Chasing the genes behind pain
New treatments for chronic pain face a long road despite promising developments. Research in people with rare diseases is pointing the way to genes that influence how we experience pain — and might lead to new medications.
April 15, 2020 • ~12 min
The complexities of a universal basic income
It’s a hot topic under political debate: providing cash grants as a social safety net. Small programs hint at how it might work — or not — on a national scale.
April 3, 2020 • ~15 min
What makes food ‘local’?
More people are choosing what to eat based on where it was grown, made or created. An anthropologist looks at the myriad ways we link food to place — and whether it really could make a difference.
Feb. 26, 2020 • ~12 min
Why real-life places still matter in the age of texting and Twitter
Interactions in physical spaces, whether around the watercooler or at the neighborhood bar, are crucial to forming social ties
Feb. 19, 2020 • ~13 min
Out of the mouth of babes
Learning a language is child’s play, but linguists are still trying to understand how children do it so easily
Feb. 13, 2020 • ~11 min
Robots designed to self-construct
Robot researcher Mark Yim offers a look inside the promising field of modular reconfigurable robotics — bots that can shift form to tackle an array of tasks
Feb. 5, 2020 • ~12 min
Robots designed to self-construct
Robot researcher Mark Yim offers a look inside the promising field of modular reconfigurable robotics — bots that can shift form to tackle an array of tasks
Feb. 5, 2020 • ~12 min
Treating the growing trauma of family separation
War, disasters, trafficking and immigration are tearing millions of children from their parents all around the world. A psychologist explores how to help them recover.
Jan. 23, 2020 • ~17 min
Why green energy finally makes economic sense
Solar and wind generators have suddenly become just as cheap as other ways to produce electric power
Jan. 14, 2020 • ~11 min
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