Progress has been made toward gender parity in science fields. But explicit and implicit barriers still hold women back from advancing in the same numbers as men to the upper reaches of STEM academia.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Nobel Prize
The prize recognises that violence against women has become a weapon of war.
The Congolese physician has treated over 20,000 victims of traumatic rape in a conflict fueled in part by 'conflict minerals' used to make cellphones.
Analysis and Comment
Does Anne Moody's memoir represent how far we've come as a society. Or is it a stark reminder of how far we need to go?
Americans seem to believe trade deficits are a bad thing, partly because of arguments suggesting they mean the US is 'losing.' An economist explains why that's rubbish.
Fifty years ago, soldiers gunned down hundreds of student protesters in a Mexico City plaza. It was neither the first nor the last time Mexico's army would be deployed against its own citizens.
The Kavanaugh hearings have brought sexual assault to the forefront. A just-published study suggests that bystanders can help prevent it.
The ability to help save other babies’ lives can make recovering from a big loss easier.
The early warning system installed after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami hasn't lived up to expectations.
Is it too much to dream of batteries that are part of the structure of an item, helping to shape the form of a smartphone, car or building while also powering its functions?
In Brazil, a record 1,237 black women will stand for office in Sunday's general election. As in the US, their campaigns reflect deep personal concern about rising racism and sexism in politics.
To survive in 19th-century newsrooms, reporters would have to hustle to get by, even if it meant producing fakes, staging events and sharing work with reporters from competing newspapers.
An English professor says educators should use "Speak" – an often banned novel about sexual assault – to engage young people about the topic.
Brett Kavanaugh presented himself as a good and reputable man in his recent Senate hearing. But a man's social status and education tell us nothing about whether he's likely to commit sexual assault.
One striking feature of Brett Kavanaugh's testimony was the number of times he interrupted. Data shows that hearing interruptions are becoming more common, particularly when the nominee is female.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to make charitable donations easier and more affordable through a new employee benefit.
An international team of researchers is probing the links between skin diseases, including cancer, to speed the search for cures.
Whether the sins of our past stay with us forever has become a pertinent question of our time. A philosopher argues we don't need to carry our past burdens – although there are some moral conditions.
A combination of tectonic plates, geography and poor infrastructure make Indonesia vulnerable to deadly tsunamis.
Research and News
A legal loophole could grant computer systems many legal rights people have – threatening human rights and dignity and setting up some real legal and moral problems.
Harvesting gains from digital money by giving some of it away can be better for donors than the nonprofits they support.
First, scientists wanted to decode all three billions units of the human genome. Now, a new effort will identify all the cell types in the human body to discover the roots of diseases, like diabetes.
Kavanaugh hearings
Anita Hill charged in 1991 that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her. He was still confirmed. Now, another nominee faces sexual assault allegations. Have times changed?
Midterm elections
Pollsters at the University of Texas in Austin explain why the numbers just don't add up for the Democrat.
Nobels
Nature doesn't always make the things we need so three Nobel Prize winners figured out how to fast-track evolution in the lab to create medicines, biofuels and industrial chemicals for modern life.
Our new podcast
Research and Expert Database
Analysis from academics around the world
Editors’ Picks
The inventor of the brain-teasing Möbius strip died 150 years ago, but his creation continues to spawn new ideas in mathematics.
People are still wrestling with what artificial intelligence could and should do, half a century after the debut of the Kubrick-Clarke classic.
Canada, the US and Mexico are about to rip up the 25-year-old NAFTA and replace it with something new. But how new?
Before she became a Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s work as an attorney in the 1970s fundamentally changed the court’s approach to women's rights and how we think about women – and men.
Dairy cows are sensitive to heat, so farmers cool them down with sprinklers and fans. Researchers are designing better, more efficient systems to keep cows comfortable through hot California summers.
While many parents believe equipping their young child with a cellphone is a matter of safety, research shows the practice comes with certain risks.
On Sept. 30, 1968, the first Boeing 747 rolled off the assembly line, ready to hit the skies as the bigger commercial jet at the time. Today, as its days as a civilian carrier come to a close, the first jumbo jet remains an icon of aviation.
One year after the Oct. 1 shooting massacre in Las Vegas, a team of scholars from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas offers insights into how to best help those affected by the violence.
It has been 10 years since Elon Musk's SpaceX launched the commercial space age. What hurdles must be overcome before private companies begin exploring, colonizing and mining other planets?
In Kenneth Burke's 'The War of Words,' the late rhetorical theorist picks apart the little ways news articles can subtly influence readers – and harden divisions.
Football plays an important role in American culture. Experts point out some ethical questions you might consider asking this season.
Things could get worse for special education students if the Trump administration follows through on its plans to give states more leeway when it comes to how they treat special education students.
Italy saw 1,191 attacks on politicians from 2013 to 2015. A new study reveals, for the first time, the destructive effect this strategic political violence has on the nation's political life.
In scrutinizing statues honoring Confederate figures, journalists have overlooked military bases named after generals who fought to defend the slavery of black people.
The ocean floor holds unique information about Earth's history. Scientific ocean drilling, which started 50 years ago, has yielded insights into climate change, geohazards and the key conditions for life.
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