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Ukraine's foreign legion may be new, but the idea isn't

  • Written by Joshua Holzer, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Westminster College
imageForeign soldiers who volunteered to fight for Ukraine participate in training exercises.Geovien So/NurPhoto via Getty Images

After Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many countries quickly responded by imposing sanctions on Russia and by sending weapons to help Ukraine defend itself.

But so far, the U.S. and its...

Read more: Ukraine's foreign legion may be new, but the idea isn't

How Octavia E. Butler mined her boundless curiosity to forge a new vision for humanity

  • Written by Alyssa Collins, Assistant Professor of English Language and Literature, University of South Carolina
imageOctavia E. Butler poses in a Seattle bookstore in 2004. The celebrated science fiction author died in 2006.AP Photo/Joshua Trujillo

In 2021, Alyssa Collins was awarded a yearlong Octavia E. Butler Fellowship from The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.

imageAlyssa Collins.University of South Carolina

Butler,...

Read more: How Octavia E. Butler mined her boundless curiosity to forge a new vision for humanity

State funds for students at religious schools? Supreme Court says 'yes' in Maine case – but consequences could go beyond

  • Written by Charles J. Russo, Joseph Panzer Chair in Education in the School of Education and Health Sciences and Research Professor of Law, University of Dayton
imageStudents walk by security fences installed in front of the Supreme Court.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images News via Getty Images

For nearly three-quarters of a century, one issue in education has come up before the Supreme Court more than any other: disputes over religion.

Carson v. Makin, a case about Maine’s tuition assistance program for...

Read more: State funds for students at religious schools? Supreme Court says 'yes' in Maine case – but...

Americans gave a near-record $485 billion to charity in 2021, despite surging inflation rates

  • Written by Anna Pruitt, Associate Director of Research, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and Managing Editor, Giving USA, IUPUI
imageCharitable donations fund a wide array of nonprofits, such as Habitat for Humanity. John Wolfsohn/Getty Image

Boosted by a strong year for stocks and swift economic growth, U.S. giving in 2021 totaled a near-record US$485 billion.

Individuals, foundations, estates and corporations gave more to charity in 2021 than before the pandemic, according to...

Read more: Americans gave a near-record $485 billion to charity in 2021, despite surging inflation rates

Starving civilians is an ancient military tactic, but today it's a war crime in Ukraine, Yemen, Tigray and elsewhere

  • Written by Tom Dannenbaum, Associate Professor of International Law, Tufts University
imageGrain warehouse destroyed by Russian attacks in Kopyliv, Kyiv province, Ukraine, May 28, 2022. Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A hideous contradiction is playing out in war-torn Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainians are starving in cities besieged by Russian forces. Meanwhile, the country’s grain stores are bursting with food,...

Read more: Starving civilians is an ancient military tactic, but today it's a war crime in Ukraine, Yemen,...

What are PFAS, and why is the EPA warning about them in drinking water? An environmental health scientist explains

  • Written by Kathryn Crawford, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health, Middlebury
imagePFAS, often used in water-resistant gear, also find their way into drinking water and human bodies.CasarsaGuru via Getty Images

“PFAS? What’s PFAS?”

You may be hearing that term in the news as the federal government considers new rules and guidelines for the chemicals. Even if the acronym is new to you, you’re probably...

Read more: What are PFAS, and why is the EPA warning about them in drinking water? An environmental health...

Here's how to meet Biden's 2030 climate goals and dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions – with today's technology

  • Written by John Reilly, Co-Director Emeritus of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, Senior Lecturer Emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
imageClean energy and electric vehicles are key to a successful energy transition.NREL

Unprecedented forest fires in the drought-stricken western United States. Tropical storms and rising seas threatening the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Sizzling heat across large swaths of the country. As climate change unfolds before our eyes, what can the U.S. do to...

Read more: Here's how to meet Biden's 2030 climate goals and dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions – with...

Does hardening schools make students safer?

  • Written by Elizabeth K. Anthony, Associate Professor of Social Work, Arizona State University
imageIn this photo from 2016, students pass through a security checkpoint at William Hackett Middle School in Albany, N.Y., with guards, bag inspections and a metal detector. AP Photo/Mike Groll

The first real possibility for federal firearms legislation in decades has been sketched out by a bipartisan group of senators.

It comes in the wake of the May...

Read more: Does hardening schools make students safer?

Finland's and Sweden's pursuit of NATO membership is the exact opposite of what Putin wanted for Russian neighbors

  • Written by Steven Lamy, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Relations and Spatial Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
imageFinland and Sweden joined 14 NATO allies in a June 6, 2022, military exercise on the Baltic Sea. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

No one should be surprised by the decision made by the governments of Sweden and Finland to apply for full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Since the start of the Russian assault on Ukraine on...

Read more: Finland's and Sweden's pursuit of NATO membership is the exact opposite of what Putin wanted for...

Kids' neighborhoods can affect their developing brains, a new study finds

  • Written by Gabriela Suarez, PhD Candidate in Developmental Psychology, University of Michigan
imageChildren living in low-income neighborhoods with 'hands-off' norms about safety showed higher levels of reactivity in a region of the brain associated with emotion processing and threat detection.DenisTangneyJr/E+ via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Children growing up in more...

Read more: Kids' neighborhoods can affect their developing brains, a new study finds

More Articles ...

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  2. Millions of years ago, the megalodon ruled the oceans – why did it disappear?
  3. At last, COVID-19 shots for little kids – 5 essential reads
  4. Jan. 6 committee hearings show what went right, not just what went wrong
  5. Mike Pence's actions on Jan. 6 were wholly unremarkable – until they saved the nation
  6. The history of Southern Baptists shows they have not always opposed abortion
  7. Wiccan celebration of summer solstice is a reminder that change, as expressed in nature, is inevitable
  8. The Jan. 6 hearings are tailor-made for social media – that doesn't mean they're reaching a wide audience
  9. Decades of research document the detrimental health effects of BPA – an expert on environmental pollution and maternal health explains what it all means
  10. What’s a bear market? An economist explains
  11. People couldn't look away from the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial – the appeal of a relationship drama held true in the 1700s, too
  12. What is Afrofuturism? An English professor explains
  13. How do drugs know where to go in the body? A pharmaceutical scientist explains why some medications are swallowed while others are injected
  14. Jesus' earthly dad, St. Joseph – often overlooked – is honored by Father's Day in many Catholic nations
  15. A celebrated AI has learned a new trick: How to do chemistry
  16. What's at stake as Colombians choose between Trump-like populist and leftist former guerrilla for president
  17. Your past is my present – how Volodymyr Zelenskyy uses history
  18. Comprender la 'crisis de la blasfemia' entre los países musulmanes y la India
  19. Babies don't come with instruction manuals, so here are 5 tips for picking a parenting book
  20. How math and language can combine to map the globe and create strong passwords, using the power of 3 random words
  21. When texts suddenly stop: Why people ghost on social media
  22. Summer reading: 5 books on the joys and challenges of LGBTQ teen and young adult life
  23. Coastal gentrification in Puerto Rico is displacing people and damaging mangroves and wetlands
  24. Juneteenth celebrates just one of the United States’ 20 emancipation days – and the history of how emancipated people were kept unfree needs to be remembered, too
  25. Trump-endorsed candidates would generally win even without his support – and that's usually the case with all political endorsements
  26. International courts prosecuting leaders like Putin for war crimes have a mixed record – but offer clues on how to get a conviction
  27. Social stress can speed up immune system aging – new research
  28. Trouble paying bills can take a heavy toll on fathers' mental health, leading to family conflict
  29. How we describe the metaverse makes a difference – today's words could shape tomorrow's reality and who benefits from it
  30. The James Webb Space Telescope is finally ready to do science – and it’s seeing the universe more clearly than even its own engineers hoped for
  31. Privacy isn't in the Constitution – but it's everywhere in constitutional law
  32. Legal fights persist over policies that require teachers to refer to trans students by their chosen pronouns
  33. 5 things to know about the Fed's biggest interest rate increase since 1994 and how it will affect you
  34. Woodward and Bernstein didn't bring down a president in Watergate – but the myth that they did lives on
  35. Tumblr's enduring appeal reveals the potency of the web's cultural memory
  36. EU law would require Big Tech to do more to combat child sexual abuse, but a key question remains: How?
  37. Fertilizer prices are soaring – and that's an opportunity to promote more sustainable ways of growing crops
  38. Satellites zoom in on cities' hottest neighborhoods to help combat the urban heat island effect
  39. Where the witches were men: A historian explains what magic looked like in early modern Russia
  40. When all else fails to explain American violence, blame a rapper and hip-hop music
  41. Russians with diverse media diet more likely to oppose Ukraine war
  42. Elder abuse comes in many forms – appropriate Adult Protective Services referrals can help reduce mistreatment
  43. Patriarchy and purity culture combine to silence women in the Southern Baptist Convention – and are blocking efforts to address the sexual abuse scandal
  44. From 'dada' to Darth Vader – why the way we name fathers reminds us we spring from the same well
  45. 'Show' trial of foreign fighters in Donetsk breaks with international law – and could itself be a war crime
  46. There is no one 'religious view' on abortion: A scholar of religion, gender and sexuality explains
  47. Could steam-powered cars decrease the CO2 in the atmosphere?
  48. Alcohol is becoming more common in sexual assault among college students
  49. Grassroots mojo and 4 other reasons Starbucks workers have been so successful unionizing
  50. Immigrants are only 3.5% of people worldwide – and their negative impact is often exaggerated, in the U.S. and around the world