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3 innovative ways to help countries hit by climate disasters, beyond a loss and damage fund

  • Written by Erin Coughlan de Perez, Professor of Climate Risk Management, Tufts University
imagePeople climb to the top of a bridge damaged when Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique in 2019.Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images

These days, it’s hard to escape news stories discussing how climate change is contributing to extreme weather disasters, including the recent U.S. hurricanes. Aid agencies are increasingly worried about the widespread damage.

A...

Read more: 3 innovative ways to help countries hit by climate disasters, beyond a loss and damage fund

Hundreds of 19th-century skulls collected in the name of medical science tell a story of who mattered and who didn’t

  • Written by Pamela L. Geller, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Miami
imageIllustration of just one of almost a thousand skulls Morton and colleagues collected.Crania Americana by Samuel Morton, CC BY

When I started my research on the Samuel George Morton Cranial Collection, a librarian leaned over my laptop one day to share some lore. “Legend has it,” she said, “John James Audubon really collected the...

Read more: Hundreds of 19th-century skulls collected in the name of medical science tell a story of who...

Federal judge rules that Louisiana shalt not require public schools to post the Ten Commandments

  • Written by Charles J. Russo, Joseph Panzer Chair in Education and Research Professor of Law, University of Dayton
imageControversy over displays of the Ten Commandments on government property is nothing new, but only one case about schools has reached the Supreme Court.AP Photo/Dave Martin

Do the Ten Commandments have a valid place in U.S. classrooms? Louisiana’s Legislature and governor insist the answer is “yes.” But on Nov. 12, 2024, a federal...

Read more: Federal judge rules that Louisiana shalt not require public schools to post the Ten Commandments

Poor teacher training partly to blame for stalled engineering diversity goals

  • Written by Lisa Bosman, Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University
imageBlack students remain significantly underrepresented in engineering. Tara Moore/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Diversifying the science, technology, engineering and math fields has long been a top priority of many universities and tech companies. It’s also a goal of the National Science Foundation, the biggest funder of university-led...

Read more: Poor teacher training partly to blame for stalled engineering diversity goals

Asking ChatGPT vs Googling: Can AI chatbots boost human creativity?

  • Written by Jaeyeon Chung, Assistant Professor of Business, Rice University
imageAI chatbots can give helpful suggestions.Carol Yepes/Moment via Getty Images

Think back to a time when you needed a quick answer, maybe for a recipe or a DIY project. A few years ago, most people’s first instinct was to “Google it.” Today, however, many people are more likely to reach for ChatGPT, OpenAI’s conversational AI,...

Read more: Asking ChatGPT vs Googling: Can AI chatbots boost human creativity?

Brain-training games remain unproven, but research shows what sorts of activities do benefit cognitive functioning

  • Written by Ian McDonough, Associate Professor of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York
imageBrain-training games sell themselves as a way to maintain cognitive function, but the evidence isn't there yet.Eva-Katalin/E+ via Getty Images

Some 2.3 million of U.S. adults over 65 – more than 4% – have a diagnosis of dementia. But even without a diagnosis, a certain amount of cognitive decline is normal as age sets in.

And whether...

Read more: Brain-training games remain unproven, but research shows what sorts of activities do benefit...

One election victory does not make a new era in American politics − here’s what history shows

  • Written by Philip Klinkner, James S. Sherman Professor of Government, Hamilton College
imageNew York supporters of Kamala Harris look on as candidate Donald Trump surpassed the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the 2024 election. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images

According to The New York Times, “… a newly triumphant Republican president” is “once again in the headlines.”

What will it take to...

Read more: One election victory does not make a new era in American politics − here’s what history shows

Informal safety nets help many Americans with expenses – people at all income levels benefit from this ‘financial interdependence’

  • Written by Jeffrey Anvari-Clark, Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of North Dakota
imageEven daredevils benefit from their ties to other people.Mauricio Graiki/iStock via Getty Images Plus

About 1 in 5 American adults regularly provide unpaid care or financial assistance to their adult relatives or friends. And about 1 in 7 young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 live with their parents.

But the true extent of support among...

Read more: Informal safety nets help many Americans with expenses – people at all income levels benefit from...

US states are finally starting to put in place protections for the kids of family vloggers

  • Written by Jessica Maddox, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Creative Media, University of Alabama
imageLaws protecting child actors were written long before the rise of social media.AzmanJaka/E+ via Getty Images

Ruby Franke was once one of the most popular YouTube family vloggers, posting videos featuring her husband and six children on her channel, 8 Passengers, that racked up over 1 billion views.

In some, she chronicled their family vacations and...

Read more: US states are finally starting to put in place protections for the kids of family vloggers

Weight loss plans are less effective for many Black women − because existing ones often don’t meet their unique needs

  • Written by Loneke Blackman Carr, Assistant Professor of Community and Public Health Nutrition, University of Connecticut
imagePeople who are obese or overweight are at higher risk of developing several chronic diseasesandreswd/E+ via Getty Images

The popularity of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro continue to reflect Americans’ desire to slim down. While these new drugs have offered a solution for people struggling with obesity, many eligible patients...

Read more: Weight loss plans are less effective for many Black women − because existing ones often don’t meet...

More Articles ...

  1. Mothers, metaphors and dyslexia: What language reveals about the challenges of a child’s learning disability
  2. Socioeconomic status explains most of the racial and ethnic achievement gaps in elementary school
  3. In hundreds of communities across the US, finding a dentist is like pulling teeth − but in 14 states, dental therapists are filling the gap
  4. Countries spend huge sums on fossil fuel subsidies – why they’re so hard to eliminate
  5. 3 reasons why a Trump White House might not be a disaster for Ukraine − in fact, it might tighten the screws on Russia
  6. Racism is such a touchy topic that many US educators avoid it – we are college professors who tackled that challenge head on
  7. Papal elections aren’t always as dramatic as ‘Conclave’ – but the history behind the process is
  8. Here’s what happens when a school is located near a cannabis dispensary
  9. Most US book bans target children’s literature featuring diverse characters and authors of color
  10. Jails and prisons often fail to protect incarcerated people during natural disasters
  11. Missing link to Snowball Earth history emerges from some unusual rocks on Colorado’s Pikes Peak
  12. Evidence from Snowball Earth found in ancient rocks on Colorado’s Pikes Peak – it’s a missing link
  13. Soaring inflation helped lead Trump to victory – here’s why some of his policies might drive prices higher again
  14. Trump voters said they were angry about the economy – many of them had a point
  15. I’m a neuroscientist who taught rats to drive − their joy suggests how anticipating fun can enrich human life
  16. Why does everything look flat even though the Earth is round?
  17. How the Taliban are seeking to reshape Afghanistan’s schools to push their ideology
  18. How updated Vatican rules on validating supernatural appearances of Mary will affect the famed pilgrimage site of Medjugorje
  19. Companies are buying up cheap carbon offsets − data suggest it may be more about greenwashing than helping the climate
  20. Companies are buying up cheap carbon offsets − data suggest it’s more about greenwashing than helping the climate
  21. ‘Inflation is radioactive’: Trump’s victory is part of a global populist wave of voters throwing out incumbents
  22. Voters in Arab American strongholds likely tipped Michigan in Trump’s favor
  23. Pennsylvania will keep its divided legislature thanks to split-ticket voters
  24. Boeing workers secure big gains after strike, but the future for organized labor under Trump is uncertain
  25. What should journalists do when the facts don’t matter?
  26. What’s the ‘standard deduction’? An accounting expert explains how it simplifies tax filing and saves most Americans money
  27. Trump’s plans to extend tax cuts and slash red tape will likely spur economic growth − but there’s a cost
  28. Disaster survivors want to rebuild safer, more sustainable homes, but cost misperceptions often stand in the way
  29. Strength training early in life can set up kids and adolescents for a lifetime of health and well-being
  30. 10 states had abortion measures on the ballot – where they passed, where they failed, and what it all means
  31. Compassion amid chaos − how one of America’s greatest poets became a lifeline for wounded soldiers
  32. The election is over − but what is a ‘lame duck’ anyway?
  33. Is AI dominance inevitable? A technology ethicist says no, actually
  34. New Apostolic Reformation evangelicals see Trump as God’s warrior in their battle to win America from satanic forces and Christianize it
  35. How Trump might target DACA recipients and other immigrant groups
  36. How Trump won Pennsylvania − and what the numbers from key counties show about the future of a pivotal swing state
  37. What Trump can do to reverse US climate policy − and what he probably can’t change
  38. The 4 ‘ashramas’ of Hinduism and what they can teach us about aging gracefully
  39. Religions talk about the value of humility − but it can be especially hard for clergy to practice what they preach
  40. Ballot measures to legalize recreational use of cannabis fail in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota
  41. ‘Yellowstone’ highlights Montana’s long-forgotten connection to the Confederacy
  42. Military veterans are disproportionately affected by suicide, but targeted prevention can help reverse the tide
  43. Microplastics promote cloud formation, with likely effects on weather and climate
  44. America’s glass ceiling remains − here are some of the reasons why a woman may have once again lost the presidency
  45. Iran’s currency was already tumbling − and then news of Trump’s victory broke
  46. Now the Electoral College votes for president – 4 essential reads
  47. What Buddhism can teach in this moment of deep divisions: No person is ‘evil,’ only ‘mistaken’
  48. This course uses crime novels to teach critical thinking
  49. Trump’s comeback victory, after reshaping his party and national politics, looks a lot like Andrew Jackson’s in 1828
  50. What is ‘ballot curing’? Election expert explains the method for fixing errors made when voters cast their ballots