Why does social media advertising fall flat?
Facebook earned $3.6 billion in ad revenue last year. According to recent research, for advertisers this might not be money well-spent.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
John Nash: a beautiful mind and its exquisite mathematics
The Nobel Prize winning mathematician made lasting contributions in the fields of game theory and topology. Famously portrayed by Russell Crowe in the movie A Beautiful Mind, he died May 23 at age 86.
Feelings are as important as grades to teenagers. Can schools help?
There is lot on the minds of teens other than school, grades and friends. Research shows being asked "prying" questions could make a real difference to their mental health.
Why automakers so frequently botch product recalls
From Ford's Pinto problem to Takata's defective airbags, sometimes it seems auto companies know how to do little more than mismanage product recalls.
Despite rhetoric, climate change ranks low in public’s Keystone pipeline worries
Public opinion poll on Keystone pipeline shows more people are concerned with local issues – including the impact of spills on environment and aquifers – than with global warming.
Plato, Justice Alito and the institution of marriage
A Supreme Court justice hearing arguments over same-sex marriage cited Plato's stance on homosexuality. But what did Plato really believe about all sexuality? A scholar takes a look.
No, the rise of the emoji doesn’t spell the end of language
Emojis are mainly used to enhance the meaning of words in texts – they won't replace them altogether.
Health Check: four reasons to have another cup of coffee
Until recently, coffee was on the list of habits to break if you really wanted to be healthy. Not anymore.
The grand review of Sherman’s Bummers
150 years ago, the Union soldiers that served under General Sherman marched through Washington -- expressing their belief that their campaign helped bring the Civil War to its end.
Sitting on a scoop: the story behind the V-E headlines of May 1945
As we commemorate Memorial Day, the drama behind the headlines announcing Germany's surrender in World War II.
Victory in Europe remembered
On Memorial Day, reflecting on the meaning of the 'liberation' of Europe 70 years on.
Distance running is a perfect lab to investigate whether men are more competitive than women
Research on distance runners reveals evidence of a large sex difference in competitiveness.
Four years from now, your child will be at her commencement. Here are steps for you to take now
Young adults can be easily derailed. Close to 60% students take six years to finish their four-year undergraduate program. How can you help?
In a time of drought, a call to rethink lawns
Americans love their lawns but are lawns good for America, particularly in drought-stricken areas? A look at our grassy love affair and what might be better alternatives.
Another Ireland is born: it’s a big yes to marriage equality
As that famous Irish poet W. B. Yeats put it; all has changed, changed utterly.
The ISIS takeover of Ramadi means hard choices face the Iraqi and US governments
ISIS victories in Iraq do not come out of the blue; the group's military success results from a long history of tensions between Sunnis and Shia and US policies that fostered such tension.
Fast-track overcomes key hurdle, but obstacles remain as trade deals hang in balance
US permits Arctic drilling, but questions about safety remain
Migrants at sea: the missing context
‘If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying’ – how forex has changed
How science saved a Bauhaus artist’s works from deterioration
Why commencement still matters
Baltimore Riots
There are more Baltimores: America’s legacy of hollowed-out cities
America is a country with pockets of poverty with neighborhoods filled with unskilled workers with limited opportunities.
Baltimore riots: the fire this time and the fire last time and the time between
A panel of scholars comments on the origins and the implications of the violence in Baltimore.
The dreams deferred by Baltimore’s mortgage crises set the stage for unrest
The slow poisoning of Freddie Gray and the hidden violence against black communities
The media and Baltimore: covering the dramatic versus the representative
Baltimore’s toxic slum housing and its part in the violent death of Freddie Gray
Future of Nuclear Power
How nuclear power-generating reactors have evolved since their birth in the 1950s
The basics of fission physics have stayed the same over the decades. But power-generating reactor designs have evolved, turning to new coolants, recycled fuel and other innovations.
The case for nuclear power – despite the risks
We cannot eliminate the inherent risks of nuclear power but it is rigorously monitored and has a proven performance of delivering zero-carbon electricity.
What does nuclear power cost? Old plants dispel easy answers
Few plants have been constructed in the West since the ‘70s, and the ones that have been built have suffered from cost overruns and delays.
Harvesting usable fuel from nuclear waste – and dealing with the last chemical troublemakers
Where will nuclear power plants of the future be built?
Nuclear fusion, the clean power that will take decades to master
Power and peace: how nations can go nuclear without weapons
Accidents, waste and weapons: nuclear power isn’t worth the risks
Labor unions
The misleading arguments propelling right-to-work laws
The arguments behind right-to-work legislation rely on a lot of flawed math that any statistician would frown upon.
Britain’s battered unions have new battles round the corner
British orgainsed labour has remained relevant despite the onslaught suffered during the 1980s, but it lacks the institutional structure that would make the future secure.
Columnists
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The TPP is an opportunity to tie allies closer while keeping the Chinese out
Simon Reich -
Facebook is important to media companies but Instant Articles is not a threat
David Glance -
Richard Gunderman — “Schools have been turned into testocracies, where test scores rule all”
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Matthew Nisbet — “Environmental studies courses should expose students to a greater diversity of ideas”
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Health risks beneath the painted beauty in America’s nail salons
The nail salon industry is booming. But along with polished nails come toxic health effects for the workers, due to the chemical compounds in nail care products.
What is the ‘warm blob’ in the Pacific and what can it tell us about our future climate?
The "warm blob" of remarkably warm water in the Pacific is changing weather patterns and impacting marine life, providing clues to how ecosystems may change in a warmer future.
Bleed me: why excess iron can be dangerous
After years of conflicting research and often extreme opinions on iron, it turns out that like anything else that is a benefit in moderation, in excess it is a detriment.
How we discovered the three revolutions of American pop
A lot happens when computer science and pop music collide.
Faster-than-light travel: are we there yet?
There's a cosmic speed limit that unfortunately means you aren't going to be firing up warp drive anytime soon.
McDonald’s wage hike stems from evolving views on morality, politics and economics
The fast-food chain's surprise decision to lift its workers' wages stems from a mix of morality, economics and politics.
The Vietnam War, the American War and the ‘bridge generation’
Forty years on from the Fall of Saigon, the Vietnamese celebrate Liberation Day -- and ever better relations with Americans.
Tesla batteries: just the beginning of how technology will transform the electric grid
Batteries combined with digital technologies will improve the efficiency and reliability of the electric grid, transforming how people use their energy.
Explainer: the mysterious dark energy that speeds the universe’s rate of expansion
Einstein's theory of gravity says dark energy must be out there, accelerating the expansion of our universe. But what is it and how can we try to figure out more about it?
Could this Dalai Lama be the last?
An elaborate and lengthy selection process is in danger of being co-opted by the Chinese government.
Most Read past week
- Our stone tool discovery pushes back the archaeological record by 700,000 years
- Health risks beneath the painted beauty in America’s nail salons
- Newspapers' ongoing search for subscription revenue: from paywalls to micropayments
- The epidemic of burnout, depression and suicide in medicine: One doctor’s story
- How nuclear power-generating reactors have evolved since their birth in the 1950s
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