Many scientists are loath to involve themselves in policy debates for fear of losing credibility. They worry that if they participate in public debate on a contested issue, they will be viewed as biased and discounted as partisan. That perception then will lead to science itself being branded as partisan, further weakening public trust in… Continue reading The Public Wants Scientists to Be More Involved in Policy Debates
Dementia and National Security, Finland Joins NATO, the Four-Day School Week: RAND Weekly Recap
This week, we discuss how dementia in the national security workforce could create a security threat; Finland becoming the 31st NATO ally; learning loss associated with a four-day school week; this week’s U.S.-Taiwan news; preventing shortfalls in critical materials; and America’s dangerous short war fixation. Photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters Americans are living longer and retiring… Continue reading Dementia and National Security, Finland Joins NATO, the Four-Day School Week: RAND Weekly Recap
Through the Wounds of Christ the Father Transforms our Wounds
To be a Christian is to be plunged into the mystery of the Trinity. This mystery is one of both primordial and eschatological love for humanity. Just how radical this love is defies any attempt to articulate. Yet the Word of the Father has spoken it once and for all in the silence that followed… Continue reading Through the Wounds of Christ the Father Transforms our Wounds
The Lasting Power of Good Memories
Explore Three years ago almost to the day, my 7-year-old hugged his teacher goodbye, we walked home together, and then we pretty much remained there for the next 13 months. COVID-19 irrevocably changed all of our lives, and now that I have a little cognitive distance, I find myself wondering what we’ll remember about this… Continue reading The Lasting Power of Good Memories
The Army Should Be Looking for a Few Older Soldiers
The Army has missed its recruiting target twice in the past five years—by roughly 8 percent in 2018 and by 25 percent in 2022. While COVID shocks and a stronger job market may have hurt its efforts in 2022, other services mostly made their recruiting quotas—if in some cases by advancing recruits who had signed… Continue reading The Army Should Be Looking for a Few Older Soldiers
The Symmetry That Makes Solving Math Equations Easy
Think of the tune to “Pop Goes the Weasel.” Now sing these lyrics: Neg-a-tive b, plus or minusThe square root of b squaredmi-nus four a cAll! over two a This jingle has helped generations of algebra students recall the quadratic formula that solves every equation of the form $latex ax^2+bx+c=0$. The formula is as useful… Continue reading The Symmetry That Makes Solving Math Equations Easy
Why Blockading Rather Than Retaking Crimea Might Be Kyiv’s Best Option
“Crimea is our land, our territory,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared in January, underscoring Ukraine’s determination to reverse Russia’s illegal seizure of the peninsula. At present, Ukraine may lack the military capability to retake Crimea, but Kyiv might still achieve some of its key objectives by blockading it. New technology may ease this task. Crimea… Continue reading Why Blockading Rather Than Retaking Crimea Might Be Kyiv’s Best Option
The Knights of the Golden Circle (Secret Society, Civil War, John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln, Confederate Gold, Rebels, Slavery)
Podcast: Download MYS255: In the 19th century, secret societies were all the rage and the Knights of the Golden Circle were among the most famous. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss their origin and aims, their role in the Civil War, and the mysteries surrounding them. Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow… Continue reading The Knights of the Golden Circle (Secret Society, Civil War, John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln, Confederate Gold, Rebels, Slavery)
Exorcist Diary: Demons of Obesity
I was a bit surprised when “Sean” told me that he was starting to eat compulsively. He said, “I can’t stop eating. This has never happened before.” The family is locking up the refrigerator at night or else he will eat everything inside. Oddly, Sean has never had a compulsive eating problem in the past… Continue reading Exorcist Diary: Demons of Obesity
Shadows in the Big Bang Afterglow Reveal Invisible Cosmic Structures
Explore Nearly 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the primordial plasma of the infant universe cooled enough for the first atoms to coalesce, making space for the embedded radiation to soar free. That light—the cosmic microwave background (CMB)—continues to stream through the sky in all directions, broadcasting a snapshot of the early universe that’s picked… Continue reading Shadows in the Big Bang Afterglow Reveal Invisible Cosmic Structures