Cultural Significance of Dung Beetles Through History

Number of words: 1,652 Nothing is wasted in nature, not even poop. The faecal matter produced by all the planet’s animals put together is an enormous resource that makes life possible for innumerable other creatures. Many species depend entirely on this one resource for their sustenance.Perhaps the most famous poop lovers are the dung beetles … Read more

Designing Engaging yet Focused Reading Experiences for Young Learners

Number of words: 586 Reading is the gateway for learning, but one-third of elementary school students in the United States do not read at grade level. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are exploring how the design of reading materials affects literacy development. They find that an overly busy page with extraneous images can draw the … Read more

A Historical Perspective on Economic Trends

Number of words: 52 In 19th century America, saloons offered free lunches with drinks; alcohol sales subsidised food. Over time, freeloaders grew so large that restaurants found the deal unviable. Economists have documented how Chicago became the place where both “free lunches” and “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”, or TANSTAAFL, movements … Read more

The Quest to Unravel Pilot Disorientation in Combat

Number of words: 403 The Pentagon’s research and development arm is investigating whether the very equipment meant to save military pilots’ lives on the battlefield is causing them to become disoriented and crash. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is funding an effort to study the relationship between military electronics and spatial disorientation—a pilot’s … Read more