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This commencement speech had nothing but questions

  • Written by James Glaser, Professor, Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, Tufts University
Students hug after a ceremony at Tufts University May 3. The ceremony celebrated 58 students who are the first in their family to receive a college degree.Anna Miller/Tufts University

Editors note: At a special ceremony for first-generation college graduates at Tufts University, James Glaser, dean of the school of arts and sciences, gave a...

Read more: This commencement speech had nothing but questions

A new type of laser uses sound waves to help to detect weak forces

  • Written by Mishkat Bhattacharya, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology
The crests (bright) and troughs (dark) of waves spread out after they were produced. The picture applies to both light and sound waves.Titima Ongkantong

Most people are familiar with optical lasers through their experience with laser pointers. But what about a laser made from sound waves?

What makes optical laser light different from a light bulb or...

Read more: A new type of laser uses sound waves to help to detect weak forces

Why parents should think twice about tracking apps for their kids

  • Written by Joel Michael Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Are tracking technologies changing parenting?Trendsetter Images

The use of self-tracking and personal surveillance technologies has grown considerably over the last decade. There are now apps to monitor people’s movement, health, mindfulness, sleep, eating habits and even sexual activity.

Some of the more thorny problems arise from apps...

Read more: Why parents should think twice about tracking apps for their kids

New Gates-funded commission aims to put a value on a college education

  • Written by Nicholas Tampio, Professor of Political Science, Fordham University
A growing movement is forming to focus on the economic benefits of a college degree.Alex Oakenman from www.shutterstock.com

The Gates Foundation is poised to disrupt American higher education with a new Postsecondary Value Commission. As its name suggests, the commission aims to define the value of a college degree.

Among other things, the...

Read more: New Gates-funded commission aims to put a value on a college education

US fertility keeps dropping – but that's not a reason to panic

  • Written by Caroline Sten Hartnett, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of South Carolina
In 2018, the national birth rate hit a 32-year low.Pixel-Shot/shutterstock.com

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on May 15 that the number of births in the U.S. is down 2% – “the lowest number of births in 32 years.”

These reports were met with surprise and alarm. USA Today, for example, led with the headline &...

Read more: US fertility keeps dropping – but that's not a reason to panic

Is Trump’s trade war saving American jobs – or killing them?

  • Written by Jeffrey Kucik, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Arizona
The Trump administration says its trade policy saved the U.S. steel industry.AP Photo/Jim Mone

With the U.S.-China trade war intensifying, there is a lot of talk about whether tariffs save American jobs – as President Donald Trump claims – or destroy them.

On May 14, for example, Trump said his tariffs helped save the U.S. steel...

Read more: Is Trump’s trade war saving American jobs – or killing them?

Your internet data is rotting

  • Written by Paul Royster, Coordinator of Scholarly Communications, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The internet is growing, but old information continues to disappear daily.wk1003mike/shutterstock.com

Many MySpace users were dismayed to discover earlier this year that the social media platform lost 50 million files uploaded between 2003 and 2015.

The failure of MySpace to care for and preserve its users’ content should serve as a reminder...

Read more: Your internet data is rotting

Secrecy versus sunshine: Efforts to hide government records never stop

  • Written by Brent Walth, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon
Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen testifies in February at a public hearing at the Washington legislature against limiting legislative branch disclosure. AP/Ted S. Warren

It’s spring, and in America’s state capitals legislatures are winding up their business and, too often, bringing out the padlocks.

All 50 states give the public...

Read more: Secrecy versus sunshine: Efforts to hide government records never stop

Retired oil rigs off the California coast could find new lives as artificial reefs

  • Written by Ann Scarborough Bull, Visiting Researcher, Marine Science institute, University of California, Santa Barbara
A school of juvenile bocaccio in the midwaters of Platform Gilda, Santa Barbara Channel, Calif.Scott Gietler, CC BY-ND

Offshore oil and gas drilling has been a contentious issue in California for 50 years, ever since a rig ruptured and spilled 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of crude oil off Santa Barbara in 1969. Today it’s spurring a new debate:...

Read more: Retired oil rigs off the California coast could find new lives as artificial reefs

We’re just beginning to grasp the toll of the Islamic State's archaeological looting in Syria

  • Written by Fiona Greenland, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Virginia
A Syrian archeologist holds an artifact that was transported to Damascus for safe-keeping during the Syrian Civil War.AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

The Islamic State surrendered its last scrap of territory, in Baghouz, Syria, this past March.

While some argue that celebrations of IS’s demise are premature, there’s no question that the terrorist...

Read more: We’re just beginning to grasp the toll of the Islamic State's archaeological looting in Syria

More Articles ...

  1. Buttigieg's call for universal public service would mark a big departure from historically small volunteer programs
  2. Facebook's 'transparency' efforts hide key reasons for showing ads
  3. How traumatic injury has become a health care crisis
  4. Tooth fairy study reveals children near lead smelters are exposed to dangerous lead in the womb
  5. Boredom in the mating market: Guppies demonstrate why it’s good to stand out
  6. Sunscreen wouldn't have saved Bob Marley from melanoma, and it won't help other dark-skinned people
  7. Is the brain parasite _Toxoplasma_ manipulating your behavior, or is your immune system to blame?
  8. Long considered a high honor, the valedictorian tradition faces an uncertain future
  9. The electric vehicle revolution will come from China, not the US
  10. How is climate change affecting fishes? There are clues inside their ears
  11. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize? Japan's nomination is part of a strategic plan
  12. When Americans go to the polls, they look to the past – not the future
  13. China-US trade war heats up: 3 reasons it won't cool down anytime soon
  14. Charging asylum application fees is the latest way the US could make immigrants pay for its red tape
  15. Worried about sexual harassment – or false allegations? Our team asked Americans about their experiences and beliefs
  16. Demise of Walmart 'greeters' reveals shortcomings in the Americans with Disabilities Act
  17. Are yoga and mindfulness in schools religious?
  18. The unique harm of sexual abuse in the black community
  19. How cryptocurrency scams work
  20. Truth, justice and declassification: Secret archives show US helped Argentine military wage 'dirty war' that killed 30,000
  21. What happens when a raindrop hits a puddle?
  22. The black Muslim female fashion trailblazers who came before model Halima Aden
  23. Activists want a San Francisco high school mural removed, saying its impact today should overshadow the artist's intentions
  24. How Uber and other digital platforms could trick us using behavioral science – unless we act fast
  25. Road to measles elimination is predictable, but can be rocky
  26. Colorado shooting eerily recalls Columbine massacre
  27. US 'foreign terrorist' designation is more punishment than threat detector
  28. Women entrepreneurs thrive managing talented teams and balancing many investors
  29. Deep sea carbon reservoirs once superheated the Earth – could it happen again?
  30. Misery and memory in Glendora, Mississippi: How poverty is reshaping the story of Emmett Till's murder
  31. Will Trump's use of executive privilege help him avoid congressional oversight? It didn't help Richard Nixon
  32. Uber drivers strike and the future of labor: 4 essential reads
  33. Psychology behind why your mom may be the mother of all heroes
  34. Why the ancient promise of alchemy is fulfilled in reading
  35. Trump's 'energy dominance' ambitions hit another snag on the West Coast
  36. Harsh punishments under Sharia are modern interpretations of an ancient tradition
  37. Electricity grid cybersecurity will be expensive – who will pay, and how much?
  38. Science images can capture attention and pique curiosity in a way words alone can't
  39. From 'Total exoneration!' to 'Impeach now!' – the Mueller report and dueling fact perceptions
  40. Predicting the next stock market 'flash crash'
  41. Why the IRS is legally required to give Congress Trump's tax returns – but probably won't
  42. Robotic health care is coming to a hospital near you
  43. What geology reveals about North Korea's nuclear weapons – and what it obscures
  44. Coral reefs provide flood protection worth $1.8 billion every year – it's time to protect them
  45. Trump’s one-on-one approach to China has dangerous implications for global trade and world peace
  46. What Ramadan means to Muslims: 4 essential reads
  47. The hazards of living on the right side of a time zone border
  48. Most of America's rural areas are doomed to decline
  49. The deadly, life-giving and transient elements that make up group 15 of the periodic table
  50. Gays cheered at Brigham Young University – millennial Mormons are increasingly tolerant of same-sex attraction