As more parents turn to social media to post videos of themselves punishing their children, an educational psychologist warns that the practice may cause more harm than good.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Parenting
There's a spectrum of quality when it comes to what kids can do with screen time. An expert in early childhood technology suggests picking tech activities that promote problem-solving and fun.
Analysis and Comment
The Houthis belong to the Shiite branch of Islam. The Houthi insurgency began in the early 1990s, spurred in part by growing influence of different Sunni branches of Islam.
Much of the money for wildlife conservation in the United States comes from taxes and fees paid by sportsmen. But as fewer Americans take up hunting, wildlife managers need other funding sources.
More often than not, the group owes more money than it has available to spend at the end of the year.
There’s an orderly fashion to so-called disruptive "manifestations", as they’re called in French. But the "gilets jaunes" didn’t follow the rules. So who exactly broke the rules?
The Trump administration has banned NIH researchers from using fetal tissue. The tissue is an essential tool for scientists investigating diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to Zika virus infections.
Universal Coverage Day came only three days shy of the deadline for open enrollment in the US. Why are much smaller, less wealthy countries such as Thailand pushing forward while the US is not?
Wireless charging is conceptually easy but technically difficult. Devices that can adjust themselves to optimize charging are on the way.
There's a spectrum of quality when it comes to what kids can do with screen time. An expert in early childhood technology suggests picking tech activities that promote problem-solving and fun.
Colombian researchers hope to revive an endangered species by rehabilitating monkeys confiscated from smugglers. The captive animals' struggles show that survival is not guaranteed.
The history of Britain's vote to exit from the European Union, known as Brexit, is not a tale of populist resentment toward globalization. It is a top-down story of leaders and elite ideology.
Studies confirm what many older adults already know: They are sexual. And, studies also suggest that sex is good for them. But health care providers are reluctant to talk to them about the risks.
As more parents turn to social media to post videos of themselves punishing their children, an educational psychologist warns that the practice may cause more harm than good.
The effort to edit the genes of Chinese twins implies that all our traits are determined by our genes. But changing our diet, environment, lifestyle and microbes may have a greater effect.
In the #MeToo era and with more women entering Congress, activists are hopeful another state could ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. But is it too late?
2018 is on track to become only the second coup-free year in a century. Coup risk is way down worldwide, thanks to growing political stability in Latin America. Africa has the highest risk of coup.
A bright comet visible in December provides an excellent viewing opportunity for night sky lovers – even potentially with the naked eye.
Science is in a reproducibility crisis. This is driven in part by invalid statistical analyses that happen long after the data are collected – the opposite of how things are traditionally done.
Who wouldn't want to travel in time, glimpsing the dinosaurs or peeking at humans 2,000 years from now? Now physicists have designed a time machine that seems deceptively simple.
Democracies survive if political norms and traditions are upheld. So the recent actions of GOP legislators in Wisconsin and other states to hamstring incoming Democrats put democracy at risk.
Drivers buy less gas when filling the tank burns holes in their wallets.
Once we understand genocide as something that can take awhile, with victims dying of starvation and disease rather than outright murder, we can recognize the genocide of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Rising e-commerce means more delivery trucks and urban gridlock. Lockers at transit centers, where carriers can leave packages for people who live or work nearby, are a potential solution.
Whether a technology helps or hurts people depends not on how much time they spend with it, but how they use it.
Whether forged by geological processes or laboratory techniques, diamonds are diamonds. Their unique properties mean they have applications that are not bling-related as well.
Research and News
Two-thirds of people who report workplace sexual harassment say they lost their jobs or are retaliated against in other ways. Most never receive any money.
Some say the hysteria over screen time echoes parents' worries that their kids were watching too much TV in the 1980s. But new studies show there's nothing overblown about parents' growing concern.
The country's carbon emissions should level off again soon.
Parents of teens often worry about marijuana use and whether it might lead to other drugs or behavioral problems. A recent study suggests it doesn't, but that there are real dangers to be aware of.
The Interior Department is expanding oil and gas leasing on land in six western states that is vital habitat for the greater sage grouse. Lawsuits are certain to follow.
CRISPR babies
Questions abound about whether the scientist who created the first gene edited human beings took shortcuts in the ethical oversight process. But pedantically focusing on protocol misses the point.
Happy holidays
A scholar applies lessons from her research to negotiate with her spouse better and have an 'awesome holiday.' Here's how you can too – and make your family life happier overall.
Climate change
Hundreds of US cities have pledged to meet the carbon reduction targets in the Paris climate accord. Now it's time for them to start showing results.
Leer en Español
Un climatólogo que ha visitado el mismo glaciar en Perú durante varios años explica los complejos impactos de su rápido derretimiento.
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Research and Expert Database
Analysis from academics around the world
Editors’ Picks
A U.S. court has sentenced Cyntoia Brown to 51 years in prison for killing a man when she was a teenager. The case shows why the justice system must stop punishing women for defending themselves.
New research confirms that people tend to rush to judgment, in spite of believing their own decisions and those of others are carefully based on lots of evidence and data. And that can be good or bad.
The Harry Potter universe has become a popular setting for stories featuring autistic characters, written by young writers eager to tackle a complex topic.
A survey done of transgender people right after they read a story on the government's move to deny transgender identity shows the emotional impact that denying that identity can have.
Following a fatal beating of a student, Chicago started a Safe Passage program in 2009 to ensure students get to and from school safely. Nine years on, how is it working?
Meister Eckhart was a 14th-century Dominican friar, who gave sermons on the direct experience of God. His words are finding resonance among today’s spiritual seekers.
Facebook retired its 'Move fast and break things' slogan – perhaps because, as new research from Brazil confirms, democracy is among the things left broken by online misinformation and fake news.
Striking 20th-century garment workers wore their best dresses and hats to send a message that they had the right to be taken seriously and have their voices heard.
Children in countries like South Korea and Russia are more obedient, while American kids tend to be more self-indulgent.
The Slave Societies Digital Archive documents the lives of approximately 6 million free and enslaved Africans in the Americas.
How does being thankful about things in your own life relate to any selfless concern you may have about the well-being of others? A neuroscientist explores the gratitude/altruism connection.
A recent survey found that Americans trust local media outlets far more than national ones.
The 'thin green line' of resistance against any new infrastructure for shipping oil, gas and coal abroad has won many battles. But it faces a new source of pressure: the Trump administration.
NASA's InSight Mars lander touches down Nov. 26, part of a careful robotic approach to exploring the red planet. But human exploration of Mars will inevitably introduce Earth life. Are you OK with that?
A new virtual campus tour project in North Carolina could change the way students in rural or otherwise remote areas are able to 'see' prospective colleges without ever leaving their high schools.
Most Read past week
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- Time travel is possible – but only if you have an object with infinite mass
- How to know when holiday drinking is hurting your brain
- The NRA’s financial weakness, explained
- Trump administration seeks to strip more people of citizenship
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