Anthropologists gather clues about how our ancient ancestors lived from their teeth. What will future anthropologists make of us based on the fossilized pearly whites we'll leave behind?
Over the years, Puerto Ricans have in fact been granted three different types of U.S. citizenship, but questions about their rights and equal treatment as citizens still remain.
March Mammal Madness, a tournament of imaginary contests between pairs of mammals, makes science irreverent and fun. The event has thousands of fans and is used in hundreds of classrooms.
Christianity has grown at a rapid rate in China. The Catholic church, however, is split into an official one and an 'underground' one. A scholar explains how better relations with Vatican could help.
South Africa’s social compact is at breaking point and the country may need a dialogue similar to its 1994 political transition talks to get out of the crisis.
The Trump administration has been trashing Obama's economic legacy lately as it pursues a drastic change of course, but the facts tell a different story.
Alternate realities don't just exist in politics – and not all falsehoods are lies. Distortions of the truth can range from a normal part of human nature to pathological.
Jordan Tama, American University School of International Service; Greg Wright, University of California, Merced, and J.B. Silvers, Case Western Reserve University
Three scholars grade Trump's first address to Congress. How did he do on Obamacare? What would his 'merit-based' immigration proposal mean? And can he play nice with others
Comparisons often ignore the troubling history of how Jackson treated Native Americans. An expert on Native American history draws parallels to the new administration.
Republicans have tried dozens of times to repeal Obamacare, but their biggest challenge has been the lack of a workable replacement plan. Here's an idea devised by two health economists.
Scientists are concerned that politics will trump evidence in the new administration. A researcher of political psychology explains why these worries matter far beyond questions of science.
You might think that trolling on the internet is done by a small, vocal minority of sociopaths. But what if all trolls aren’t born trolls? What if they are ordinary people like you and me?
Looking for a lifelong Valentine? Psychologists suggest taking a closer look at your best friend. The things we want in a good friend are many of the same things we expect from a romantic partner.
Trump poses with his brain trust.
Mark Lennihan/AP Photo
He campaigned on the notion that his business experience would equip him to 'make America great again,' but running a family company is poor training for the presidency.
Director Asghar Farhadi wins the award for best screenplay at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Their critiques may be more gentle, their attacks more circumspect – but they are resonant nonetheless. And when filmmakers like Farhadi confront Trump, they're on familiar turf: They've seen his type back home.
The Statue of Liberty has been a welcoming sight for immigrants for decades.
Susan Ragan/AP Photo
Trump's plans to build a wall with Mexico and deport millions of people in the US illegally cast immigrants as an economic threat to Americans. The evidence suggests otherwise.
Both sea ice and government data are disappearing.
U.S. Geological Survey, flickr
Morgan Currie, University of California, Los Angeles and Britt S. Paris, University of California, Los Angeles
Activists today are racing to save climate records from the Trump administration. Secret archives were a powerful way to fight hostile political climates throughout history – from the Nazis to the Islamic State.
Lincoln in 1858; Trump in his official White House portrait, 2017.
Abraham Byers/unknown
Dozens of governments have been using the insights from the burgeoning field to 'nudge' citizens in ways that improve their well-being. But some worry Trump might use it for less altruistic ends.
Are we headed to a magnetic reversal and all the global disruption that would bring? Enter archaeomagnetism. A look at the archaeological record in southern Africa provides some clues.
Lyndon Johnson, who was friends with evangelist Billy Graham, wasn’t targeting religious groups when he pushed his eponymous amendment in 1954.
AP Photo
President Trump recently repeated his pledge to eliminate the 63-year-old law, which bans charities from engaging in political activities, at the National Prayer Breakfast.
When scientists stand up, do they lose standing?
Liz Lemon
In the wake of the Flint water crisis and with a new notably anti-science president, U.S. scientists are reevaluating how to navigate the tension between speaking out and a fear of losing research funding.
You might think you're anonymous when you're browsing the web. But a new study shows that browsing history can often be tied to your real-world identity.
How does music training in early childhood help the developing brain?
woodleywonderworks
Time is fixed, but people experience hours, months and days in very different ways. One researcher has spent decades exploring this universal phenomenon.
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