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Statistic of the decade: The massive deforestation of the Amazon

  • Written by Liberty Vittert, Professor of the Practice of Data Science, Washington University in St Louis
Aerial view of deforested area of the Amazon rainforest.PARALAXIS/Shutterstock.com

This year, I was on the judging panel for the Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Decade.

Much like Oxford English Dictionary’s “Word of the Year” competition, the international statistic is meant to capture the...

Read more: Statistic of the decade: The massive deforestation of the Amazon

Why some people distrust atheists

  • Written by Jaimie Arona Krems, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Oklahoma State University
Some researchers believe atheists are disliked because people link their lack of belief to an overall lack of values.Gary Stevens/Flickr, CC BY

An ad featuring Ron Reagan, son of the Republican former President Ronald Reagan, surprised some viewers of the recent Democratic primary debates.

In the 30-second spot, run by the Freedom from Religion...

Read more: Why some people distrust atheists

Mormons and money: An unorthodox and messy history of church finances

  • Written by John Turner, Professor of American Religion, George Mason University
There was something fishy about this $3 bill.Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has allegedly amassed US$100 billion in purportedly charitable assets since 1997 without ever giving any money away – a possible breach of federal tax laws.

This previously unknown investment vehicle known as Ensign...

Read more: Mormons and money: An unorthodox and messy history of church finances

Hangovers happen as your body tries to protect itself from alcohol's toxic effects

  • Written by Daryl Davies, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Southern California
A night of revelry can mean an uncomfortable day after.Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com

Debaucherous evening last night? You’re probably dealing with veisalgia right now.

More commonly known as a hangover, this unpleasant phenomenon has been dogging humanity since our ancestors first happened upon fermentation.

Those nasty vertigo-inducing,...

Read more: Hangovers happen as your body tries to protect itself from alcohol's toxic effects

How undoing 'Obamacare' would harm more than the health of Americans

  • Written by Simon F. Haeder, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Pennsylvania State University
Open enrollment for health care in the ACA marketplaces ended at 3 a.m., Dec. 18, 2019, the same day a panel ruled that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services/AP Photo

The Affordable Care Act remains on life support after a panel of federal judges ruled on Dec. 18, 2019 that the law’s individual...

Read more: How undoing 'Obamacare' would harm more than the health of Americans

From Vietnam to Afghanistan, all US governments lie

  • Written by Gordon Adams, Professor Emeritus, American University School of International Service
A memorial procession for Sgt. James Johnston, who was killed in Afghanistan in June, passes through Trumansburg, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. AP/David Goldman

The Washington Post has, after more than two years of investigation, revealed that senior foreign policy officials in the White House, State and Defense departments have known for some...

Read more: From Vietnam to Afghanistan, all US governments lie

Exploring the data on Hollywood's gender pay gap

  • Written by Roberto Pedace, Professor of Economics, Scripps College
Michelle Williams arrives at the world premiere of 'All the Money in the World.'Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Audiences were furious to hear that Michelle Williams was paid eight times less than Mark Wahlberg for her starring role in “All the Money in the World” and 1,500 times less for reshoots. He was paid US$1.5 million for...

Read more: Exploring the data on Hollywood's gender pay gap

How being 'tough on crime' became a political liability

  • Written by Jody D. Armour, Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law, University of Southern California
Kamala Harris' campaign fizzled as her past as a prosecutor haunted her candidacy.AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Kamala Harris recently dropped out of the presidential race after months of attacks from the left for her “tough-on-crime” record as San Francisco’s district attorney and as California’s attorney general.

A few years ago, the...

Read more: How being 'tough on crime' became a political liability

Impeachment overkill, the USMCA's impact on jobs and the power of imagery: 3 quotes from the Democratic debate, explained

  • Written by Aradhna Krishna, Dwight F Benton Professor of Marketing, University of Michigan
Seven democratic candidates convened in Los Angeles for a debate.AP Photo/Chris Carlson

Editor’s note: The seven Democrats who qualified for the final Democratic presidential debate of 2019 sparred over the economy, trade, social justice and many other issues – including “wine caves.” We asked three scholars to watch the...

Read more: Impeachment overkill, the USMCA's impact on jobs and the power of imagery: 3 quotes from the...

Finding opportunity in crisis: 3 essential reads about environmental solutions

  • Written by Jennifer Weeks, Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation
Big challenges call for big responses.Brian S./Shutterstock.com

From climate change to omnipresent plastic waste, 2019 delivered a lot of discouraging environmental news. Several special reports this year from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change documented how global warming is altering the planet’s lands, forests, oceans and frozen...

Read more: Finding opportunity in crisis: 3 essential reads about environmental solutions

More Articles ...

  1. We asked kids to send us their burning questions – here are 5 of our favorites from 2019
  2. Why are so few people born on Christmas Day, New Year's and other holidays?
  3. Battle at the border: 5 essential reads on asylum, citizenship and the right to live in the US
  4. Don't let your vote get stolen – 5 essential reads about disinformation in 2020
  5. Religious minorities around the world face an uncertain future: 5 essential reads
  6. Where does beach sand come from?
  7. Confederate Christmas ornaments are smaller than statues – but they send the same racist message
  8. Why bad customer service won't improve anytime soon
  9. How old would you want to be in heaven?
  10. Giving pregnant women antibiotics could harm the lungs of preemies, according to study in mice
  11. Should you avoid meat for good health? How to slice off the facts from the fiction
  12. Nonprofits that empower leaders of color are more apt to do something about racial inequality
  13. A real-life deluminator for spotting exoplanets by reflected starlight
  14. The holidays remind us that grief cannot be wished away
  15. Democratic presidential hopefuls are promising to ramp up funding for public schools
  16. 5 ways chess can make you a better law student and lawyer
  17. Here's how you can be nudged to eat healthier, recycle and make better decisions every day
  18. How St. Francis created the Nativity scene, with a miraculous event in 1223
  19. Alcoholic? Me? How to tell if your holiday drinking is becoming a problem
  20. Can Congress hold Trump accountable? 4 essential reads on a historic power struggle
  21. The Madrid climate conference's real failure was not getting a broad deal on global carbon markets
  22. How Crisco toppled lard – and made Americans believers in industrial food
  23. Tracking your heart rate? 5 questions answered about what that number really means
  24. 150 cooks, servers and dishwashers almost shut down a Democratic debate, showing unions' growing clout in the party
  25. Think presidential debates are dull? Thank 1950s TV game shows
  26. Parents of medically fragile children and their kids could use help, understanding year-round
  27. 7 reasons to learn a foreign language
  28. 7 science-based strategies to boost your willpower and succeed with your New Year’s resolutions
  29. My team uses crossbows and drones to collect bacteria from whales – and the results are teaching us how to keep whales healthy
  30. Feeling sick is an emotion meant to help you get better faster
  31. When a chief justice reminded senators in an impeachment trial that they were not jurors
  32. The science of gift wrapping explains why sloppy is better
  33. Planetary confusion -- why astronomers keep changing what it means to be a planet
  34. How can we make sure that algorithms are fair?
  35. 3 lessons for today's teachers and students from coach Vince Lombardi
  36. 6 charts that illustrate the surprising financial strength of American houses of worship
  37. Catholic activism, not repentance for sexual abuse, is what forces clergy to resign
  38. Evangelical gangs in Rio de Janeiro wage 'holy war' on Afro-Brazilian faiths
  39. Transgender homeless Americans find few protections in the law
  40. Why Congress would keep working during a government shutdown
  41. US-China trade deal: 3 fundamental issues remain unresolved
  42. In impeachment spotlight, dueling views of professionalism appear
  43. Impeachment is better than exile
  44. Kids aren't getting enough exercise, even in sporty Seattle
  45. Memo from a historian: White ladies cooking in plantation museums are a denial of history
  46. When Trump calls someone a dog, he's tapping into ugly history
  47. Margaret Morse Nice thought like a song sparrow and changed how scientists understand animal behavior
  48. Butterfly lovers become citizen scientists by logging sightings on eButterfly
  49. Uber's data revealed nearly 6,000 sexual assaults. Does that mean it's not safe?
  50. Asking people with memory loss about past holidays can help them recall happy times