Doping is condemned in sports. But what about in the military? Should soldiers be allowed or even encouraged to take drugs that make them superior fighters and more likely to complete a mission?
How many lakes are in Alaska? Thermokarst lakes on Alaska’s North Slope are self-similar and fractal.
Painting by Cherissa Dukelow
What do earthquakes, wealthy Italian families and your circulatory system have in common? Scientists use fractals, self-similarity and power laws to translate from local to global scales.
Understanding the facial cues from another person is a component of empathy.
Pressmaster/Shutterstock.com
Millions of people suffer traumatic brain injuries, and many lose the ability to emotionally connect with others. A new study suggests there’s a way to help them regain their ability to connect.
US marines walk through the rebuilt palace of King Nebuchadnezzar, in the ancient town of Babylon, in April 2003. The ruins suffered serious damage when American troops set up a military base amid the ruins during the Iraq War.
Reuters/Jerry Lampen
A scholar analyzed data about UNESCO World Heritage sites to explain why European cultural relics like Notre Dame are so beloved, while splendid monuments elsewhere remain relatively unknown.
How long has that water already been in the system?
mike.irwin/Shutterstock.com
In many municipalities, aging water infrastructure is serving fewer people than it was built to accommodate. Out of sight has meant out of mind – but resulting changes in water quality may affect safety.
A delegate in traditional Uighur dress listens to a speaker during a meeting with delegates from China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in Beijing,
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Muslims came to China in the 13th century and played an influential role. Tensions have escalated since 9/11, and the global community is largely silent.
Airbnb is a growing threat to the major hotel chains.
Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock.com
People know about Facebook’s problems, but assume they are largely immune – even while they imagine that everyone else is very susceptible to influence.
Chen Yabian, 74, of Hainan Province, southern China, testifies during the International Symposium on Chinese ‘Comfort Women’ in 2000 in Shanghai that she was 14 when Japanese Imperial Army soldiers forced her to work as a sex slave during the war.
AP/Eugene Hoshiko
US agreements with Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria provide reparations to WWII victims. But an international law scholar writes that the US has failed to address war crimes in Asia.
Despite being known for high college acceptance rates, Urban Prep Academies recently lost a charter to operate a school on Chicago’s west side.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Urban Prep Academy in Chicago made a name by boasting about its 100% college acceptance rates for graduating seniors. A founding teacher at Urban Prep explains why that statistic is misleading.
Sanctions are making life increasingly difficult for ordinary Iranians, such as those in Isfahan.
Doug Hostetter
A growing body of research points to the importance of one personality trait – intellectual humility – and how it influences our learning, relationships and worldview.
President Donald Trump arriving at the Rose Garden, May 22, 2019, in Washington.
AP/Evan Vucci
Politics have pervaded the debate about whether Congress should impeach President Trump. One legal scholar says that whether to impeach – or not – should not be viewed as a political question.
Pfc Elias Friedensohn in June 1945 at the Special Services Distributing Point, Seine Section, Paris, France.
National Archives
An unprecedented survey of US GIs that began in 1941, preserved on microfilm, provides a raw and uncensored story of average Americans grappling with both national ideals and practical necessities.
Do fungi like this Penicillium mold, which produces the the antibiotic penicillin, trace their origins to an ancestor that lived a billion years ago?
Rattiya Thongdumhyu/Shutterstock.com
The discovery of a fungus fossil is pushing back the origin of these ancient organisms and rewriting what we know about evolution and the tree of life.
Mitral valve prolapse is one of the most common heart disorders worldwide.
Hriana/Shutterstock.com
Using a large family whose members suffered from mitral valve prolapse, one of the most common heart diseases worldwide, researchers have discovered one cause of the disorder.
Pope Francis recently made it mandatory for clergy to report sexual abuse to church superiors.
AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
Pope Francis is trying to address gaps in the regulatory processes of the Catholic Church. But clergy can still decide whether, and to what degree, to share information.
Rescue personnel search through debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida, on Oct. 11, 2018.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
An engineering professor explains why rural areas are especially vulnerable to hurricanes, and what they can do to ensure that no one is left without help.
Terry Roark holds a photo of her son, Thomas, at the state Capitol in Sacramento, California, April 24, 2019, to voice opposition to a bill that would allow state health officials more say in vaccine exemptions.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo
As measles cases surge, people blame parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. A sociologist who has studied public health says anti-vaxxers may not be so different from the rest of us.
Dogs can connect neighbors, but in multicultural areas they can also reinforce racial barriers.
Shutterstock
American cities are getting more diverse, but neighbors of different races don’t necessarily socialize with each other. A sociologist in North Carolina discovered one surprising reason why.
Students’ home and family backgrounds will be factored into their SAT scores.
Monkey Business Images/www.shutterstock.com
The College Board is adding a new ‘adversity score’ to the SAT to take students’ socioeconomic backgrounds into account. Will the move correct long-standing disparities in the college entrance exam?
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He has been leading his side in trade negotiations.
Reuters/Leah Millis
Yeast isn’t just important for the foods we consume. A rogue lineage of yeast species that evolves faster than any other is revealing secrets that may help illuminate the molecular causes of cancer.
There’s still plenty of reason to know how to use this Morse telegraph key.
Jason Salmon/Shutterstock.com