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Before Martin Luther, there was Erasmus – a Dutch theologian who paved the way for the Protestant Reformation

  • Written by Katherine Little, Professor of English Literature, University of Colorado Boulder
Desiderius Erasmus, a Dutch humanist and theologian.Quentin Matsys

Martin Luther, a German theologian, is often credited with starting the Protestant Reformation. When he nailed his 95 Theses onto the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany on Oct. 31, 1517, dramatically demanding an end to church corruption, he split Christianity into...

Read more: Before Martin Luther, there was Erasmus – a Dutch theologian who paved the way for the Protestant...

Lebanon uprising unites people across faiths, defying deep sectarian divides

  • Written by Mira Assaf Kafantaris, Senior Lecturer in English, The Ohio State University
Lebanese protesters formed a 105-mile human chain connecting geographically and religiously diverse cities across the country, Oct. 27. 2019. AP Photo/Bilal Hussein

Religion has shaped Lebanon since it gained independence from France in 1943. In this multicultural country of Muslims, Christians and Druze – a medieval faith derived from Islam &...

Read more: Lebanon uprising unites people across faiths, defying deep sectarian divides

Half a billion on Halloween pet costumes is latest sign of America's out-of-control consumerism

  • Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Senior Lecturer, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Halloween spending is out of control.

Americans are expected to spend US$8.8 billion on candy, costumes and decorations this year – or $86 for every person who plans to celebrate. That includes a half a billion dollars on costumes that Americans are buying for their pets, which is double the amount they spent a decade ago. Pumpkins and hot...

Read more: Half a billion on Halloween pet costumes is latest sign of America's out-of-control consumerism

Zombie flu: How the 1919 influenza pandemic fueled the rise of the living dead

  • Written by Elizabeth Outka, Associate Professor of English Literature, University of Richmond
Did mass graves in the influenza pandemic help give rise to the living dead?Tithi Luadthong/Shutterstock.com

Zombies have lurched to the center of Halloween culture, with costumes proliferating as fast as the monsters themselves. This year, you can dress as a zombie prom queen, a zombie doctor – even a zombie rabbit or banana. The rise of the...

Read more: Zombie flu: How the 1919 influenza pandemic fueled the rise of the living dead

The scariest part of Halloween may be costume contact lenses, an eye doctor says

  • Written by Phillip Yuhas, Assistant Professor of Optometry, The Ohio State University
Contact lenses as a prop for your Halloween costume may look good, but they have scary risks.marinafrost/Shutterstock.com

Your appearance won’t be the only frightening thing about wearing costume contact lenses this Halloween. Your eyes might look like a lizard’s for an evening, but the risk of permanent vision loss may not be worth the...

Read more: The scariest part of Halloween may be costume contact lenses, an eye doctor says

A good night’s sleep, a long-sought dream for sleep apnea patients, may be in closer reach

  • Written by Eric Kezirian, Professor of Otolaryngology, University of Southern California
Sleep loss caused by apnea is a major loss of health problems -- and misery.ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock.com

For millions of people who suffer from sleep apnea, getting a good night’s sleep is an elusive dream. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea have blockage of breathing while they sleep, leading to snoring, disruption of sleep and the...

Read more: A good night’s sleep, a long-sought dream for sleep apnea patients, may be in closer reach

Why 'acting locally' is impossible in an interconnected world

  • Written by Jennifer M. Bernstein, Lecturer of Spatial Sciences, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
It's all connected.Vasin Lee/Shutterstock

Like many Americans, I worry about the state of the planet and try to make a positive impact through decisions in my day-to-day life. But I also am nagged by the feeling that I often get it wrong, even though I analyze environmental problems for a living.

Concerned about plastics in the ocean, I renounced...

Read more: Why 'acting locally' is impossible in an interconnected world

What Trump's travel ban really looks like, almost two years in

  • Written by Vahid Niayesh, Lecturer in Political Science, California State University, Long Beach

Did President Donald Trump’s travel ban – in place now for more than 22 months – become, in practice, a Muslim ban?

The third version of President Donald Trump’s travel ban went into full effect on Dec. 8, 2017.

The list of countries whose citizens are banned from entering the United States include Muslim-majority countries...

Read more: What Trump's travel ban really looks like, almost two years in

Raising the minimum wage in restaurants could be a win for everyone

  • Written by Nicole Hallett, Associate Professor of Law, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Critics would have you believe that upping the minimum wage in restaurants will lead to massive layoffs and closures. But since raising the minimum wageto US$15 per hour nearly a year ago, the restaurant industry in New York City has thrived.

I’m a professor with a focus on labor and employment law. My research on the minimum wage suggests a...

Read more: Raising the minimum wage in restaurants could be a win for everyone

More Articles ...

  1. Making employees feel welcome and valued can pay off – especially for nonprofits
  2. Better batteries are fueling a surge of electric scooters in India and China
  3. Day of the Dead: From Aztec goddess worship to modern Mexican celebration
  4. Argentina elects new president on promises to fix economy and unify a struggling nation
  5. David Lynch's chillingly prescient vision of modern America
  6. 3 global conditions – and a map – for saving nature and using it wisely
  7. Not all genes are necessary for survival – these species dropped extra genetic baggage
  8. WeWork debacle exposes why investing in a charismatic founder can be dangerous
  9. With anti-Semitism on the rise again, there are steps everyone can take to counter it
  10. What is 'dark money'? 5 questions answered
  11. Not all candy is candy – at least for tax purposes
  12. We mapped how food gets from farms to your home
  13. 5 milestones that created the internet, 50 years after the first network message
  14. Trump has upended the long history of US investment in Ukraine's democracy
  15. How steak became manly and salads became feminine
  16. The future of the US workforce will rely on AI, but don't count human workers out just yet
  17. As the climate changes, architects and engineers need to design buildings differently
  18. When Halloween became America's most dangerous holiday
  19. Leaf peep for science – I want your old photos of fall foliage
  20. How forceps permanently changed the way humans are born
  21. In Paraguay, rural communities facing deforestation see power – and profit – in a beloved drink
  22. Why the US has nuclear weapons in Turkey – and may try to put the bombs away
  23. Syrian refugees in Turkey are there to stay, at least for now
  24. ¿Vales educativos suponen una mejor educación? Nuevas investigaciones dejan interrogantes
  25. They're not all racist nut jobs – and 4 other observations about the patriot militia movement
  26. Analyzing online posts could help spot future mass shooters and terrorists
  27. Most witches are women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless
  28. 5 tips for surviving in an increasingly uncertain world
  29. Oil companies are thinking about a low-carbon future, but aren't making big investments in it yet
  30. Community colleges open the door to selective universities
  31. Sulfur pollution from coal and gas is insanely bad – but a new chemistry innovation could clean it up
  32. A new chemistry innovation could reduce smog, acid-rain and asthma-inducing pollution
  33. What is sex really for?
  34. Deportation to Syria could mean death for women, children and LGBTQ refugees in Turkey
  35. If you’re using 'millennial' as a meaningful measurement, you should probably stop
  36. Voting could be the problem with democracy
  37. Have we become too paranoid about mass shootings?
  38. Even when they aren't fired for being pregnant or gay, teachers face strict moral demands
  39. New evidence that an extraterrestrial collision 12,800 years ago triggered an abrupt climate change for Earth
  40. Wildfire rebuilding: Taxes are better than bans for keeping homeowners from rebuilding in fire-plagued areas
  41. Bans on rebuilding in disaster-prone areas ignore homeowners preferences – raising costs works better
  42. Cities with more black residents rely more on traffic tickets and fines for revenue
  43. Why don't evergreens change color and drop their leaves every fall?
  44. Your political views can predict how you pronounce certain words
  45. Americans, especially millennials, are embracing plant-based meat products
  46. Trump is flouting global trade rules with China yet embracing them with the EU – here's why it matters
  47. Where is my Xanax Rx? Why your doctor may be concerned about prescribing benzodiazepines
  48. Blockchain voting is vulnerable to hackers, software glitches and bad ID photos – among other problems
  49. Pope affirms Catholic Church's duty to indigenous Amazonians hurt by climate change
  50. How Mister Rogers' faith shaped his idea of children's television