GMO crops have been rejected in many countries where food shortages are dire. Now, a scientist at the University of Connecticut has figured out how to create better crops with DNA editing.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Gene editing
Analysis and Comment
Hundreds of court cases show that companies are using features of timekeeping software to shortchange workers, a few minutes at a time.
Digitized state records help to tell the stories of African-American prisoners in the 19th and 20th century.
Mexico's presidential front-runner wants to end violence in Mexico by pardoning drug traffickers and corrupt officials. Some 235,000 people have died in the country's 11-year cartel war.
Vladimir Putin's recent re-election was bad news for democracy in Russia. And it's a major loss in the struggle for liberalism, as anti-democratic leaders are assuming power across the globe.
Popular concerns about technology use and alleged addiction don't hold up to scholarly scrutiny.
Prostate cancer is the second deadliest cancer among men, but not all types of the disease are as deadly as others. That has led to confusion over screening. An expert explains why new guidelines make sense.
Today many Americans see universities negatively. But, as the dean of USC Dornsife argues, academia has a unique capacity to solve society's problems. Yes, astrophysicists can help law enforcement.
The Santa Fe High School shooting underscores the need for an educational approach to school violence and to examine how students deal with the 'status tournament of adolescence.'
Honeybees receive a lot of attention, but the first North American bee to be listed as an endangered species is a wild bumble bee. Wild bees are vital pollinators, and some are declining rapidly.
Nestle pays the state a pittance in exchange for its water at a time when public awareness of water issues is rising.
School climate and culture are just as important, if not more, than security measures when it comes to preventing school violence, a scholar argues.
A criminologist reviews recent research to dispel common misconceptions about mass shootings.
As the nation searches for ways to prevent the next school shooting, one scholar says answers can be found in a forgotten study the Secret Service did after the Columbine massacre.
The search for a direct causal connection from public opinion to specific policies, including gun control, may be like hunting for the holy grail. Many factors influence how legislation gets passed.
Thousands of Jewish immigrants and their children changed their names in America – but not at Ellis Island. The reasons are complicated and part of the Jewish struggle with their identity in America.
Since the Korean War, U.S. troops have helped South Korea with military training and planning. Our Speed Read describes the regular joint exercises designed to deter North Korean aggression.
Environmentalists and climate hawks are cheering, but many experts aren't excited about the state making rooftop solar panels mandatory on most new homes beginning in 2020.
The Trump administration wants China to cut its trade deficit with the US by more than half. An economist explains why that's not going to happen.
The CDC recently announced an uptick in diseases spread by vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks. Here's why and what you can do to lower your risk.
You should be aware of the amount of genetic information you might disclose in a research study – and what the benefits and risks will be.
Data and privacy issues are tangled up in the DNA reports consumers get from big genetic testing companies – and the third-party sites they turn to in order to glean more from their raw DNA.
Producing ammonia, which is a key ingredient in fertilizers, is one of the world's most energy-intensive chemical manufacturing processes. Now there's a new low energy option in development.
Royal weddings have shaped how Americans imagine their own dream weddings. Unfortunately, they don't come cheap – which might explain why fewer and fewer are tying the knot.
The Venezuelan opposition is asking people not to vote in the country's May 20 election, which they call a 'farce.' President Maduro regime has jailed or blacklisted most of his competitors.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt wants to change the grounds for setting US air pollution targets. An environmental lawyer explains why Pruitt's approach misreads the law and could roll back decades of gains.
With elevated wildfire risks forecast across much of the western US this summer, here's how travelers can track local conditions, stay out of harm's way and avoid accidentally starting fires.
Whether at a family gathering or in a research lab, getting access to images immediately was a game changer. And Land's innovations went far beyond the instant photo.
The Trump administration wants to privatize more of the federal bureaucracy. New research suggests this can lead to discrimination in essential government services.
Cutting the program formerly known as food stamps would hurt low-income Americans and the whole economy.
Pediatric cancer is one of the cruelest of diseases, and caregivers develop special skills to help their patients. Research shows that caregivers for adults could learn some things from them.
A journalism scholar and biographer of Tom Wolfe looks back at a literary great's life of challenging cultural standards.
Science and technology
When people see their bodies in 3D, they feel worse about themselves and more negative in general. That might not put shoppers in a buying mood even for clothes that fit better.
In this Speed Read, learn the difference between 3G, 4G and 5G, and why it matters.
Israel and Gaza
It would be a heavy lift, but revising the Iran nuclear deal would have some significant upsides, according to scholars at the University of Maryland.
Higher ed
A few years ago, a folklorist started gathering data on the creative ways graduates were embellishing their caps. From student debt to immigration, some themes quickly emerged.
Speed reads
This Speed Read makes the case why you should be nice to spiders you encounter in your home and consider a live-and-let-live policy.
Research and Expert Database
Analysis from academics around the world
Editors’ Picks
The Kīlauea volcano on Hawai'i's big island is threatening to produce violent and energetic eruptions not seen since 1924.
Mounting evidence suggests that artificial sweeteners are linked to chronic health problems like obesity and diabetes. Should there be a tax on these foods?
May 16 marks the 300th anniversary of the first woman to write a mathematics textbook.
More people are sending off saliva samples to find out about their genetic roots. But the raw DNA results go way beyond genealogical data – and could deliver unintended consequences.
In voicing youthful outrage over inequality and violence, Bangladeshi rappers are creating a powerful form of protest music — just as American MCs have done for 40 years.
The EPA intends to limit what scientific studies can inform policy – a change long sought by industry. A long-time public health researcher explains the single study at the root of the controversy.
In the past, running for political office and being a mother were seemingly incompatible. A scholar of gender and politics explains why times are changing.
Today's media consumers are being bombarded with bias and sensationalism – and could use a dose of Mad's media literacy.
A strategy to shut down Taliban safe havens in Pakistan could bring the war to an end.
Recent news reports suggest that the US is experiencing a loneliness epidemic. But the research is a bit more complicated.
Why do some people reject scientifically accepted ideas? A psychotherapist points to black-and-white thinking as part of the explanation.
After thousands of women spoke out against sexual harassment, scholars asked, does harassment affect women's health? Their findings suggest that it does.
Perhaps you've noticed something unusual in the bathroom after you consume this healthy spring vegetable. A Speed Read explains there's two parts to the stinky puzzle: production and perception.
The reclusive country’s media is tightly controlled and choreographed. But a close look at the tone and focus of the coverage can shed light on the regime’s priorities and resolve.
Big business influences politicians in many ways. One little-recognized channel is the money companies and their foundations give the nonprofits politicians like.
Most Read past week
- Should I kill spiders in my home? An entomologist explains why not to
- Yanny or Laurel? It’s your brain not your ears that decides
- What is 5G? The next generation of wireless, explained
- Teaching students how to dissent is part of democracy
- Recreational ancestry DNA testing may reveal more than consumers bargained for
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