Collage juxtaposes silhouettes of overweight people with unlabeled graphs, a BMI (height-weight ratio) chart, scale and measuring tape.

She saw the obesity epidemic coming. Then an unexpected finding mired her in controversy.

By Alice Callahan   Katherine Flegal was a scientist who found herself crunching numbers for the government, until one day her analyses set off a firestorm. What does she make of her decades as a woman in public health research? Read more

Photo shows orange lava spewing from atop a volcanic crater.

There are more active volcanoes than you think

By Luca Caricchi and Guido Giordano   OPINION: Volcanologists warn that magma-filled vents evolve over time, leading to an underestimation of the number that might erupt — especially those capable of the biggest explosions Read more

 

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From the archives

Though the pandemic isn’t over yet, many people are settling back into familiar routines — including the return to school for children in much of the Northern Hemisphere. Read our collection of stories on kids, learning and what’s ahead.

A young boy in a red-orange sweatshirt sits at a table in front of a laptop computer with his head in his hands. Other participants in a Zoom class are visible on the screen.

Kids of the Covid generation: The road ahead

By Amber Dance   What will become of children growing up during the pandemic? There’s reason for concern, but the research on resilience is reassuring. A developmental psychologist explains what adults can do to protect youngsters from long-term harm. Read more

Illustration shows students running on a multiple-choice answer form as a giant pencil looms above

Pencils down: The year pre-college tests went away

By Amber Dance   Many colleges and universities stopped requiring the SAT and ACT during Covid. Will they go back to testing in the future? Select: (a) Yes (b) No (c) Depends (d) Not enough information. Read more

Digital Eyestrain

Yes, all this screen time is hurting your eyes

By Zhong-Lin Lu   OPINION: A neuroscientist says that he’s particularly worried about kids, who may have spent much of last year learning online. Some easy hacks can help. Read more

Photo shows a class of students sitting in front of monitors playing a game.

What electronic games can teach us

By Kendall Powell   Digital play can enhance certain types of learning, but how to harness that potential for the classroom remains a prize question Read more

A conceptual illustration with animation shows a child staring at a screen surrounded by numbers, letters and pictures. A cow, musical notes and the words “Moo! Moo!” pop out of the screen as he touch

E-books for kids raise questions about consequences

By Cypress Hansen  Evolution of children’s literature into high-tech form may offer benefits, but also some detriments Read more

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