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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

Lemurs are the world's most endangered mammals, but planting trees can help save them

  • Written by Andrea L. Baden, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Hunter College
Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are important indicators of rainforest health.Franck Rabenahy, CC BY-NDMadagascar, the world’s fourth-largest island, is a global biodiversity hotspot.Andrea Baden

The island of Madagascar off the southeastern coast of Africa hosts at least 12,000 plant species and 700 vertebrate species, 80% to 90% of which are...

Read more: Lemurs are the world's most endangered mammals, but planting trees can help save them

Hate exercise? Small increases in physical activity can make a big difference

  • Written by Libby Richards, Associate Professor of Nursing, Purdue University
You don't have to run a marathon to get into better shape. Make walking a part of your routine every day.Rawpixel/Shutterstock.com

A new year typically brings new resolutions. While making resolutions is easy, sticking with them is not. Exercise-related resolutions consistently make the top 10 list, but up to 80% of resolutions to be healthier,...

Read more: Hate exercise? Small increases in physical activity can make a big difference

Archaeological discoveries are happening faster than ever before, helping refine the human story

  • Written by Elizabeth Sawchuk, Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)
Nearly a century ago, archaeologists started to shift the focus of human origins research from Europe to Africa’s ‘cradles of humankind’ like Oldupai (Olduvai) Gorge in Tanzania. What will the next big shifts be? Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo, CC BY-SA

In 1924, a 3-year-old child’s skull found in South Africa forever...

Read more: Archaeological discoveries are happening faster than ever before, helping refine the human story

3 internet language trends from 2019, explained

  • Written by Zachary Jaggers, Postdoctoral Scholar of Linguistics, University of Oregon
What started as a SpongeBob meme took on a life of its own in 2019. Alexander Oganezov/Shutterstock.com

Social media has created an entirely new linguistic ecosystem, with new words, phrases and features for expressing ourselves cropping up all the time.

Last year, internet language expert Gretchen McCulloch – whose best-selling book “Be...

Read more: 3 internet language trends from 2019, explained

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

More Articles ...

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