly push you toward a bad mood. But new research identifies in what kind of situations hunger is most likely to tip toward hanger.
'Will & Grace,' 'The X-Files,' 'Fuller House,' 'Arrested Development' – the list goes on. If we're in the midst of a TV renaissance, why are networks and their viewers looking to the past?
The first time computer-generated characters interacted with humans on a movie screen was 25 years ago, in 'Jurassic Park.' Since then, technology has improved, giving directors more choices.
For 30 years, it’s been the best-selling vehicle in the US.
When you see a bolt of lightning, do you immediately start counting to see how far off a storm is? An atmospheric scientist parses the practice.
Important points about volcanoes: location matters, explosiveness can be predicted to an extent, and fast-moving flows of volcanic materials (known as pyroclastic flows) are deadly.
It's becoming harder and harder for animals to find human-free spaces on the planet. New research suggests that to try to avoid people, mammals are shifting activity from the day to the nighttime.
K-pop has been hugely popular in Asia, but has never able to catch on in the U.S. – until BTS topped the Billboard 200.
If you're committed to a belief, it's hard to let go. Psychology and philosophy provide different ways to think about how skeptics respond to counterevidence.
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