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3 big ways that the US will change over the next decade

  • Written by Dudley L. Poston, Jr., Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University
The U.S. will undergo some significant shifts in the next decade.DenisProduction.com/Shutterstock.com

The U.S. has just entered the new decade of the 2020s.

What does our country look like today, and what will it look like 10 years from now, on Jan. 1, 2030? Which demographic groups in the U.S. will grow the most, and which groups will not grow as...

Read more: 3 big ways that the US will change over the next decade

Why your New Year's resolution to go to the gym will fail

  • Written by William Clark, Adjunct Lecturer of Health and Wellness Studies, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Gyms start to empty as more and more people give up their New Year's resolutions.AP Photo/Sang Tan

Come January, 40% of Americans will make New Years resolutions, and nearly half of them will aim to lose weight or get in shape.

But 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February, and gyms will experience a decrease in traffic after the first...

Read more: Why your New Year's resolution to go to the gym will fail

A new way to give an old TB vaccine proves highly effective in monkeys

  • Written by JoAnne L. Flynn, Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh
Chest x-ray of a person with TB infection in both the right and left lungs. Schira/Shutterstock.com

What if you could make the tuberculosis vaccine much more powerful, not by altering the ingredients, but just by changing the way it is given to people? It would help prevent the infection that kills more people every year than any other microbe.

A...

Read more: A new way to give an old TB vaccine proves highly effective in monkeys

Countries to watch in 2020, from Chile to Afghanistan: 5 essential reads

  • Written by Catesby Holmes, Religion Editor | International Editor, The Conversation US
Anti-government protesters in Chile defend themselves against a police water cannon, Santiago, Nov. 15, 2019. AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo

Where will the world’s attention turn in 2020?

The United States’ impeachment trial of Donald Trump and the United Kingdom’s long-awaited Brexit are sure bets. And after the U.S. military withdrawal...

Read more: Countries to watch in 2020, from Chile to Afghanistan: 5 essential reads

How putting purpose into your New Year’s resolutions can bring meaning and results

  • Written by Benjamin Houltberg, Research Director, Performance Science Institute, University of Southern California
Remembering why you want to eat better and take better care of yourself can help you stick to your resolutions. Being present to family is one important reason.Prostock studio/Shutterstock.com

People worldwide make New Year’s resolutions every year in an attempt to improve their lives. Common resolutions are to exercise more, eat healthier,...

Read more: How putting purpose into your New Year’s resolutions can bring meaning and results

Higher education in America's prisons: 4 essential reads

  • Written by Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Education Editor, The Conversation
There is growing political interest in providing higher education to those behind bars.AdrianoK/Shutterstock.com

In 2020, I’m going to take you to prison. At least that’s my plan as education editor, since there’s a growing interest among lawmakers and others in education behind bars.

As a former crime reporter, I have a keen...

Read more: Higher education in America's prisons: 4 essential reads

Why the race for the presidency begins with the Iowa caucus

  • Written by Steffen W. Schmidt, Lucken Endowed Professor of Political Science, Iowa State University
On Jan. 3, 2012, voters sign in on caucus night at Point of Grace Church in Waukee, Iowa. AP/Evan Vucci

The first and most visible test of candidate support in the 2020 presidential election is the Iowa presidential caucus, which takes place on Feb. 3.

While Iowa does not control who becomes the candidate of each party, Iowans’ choices almost...

Read more: Why the race for the presidency begins with the Iowa caucus

Deaf Christians often struggle to hear God's word, but some find meaning in the richness of who they are

  • Written by Jana Bennett, Professor of Religion, University of Dayton
Deaf worshippers sign a hymn while following sign language interpreter Diely Martinez at Holyrood Episcopal Church-Iglesia Santa Cruz in New York City, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019.AP Photo/Emily Leshner

For years, my husband would say after we returned from the church, “I thought the sermon was good.” To that, I would reply, “I...

Read more: Deaf Christians often struggle to hear God's word, but some find meaning in the richness of who...

What do kids really think about Santa?

  • Written by Jonathan Lane, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University
Young children are captivated by the Santa Claus myth. Yoganov Konstantin/Shutterstock.com

Children’s belief in Santa may be taken as evidence that they’re gullible or unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. But, consider your reaction to the following scenario:

The past few nights, the local news has been filled with reports of an...

Read more: What do kids really think about Santa?

Washington's perilous Christmas night crossing of the Delaware: Health hazards worse than war

  • Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University
'Washington Crossing the Delaware,' by Emanuel Leutze.Emanuel Leutze/Wikimedia Commons

For most people today, Christmas is a time of food, family and festivities, when attention turns from work and woes to fellowship and celebration. Yet it has not always been so. In fact, Christmas of 1776 marked one of the most harrowing days in American history...

Read more: Washington's perilous Christmas night crossing of the Delaware: Health hazards worse than war

More Articles ...

  1. Lemurs are the world's most endangered mammals, but planting trees can help save them
  2. Hate exercise? Small increases in physical activity can make a big difference
  3. Archaeological discoveries are happening faster than ever before, helping refine the human story
  4. 3 internet language trends from 2019, explained
  5. Statistic of the decade: The massive deforestation of the Amazon
  6. Why some people distrust atheists
  7. Mormons and money: An unorthodox and messy history of church finances
  8. Hangovers happen as your body tries to protect itself from alcohol's toxic effects
  9. How undoing 'Obamacare' would harm more than the health of Americans
  10. From Vietnam to Afghanistan, all US governments lie
  11. Exploring the data on Hollywood's gender pay gap
  12. How being 'tough on crime' became a political liability
  13. Impeachment overkill, the USMCA's impact on jobs and the power of imagery: 3 quotes from the Democratic debate, explained
  14. Finding opportunity in crisis: 3 essential reads about environmental solutions
  15. We asked kids to send us their burning questions – here are 5 of our favorites from 2019
  16. Why are so few people born on Christmas Day, New Year's and other holidays?
  17. Battle at the border: 5 essential reads on asylum, citizenship and the right to live in the US
  18. Don't let your vote get stolen – 5 essential reads about disinformation in 2020
  19. Religious minorities around the world face an uncertain future: 5 essential reads
  20. Where does beach sand come from?
  21. Confederate Christmas ornaments are smaller than statues – but they send the same racist message
  22. Why bad customer service won't improve anytime soon
  23. How old would you want to be in heaven?
  24. Giving pregnant women antibiotics could harm the lungs of preemies, according to study in mice
  25. Should you avoid meat for good health? How to slice off the facts from the fiction
  26. Nonprofits that empower leaders of color are more apt to do something about racial inequality
  27. A real-life deluminator for spotting exoplanets by reflected starlight
  28. The holidays remind us that grief cannot be wished away
  29. Democratic presidential hopefuls are promising to ramp up funding for public schools
  30. 5 ways chess can make you a better law student and lawyer
  31. Here's how you can be nudged to eat healthier, recycle and make better decisions every day
  32. How St. Francis created the Nativity scene, with a miraculous event in 1223
  33. Alcoholic? Me? How to tell if your holiday drinking is becoming a problem
  34. Can Congress hold Trump accountable? 4 essential reads on a historic power struggle
  35. The Madrid climate conference's real failure was not getting a broad deal on global carbon markets
  36. How Crisco toppled lard – and made Americans believers in industrial food
  37. Tracking your heart rate? 5 questions answered about what that number really means
  38. 150 cooks, servers and dishwashers almost shut down a Democratic debate, showing unions' growing clout in the party
  39. Think presidential debates are dull? Thank 1950s TV game shows
  40. Parents of medically fragile children and their kids could use help, understanding year-round
  41. 7 reasons to learn a foreign language
  42. 7 science-based strategies to boost your willpower and succeed with your New Year’s resolutions
  43. My team uses crossbows and drones to collect bacteria from whales – and the results are teaching us how to keep whales healthy
  44. Feeling sick is an emotion meant to help you get better faster
  45. When a chief justice reminded senators in an impeachment trial that they were not jurors
  46. The science of gift wrapping explains why sloppy is better
  47. Planetary confusion -- why astronomers keep changing what it means to be a planet
  48. How can we make sure that algorithms are fair?
  49. 3 lessons for today's teachers and students from coach Vince Lombardi
  50. 6 charts that illustrate the surprising financial strength of American houses of worship