Zero tolerance policies are purported to make our schools safer. But they simply aren’t effective. Let’s stop extorting innocent children in the name of deterrence. read more

Lightning results from a negative charge in the clouds that causes the ground to become positively charged, pulling the electrons toward it at a great force. When struck by lightning, people usually either die or suffer long-term negative consequences. However, in rare cases being struck by lightning can unlock the genius within. read...

There are people who can remember four decks of cards in a few minutes or recite Pi to 20,000 decimal points. Do these extreme memory abilities require savant skills or hours of relentless practice? read more

Emotional pain is often said to be very different from physical pain. Past studies have revealed that this is not quite right. The brain interprets physical and emotional pain in similar ways. A new study indicates that the brain also interprets anxiety as a kind of pain, and that these forms of psychological discomfort can be lessened by taking a Tylenol. read...

In 1973 Mary Rowe of MIT coined the notion of micro-inequities: apparently small, hard-to-prove events that occur wherever people are perceived to be different. Rowe pointed out that micro-inequities, though they appear to be insignificant, can have seriously harmful effects when allowed to occur repeatedly. The problem of micro-inequities persists 40 years later. read...