Even With Unlimited Student Loans, College Is Unaffordable
In the 1980s, universities lobbied Congress to make student loans unlimited, so everyone could get a college education and have higher earnings. Now, college is more unaffordable than ever.
A Strange Tale Of Fish Eye Evolution
Fish vision just got more complex. Janderk, CC BY-SABy William Feeney, University of Cambridge
Take Science Out Of The Climate Change Debate
Climate science is right – but it isn't winning. NASA, CC BYBy Mathis Hampel, University of East AngliaScientists tell us the world is warming and that a climate catastrophe is imminent. They’re probably right. Yet climate change framed by scientists, politicians and economists as a straightforward pollution problem will neither convince skeptics nor advance the difficult decision-making process.
Africa Will Feed Itself Within The Next 15 Years
Put innovative farming techniques in the right hands. CGIAR Climate, CC BY-NC-SABy Sayed Azam-Ali, University of NottinghamAfrica will be able to feed itself in the next 15 years. That’s one of the big “bets on the future” that Bill and Melinda Gates have made in their foundation’s latest annual letter. Helped by other breakthroughs in health, mobile banking and education, they argue that the lives of people in poor countries “will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any other time in history”.
Football Physics: The Science Of Deflategate
The Patriots ran away with the AFC Championship. What did deflated footballs have to do with it? USA Today Sports / ReutersBy Chad Orzel, Union College
Death By Boiling Air: The Asteroid Impact Wasn't The Only Thing Killing Dinosaurs
Credit: Don DavisBy Claire Belcher, University of Exeter and Rory Hadden, University of EdinburghThe asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs set off an intense heat wave that briefly boiled the Earth’s atmosphere – but it didn’t burn off all the plants.
When Is Government Advertising Just Political Advertising?
The government's ad promoting proposed changes to higher education. Is it legal? And if so, should it be? Youtube screen grab, CC BY-SABy Andrew Hughes, Australian National University
Wind Turbine Studies: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
The debate over wind turbines is heated, so it's best to rely on solid science. Fir0002/Flagstaffotos/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NCBy Jacqui Hoepner, Australian National University and Will J Grant, Australian National University
Niche Interests, Marginalization - Social Media Fall Short In Mobilizing Protests
From hashtag to the streets. The All-Nite Images, CC BY-SABy Imaani El-Burki, Lehigh University
Fat And Sugar-Heavy Diets Are Addictive - And Harm Your Brain
A Western diet may be negatively affecting your brain not just your belly. Jams, CC BY-NC-SABy Terry Davidson, American University and Camille Sample, American University
New Math: Calculating The Economic Cost Of Climate Change
Hurricane Sandy pummeled cities along the east coast in 2012, causing billions of dollars in damage. ShutterstockBy Delavane Diaz, Stanford UniversityClimate change is as much an economic problem as an environmental one.The effects of climate change, such as damage from more severe weather or health problems from higher temperatures, will impose a cost on society. On the other hand, moving away from a fossil fuel-based energy system will require significant investments into low-carbon technologies. How does society determine which efforts are most cost-effective?
