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Taliban negotiations resume, feeding hope of a peaceful, more prosperous Afghanistan

  • Written by Elizabeth B. Hessami, Faculty Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University
A market in the Old City of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 8, 2019. AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

Peace talks have resumed between the United States and the Taliban of Afghanistan, three months after negotiations ended abruptly following a deadly Taliban attackin Kabul.

The Taliban – an armed insurgency promoting an ultra-conservative form of Sunni...

Read more: Taliban negotiations resume, feeding hope of a peaceful, more prosperous Afghanistan

Super rats or sickly rodents? Our war against urban rats could be leading to swift evolutionary changes

  • Written by Jonathan Richardson, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Richmond
Cities around the world appear to be harboring increasing numbers of rats, including this one: the inflatable 'Scabby the Rat.'robert cicchetti/Shutterstock.com

It took only a few seconds to spot one. Then another. As I walked into the small park around noon, dozens of rats could be seen scurrying in every direction. They dashed in and out of...

Read more: Super rats or sickly rodents? Our war against urban rats could be leading to swift evolutionary...

How the 'extreme abstinence' of the purity movement created a sense of shame in evangelical women

  • Written by Julie Ingersoll, Professor of Religious Studies, University of North Florida
Purity culture promotes sexual abstinence before marriage.charlene trapp/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Millennial evangelicals are speaking out about the heightened emphasis on sexual purity that characterized their upbringing in that subculture.

Joshua Harris, a former pastor who became one of the most public faces of the purity culture movement in the...

Read more: How the 'extreme abstinence' of the purity movement created a sense of shame in evangelical women

In its anti-'Medicare for All' push, the health insurance industry pulls from an old playbook

  • Written by Burton St. John III, Professor of Public Relations, University of Colorado Boulder
If you're strangled by health care costs, are you really 'free'?jwblinn/Shutterstock.com

As a debate continues to rage within the Democratic Party over “Medicare for All,” the health insurance has quietly girded itself to fight the elimination of for-profit health care.

In the summer of 2018, trade groups representing hospitals,...

Read more: In its anti-'Medicare for All' push, the health insurance industry pulls from an old playbook

A brief guide to how the China-US trade war will affect your holiday shopping

  • Written by Charles Hankla, Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University
Some gifts may soon get more expensive. imtmphoto/Shutterstock.com

With more tariffs on Chinese imports set to take effect this month, holiday shoppers in the U.S. face a dilemma: buy the Apple iPhone 11 or Hasbro toy action figures now or risk facing higher prices later.

On Dec. 15, in the middle of the holiday shopping season, the Trump...

Read more: A brief guide to how the China-US trade war will affect your holiday shopping

What the Roman senate's grovelling before emperors explains about GOP senators' support for Trump

  • Written by Timothy Joseph, Associate Professor of Classics, College of the Holy Cross
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky speaks to the media with members of the Senate Republican leadership, Oct. 29, 2019. AP/Jacquelyn Martin

Unhinged leaders, dynastic intrigue, devastation and plunder: For 15 years I have been researching and teaching the ancient historian Tacitus’ works on the history of the Roman Empire. It...

Read more: What the Roman senate's grovelling before emperors explains about GOP senators' support for Trump

New studies show discrimination widely reported by women, people of color and LGBTQ adults

  • Written by Mary G. Findling, Research Associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
U.S. public opinion is divided over who faces discrimination.fizkes/Shutterstock.com

In recent years, U.S. public opinion has been divided about the existence and seriousness of racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination.

Amid growing racial divides in civil and political views, our research team at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public...

Read more: New studies show discrimination widely reported by women, people of color and LGBTQ adults

Risk rooted in colonial era weighs on Bahamas' efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Dorian

  • Written by Jason von Meding, Associate Professor, Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience, University of Florida
The neighborhood known as The Mudd suffered disproportionate damage, a reflection of the Bahamas' history.AP Photo/Fernando Llano

When Hurricane Dorian made landfall on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas on Sept. 1, 2019, it packed winds of up to 185 miles per hour and a 20-foot storm surge. A day later, it ravaged Grand Bahama for 24 hours.

Across...

Read more: Risk rooted in colonial era weighs on Bahamas' efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Dorian

What makes wine dry? It's easy to taste, but much harder to measure

  • Written by Aude Watrelot, Assistant Professor of Enology, Iowa State University
A lot of of chemistry and physics are behind how you perceive a sip of wine.GANNA MARTYSHEVA/Shutterstock.com

When you take a sip of wine at a family meal or celebration, what do you notice?

First, you probably note the visual characteristics: the color is generally red, rosé or white. Next, you smell the aromatic compounds wafting up from...

Read more: What makes wine dry? It's easy to taste, but much harder to measure

Why the holidays are a prime time for elder abuse, and what you can do to thwart it

  • Written by Kathleen Wilber, Professor of Gerontology, University of Southern California
Scams of elders are common during the holidays, when companies prey on people's loneliness and longing to help their families.Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com

The holiday season brings up memories and emotions for people of all ages, but elders are often overlooked. This time of year also can provide an opportunity to become more alert to signs of...

Read more: Why the holidays are a prime time for elder abuse, and what you can do to thwart it

More Articles ...

  1. Payday lenders have embraced installment loans to evade regulations – but they may be even worse
  2. Why are kids today less patriotic?
  3. Nicolas Bourbaki: The greatest mathematician who never was
  4. Courts have avoided refereeing between Congress and the president, but Trump may force them to wade in
  5. Why it can be hard to stop eating even when you're full: Some foods may be designed that way
  6. What makes Christmas movies so popular
  7. Why the US military usually punishes misconduct but police often close ranks
  8. American influence could take the hit as Putin, Zelenskiy try to make peace in Donbass
  9. Large-scale education tests often come with side effects
  10. American influence could take the hit as Putin, Zelenskiy try to make peace in Ukraine
  11. From their balloons, the first aeronauts transformed our view of the world
  12. NPR is still expanding the range of what authority sounds like after 50 years
  13. Limited eating times could be a new way to fight obesity and diabetes
  14. Turning gray and into the red: The true cost of growing old in America
  15. 5 ways to check a college's financial health
  16. 'Stop-and-frisk' can work, under careful supervision
  17. An ethicist explains why philanthropy is no license to do bad stuff
  18. India's plan to identify 'illegal immigrants' could get some Muslims declared 'foreign'
  19. Why are moths attracted to light?
  20. Bolivia after Morales: An 'ungovernable country' with a power vacuum
  21. How toys became gendered – and why it’ll take more than a gender-neutral doll to change how boys perceive femininity
  22. What's in a title? When it comes to 'Doctor,' more than you might think
  23. The company that makes OxyContin could become a 'public trust' – what would that mean?
  24. Why your generic drugs may not be safe and the FDA may be too lax
  25. Trump's border wall threatens an Arizona oasis with a long, diverse history
  26. Inequity takes a toll on your gut microbes, too
  27. Robotics researchers have a duty to prevent autonomous weapons
  28. 'Blue' space: Access to water features can boost city dwellers' mental health
  29. 'The Mandela Effect' is the perfect film for our age of distrust and doubt
  30. Why Americans are staying put, instead of moving to a new city or state
  31. Currency manipulation and why Trump is picking on Brazil and Argentina
  32. At 70, is NATO still important? 5 essential reads
  33. Climate, not conflict, drove many Syrian refugees to Lebanon
  34. Faith made Harriet Tubman fearless as she rescued slaves
  35. A quantum computing future is unlikely, due to random hardware errors
  36. Haitian migrants face deportation and stigma in hurricane-ravaged Bahamas
  37. The tricky ethics of Google's Project Nightingale, an effort to learn from millions of health records
  38. Invasive grasses are fueling wildfires across the US
  39. Pregnant women have a higher risk of delivering early on unseasonably hot days
  40. Eliminating food deserts won't help poorer Americans eat healthier
  41. What's the value of your dog's life, and why it matters
  42. Christmas tree shopping is harder than ever, thanks to climate change and demographics
  43. Curious Kids: How come Donald Trump won if Hillary Clinton got more votes?
  44. Why does the US pay so much for the defense of its allies? 5 questions answered
  45. Rating news sources can help limit the spread of misinformation
  46. Rick Perry's belief that Trump was chosen by God is shared by many in a fast-growing Christian movement
  47. Spinster, old maid or self-partnered – why words for single women have changed through time
  48. 'The Wall' cemented Pink Floyd's fame – but destroyed the band
  49. Treating HIV in the tiniest babies could have huge positive implications for their future
  50. How to pick the 'right' amount to spend on holiday gifts – according to an economist