Day June 26, 2015

Magnolias are prized for their large, colorful, fragrant flowers. Does the attractive, showy tree also harbor a potent cancer fighter? Yes, according to a growing number of studies, including one from VA and the University of Alabama at Birmingham that…

Without new conservation efforts, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could lose up to 20 percent of its forests, unleashing a 60 percent increase in carbon emissions, says a new study by researchers at the University of Vermont’s Gund Institute…

An international group of academic leaders, journal editors and funding-agency representatives and disciplinary leaders, including Rick Wilson, the Herbert S. Autrey Chair of Political Science and professor of statistics and psychology at Rice University, has announced guidelines to further strengthen…

Rainwater could save people in India a bucket of money, according to a new study by scientists looking at NASA satellite data. The study, partially funded by NASA’s Precipitation Measurement Missions, found that collecting rainwater for vegetable irrigation could reduce…

The majority of the United States’ poor aren’t sitting on street corners. They’re employed at low-paying jobs, struggling to support themselves and a family. In the past, differing definitions of employment and poverty prevented researchers from agreeing on who and…

This article originally appeared on Slate. When President Obama heralded the Supreme Court victory for the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, he circled back to his fundamental vision of politics. “That’s when America soars, when we look out for one…

With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to rule on whether same-sex marriage is a national right, many social scientists say an affirmative ruling in the landmark case would also deliver psychological dividends to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)…

Well here’s one story we hope to ever actually see in bookstores. Recently, anonymous Imgur user RunOnSentence spoke to the souls of adults everywhere by uploading a rewritten version of Dr. Seuss’ coming-of-age tale Oh, the Places You’ll Go! The…

Every woman defines the role of feminism in her life differently — and one woman’s perspective may never be completely clear to another. But it’s every woman’s prerogative to define that role herself. In a new video created by Cut…

A thoughtful article just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association compares the process of building proficiency in patient communication with surgery: both require a methodical approach that includes training, study, preparation, practice, and continual attention to improvement.…

IMAGE: Boss’ model disk after 205 years of evolution, courtesy of Alan Boss. view more Credit: Alan Boss Washington, DC– New work from Carnegie’s Alan Boss offers a potential solution to a longstanding problem in the prevailing theory of how rocky…

IMAGE: Research by the Cornell Food and Brand Lab is to be presented at SNEB Annual Conference 2015. view more Credit: Daniel Miller Do you want to be seen as a better cook and a more loving parent? It’s as easy…

IMAGE: By studying iron extracted from cores drilled in rocks similar to these in Karijini National Park, Western Australia, UW-Madison researchers determined that half of the iron atoms had originated in… view more Credit: Courtesy of Clark Johnson MADISON, Wis. —…

IMAGE: The Pygmy Sloth is only found on Escudo de Veraguas Island in Panama. view more Credit: Courtesy of Bryson Voirin A Smithsonian scientist found that pygmy sloths wander inland in addition to inhabiting the mangrove fringes of their island refuge.…

Over the weekend, Thom and I had dinner with a friend whose lifestyle changed dramatically in the last couple of years. Our friend Tami* was single for most of the 30+ years we’ve known her. Then a couple of years…

By Mimi O’Connor Long considered to be America’s most influential naturalist and conservationist, author John Muir founded the Sierra Club in 1892. He called out the therapeutic value found in nature when he wrote, “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people…

I was at work and feeling blah. That’s the best description of it, blah. I went online during my lunch break, yes I wrote that with a straight face, and typed in Tony Robbins. He can really turn your disposition…

Just like unexpected rain on a clear sunny day, life circumstances beyond our control are going to happen. Letting them control our moods though, is completely optional. The key lies in changing focus. Here are a few simple ways to…

When philosophers try to answer the question: “What is a good life?”, it usually involves lots of alone time, thinking and meditating, hopefully with a pipe, a fireplace, or some nice mountain trails. Then the scientific method happened. With it,…

Although we know influenza viruses circulate in temperate, populated parts of Australia every winter, predicting the precise timing and relative intensity of flu seasons is a fraught undertaking. Still, this doesn’t deter people from making predictions. And when predictions mainly…