‘Weights of gold in bullion’: how the ancients invested in precious metals
Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0, CC BY“All I want is an income of 20,000 sesterces from secure investments”, proclaims a characte...
West Coast levee failures show growing risks from America’s aging flood defenses
Days of heavy rain caused a levee on the White River to breach, sending water into Pacific, Wash., on Dec. 16, 2025. Brandon Bell/...
LA fires showed how much neighborliness matters for wildfire safety – schools can do much more to teach it
Eaton fire survivors gather in Altadena, Calif., to talk about recovery six months after the LA fires.Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews ...
Has the Fed fixed the economy yet? And other burning economic questions for 2026
The U.S. economy heads into 2026 in an unusual place: Inflation is down from its peak in mid-2022, growth has held up better than ...
What loving-kindness meditation is and how to practice it in the new year
Loving-kindness, the feeling cultivated in metta meditation, is very different from romantic love.Anna Sunderland Engels…
The ‘sacred’ pledge that will power the relaunch of far-right militia Oath Keepers
Enrique Tarrio, left, former leader of the far-right group the Proud Boys, shakes hands with Oath Keepers founder Stewar…
AI agents arrived in 2025 – here’s what happened and the challenges ahead in 2026
AI agents have emerged from the lab, bringing promise and peril.tadamichi/iStock via Getty ImagesIn artificial intellige…
Deep in holiday debt? How to start repaying overdue credit and buy now, pay later bills
Christmas lunch is over, all the presents are unwrapped. Now comes the hard part: paying for it all.If you’re in t…
Midlife weight gain can start long before menopause – but you can take steps early on to help your body…
Hormone changes that begin years before menopause can cause gradual muscle loss and increased insulin resistance.Morsa I…
Deepfakes leveled up in 2025 – here’s what’s coming next
AI image and video generators now produce fully lifelike content.AI-generated image by Siwei Lyu using Google Gemini 3Ov…
Who thinks Republicans will suffer in the 2026 midterms? Republican members of Congress
House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to defend a narrow majority in the 2026 elections. A near-record number of retiring…
New materials, old physics – the science behind how your winter jacket keeps you warm
Modern winter jackets use a few time-honored physics principles to keep you warm. Magda Indigo/Moment via Getty ImagesAs…
Resolve to network at your employer’s next ‘offsite’ – research shows these retreats actually help forge new connections
Getting to know new colleagues over a short period of time can pay off later on.Tom Werner/DigitalVision via Getty Image…
Can you return gifts without a receipt or packaging? A legal expert explains
Yan Krukau/Pexels, CC BYYou’ve been given an ugly t-shirt and a book you’ve already read. But if you don&rsq…
Can you ‘live long and prosper’ by learning economics from Star Trek? Or is that ‘highly illogical’?
It might seem worlds away from the Earth we know. But can Star Trek teach us anything about the economics of our own soc…
West Antarctica’s history of rapid melting foretells sudden shifts in continent’s ‘catastrophic’ geology
The ice that now covers West Antarctica was not there 3.6 million years ago, after a massive collapse of the ice sheet d…
Don’t drive the sleigh on your own: 5 tested management tips for surviving Christmas like a boss
Getty ImagesLet’s face it: as well as sparkly and bright, the coming of Christmas can feel daunting, overwhelming …
Could Settlers of Catan make you a better strategist?
Marcelo Ferrari/PixabayChristmas is just around the corner, and you might be wondering how to spend those long, lazy aft…