Have you ever talked to your computer or smartphone? Maybe you’ve seen a coworker, friend or relative do it. It was likely in the form of a question, asking for some basic information, like the location of the best nearby pizza place...

In 1981, the Voyager 2 space probe took intriguing images of Saturn’s rings as it passed by the giant planet on its way to Uranus.

The images showed what looked like ghostly “spokes” moving on the rings,...

Many have speculated how a Trump victory would affect the U.S., but few have thought about the consequences of a Trump loss. After falling behind Hillary Clinton in the polls, Donald Trump has already developed a narrative for his exit: The election was rigged.

So how likely is a rigged vote?

Full-throated claims

Last week Trump told Fox News:...

If you’re one of the billions of people around the world following the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in any form, you’re probably aware of its most talked-about sports moments. Simone Biles of the United States (with dual Belizean citizenship) confirming her spot as the world’s best gymnast. The Fiji men’s rugby team’s emotio...

In the months leading up to the Rio Olympics, there was growing awareness that Brazil had not met the water quality goals outlined in their bid, and that athletes might be swimming, sailing, rowing or canoeing in waters contaminated with untreated human sewage. News articles discussed the poor water quality in competition waters, health risks to...

Cotton is the world’s most widely grown and economically important nonfood crop. In the United States alone, farmers grow cotton on 12 million to 14.5 million acres, and produce a yearly harvest worth nearly US$25 billion.

Before cotton’s fluffy bolls emerge, the plant produces large white...

Every election cycle, there are citizens who don’t like either of the candidates nominated by the two major political parties.

And so, a familiar debate begins: Is a vote for a third party a principled stand – or wasteful naiveté?

This year, party discord has swelled the numbers of dissatisfied citizens, and the debate is even...

How can a drone get from one place to another in a forest, without colliding with any trees? How can a robot pick up a bolt and insert it into a casing, without smashing into any of the other moving objects in a crowded factory? Our...

More and more adults are going back to school to learn new skills. The National Center for Education Statistics data show a 7 percent growth in college enrollment for adults over the age of 24 between 2005 and 2015. This is projected to increase to 12 percent by 2019.

A...

In the 1990s, a psychologist named Martin Seligman led the positive psychology movement, which placed the study of human happiness squarely at the center of psychology research and theory. It continued a trend that began in the 1960s with human...