The rate of children permanently excluded from school in England rose against last year and is higher than before the pandemic. A recent BBC documentary by actor Idris Elba pointed out that being excluded from school can be a tipping point that pushes a child towards serious violence. This observation is backed up by convincing evidence. Data in […] … learn more→

Can you tell fact from fiction online? In a digital world, few questions are more important or more challenging. For years, some commentators have called for K-12 teachers to take on fake news, media literacy, or online misinformation by doubling down on critical thinking. This push for schools to do a better job preparing young people to differentiate between […] … learn more→

The open concept floor plan has dominated home design for over a decade, transforming how we think about living spaces. From reality TV shows to design magazines, the dramatic reveal of walls being demolished to create airy, flowing interiors has become a staple of modern renovation. But as with any design trend, what works beautifully […] … learn more→

What if dictionary sales in Germany were linked to the number of swimming class registrations in Japan? What if solar power production in Taiwan influenced Netflix’s stock price? We learn early on that there’s a distinction between correlation and causation: a link still doesn’t explain a cause. Our brains still look for meaning and logical […] … learn more→

Virtual reality is a rapidly developing technology. As the technology expands, becoming more portable and affordable, the potential uses have expanded as well. One virtual reality creator calls virtual reality the “ultimate empathy machine.” Promising research shows that virtual reality can improve empathy toward groups such as people experiencing schizophrenia, children who are refugees and people who are unhoused. […] … learn more→

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see – museum collections are filled with all this and more. These collections are treasure troves that recount the planet’s natural and human history, and they help scientists in […] … learn more→

Shortly after taking office, US President Donald Trump issued executive orders banning federal funding on so-called “woke” research. This is part of his broader ban on all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, grants and programs in the US government. These orders are massive in scope, impacting studies as varied as stroke recovery, computing and ancient languages. The impact […] … learn more→

Some people have an innate predisposition to balance and symmetry, who keep their belongings neat and tidy. However, order, rather than an innate habit, is acquired through practice or learned from family, partners, or friends. Rejection of disorder Aristotle explained that virtue is found in the golden mean , and this also applies to order. A cluttered house projects […] … learn more→

Across its nearly 250-year history, the United States has never had an official language. On March 1, U.S. President Donald Trump changed that when he signed an executive order designating English as the country’s sole official language. The order marks a fundamental rupture from the American goverment’s long-standing approach to languages. “From the founding of our […] … learn more→

The use of information technology (IT) has significant environmental and social impacts, including human mortality from climate change. One striking example is the carbon emissions and impacts associated with digital communication. To quantify the human cost of carbon-emitting technology, researchers use the 1,000-ton rule that estimates that for every 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, […] … learn more→