Editor's note
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Some demographers have been raising the alarm over falling fertility rates in the U.S. So who is having kids today? Caroline Sten Hartnett at the University of South Carolina digs into the latest data on American childbearing, revealing that women’s education levels matter a lot when it comes to deciding to have children. She also shows that the stereotypical two-child family is actually not that common – only about one-third of
women say they have two kids.
Many New Year’s resolutions are geared towards curtailing a self-destructive habit, whether it’s smoking, overeating or overspending. But why are humans drawn to things they know are bad for them in the first place? Why do some people sabotage relationships, knowingly put their health at risk or repeatedly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? English professor Mark Canada and psychologist Christina Downey from Indiana University Kokomo explore a component of the human psyche that has vexed writers and scientists for centuries.
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, who led his country’s descent into a humanitarian crisis, will be sworn in for a second term on Thursday. He is accused of rigging last year’s presidential vote, jailing opponents and quashing popular dissent. Donald Trump has suggested sending in troops to oust this authoritarian leader, and many exiled Venezuelan say locals would welcome such an operation. They’re wrong, writes Venezuela expert David Smilde. Suffering Venezuelans desperately want to see their democracy restored, but not if it means being invaded.
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Aviva Rutkin
Big Data + Applied Mathematics Editor
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Top stories
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Women’s education levels affect when they have children.
o_shumilova/shutterstock.com
Caroline Sten Hartnett, University of South Carolina
How do women decide how many children to have and when to have them? The data reveal a few major patterns.
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There seems be an attractive quality to things that are ostensibly unhealthy or dangerous.
Alisusha/Shutterstock.com
Mark Canada, Indiana University; Christina Downey, Indiana University
Edgar Allen Poe, Sigmund Freud and cognitive scientists have all wrestled with the human tendency to behave in ways that are irrational and self-defeating.
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Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro’s Jan. 10 inauguration will be a lonely one: Over 40 countries have refused to recognize his re-election as legitimate.
Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters
David Smilde, Tulane University
Maduro, who starts his second term on Jan. 10, has rigged elections, jailed rivals and plunged Venezuela into crisis. But most people there still reject Trump's proposed 'military option' to oust him.
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Health + Medicine
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Heidi Silver, Vanderbilt University
When did eating become so confusing? In the 1960s, studies began to show a link between heart disease and dietary fat, and fat was demonized. As it turns out, fat is nuanced and may not be so bad.
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Joshua Rubin, Washington University in St Louis
Male and female tumors are different. Researchers are now hoping to exploit these sex-specific differences to treat brain cancer. This might improve survival for everyone.
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From our International Editions
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Jerry Flores, University of Toronto
Cyntoia Brown has been granted clemency for killing a man when she was a teenager and forced into the sex trade. The case showed why the justice system must stop punishing women for defending themselves.
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Sarita Robinson, University of Central Lancashire
Depression, an altered sleep cycle, and hallucinations are some of the effects of living alone in total darkness.
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Joanna Groom, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
The cornerstone of our adaptive immune system is the ability to remember the various infections we have encountered. Quite literally, if it doesn’t kill you, it makes your immune system stronger.
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