Neuroscientist William Skaggs uses motivational psychology to explore the concept of freedom.
Author Archives: Anita Hacker
The Exhausting Work of Tallying America’s Largest Protest
Two university professors share their method of counting the number of people who attended the Women’s March on January 21 and suggest what that number might signify for the movement’s future success. You can find a link to their Google spreadsheet in the fourth paragraph.
Dress for Success: How Clothes Influence Our Performance
Research shows that dressing the part will help you succeed in your desired goal.
Nine incredible buildings inspired by nature
Advancing digital technology has allowed architects to create unique buildings inspired by nature.
Arthur Miller’s Chameleon Play
Critic Alina Cohen reviews a recent Broadway production of The Crucible and reflects on the play’s lasting themes.
In Pakistan, young female boxers punch through gender barriers
Read about a girls’ boxing club in Karachi, Pakistan. View the slideshow and video to see images of the gym and training.
Extreme sports: What are the risks?
In this humorous essay, statistician David Spiegelhalter analyzes the numbers of injury and death of extreme sports participants.
Vietnam War Protests
Protests against the Vietnam War increased in size and scale from the mid-1960s to early 1970s. Learn why more people started to oppose the war.
The Women ‘Computers’ Who Revolutionized Astronomy
In the late 19th century, a group of women were instrumental to the success of the Harvard College Observatory and the discoveries made there.
Remains of Pilgrims’ Plymouth settlement unearthed
Archeologists from the University of Massachusetts Boston recently unearthed artifacts that help pinpoint the location of the historic Plymouth settlement.
In ‘All the Wild That Remains,’ David Gessner illuminates two great writers on the American West.
Read this review of nature writer David Gessner’s biography of two other authors whose work he argues remains relevant today.
HerStory: The Women Behind the 19th Amendment
Though the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, wasn’t ratified until 1920, much of the groundwork for women’s suffrage was laid during the abolitionist movement preceding the Civil War.
Minneapolis author Louise Erdrich finds writing humor is the ‘hardest thing’
Award-winning author Louise Erdrich discusses her writing process and the Native American tradition at the root of her newest novel, LaRose.
These Rarely Seen Photographs are a Who’s Who of the Harlem Renaissance
Read about this collection of photos by Carl Van Vechten, who employed more of an archival rather than artistic method to his work. He sought to photograph as many notable people of the early 20th century as possible.
Jamaica Kincaid’s Antigua
In this essay, travel writer Monica Drake explores the homeland of author Jamaica Kincaid and looks for the inspiration she found in her writing.
How To Get Dads To Take Parental Leave? Seeing Other Dads Do It
Statistics show that seeing other fathers take parental leave helps remove the stigma of leaving work for an extended time.
Federalist Papers
Three founding fathers wrote this series of articles to persuade at least nine of the thirteen states to ratify the Constitution.
Should U.S. pay reparations for slavery? U.N.-appointed experts think so
Read why the United Nations recommends formal apologies and reparations be made to black Americans and why the subject is controversial.
The Israeli-Palestinian basketball teams that are breaking all barriers
Organized by PeacePlayers International, a basketball team of Israeli and Palestinian teenage girls is bringing people together.
Aung San Suu Kyi Biography
For decades, activist Aung San Suu Kyi fought for democracy and human rights in her country of Burma, which is now called Myanmar. She spent 15 years under house arrest for her actions, but after an election in November 2015, she and her party now lead the government.