Most people think pf Martin Luther King Jr. as a civil rights leader who led the nation in addressing the evils of systemic racism. What many don't know is that he also championed labor unionism.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thurman was 30 years older than King: the same age, in fact, as King's father. Among his most significant contributions was bringing the ideas of nonviolence to the civil rights movement.
Analysis and Comment
Public schools were originally envisioned in the 19th century as 'common schools' where rich and poor kids could be educated together. MLK wanted the same thing – but it's not happening.
Think defensively about your online accounts and data security – and don't assume you'll avoid harm.
Forests in the US face many threats: climate change, invasive species, pests and pathogens. Could genetically engineering trees make these plants more resilient?
The index fund revolutionized investing for millions. Its founder died on Jan. 16.
Diet-related illnesses cost more than US$1 trillion and immeasurable human suffering and pain. Policymakers are beginning to understand that it makes sense to support food-as-medicine initiatives.
Central Americans who came to the US in the 1980s fleeing civil war drew on their background fighting for social justice back home to help unionize farmworkers, janitors and poultry packers in the US.
The UK's agonizing efforts to find a path out of the European Union is beginning to look a lot like a game or riddle with no solution – and certainly no winners.
Confidentiality is written into the code of ethics that governs the profession. Will Congress force them to break it to learn the contents of Trump’s private meetings?
Fertilizer is a key source of nitrogen pollution which fouls air and water worldwide. Current regulations target farmers, but focusing on producers could spur them to develop greener products.
Studies show a weak relationship between tip amounts and quality of service. But the color gold seems to have a way of making diners feel wealthier – and more generous.
Memberships, subscriptions and small donations are reducing reliance on big grants, but mainly for the outlets that were already flourishing.
Everyone has a different ideal temperature at any given time. It could be more comfortable to monitor people's body temperatures and adjust heating and cooling in response.
As inequality in the US increases, the federal government is failing to address it. Can states pick up the slack?
Keeping the water and power on, managing sewers and collecting garbage will help communities shattered by the Syrian civil war rebuild – and keep out the Islamic State, says a former aid official.
Trump and other leaders use the word 'crisis' to claim there's an emergency that demands urgent action. A leadership expert explains how to evaluate those claims.
Wounded Knee is among the worst massacres in Native American history, when in 1890 the US military shot and killed 146 unarmed men, women and children in South Dakota.
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales is defying a constitutional court order to release a UN-backed prosecutor his government arrested and allow his corruption investigation to continue.
The UK government lost a key vote on Brexit – here are the options facing the prime minister.
Something needed to be done to mask the taste of bootleg alcohol that could include ingredients ranging from dead rats to wood tar.
What is the best way to conserve US national parks in a climate-altered future? One answer is connecting parks and other public lands, so plants and animals can shift their ranges.
Hijab is not simply about religion – women wear it for a variety of reasons.
The Trump administration is preparing to shift billions in veterans' health care spending to private providers. Research suggests privatizing essential services comes with a social cost.
Research and News
Snorkeling off the California coast, a high school student found heaps of golf balls on the ocean floor. With a marine scientist, she showed that golf courses were producing tons of plastic pollution.
Bison once dominated the Great Plains but were nearly wiped out by hunters in the 1800s. Now scientists are learning that bison's presence improves plant and wildlife diversity on the prairies.
When you're warm and cozy inside, it can be natural to wonder if the animals you see outside your window this winter are doing OK. Don't worry – they're doing better out there than you would.
The president should use his penchant for shaking up the status quo to tackle the genuine crisis in health care.
Government shutdown
The shutdown poses a very real threat to preparedness for future emergencies, such as natural disasters and disease outbreaks.
Scientific discovery
What you remember of your last meal affects when and how much you eat next time around. Neuroscientists have now identified neurons in the brain's hippocampus that are crucial to this process.
116 Congress
The new Congress is divided into a GOP Senate and Democratic House. History provides a glimpse of what this could mean: Democrats hold the power to investigate, if not to legislate.
Leer en español
Con el testimonio de violencia extrema, corrupción política, intriga internacional e innovación empresarial, el juicio ha revelado cuán poderosos son realmente los carteles de México.
Government shutdown
Research and Expert Database
Analysis from academics around the world
With all those blue recycling bins around you might think we are experts at recycling plastics. The truth is, that though many plastic items can be recycled, very few are. So what's the solution?
Gillette isn't the only male-centric brand to have recently challenged masculine stereotypes. But advertising research can help us understand why it's been getting the most flack.
Lynes was a highly sought-after commercial and fashion photographer in the 1930s and 1940s. But he had to keep his most important body of work hidden away.
A new federal report on food insecurity on college campuses does a good job of laying out the scope of the problem but falls short when it comes to solutions.
A few decades ago Boston Harbor was one of the nation's dirtiest water bodies. Now, healthier fish in the harbor underscore that a multibillion-dollar cleanup has succeeded.
Don't swear off social media. Use it to your advantage.
In the space beyond Earth's atmosphere, countries are focusing on nationalist pursuits and ignoring the consequences for the rest of humanity. How can we keep the peace and build a sustainable future?
Sociologists know what conditions make it more likely a mass delusion will take hold and spread through a group – whether adherence to a fashion fad or belief in a doomsday cult.
At times we just don't know what's the right thing to do. St. Ignatius, who founded the Society of Jesus, developed a method of discernment that can be useful even to those who are not religious.
With its tales of bloody violence, corruption, international trade and entrepreneurial innovation, Guzmán's trial offers a telenovela-style explainer on Mexican cartels and their American clients.
The teachers strike in Los Angeles is the first big one of 2019, but likely not the last. An education scholar says low teacher pay and inadequate public school funding will likely spur more strikes.
When the only fixes getting funded are designed to leave the status quo intact, the results of philanthropy inevitably fall short.
Forty-nine years ago, on July 20, 1969, American astronauts planted a US flag on the moon. A space lawyer explains the implications, who owns the moon, and what it means for lunar mining.
Most Read past week
- El Chapo trial shows why a wall won’t stop drugs from crossing the US-Mexico border
- Change your phone settings so Apple, Google can’t track your movements
- Is winter miserable for wildlife?
- Razor burned: Why Gillette’s campaign against toxic masculinity missed the mark
- Bison are back, and that benefits many other species on the Great Plains
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