China’s currency, the yuan, recently (and briefly) became the world’s fourth-most-used form of payment, behind the US dollar, euro and pound sterling, having (marginally) pushed past the Japanese yen.

Last week, China’s central bank discussed whether to make an...

In the run-up to the Paris climate change conference, there is much focus on countries’ voluntary commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (their so-called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions). These are, of course, a significant aspect of any...

Students are greeted these days with a barrage of marketing and advertising as they enter the school year. And there is no let-up. The ads are all over.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found ads in corridors, on scoreboards and vending machines, and inserted in the curricula through...

In October, the American Cancer Society (ACS) updated its guidelines for when women at average risk should be screened for breast cancer. These new recommendations are less straightforward than past versions, resulting in confusion among the press, physicians and women.

In the past...

About 14 million people, including me, watched the top Republican presidential contenders spar in their third debate Wednesday night. And while most pundits and viewers were attuned to their words, I noted the importance of what they wore – dark business suits, crisp button-down shirts and formal...

This year and this day – the United Nations' World Cities Day – we should remember that the city is back. Across the globe there is an urban resurgence. In fact,...

Nontrivial numbers of Americans believe in the paranormal. These beliefs have spawned thousands of groups dedicated to investigating paranormal phenomena and a proliferation of ghost-hunting entries in the reality television market. Anecdotal evidence even suggests that ghost-hunting reality shows...

It’s easy to overlook the brick residential towers of Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village on Manhattan’s East Side.

Designed to be uniform and rather bland, the 80-acre development gives little outward sign of the fierce conflicts over housing...

When our dear colleague and cofounder of the Initiative on Cities program at Boston University, former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, passed away one year ago, letters poured in to our offices at Boston University.

The intimate condolences from Boston’s many neighborhoods – Hyde Park, Roslindale,...

Today – October 30 – MIT’s Media Lab celebrates its 30th anniversary.

The Media Lab is a place that takes very seriously the idea that we can invent a better future and have it spread around the globe. It’s a place that’s helped invent things that are very serious,...