Humans aren’t the only animals with complex culture − but researchers point to one feature that makes ours unique
Animals can learn from each other, maintaining their cultures for long periods of time. What sets people apart may be the uniquely open-ended ways we invent new ideas and share and build on them.
Eli Elster, Doctoral Candidate in Evolutionary Anthropology, University of California, Davis •
conversation
March 19, 2025 • ~10 min
March 19, 2025 • ~10 min
5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since COVID-19
Public school access to high-quality teachers is shrinking, while teen reports of feeling unsafe at school are on the rise.
Gravity Goldberg, Visiting Assistant Professor in Education Studies, Wesleyan University •
conversation
March 10, 2025 • ~10 min
March 10, 2025 • ~10 min
5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since the COVID-19
Public school access to high-quality teachers is shrinking, while teen reports of feeling unsafe at school are on the rise.
Gravity Goldberg, Visiting Assistant Professor in Education Studies, Wesleyan University •
conversation
March 10, 2025 • ~10 min
March 10, 2025 • ~10 min
What’s that microplastic? Advances in machine learning are making identifying plastics in the environment more reliable
To deal with microplastic pollution, it helps agencies to know what kind of plastic they’ve got on their hands.
Ambuj Tewari, Professor of Statistics, University of Michigan •
conversation
March 6, 2025 • ~8 min
March 6, 2025 • ~8 min
Study: Even after learning the right idea, humans and animals still seem to test other approaches
New research adds evidence that learning a successful strategy for approaching a task doesn’t prevent further exploration, even if doing so reduces performance.
David Orenstein | The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory •
mit
Feb. 21, 2025 • ~6 min
Feb. 21, 2025 • ~6 min
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