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Real or artificial? A forestry scientist explains how to choose the most sustainable Christmas tree, no matter what it's made of

  • Written by Curtis VanderSchaaf, Assistant Professor of Forestry, Mississippi State University

Every year, Americans buy somewhere between 35 million and 50 million Christmas trees, and many more pull an artificial tree out of storage for the season. In all, about three-quarters of U.S. households typically have some kind of Christmas tree, surveys show.

People often ask which is more sustainable – a real tree or an artificial one?...

Read more: Real or artificial? A forestry scientist explains how to choose the most sustainable Christmas...

Why Franklin, Washington and Lincoln considered American democracy an 'experiment' -- and were unsure if it would survive

  • Written by Thomas Coens, Research Associate Professor of History, University of Tennessee
imageVoters in a county election, 1854.Etching by John Sartain after painting by George Caleb Bingham; National Gallery of Art

From the time of the founding era to the present day, one of the more common things said about American democracy is that it is an “experiment.”

Most people can readily intuit what the term is meant to convey, but...

Read more: Why Franklin, Washington and Lincoln considered American democracy an 'experiment' -- and were...

Hate crimes are on the rise − but the narrow legal definition makes it hard to charge and convict

  • Written by Jeannine Bell, Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago
imageA Hasidic man walks past a police patrol car in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

With hate crimes, context is everything, and events outside of the United States – like the war between Israel and Hamas – can have far-reaching and potentially tragic consequences.

Vermont police...

Read more: Hate crimes are on the rise − but the narrow legal definition makes it hard to charge and convict

How sacred images in many Asian cultures incorporate divine presence and make them come 'alive'

  • Written by Michael Naparstek, Lecturer in Religious Studies, University of Tennessee
imageA gilded statue of the Buddha at Wat Phanan Choeng Temple in Thailand.Kittipong Chararoj/ iStock via Getty Images Plus

Walking into a favorite restaurant here in Knoxville, Tennessee, I was immediately greeted by a golden statue of Buddha, its sparkling gemstone eyes meeting my own as I made my way through the door. The aromas of Thai curries...

Read more: How sacred images in many Asian cultures incorporate divine presence and make them come 'alive'

Scientists have been researching superconductors for over a century, but they have yet to find one that works at room temperature − 3 essential reads

  • Written by Mary Magnuson, Assistant Science Editor
imageThe search for the room-temperature superconductor continues. Charles O'Rear/Corbis Documentary via Getty Images

If you hadn’t heard about superconductors before 2023, odds are you know what they are now. Researchers raised eyebrows early in the year with claims of operational room-temperature superconductors, though none has been...

Read more: Scientists have been researching superconductors for over a century, but they have yet to find one...

Science is a human right − and its future is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

  • Written by Andrea Boggio, Professor of Politics, Law and Society, Bryant University
imageThere was no opposition to designating science as a human right.United Nations Photo/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Dec. 10 marks the anniversary of the 1948 signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Though contested, imperfect and unfulfilled, the declaration remains a milestone in...

Read more: Science is a human right − and its future is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Certain states, including Arizona, have begun scrapping court costs and fees for people unable to pay – two experts on legal punishments explain why

  • Written by Alexes Harris, Professor of Sociology, University of Washington
imageSeveral U.S. states are eliminating criminal fines and fees for people who can't afford them. Getty Images

In today’s American criminal legal system, courts impose fines and fees as a means to punish people and hold them accountable for legal violations.

At times, people are sentenced to pay without incarceration, but frequently people across...

Read more: Certain states, including Arizona, have begun scrapping court costs and fees for people unable to...

Philadelphia reduces school-based arrests by 91% since 2013 – researchers explain the effects of keeping kids out of the legal system

  • Written by Amanda NeMoyer, Assistant Research Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University
imageA change in policy means more Philly students are staying in school and out of the legal system.AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Across the United States, arrest rates for young people under age 18 have been declining for decades. However, the proportion of youth arrests associated with school incidentshas increased.

According to the U.S. Department of Education...

Read more: Philadelphia reduces school-based arrests by 91% since 2013 – researchers explain the effects of...

Texas is suing Planned Parenthood for $1.8B over $10M in allegedly fraudulent services it rendered – a health care economist explains what's going on

  • Written by Graham Gardner, Assistant Professor of Economics, Texas Christian University
imageTexas authorities have long sought to kick Planned Parenthood out of the state.AP Photo/Eric Gay

Planned Parenthood no longer provides abortions in Texas, Louisiana and the other 10 states that have essentially banned abortionsince the Supreme Court handed down its Dobbs v. Jackson decision in June 2022.

But the nonprofit is still providing other...

Read more: Texas is suing Planned Parenthood for $1.8B over $10M in allegedly fraudulent services it rendered...

New England stone walls lie at the intersection of history, archaeology, ecology and geoscience, and deserve a science of their own

  • Written by Robert M. Thorson, Professor of Earth Science, University of Connecticut
imageA typical New England stone wall in Hebron, Conn.Robert M. Thorson, CC BY-ND

The abandoned fieldstone walls of New England are every bit as iconic to the region as lobster pots, town greens, sap buckets and fall foliage. They seem to be everywhere – a latticework of dry, lichen-crusted stone ridges separating a patchwork of otherwise moist...

Read more: New England stone walls lie at the intersection of history, archaeology, ecology and geoscience,...

More Articles ...

  1. Online 'likes' for toxic social media posts prompt more − and more hateful − messages
  2. With the end of the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, the creator economy is the next frontier for organized labor
  3. Here's what happened when I taught a fly-fishing course in the waterways of New Orleans
  4. Why isn't there any sound in space? An astronomer explains why in space no one can hear you scream
  5. COP28: 7 food and agriculture innovations needed to protect the climate and feed a rapidly growing world
  6. Santos, now booted from the House, got elected as a master of duplicity -- here's how it worked
  7. A First Amendment battle looms in Georgia, where the state is framing opposition to a police training complex as a criminal conspiracy
  8. Native American mothers whose children have been separated from them experience a raw and ongoing grief that has no end
  9. 'Wonka' movie holds remnants of novel's racist past
  10. Bringing classical physics into the modern world with Galileo's Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment
  11. Why all civilian lives matter equally, according to a military ethicist
  12. How the keffiyeh – a practical garment used for protection against the desert sun – became a symbol of Palestinian identity
  13. Colonized countries rarely ask for redress over past wrongs − the reasons can be complex
  14. Who is still getting HIV in America? Medication is only half the fight – homing in on disparities can help get care to those who need it most
  15. These programs make college possible for students with developmental disabilities
  16. Edward Blum's crusade against affirmative action has used the legal strategy developed by civil rights activists
  17. Massive planet too big for its own sun pushes astronomers to rethink exoplanet formation
  18. Russian attempt to control narrative in Ukraine employs age-old tactic of 'othering' the enemy
  19. OpenAI is a nonprofit-corporate hybrid: A management expert explains how this model works − and how it fueled the tumult around CEO Sam Altman's short-lived ouster
  20. As plastic production grows, treaty negotiations to reduce plastic waste are stuck in low gear
  21. Israel's mosaic of Jewish ethnic groups is key to understanding the country
  22. 'Baldur's Gate 3' became the surprise hit of 2023 by upending conventional wisdom about what gives video games broad appeal
  23. COP28 begins: 4 issues that will determine if the UN climate summit is a success, from methane to money
  24. Israel-Gaza: what the term genocide means under international law – podcast
  25. Henry Kissinger's bombing campaign likely killed hundreds of thousands of Cambodians − and set path for the ravages of the Khmer Rouge
  26. The path to net-zero emissions runs through industry
  27. ChatGPT turns 1: AI chatbot's success says as much about humans as technology
  28. Why the Fed should treat climate change's $150B economic toll like other national crises it's helped fight
  29. There’s a financial literacy gender gap − and older women are eager for education that meets their needs
  30. 3 ways AI can help farmers tackle the challenges of modern agriculture
  31. US food insecurity surveys aren't getting accurate data regarding Latino families
  32. People who experienced childhood adversity had poorer COVID-19 outcomes, new study shows
  33. Gentle parenting can be really hard on parents, new research suggests
  34. LGTBQIA+ sanctuary declarations help cities take a stand to defend rights -- but may not have much actual legal impact
  35. MicroRNA is the master regulator of the genome − researchers are learning how to treat disease by harnessing the way it controls genes
  36. Stoicism and spirituality: A philosopher explains how more Americans' search for meaning is turning them toward the classics
  37. A brief history of the US-Israel 'special relationship' shows how connections have shifted since long before the 1948 founding of the Jewish state
  38. Merriam-Webster's word of the year – authentic – reflects growing concerns over AI's ability to deceive and dehumanize
  39. Writing instructors are less afraid of students cheating with ChatGPT than you might think
  40. Philly parents worry about kids' digital media use but see some benefits, too
  41. After a pandemic pause, Detroit restarts water shut-offs – part of a nationwide trend as costs rise
  42. Unwrapping Uranus and its icy secrets: What NASA would learn from a mission to a wild world
  43. A researcher's prescription for better health care: A dose of humility for doctors, nurses and clinicians
  44. Next on the United Auto Workers' to-do list: Adding more members who currently work at nonunion factories to its ranks
  45. The psychology of climate negotiations: How to move countries from national self-interest to global collective action
  46. Dozens of US adolescents are dying from drug overdoses every month − an expert on substance use unpacks the grim numbers with 3 charts
  47. How climate negotiators turn national self-interest into global collective action
  48. Supreme Court to consider giving First Amendment protections to social media posts
  49. The challenges of being a religious scientist
  50. Why are bullies so mean? A youth psychology expert explains what's behind their harmful behavior