Shifts

The Death Penalty Becomes Rare

In 2012, only 59 of the 3,144 counties in America actually sentenced people to be executed.

• Matt Ford
• Apr 21, 2015

Filmmaking for Kids: Rough, Raw, and Real

Educators are embracing video-production technology, from professional equipment to smartphones, to give students ownership over their learning.

• Aaron Reiss
• Apr 17, 2015

Documenting India's Villages Before They Vanish

The country's greatest chronicler of rural life embarks on a mission to digitize, well, everything.

• Jason Overdorf
• Apr 16, 2015

Should Patients Be Able to Find Organ Donors on Facebook?

A recent case in Belgium, in which a man took to social media to ask for a kidney, is raising questions about who can ethically donate.

• Benjamin Duerr
• Apr 15, 2015

What Would a World Without Language Barriers Look Like?

On the present imperfections and compelling potential of Skype's real-time translation

• Joe Pinsker
• Apr 9, 2015

The Invisible Democratic Majority

A new study finds broad support for the party among the general public in 2014, even as it was resoundingly defeated at the polls.

• Russell Berman
• Apr 8, 2015

Setting Limits for Testing Brains

A neuroscientist discusses a new White House report on ethical questions for the future of human brain research.

• Cari Romm
• Apr 7, 2015

Undercover Teachers or Imaginary Friends?

How a research team at the University of Michigan uses online role-playing to educate and engage the minds of Midwestern schoolchildren

• Joshua Andrew
• Apr 3, 2015

Overcoming an Eating Disorder With Instagram

Many patients post photos of their meals and changing bodies to document their recovery—and in the process, some have found an online community of supporters.

• Molly Mirhashem
• Apr 1, 2015

The Amazon Button Is Real

What even?

• Adrienne LaFrance
• Mar 31, 2015

The Hidden Effects of Cheap Oil

From Russia to your local gas station, the consequences of low fuel prices are clear. But the consequences of those consequences are less apparent.

• Moisés Naím
• Mar 31, 2015

How to Make Your Company Less Sexist and Racist

Many employers who discriminate don't do so intentionally, yet few are aware of concrete steps they can take to override their subconscious biases.

• Katherine Reynolds Lewis
• Mar 31, 2015

The Return of the Mercenary

How private armies, and the technology they use, are changing warfare

• Kathy Gilsinan
• Mar 25, 2015

What Makes Americans So Optimistic?

Why the U.S. tends to look on the bright side

• Jared Keller
• Mar 25, 2015

Learning How to Practice Medicine—Virtually

Yale is poised to join the list of top-tier universities now offering online master’s programs. Will these initiatives work?

• Alia Wong
• Mar 20, 2015

The Computer Will See You Now

A growing number of people are turning to online counseling, possibly at the expense of their privacy or the quality of the mental-health care they receive.

• David R. Wheeler
• Mar 18, 2015

The Quantified Workplace: Despite the Hype, Not All That Useful Yet

Big Data promises to predict employee behavior. But as it turns out, humans aren't particularly predictable.

• Bourree Lam
• Mar 17, 2015

When Students Can't Go Online

Nearly every school in America has some form of Internet connectivity—but that alone doesn't mean all kids have equal access to the web.

• Terrance F. Ross
• Mar 13, 2015

When Government Competes Against the Private Sector, Everybody Wins

If civil servants are pitted against businesses they become more innovative, and secure most of the contracts put out for bid.

• Eric Schnurer
• Mar 11, 2015

Corporations' Newest Productivity Hack: Meditation

Target, Google, and Ford have started teaching employees mindfulness. Will capitalism complicate something as simple as following your breath?

• Joe Pinsker
• Mar 10, 2015