Policy & Ethics
Can Free Community College Unite a Divided U.S.?
The incoming Biden-Harris administration wants to launch a new era in higher education that will make it open to everyone
Stories by David Noonan
Arts & Culture
Pop Culture’s Rate of Change May Mirror Organic Evolution
A new study finds that music and some other human phenomena have altered at a pace comparable to that of animals such as Darwin’s finches
Behavior & Society
Is a Sad Song Sad for Everyone?
Researchers explore how different cultures respond to the same music
Public Health
Gun Homicide Linked to Poor Social Mobility
An epidemiologist explores the social and economic roots of the 13,060 firearm-related deaths in 48 states in 2015
Behavior & Society
Western Individualism Arose from Incest Taboo
Researchers link a Catholic Church ban on cousins marrying in the Middle Ages to the emergence of a way of life that made the West an outlier
Behavior & Society
Failure Found to Be an “Essential Prerequisite” for Success
Scientists use big data to understand what separates winners from losers
Behavior & Society
Researchers Model Online Hate Networks in Effort to Battle Them
A new study identifies the network dynamics that help neo-Nazis and other extremists survive and thrive on social media—and suggests ways to defeat them
Behavior & Society
How to Stop Prisons from Laying the Groundwork for a Fatal Overdose
A Rhode Island program to prevent ex-inmate relapses and deaths is working
Behavior & Society
A Network Theorist Seeks “Universal Laws” of Success
A scientist leverages big data to pin down precepts that extend beyond the self-help aisle
Policy & Ethics
What Does a Crooked Election Look Like?
In the search for electoral fraud, researchers use forensic tool kits to detect statistical signs of ballot stuffing and voter rigging
Behavior & Society
Dissecting the Bloodthirsty Bliss of Death Metal
Fans of this violent music report feelings of transcendence and positive emotions; psychologists want to learn why
Wellness
The Healthy Addiction? Coffee Study Finds More Health Benefits
New research in mice details the mechanism of how caffeine seems to help the heart
Behavior & Society
The 25% Revolution—How Big Does a Minority Have to Be to Reshape Society?
A committed few can influence the many and sweep away social conventions, new research shows
Neuroscience
There’s an “Inverse Piano” in Your Head
A Kavli Prize–winning scientist details the magic of transforming vibrations into sound in the inner ear
Policy & Ethics
Is Guaranteed Income for All the Answer to Joblessness and Poverty?
Experts disagree, but a number of experiments could offer insight
Neuroscience
Smell Test May Sniff Out Oncoming Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
How an unlikely clue could help solve the mystery of two devastating disorders
Medicine
Marijuana Treatment Reduces Severe Epileptic Seizures
A rigorous study validates a cannabis-derived treatment for a rare, drug-resistant childhood epilepsy
Neurological Health
Treating Epilepsy’s Toughest Cases
Current medicines fail to relieve seizures in about a third of people with epilepsy. What can be done?
Behavior & Society
The Chicago Cubs, the Goat Curse and the Psychological Roots of Superstition
The intuitive reasoning behind “magical thinking” may carry an evolutionary advantage
Medicine
Why the Go-To Stroke Drug Can Fail
The go-to stroke drug often fails. Now doctors can slide out brain clots with wires and have new tools for other blockages
