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Electrically stimulating your brain can boost memory – but here's one reason it doesn't always work

  • Written by Shelly Fan, Postdoctoral Scholar in Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco
imageIs electrical pulse to the brain your favorite memory enhancer?U.S. Air Force photo by J.M. Eddins Jr., CC BY-NC

The first time I heard that shooting electrical currents across your brain can boost learning, I thought it was a joke.

But evidence is mounting. According to a handful of studies, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), the...

Read more: Electrically stimulating your brain can boost memory – but here's one reason it doesn't always work

Fainting and the summer heat: Warmer days can make you swoon, so be prepared

  • Written by William B. Farquhar, Professor of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology, University of Delaware
imageWhere is a fainting couch when you need one? Michael C. Gray/From www.shutterstock.com

Over one million Americans faint every year, and countless more do worldwide. Fear, pain, the sight of blood or prolonged standing – think the long lines of summer travel – can trigger fainting.

These triggers set off a reflex in our nervous system...

Read more: Fainting and the summer heat: Warmer days can make you swoon, so be prepared

The FBI: With great power comes great scandal

  • Written by Douglas M. Charles, Associate Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University

Drama at the FBI is nothing new. Given its 109-year history, the FBI has seen many scandals and numerous directors come and go.

Its directors, in fact, have always been the face and driving force of the FBI. Most have retired or moved on to other work, four were forced to offer resignations, but only two, including most recently James Comey, have...

Read more: The FBI: With great power comes great scandal

On the Reformation's 500th anniversary, remembering Martin Luther's contribution to literacy

  • Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University
imageAn exhibition for the Luther monument in Worms.AP Photo/Jens Meyer

This year marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s famous 95 Theses, which helped spark the founding of the Reformation and the division of Christianity into Protestantism and Catholicism.

The 95 Theses critiqued the church’s sale of indulgences, which Luther...

Read more: On the Reformation's 500th anniversary, remembering Martin Luther's contribution to literacy

Why installing software updates makes us WannaCry

  • Written by Elissa Redmiles, Ph.D. Student in Computer Science, University of Maryland
imagePeople don't want to be interrupted to update their software.irin73bal via Shutterstock.com

The global ransomware attack called “WannaCry,” which began last week and continues today, could have been avoided, or at least made much less serious, if people (and companies) kept their computer software up to date. The attack’s spread...

Read more: Why installing software updates makes us WannaCry

Trump's trade policy is unlikely to deliver big wins for US workers

  • Written by Greg Wright, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of California, Merced
imageCommerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, sitting at the president's right, announced the China trade deal.Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

The Trump administration recently notched two wins for its international trade strategy, hailing both as big gains for U.S. workers.

The first was the confirmation of Robert Lighthizer on May 11 as U.S. trade representative...

Read more: Trump's trade policy is unlikely to deliver big wins for US workers

4 things to know about North and South Korea

  • Written by Ji-Young Lee, Assistant Professor, American University School of International Service

Editor’s note: North Korea recently tested a ballistic missile that landed in the sea between North Korea and Japan. North Korean leaders claim to hold nuclear weapons capabilities that could reach the U.S., although other recent missile tests have cast doubt on those assertions.

The U.S. is ramping up joint military exercises with South...

Read more: 4 things to know about North and South Korea

The mall isn't dead -- it’s just changing

  • Written by Stefan Al, Associate Professor of Urban Design, University of Pennsylvania
imageKansir/flickr, CC BY

Today thousands of empty suburban malls dot the American landscape. Describing decaying buildings and cracked asphalt parking lots, eulogy after eulogy arrives at the same conclusion: The mall is “dead.” (There’s even a website – DeadMalls.com – documenting the decline.)

But 8,000 miles away,...

Read more: The mall isn't dead -- it’s just changing

Why the US does not have universal health care, while many other countries do

  • Written by Timothy Callaghan, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Texas A&M University
imageHouse Speaker Paul Ryan walking into the Capitol on May 4, when the House voted narrowly to accept a bill he shepherded to replace Obamacare. Andrew Harnik/AP

The lead-up to the House passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) on May 4, which passed by a narrow majority after a failed first attempt, provided a glimpse into just how difficult it...

Read more: Why the US does not have universal health care, while many other countries do

Inoculation theory: Using misinformation to fight misinformation

  • Written by John Cook, Research Assistant Professor, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University
imageA shot of fake news now and your defenses are raised in the future?funnyangel/Shutterstock.com.

As a psychologist researching misinformation, I focus on reducing its influence. Essentially, my goal is to put myself out of a job.

Recent developments indicate that I haven’t been doing a very good job of it. Misinformation, fake news and...

Read more: Inoculation theory: Using misinformation to fight misinformation

More Articles ...

  1. Should the US stay in the Paris Agreement? A majority of Democrats and Republicans think so
  2. How El Niño forecasts can help prevent cholera deaths in Africa
  3. Mining the moon for rocket fuel to get us to Mars
  4. Before Trump, Mexicans really liked the US
  5. What France and the UK can teach Trump about reviving America's middle class
  6. Why America needs a 'do-over' on Medicaid reform
  7. Are solar and wind really killing coal, nuclear and grid reliability?
  8. The forgotten origins of the modern gay rights movement in WWI
  9. What the 1970 Kent State shootings tell us about universities then and now
  10. Christian sex advice websites offer a peek into evangelical politics
  11. Global ransomware attack reinforces message of Trump's new cybersecurity order
  12. Why dads can't be the dads they want to be
  13. Trump will likely win reelection in 2020
  14. Social media helps officials spot public health threats – but only for the rich?
  15. Comey's firing may end other investigations into 2016 election
  16. Census director's resignation could affect control of Congress after 2020
  17. What's behind the fidget spinner fad?
  18. Five rational arguments why God (very probably) exists
  19. Arguments why God (very probably) exists
  20. Computers to humans: Shall we play a game?
  21. Why Facebook may fuel new mothers' insecurity
  22. Will Trump give working families a break?
  23. Why big-data analysis of police activity is inherently biased
  24. 'Moonlight' schooled Hollywood on race. Can it take on school discipline, too?
  25. Four challenges for Moon Jae-in, South Korea's new president
  26. To curb climate change, we need to protect and expand US forests
  27. How the refugee crisis is playing out on the German stage
  28. Central American gangs like MS-13 were born out of failed anti-crime policies
  29. Iranian voters' economic gloom may doom President Rouhani's reelection bid
  30. Throwing injuries in young baseball players: Is there something we are not considering?
  31. Brain-imaging modern people making Stone Age tools hints at evolution of human intelligence
  32. In letters from Stalin's labor camps, a window into Soviet political oppression
  33. People don’t trust scientific research when companies are involved
  34. Will optimistic stories get people to care about nature?
  35. How the hijab has grown into a fashion industry
  36. Can we talk about free speech on campus?
  37. Macron beats Le Pen, but can he lead France?
  38. Fake news, echo chambers and filter bubbles: Underresearched and overhyped
  39. How African-Americans disappeared from the Kentucky Derby
  40. How pre-existing conditions became front and center in health care vote
  41. Who are Jehovah's Witnesses?
  42. Court ruling is a first step toward controlling air pollution from livestock farms
  43. Behind closed doors: What the Piltdown Man hoax from 1912 can teach science today
  44. More and more restaurants list calories on their menus. What about salt?
  45. Rewriting NAFTA has serious implications beyond just trade
  46. What makes Kim Jong Un tick?
  47. How did health insurance get so complicated? Here are some answers
  48. The future is in interactive storytelling
  49. How funding to house mentally ill, homeless is a financial gain, not drain
  50. Anti-terror rules are blocking aid to conflict zones