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How self-proclaimed 'prophets' from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for the Jan. 6 events at the US Capitol

  • Written by Brad Christerson, Professor of Sociology, Biola University
imageSupporters of President Trump put up a Cross outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6,Win McNamee/Getty Images

In addition to symbols of white supremacy, many of the rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6 carried signs bearing religious messages, such as “Jesus Saves” and “In God We Trust” while others chanted “Jesus is my savior...

Read more: How self-proclaimed 'prophets' from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for...

Biden plans to fight climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before

  • Written by Bill Ritter Jr., Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University
imageManaging climate change requires a systems approach, with strategic coordination across all sectors.Elenabs via Getty Images

Joe Biden is preparing to deal with climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before – by mobilizing his entire administration to take on the challenge from every angle in a strategic, integrated way.

The...

Read more: Biden plans to fight climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before

A brief history of the term ‘president-elect’ in the United States

  • Written by Mark Satta, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Wayne State University
imageStatue of George Washington in front of Federal Hall in New York City.Getty Images

On Jan. 20, Joe Biden will be sworn in as president of the United States. Until then, he is president-elect of the United States.

But what exactly does it mean to be president-elect of the United States?

As a lawyer and philosopher who studies word meaning, I have...

Read more: A brief history of the term ‘president-elect’ in the United States

Executions don't deter murder, despite the Trump administration's push

  • Written by David P. Barash, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Washington
imageThe federal death chamber at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, as seen in April 1995.AP Photo/Chuck Robinson

Three more federal inmates are slated to be executed before the end of President Donald Trump’s term, though the first received a stay hours before she was slated to die on Jan. 12. Ten have already been put to death since...

Read more: Executions don't deter murder, despite the Trump administration's push

Apollo landers, Neil Armstrong's bootprint and other human artifacts on Moon officially protected by new US law

  • Written by Michelle L.D. Hanlon, Professor of Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi
imageThese astronaut footprints on the Moon aren't protected yet.NASA

It’s hard to care about bootprints sunk in soil 238,900 miles away as humanity suffers the combined burden of an unforgiving virus and a political unease. But how humans treat those bootprints and the historic lunar landing sites upon which they are found will speak volumes...

Read more: Apollo landers, Neil Armstrong's bootprint and other human artifacts on Moon officially protected...

Some kindergartners are more likely to be heavy users of online tech later, according to new research

  • Written by Paul L. Morgan, Eberly Fellow, Professor Education and Demography, and Director of the Center for Educational Disparities Research, Penn State
imageOnline activities can squeeze out time for other important parts of growing up.JohnnyGreig/E+ via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Specific groups of kindergartners in the U.S. are more likely to be frequent users of social networking, online gaming or messaging by the end of fifth grade, ac...

Read more: Some kindergartners are more likely to be heavy users of online tech later, according to new...

How does Wi-Fi work? An electrical engineer explains

  • Written by Bhaskar Krishnamachari, Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California
imageThe Wi-Fi symbol, like the technology it represents, has become ubiquitous.Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images

Though you can’t see them, radio waves are all around you all the time, carrying information. For most people, some of those radio waves are Wi-Fi signals. Wi-Fi is the catchy name an industry alliance came up with to market...

Read more: How does Wi-Fi work? An electrical engineer explains

How should schools teach kids about what happened at the US Capitol on Jan. 6? We asked 6 education experts

  • Written by David Schonfeld, Director, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, University of Southern California
imageTrump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the U.S. Capitol.Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Teachers scrambled to create lesson plans to help students make sense of the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol right after it happened.

It’s a fraught task. Even the news media wasn’t sure what to call this...

Read more: How should schools teach kids about what happened at the US Capitol on Jan. 6? We asked 6...

Two-thirds of Earth's land is on pace to lose water as the climate warms – that's a problem for people, crops and forests

  • Written by Yadu Pokhrel, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University
imageCape Town residents queued up for water as the taps nearly ran dry in 2018.Morgana Wingard/Getty Images

The world watched with a sense of dread in 2018 as Cape Town, South Africa, counted down the days until the city would run out of water. The region’s surface reservoirs were going dry amid its worst drought on record, and the public...

Read more: Two-thirds of Earth's land is on pace to lose water as the climate warms – that's a problem for...

COVID-19 response shows how an informal rule of law plays a supporting role in society

  • Written by David Mednicoff, Chair, Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Public Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst
imageWaiting their turn, while masked and keeping a distance.Lindsey Nicholson/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Through much of the last year, COVID-19 has propelled many people to accept and follow new patterns of behavior. These include wearing a mask in public, attempting to socially distance and restricting groups to smaller...

Read more: COVID-19 response shows how an informal rule of law plays a supporting role in society

More Articles ...

  1. Fired for storming the Capitol? Why most workers aren’t protected for what they do on their own time
  2. How to turn plastic waste in your recycle bin into profit
  3. Delaying second COVID-19 vaccine doses will make supplies last longer but comes with risks
  4. Why does grammar matter?
  5. Consumer electronics have changed a lot in 20 years – systems for managing e-waste aren't keeping up
  6. 18 million US children are at risk of hunger: How is the problem being addressed and what more can be done?
  7. Vitamin K: A little-known but noteworthy nutrient
  8. Japan's most famous writer committed suicide after a failed coup attempt – now, new photos add more layers to the haunting act
  9. Why Trump's challenges to democracy will be a big problem for Biden
  10. A scholar of American anti-Semitism explains the hate symbols present during the US Capitol riot
  11. Federal leaders have two options if they want to rein in Trump
  12. Far-right activists on social media telegraphed violence weeks in advance of the attack on the US Capitol
  13. After a record 22 billion-dollar disasters in 2020, it's time to overhaul US disaster policy – here's how
  14. Gaming has benefits and perils – parents can help kids by playing with them
  15. What the 'doctor' title means for women of color with doctorates
  16. 5 strategies for cultivating hope this year
  17. Thousands of Brazilians who won elections as Black candidates in 2020 previously ran for office as white
  18. The uncomfortable questions facing Capitol Police over the security breach by MAGA mob
  19. Vaccine delays reveal unexpected weak link in supply chains: A shortage of workers
  20. It is difficult, if not impossible, to estimate the size of the crowd that stormed Capitol Hill
  21. Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther gives a boost to diversity in STEM – a Black engineer's take on personal and professional inspiration
  22. What is Pure Land Buddhism? A look at how East Asian Buddhists chant and strive for buddhahood
  23. Why do smoke alarms keep going off even when there's no smoke?
  24. The insurrection at the Capitol challenged how US media frames unrest and shapes public opinion
  25. How does the 25th Amendment work, and can it be used to remove Trump from office after US Capitol attack?
  26. Connected workouts can help you get fit alongside virtual buddies during the pandemic
  27. US Capitol protesters, egged on by Trump, are part of a long history of white supremacists hearing politicians' words as encouragement
  28. Pikas are adapting to climate change remarkably well, contrary to many predictions
  29. Was it a coup? No, but siege on US Capitol was the election violence of a fragile democracy
  30. 'Once you engage in political violence, it becomes easier to do it again' – an expert on political violence reflects on events at the Capitol
  31. Yellow Gadsden flag, prominent in Capitol takeover, carries a long and shifting history
  32. COVID-19 crisis in Los Angeles: Why activating 'crisis standards of care' is crucial for overwhelmed hospitals
  33. Trump tapped into white victimhood – leaving fertile ground for white supremacists
  34. Legalizing marijuana, once a pipe dream on Capitol Hill, takes an important step forward
  35. In Mike Pence, US evangelicals had their '24-karat-gold' man in the White House
  36. What is a margin of error? This statistical tool can help you understand vaccine trials and political polling
  37. School budgets have held up better than expected in some states, but looming cuts will hurt learning long after pandemic ends
  38. Voting in Georgia runoff went better than June's disastrous primary, but trouble still lingers
  39. Why Trump's Senate supporters can't overturn Electoral College results they don't like – here's how the law actually works
  40. Fewer kids are enrolled in public kindergarten – that will have a lasting impact on schools and equity
  41. Mississippi just got rid of its Electoral College-like election process
  42. How kids can benefit from mindfulness training
  43. Air pollution may contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia risk – here's what we're learning from brain scans
  44. How many people need to get a COVID-19 vaccine in order to stop the coronavirus?
  45. Can a future ban on gas-powered cars work? An economist explains
  46. In a time of social and environmental crisis, Aldo Leopold's call for a 'land ethic' is still relevant
  47. Trump's 'smoking gun' tape is worse than Nixon's, but congressional Republicans have less incentive to do anything about it
  48. Populism erupts when people feel disconnected and disrespected
  49. Ready to try an old approach to a New Year’s resolution? The story of Saint Ignatius may provide some guidance
  50. The cold supply chain can't reach everywhere – that's a big problem for equitable COVID-19 vaccination