Sweaty-palmed and reciting facts over and over in their heads, the hordes of university and school students sitting down to exams this month will have precious little time to think about how their exam timetable was put together. A typical university student – if there is such a thing – may sit five or six […] … learn more→

Sharks are in danger in most parts of the world, with a quarter of all sharks and rays now threatened with extinction. This ongoing collapse of shark populations has already had far-reaching effects on marine ecosystems. To arrest this trend we desperately need scientific data that effectively inform conservation management. But are we focusing our […] … learn more→

Neurological conditions—which include dementia, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and traumatic brain injury—affect as many as one billion people globally. Neuroscience has begun to make important breakthroughs, but we still understand less about our brains than about any other part of our bodies. President Obama’s Brain (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative will […] … learn more→

We were going to invite Jesus Christ to come speak at our school, but the trouble was some said he was Jewish, while others said he wasn’t Jewish enough. Of course there were those who said he didn’t exist, like Santa Claus, and then someone got off on this whole tangent about how the smelly […] … learn more→

In February I suggested that research students are sometimes a bit like meerkats. I pointed out that meerkats must move between the zone of safety (the burrow) and the zone of exposure (the rest of the world). In your ‘burrow’, on your own with your research material, you can be as messy as you like, […] … learn more→

Trips to IKEA and Bed Bath & Beyond are all part of the college sendoff experience. A soon-to-be freshman needs a shower caddy and new comforter, but the following gift ideas go above and beyond the college basics. Keep in mind these graduation gifts that will help your loved one survive college: Laptop & Accessories […] … learn more→

In school, emotions matter. Not only do children with anxiety and aggression have difficulty focusing and learning, they also tend to be victims or perpetrators of bullying. Whether it’s old-fashioned physical or verbal aggression, ostracism, or online abuse, bullying is deeply rooted in a lack of emotional intelligence skills. These skills can and should be […] … learn more→

The experience of visiting a zoo is about to change dramatically. The Next Generation Zoo concept is based on how animals use space in the wild, giving them more freedom and better using the resources available to most zoos. Take Philadelphia Zoo, for example. It is a small, city-based institution, which like many zoos has […] … learn more→

From God and Man at Yale to The Closing of the American Mind to Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class, there is a thriving market for memoirs of oppressed white men in the academy. The young man arrives in the Ivy League, ready to learn about Western civilization and read the Great […] … learn more→

The spring semester is coming to a close. That means students are trying to pull up their grades, professors are finishing projects and committee work, and almost everyone is running low on patience. On social media, I’ve seen an uptick in professors’ complaints about their students. Recently, I read a thread on a social-media site […] … learn more→