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When families of murder victims speak at death penalty trials, their anguish may make sentencing less fair

  • Written by Austin Sarat, Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty and Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College
imageFour of the 10 federal prisoners executed this year: Wesley Purkey, killed July 16; Dustin Honken, killed July 17; Brandon Bernard, killed Dec. 10; and Alfred Bourgeois, killed Dec. 11. In some cases, survivors of their victims addressed the court.AP Photo

The Trump administration is spending its final months authorizing executions. Ten federal...

Read more: When families of murder victims speak at death penalty trials, their anguish may make sentencing...

What you need to know about this year's winter solstice and the great conjunction

  • Written by William Teets, Acting Director and Astronomer, Dyer Observatory, Vanderbilt University

Editor’s note: Dr. William Teets is the director of Vanderbilt University’s Dyer Observatory. In this interview, he explains what does and doesn’t happen during the winter solstice on Dec. 21. Another cosmic phenomenon is also going to occur on the same day called “the great conjunction,” where Saturn and Jupiter,...

Read more: What you need to know about this year's winter solstice and the great conjunction

Here's why Christmas movies are so appealing this holiday season

  • Written by S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate, Professor of Religious Studies and Cinema and Media Studies, by special appointment, Hamilton College
imageA still from the 1946 classic 'It's A Wonderful Life.'RKO Pictures/Archive Photos/Moviepix/Getty Images

With the pandemic limiting travel over the holiday season, many Americans will be settling in front of the television to watch their favorite holiday movies, along with their favorite drink – a cup of hot apple cider or a glass of wine...

Read more: Here's why Christmas movies are so appealing this holiday season

Llamas are having a moment in the US, but they've been icons in South America for millennia

  • Written by Emily Wakild, Professor of History and Director, Environmental Studies Program, Boise State University
imageLlamas In a pen, Pasajes, Tarija, Bolivia. Insights/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

With their long eyelashes, banana-shaped ears, upturned mouths and stocky bodies covered with curly wool, llamas look like creatures that walked out of a Dr. Seuss story. And now they’re celebrities in the U.S.

Because of their gentle and docile...

Read more: Llamas are having a moment in the US, but they've been icons in South America for millennia

FDA authorized first over-the-counter COVID-19 test – useful but not a game changer

  • Written by Zoë McLaren, Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageThe new rapid test is available without a prescription, but only 20 million are set to be sold by the middle of next year. Ellume/AP

Soon, people in the U.S. will be able to pick up a rapid antigen test for COVID-19 from their local drugstore without a prescription, test themselves and process the results at home.

The Ellume COVID-19 Home Test that...

Read more: FDA authorized first over-the-counter COVID-19 test – useful but not a game changer

The top scientific breakthrough for 2020 was understanding SARS-CoV-2 and how it causes COVID-19 – and then developing multiple vaccines

  • Written by David Pride, Associate Director of Microbiology, University of California San Diego
imageThe number one scientific breakthrough for 2020: multiple vaccines to prevent COVID-19Philippe Raimbault/Photodisc via Getty Images

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, has killed approximately 2.2% of those worldwide who are known to have contracted it. But the situation could be a lot worse without modern medicine...

Read more: The top scientific breakthrough for 2020 was understanding SARS-CoV-2 and how it causes COVID-19 –...

Why retired generals rarely lead the Pentagon

  • Written by Dwight Stirling, Lecturer in Law, University of Southern California
imagePresident-elect Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to be secretary of defense.AP Photo/Susan Walsh

By all accounts, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the U.S. Defense Department, is eminently qualified to be secretary of defense. A man who achieved the rank of four-st...

Read more: Why retired generals rarely lead the Pentagon

As heavenly bodies converge, many ask: Is the Star of Bethlehem making a comeback?

  • Written by Eric M. Vanden Eykel, Associate Professor of Religion, Ferrum College
imageA Nativity presentation showing the three wise men being led by the Star of Bethlehem.Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images

On Dec. 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will cross paths in the night’s sky and for a brief moment, they will appear to shine together as one body. While planetary conjunctions like this are not everyday events, they a...

Read more: As heavenly bodies converge, many ask: Is the Star of Bethlehem making a comeback?

10 reasons why Anthony Fauci was ready to be the face of the US pandemic response

  • Written by Barbara Gastel, Professor of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences and of Humanities in Medicine, Texas A&M University
imageFauci is an accomplished scientist who also excels at connecting with the public.AP Photo/Cliff Owen

His call to “Wear a mask” tops a list of 2020’s notable quotes. Brad Pitt portrayed him – and praised him – on “Saturday Night Live.” Time magazine named him a 2020 guardian of the year. Amazon features...

Read more: 10 reasons why Anthony Fauci was ready to be the face of the US pandemic response

Why the Puritans cracked down on celebrating Christmas

  • Written by Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
image'Going To Church,' N.C. Wyeth (1941).Archival photograph, Brandywine River Museum library, Edward J. S. Seal Collection.

When winter cold settles in across the U.S., the alleged “War on Christmas” heats up.

In recent years, department store greeters and Starbucks cups have sparked furor by wishing customers “happy holidays.”...

Read more: Why the Puritans cracked down on celebrating Christmas

More Articles ...

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  2. Black candidates can win in swing districts
  3. Wildfire smoke changes dramatically as it ages, and that matters for downwind air quality – here's what we learned flying through smoke plumes
  4. President Trump's use of the authoritarian playbook will have lasting consequences
  5. Cuba cracks down on artists who demanded creative freedoms after 'unprecedented' government negotiations
  6. US nonprofits raised $2.5 billion on Giving Tuesday in 2020
  7. 4 signs that food pantries improve the diets of low-income people
  8. 5 ways MacKenzie Scott’s $5.8 billion commitment to social and economic justice is a model for other donors
  9. Museum specimens could help fight the next pandemic – why preserving collections is crucial to future scientific discoveries
  10. Americans aren't getting enough to eat during the coronavirus pandemic – here's what's happening in Los Angeles County
  11. K-12 schools need to take cyberattacks more seriously
  12. The reality of Black men's love lives and marriages is very different than what's usually shown on TV – I spent years actually talking to them
  13. Why being stuck at home – and unable to hang out in cafes and bars – drains our creativity
  14. Companies accused of crimes get more digital privacy rights than people under new Trump policy
  15. COVID-19 means a lot more work for families of children with disabilities, but schools can help
  16. Will going out in the cold give you a cold?
  17. Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem? Why the Gospels disagree over the circumstances of Christ's birth
  18. The coronavirus vaccine: A doctor answers 5 questions
  19. Racial stereotypes drive students of color away from STEM, but many still persist
  20. What vaccine distribution planners can learn from Amazon and Walmart
  21. Virgin births from parthenogenesis: How females from some species can reproduce without males
  22. COVID-19 further exposes inequalities in the global financial system
  23. Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh fear their medieval churches will be destroyed
  24. Ancient Greek desire to resolve civil strife resonates today – but Athenian justice would be a 'bitter pill' in modern America
  25. It takes a lot of energy for machines to learn – here's why AI is so power-hungry
  26. Plastic pipes are polluting drinking water systems after wildfires – it's a risk in urban fires, too
  27. Pardon me? An ethicist's guide to what is proper when it comes to presidential pardons
  28. On the first day of Christmas...teachers got a legal headache over blurring the line between church and state
  29. Who is doing all those COVID-19 tests? Why you should care about medical laboratory professionals
  30. A hospital that prescribes free nutritious food to families who need more than medical care
  31. Puerto Rico wants statehood – but only Congress can make it the 51st state in the United States
  32. Why getting back to 'normal' doesn't have to involve police in schools
  33. W.E.B. Du Bois embraced science to fight racism as editor of NAACP's magazine The Crisis
  34. Taking fish out of fish feed can make aquaculture a more sustainable food source
  35. Mermaids aren't real – but they've fascinated people around the world for ages
  36. My university will be getting COVID-19 vaccines soon – here's how my team will get doses into arms
  37. Masks and mandates: How individual rights and government regulation are both necessary for a free society
  38. From the White House to ancient Athens: Hypocrisy is no match for partisanship
  39. Biden's chance to revive US tradition of inserting ethics in foreign policy
  40. What is a neural network? A computer scientist explains
  41. Why do so few clergy serve in Congress?
  42. Arecibo telescope's fall is indicative of global divide around funding science infrastructure
  43. The Marshall Islands could be wiped out by climate change – and their colonial history limits their ability to save themselves
  44. Why paying people to get the coronavirus vaccine won't work
  45. Scientists suggest US embassies were hit with high-power microwaves – here's how the weapons work
  46. Why does the Electoral College exist, and how does it work? 5 essential reads
  47. Why shielding businesses from coronavirus liability is a bad idea
  48. 5 years after Paris: How countries’ climate policies match up to their promises, and who's aiming for net zero emissions
  49. Oregon just decriminalized all drugs – here's why voters passed this groundbreaking reform
  50. Why do scientists care about worms?