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Students could get more sleep and learn better if school started a little later

  • Written by Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh
imageAbout 58% of middle schoolers and 73% of high schoolers do not get enough sleep.JackF via iStock / Getty Images Plus

Nearly three-quarters of high school students do not get enough sleep on school nights, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that teens sleep for eight to 10 hours per...

Read more: Students could get more sleep and learn better if school started a little later

Paying people to replant tropical forests − and letting them harvest the timber − can pay off for climate, justice and environment

  • Written by Jefferson S. Hall, Staff Scientist and Director, Agua Salud Project, Smithsonian Institution
imagePlanting trees on deforested lands in Panama.Jorge Aleman/Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Tropical forest landscapes are home to millions of Indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers. Just about every square meter of land is spoken for, even if claims are not formally recognized by governments.

These local landholders hold the key to a...

Read more: Paying people to replant tropical forests − and letting them harvest the timber − can pay off for...

100 years ago, the KKK planted bombs at a U.S. university – part of the terror group's crusade against American Catholics

  • Written by William Trollinger, Professor of History, University of Dayton
imageA KKK rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Sept. 21, 1923.Dayton Metro Library

It was Dec. 19, 1923 – 100 years ago. The first day of Christmas break at the University of Dayton, with fewer than 40 students still on campus.

At 10:30 p.m., the quiet was shattered by a series of explosions, as 12 bombs went off throughout campus. Frightened students...

Read more: 100 years ago, the KKK planted bombs at a U.S. university – part of the terror group's crusade...

100 years ago, the KKK planted bombs at a US university – part of the terror group's crusade against American Catholics

  • Written by William Trollinger, Professor of History, University of Dayton
imageA KKK rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Sept. 21, 1923.Dayton Metro Library

It was Dec. 19, 1923 – 100 years ago. The first day of Christmas break at the University of Dayton, with fewer than 40 students still on campus.

At 10:30 p.m., the quiet was shattered by a series of explosions, as 12 bombs went off throughout campus. Frightened students...

Read more: 100 years ago, the KKK planted bombs at a US university – part of the terror group's crusade...

5 things to know about US aid to Ukraine

  • Written by Jessica Trisko Darden, Associate Professor of Political Science, Virginia Commonwealth University
imageUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden arrive for a news conference on Dec. 12, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images

From the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the U.S. government has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s war effort. The Biden administration has repeatedly...

Read more: 5 things to know about US aid to Ukraine

A US ambassador working for Cuba? Charges against former diplomat Victor Manuel Rocha spotlight Havana's importance in the world of spying

  • Written by Calder Walton, Assistant Director, Applied History Project and Intelligence Project, Harvard Kennedy School
imageA U.S. Justice Department image showing Victor Manuel Rocha during a meeting with an FBI undercover employee. U.S. Department of Justice via AP

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Dec. 4, 2023, that Victor Manuel Rocha, a former U.S. government employee, had been arrested and faced federal charges for secretly acting for decades as an agent...

Read more: A US ambassador working for Cuba? Charges against former diplomat Victor Manuel Rocha spotlight...

Racism produces subtle brain changes that lead to increased disease risk in Black populations

  • Written by Negar Fani, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Emory University
imageCoping with everyday affronts comes at a cost and requires a certain level of emotional suppression. RyanJLane/E+ via Getty Images

The U.S. is in the midst of a racial reckoning. The COVID-19 pandemic, which took a particularly heavy toll on Black communities, turned a harsh spotlight on long-standing health disparities that the public could no...

Read more: Racism produces subtle brain changes that lead to increased disease risk in Black populations

As Russia ramps up 'traditional values' rhetoric − especially against LGBTQ+ groups − it's won Putin far-right fans abroad

  • Written by Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, Assistant Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Northeastern University
imageRussian riot police detain gay rights activists during World Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in St. Petersburg in 2019.Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

With LGBTQ+ rights continuing to expand across much of the world, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has doubled down on restricting them – and a new ruling has made the future even more...

Read more: As Russia ramps up 'traditional values' rhetoric − especially against LGBTQ+ groups − it's won...

War in Gaza: An ethicist explains why you shouldn't turn to social media for information about the conflict or to do something about it

  • Written by Nir Eisikovits, Professor of Philosophy and Director, Applied Ethics Center, UMass Boston
imageThere has been a flood of images on social media about the Israel-Hamas war. NurPhoto via Getty Images

As the war between Israel and Hamas drags on, many on both sides have taken to social media to gather information and air their outrage. The impulse to do so is understandable: Political activism on social media provides people with an emotional...

Read more: War in Gaza: An ethicist explains why you shouldn't turn to social media for information about the...

Sandra Day O’Connor saw civics education as key to the future of democracy

  • Written by Joshua Jansa, Associate Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State University

Beyond her trailblazing role as the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor considered iCivics – a civics education nonprofit founded after she retired from the court – to be her “most important legacy.”

“The practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene...

Read more: Sandra Day O’Connor saw civics education as key to the future of democracy

More Articles ...

  1. How to provide reliable water in a warming world – these cities are testing small-scale treatment systems and wastewater recycling
  2. Mutton, an Indigenous woolly dog, died in 1859 − new analysis confirms precolonial lineage of this extinct breed, once kept for their wool
  3. Release of Alberto Fujimori in Peru rekindles fears of backsliding on human rights
  4. When authoritative sources hold onto bad data: A legal scholar explains the need for government databases to retract information
  5. Winter brings more than just ugly sweaters – here's how the season can affect your mind and behavior
  6. Artificial light lures migrating birds into cities, where they face a gauntlet of threats
  7. Why federal efforts to protect schools from cybersecurity threats fall short
  8. 4 business lessons from the Boston Tea Party
  9. In the worst of America's Jim Crow era, Black intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois found inspiration and hope in national parks
  10. Is Hamas the same as ISIS, the Islamic State group? No − and yes
  11. CRISPR and other new technologies open doors for drug development, but which diseases get prioritized? It comes down to money and science
  12. Lighting a fire using friction requires an understanding of some physics principles − but there are ways to make the process easier
  13. ¿La mejor manera de cumplir un propósito de Año Nuevo? Haga un propósito de año viejo
  14. Por qué a los primeros cristianos no les habría sorprendido tanto el nacimiento virginal de la historia de Navidad
  15. Israel can and will ignore US appeals to minimize casualties in Gaza
  16. How the Boston Tea Party's 'destruction of the tea' changed American history
  17. Drinking during holidays and special occasions could affect how you parent your kids
  18. Big-box retail chains were never a solution for America's downtowns − and now they're fleeing back to suburbia
  19. A road map for the lawful use of stop-and-frisk in Philadelphia – and elsewhere
  20. Health misinformation is rampant on social media – here's what it does, why it spreads and what people can do about it
  21. Growth of autocracies will expand Chinese global influence via Belt and Road Initiative as it enters second decade
  22. Nonalcoholic beer: New techniques craft flavorful brews without the buzz
  23. 'Good Times': 50 years ago, Norman Lear changed TV with a show about a working-class Black family's struggles and joys
  24. Arctic Report Card 2023: From wildfires to melting sea ice, the warmest summer on record had cascading impacts across the Arctic
  25. Israelis and Palestinians warring over a homeland is far from unique
  26. Israel-Hamas war may not restore Israelis' support for military reserves
  27. Could UPS and FedEx get holiday packages to their destinations faster? This research suggests yes
  28. Before he was House speaker, Mike Johnson represented a creationist museum in court. Here’s what that episode reveals about his politics
  29. Scientists and space agencies are shooting for the Moon -- 5 essential reads on modern lunar missions
  30. Customizing mRNA is easy, and that's what makes it the next frontier for personalized medicine − a molecular biologist explains
  31. What's the point of giving gifts? An anthropologist explains this ancient part of being human
  32. Why university presidents find it hard to punish advocating genocide − college free speech codes are both more and less protective than the First Amendment
  33. Was King Herod the Great really so 'great'? What history says about the bad guy of the Christmas story
  34. Hamas' use of sexual violence is an all-too-common part of modern war – but not in all conflicts
  35. 'You reach a point where you have nothing. You will just die' – in East African refugee camps, food scarcity is a mortal concern
  36. Israel's mass displacement of Gazans fits strategy of using migration as a tool of war
  37. How cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger became the scents of winter holidays, far from their tropical origins
  38. The Napoléon that Ridley Scott and Hollywood won’t let you see
  39. Why do people have wisdom teeth?
  40. How do pacemakers and defibrillators work? A cardiologist explains how they interact with the electrical system of the heart
  41. Teens don't know everything − and those who acknowledge that fact are more eager to learn
  42. Norman Lear's ’70s TV comedies brought people together to confront issues in a way Gen Z would appreciate
  43. Viva Guadalupe! Beyond Mexico, the Indigenous Virgin Mary is a powerful symbol of love and inclusion for millions of Latinos in the US
  44. How the Christmas pudding, with ingredients taken from the colonies, became an iconic British food
  45. Ex-Speaker McCarthy's departure from Congress reads like Greek tragedy – but stars a 'slight unmeritable man' and not a hero
  46. The landmark Genocide Convention has had mixed results since the UN approved it 75 years ago
  47. The holidays and your brain – a neuroscientist explains how to identify and manage your emotions
  48. AI can teach math teachers how to improve student skills
  49. Michigan is spending $107M more on pre-K − here's what the money will buy
  50. Turning annual performance reviews into 'humble encounters' yields dividends for employees and managers