Thursday, May 14, 2026

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The men responsible for producing the Declaration of Independence, known as the Committee of Five, were, left to right: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, John Adams and Robert R. Livingston. Vintage etching circa late 19th century, digital restoration by Pictore via Getty Images

culture

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson disagreed about the American Revolution’s meaning even as they lay dying

Staff Writer - May 14, 2026

The ability to say ‘I know that I know nothing’ could be considered a sign of wisdom. Nicolas-André Monsiau/Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts via Wikimedia Commons

culture

Most people don’t know what they don’t know, but think they do – correcting your metaknowledge can make you a better teacher and learner

John Hancock, like many American men and women of his generation, transformed the new nation’s charitable activities. Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images

culture

How America’s independence from England revolutionized US philanthropy

Henry David Thoreau investigated the Sudbury River as America’s first river scientist. Robert M. Thorson

culture

Thoreau the scientist – how environmental research informed ‘Walden’ and later works

Teens contribute in ways that go far beyond organized volunteering. Maskot/DigitalVision via Getty Images

culture

Teens aren’t as disengaged as you may think: What adults get wrong about adolescents’ civic contributions

Distilling is a way of life in in Nubri, Nepal. Geoff Childs, CC BY

culture

Cheers! Welcome to the Nepalese village where everybody knows how to distill

Staff Writer - May 3, 2026

State governments have had trouble regulating what crisis pregnancy centers should tell their clients and donors. AP Photo/Mark Zaleski

culture

Supreme Court bolsters donors’ free speech rights in unanimous crisis pregnancy...

Staff Writer - April 30, 2026

Events that draw large crowds can create opportunities traffickers may try to exploit. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

culture

What to know about sex trafficking as Pittsburgh hosts the NFL draft

Staff Writer - April 26, 2026

Pope Leo XIV arrives to celebrate Mass at the Malabo stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on April 23, 2026, on the last day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. AP Photo/Misper Apawu

culture

‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries –...

Staff Writer - April 26, 2026

A striking 51.7% of Gen Z respondents ranked casket burial as their first choice, compared with just 27.1% of baby boomers. Ashley Cooper/The Image Bank via Getty Images

culture

Boom in cremation hides surprising truths about what Americans really want...

Staff Writer - April 24, 2026

People tend to be offended when they get a personal note written by AI – if they know. Ekaterina Buravleva/iStock via Getty Images

culture

Most people do not realize when a personal message they receive...

Staff Writer - April 20, 2026

Irene Fogel Weiss holds a photograph of her mother and brothers, who were killed during the Holocaust, during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on April 14, 2026, in Washington. Heather Diehl/Getty Images

culture

About half of young Americans can’t name a single Holocaust site,...

Staff Writer - April 19, 2026

Cannabis plants are seen at Harborside Oakland Dispensary on Aug. 11, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

culture

Why the future of marijuana legalization remains hazy despite high public support

Staff Writer - April 18, 2026

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EXPLORING NATURE

This screenshot juxtaposes a fossil of stem from the plant Archaeopitys eastmanii (bottom) and a close-up of its vascular system (top). The specimen was found in Kentucky and is over 350 million years old. Ingrid C. Romero, CC BY-SA

Education

Galaxies of life are collecting dust in museums – digitizing microscope...

Staff Writer - May 5, 2026

Ingrid C. Romero, Smithsonian Institution and Scott L. Wing, Smithsonian Institution Approximately 145 million: That’s the number of specimens...

Gas prices were well over $4 a gallon on April 28, 2026, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What’s in the price of a gallon of gas?

May 1, 2026

The new federal classification of marijuana regulates only medical use; recreational use is still determined by state laws. tvirbickis/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Reclassification of marijuana opens doors for much‑needed medical research into the...

April 29, 2026

An artisanal miner holds a cobalt stone at a mine near Kolwezi, Congo, in 2022. About 20,000 people work there among toxic materials. Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images

The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy...

April 28, 2026

Pope Leo XIV arrives to celebrate Mass at the Malabo stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on April 23, 2026, on the last day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. AP Photo/Misper Apawu

‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries –...

April 26, 2026