'Teaching has always been hard, but it's never been like this' – elementary school teachers talk about managing their classrooms during a pandemic

Joy Harrison, a second grade teacher in Oakland, California, helps a student.Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via APAs the omicron wave spikes across the United States, K-12 education is one of many systems buckling under the weight of expandin...

The herbicide dicamba was supposed to solve farmers' weed problems – instead, it's making farming harder for many of them

Soybean plants on an Arkansas farm. Those at left show signs of damage from dicamba; others at right were planted later in the season.Washington Post via Getty ImagesIn October 2021 I was a guest on ...

Bart Elmore, Associate Professor of History and Core Faculty in the Sustainability Institute, The Ohio State University

The pandemic changed death rituals and left grieving families without a sense of closure

A family takes part in shiva, a traditional Jewish time of mourning, on Zoom.Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty ImagesThe unexpected death of a friend and colleague to COVID-19 in January 2021 led m...

Natasha Mikles, Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Religious Studies, Texas State University

When will the COVID-19 pandemic end? 4 essential reads on past pandemics and what the future could bring

Wishing won't be enough to make the pandemic history.David Cliff/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesMore than two years after the first cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed, people are exhausted by the coronavirus ...

Maggie Villiger, Senior Science + Technology Editor

Does it really empower women to expect them to make the first move?

Bumble seeks to challenge what the company calls 'the antiquated rules of dating.'Daily Herald Archive/National Science & Media Museum/SSPL via Getty ImagesHeterosexual dating conventions have lon...

Riki Thompson, Associate Professor of Digital Rhetoric and Writing Studies, University of Washington

How this cycle of redistricting is making gerrymandered congressional districts even safer and undermining majority rule

State Sen. Joseph Thomas, D-Yazoo City, holds a copy of the proposed congressional redistricting map during debate over redistricting at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Jan. 12, 2022. AP Pho...

Marjorie Hershey, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Indiana University

What is the best mask for COVID-19? A mechanical engineer explains the science after 2 years of testing masks in his lab

Not all masks offer the same level of protection for you and those around you.Martin Barth/EyeEm via Getty ImagesThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its guidelines about masks a...

Christian L'Orange, Assistant Research Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University

How 5G puts airplanes at risk – an electrical engineer explains

The FAA raised concerns that new, full-speed 5G cellphone services near airports could interfere with aircraft operations.Bernal Saborio/Flickr, CC BY-SANew high-speed cellphone services have raised c...

Prasenjit Mitra, Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State

The US military presence in Europe has been declining for 30 years – the current crisis in Ukraine may reverse that trend

Over there, over there (again).Omar Marques/Getty ImagesUp to 8,500 U.S. troops could soon be heading to Eastern Europe – bolstering an American military presence in the continent that has been ...

Michael A. Allen, Associate Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

From odor to action – how smells are processed in the brain and influence behavior

The compact olfactory system provides a more accessible way to study the brain as a whole.Esther Kok/EyeEm via Getty ImagesA dog raises its nose in the air before chasing after a scent. A mosquito zig...

John Crimaldi, Professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Life's stages are changing -- we need new terms and new ideas to describe how adults develop and grow

These days, people in their 20s are figuring out who they are as adults, rather than experiencing "extended adolescence." Hinterhaus Productions/DigitalVision via Getty ImagesWhat image comes to mind...

Jeffrey Arnett, Senior Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, Clark University