METRO - Metropolitan Digital

How a small Brazilian town became an unlikely battleground over Confederate memory

A Confederate Festival attendee visits the American cemetery in Santa Barbara d'Oeste, Brazil, on April 24, 2016. Mario Tama/Getty ImagesThere were no antebellum hoop skirts at the site of Brazil&rsqu...

Jordan Brasher, Visiting Assistant Professor of Geography, Macalester College

What are pharmacy benefit managers? A health economist explains how lack of competition drives up drug prices for everyone
PBMs control which drugs insurers cover, for how much and for whom.cagkansayin/iStock via Getty Images PlusWegovy and Ozempic are weight loss drugs that promise to transform the treatment of obesity, heart disease and other chronic conditions that afflict millions of Am…
The moral dimension to America’s flawed health care system
A nurse peers through a small window in a COVID-19 unit of Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., on Dec. 21, 2020. AP Photo/Jae C. HongThe killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has set off soul-searching among many Americans. Part of that reflection is abo…
Parents and caregivers: How to stop feeling like a Grinch and be more present with your kids this holiday season
Expectations of perfection on special occasions can add to the normal stress of parenting. skynesher/E+ via Getty ImagesHolidays are often depicted as picture-perfect moments: families blissfully united around a table filled with seasonal food favorites against an immac…
Federal protection for monarch butterflies could help or harm this iconic species, depending on how it’s carried out
Monarch caterpillars and a mature butterfly.NCTC Creative Imagery/USFWS/FlickrMonarch butterflies are among the most beloved insects in North America. They are brightly colored and unique, both as caterpillars and later as mature insects. Monarchs are found in every U.S…

The Moon might be older than scientists previously thought − a new study shines light on its history

Rock samples from the lunar surface are important tools for scientists studying how old the Moon is. AP Photo/NASAA physicist, a chemist and a mathematician walk into a bar. It sounds like the start o...

Francis Nimmo, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz

Yes, Philadelphia is a sanctuary city − but that offers undocumented immigrants little protection from mass deportations
Immigrant rights advocates call on Philadelphia officials to strengthen the city's sanctuary policies at a rally on Dec. 10, 2024. Manuel Vasquez/Juntos, CC BY-NC-NDPhiladelphia is what’s known as a sanctuary city. While the term has no fixed definition, it usuall…
What is an AI agent? A computer scientist explains the next wave of artificial intelligence tools
AI companies offer a vision of AI agents handling ever more complicated tasks for you.VichanChairat/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty ImagesInteracting with AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be fun and sometimes useful, but the next level of everyday AI goes beyond answering q…
Why Syria’s reconstruction may depend on the fate of its minorities
Syrian Christians at the Mariamiya Greek Orthodox Church in old Damascus on Dec. 15, 2024, attend Sunday Mass for the first time since Syrian President Bashar Assad's ouster.AP Photo/Hussein MallaTens of thousands of minorities fearing persecution have fled Syria since …
Luigi Mangione isn’t the first alleged criminal to capture many people’s imaginations – and hearts
Suspected shooter Luigi Mangione is led into a Hollidaysburg, Pa., courthouse for an extradition hearing on Dec. 10, 2024. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images The fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, on Dec. 4, 2024, in New York City, immedia…

Assault on DEI: Critics use simplistic terms to attack the programs, but they are key to uprooting workplace bias

Research shows a clear connection between employees' sense of satisfaction and how much their employer prioritizes DEI.Just_Super/Getty ImagesProminent politicians have recently increased their attack...

M. Cristina Alcalde, Vice President for Transformational and Inclusive Excellence, Miami University

Nixon’s official acts against his enemies list led to a bipartisan impeachment effort
President Richard Nixon used the government as a weapon against his perceived enemies.Wally McNamee/Corbis HistoricalThe Nixon administration’s enemies list inspired bipartisan revulsion. Its purpose was, in the immortal words of President Richard Nixon’s White House counsel, to “u…
‘Love Is Blind’ contestants count as employees − new US government agency finding could shake up reality TV production
'Love Is Blind' cast members appear at a screening in 2020. Paras Griffin/Getty ImagesWhen members of a reality TV show’s cast sign a contract to participate in a show, they typically do so more for the exposure than the pay – and in many cases they do not earn a dime. Employers get away…
Why natural disasters hit harder in rural school districts
School buses play a pivotal role in rural areas.Grant Faint/The Image Bank via Getty ImagesA week after Hurricane Sandy flooded New York City’s streets and subways in 2012, the city’s schools were back in business. But schools in rural North Carolina did not reopen until almost a month a…
Listening for the right radio signals could be an effective way to track small drones
Small drones can be hard to track at night.Kevin Carter/Getty ImagesThe recent spate of unidentified drone sightings in the U.S., including some near sensitive locations such as airports and military installations, has caused significant public concern. Some of this recent increase in activity may b…
At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was 17 years old when he first received his vocation to become a priest. It happened on Sept. 21, 1953 – the beginning of spring in Buenos Aires – during a spontaneous visit to the confessional, or what Catholics call the sacrament of reconciliation[1]. This spiritual turn…

What does the US attorney general actually do? A law professor explains

3D-printed guns, like the one allegedly used to kill a health care CEO, are a growing threat in the US and around the world

How should we look to history to make sense of Luigi Mangione’s alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare C…

A nation exhausted: The neuroscience of why Americans are tuning out politics

The Wanamaker organ has been part of a treasured holiday tradition in Philly for over 100 years − a …

What are pharmacy benefit managers? A health economist explains how lack of competition drives up dr…

Why Bill Maher is wrong about fat-shaming

What is 'ethical AI' and how can companies achieve it?

Russian ruble's recovery masks disruptive impact of West's sanctions – but it won't make Putin seek peace

Philosophy and psychology agree - yelling at people who aren't wearing masks won't work

Swing state voters along the Great Lakes love cleaner water and beaches − and candidates from both parties have long fished for support there

How 'Succession' feeds the hidden fantasies of its well-to-do viewers

Look at 3 enduring stories Americans tell about guns to understand the debate over them

Tropical Storm Debby stalls along the Carolinas, bringing days of heavy rain and flooding – a climate scientist explains why

LGBTQ Americans are 9 times more likely to be victimized by a hate crime

Stephen Hawking warned about the perils of artificial intelligence – yet AI gave him a voice

'My vote will be Black' – A wave of Afro-Brazilian women ran for office in 2020 but found glass ceiling hard to break

How a small Brazilian town became an unlikely battleground over Confederate memory

What are pharmacy benefit managers? A health economist explains how lack of competition drives up drug prices for everyone

The moral dimension to America’s flawed health care system

Parents and caregivers: How to stop feeling like a Grinch and be more present with your kids this holiday season

Federal protection for monarch butterflies could help or harm this iconic species, depending on how it’s carried out

The Moon might be older than scientists previously thought − a new study shines light on its history

Yes, Philadelphia is a sanctuary city − but that offers undocumented immigrants little protection from mass deportations

What is an AI agent? A computer scientist explains the next wave of artificial intelligence tools

Why Syria’s reconstruction may depend on the fate of its minorities

Luigi Mangione isn’t the first alleged criminal to capture many people’s imaginations – and hearts

Assault on DEI: Critics use simplistic terms to attack the programs, but they are key to uprooting workplace bias

Nixon’s official acts against his enemies list led to a bipartisan impeachment effort

‘Love Is Blind’ contestants count as employees − new US government agency finding could shake up reality TV production

Why natural disasters hit harder in rural school districts

Listening for the right radio signals could be an effective way to track small drones

At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars