Editor's note

College football is not just about touchdowns and quarterback sacks. It’s also about lucrative sports merchandising and TV broadcasting deals. Coaches get a cut of the money, which they often do through contracts that award them hefty bonuses. But as college sports scholar Jasmine Harris points out, the history of those big bonuses stretches back much further than some may think.

At a time when vaping by teens is increasing, Altria, which makes Marlboro brand cigarettes, just bought a 35 percent stake in the leading vaping company, Juul Labs. Juul has been sharply criticized for its flavored vaping products. Leah Ranney, a tobacco control expert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, reports on her research that shows that the perception of harm in smoking products is diminished by sweet flavors.

What makes an image unforgettable? It’s a question University of Oregon visual communication scholar Nicole Smith Dahmen has been studying for nearly 20 years. Using a model she and her colleagues developed, she highlights the most memorable photos of 2018.

Jamaal Abdul-Alim

Education Editor

Top stories

Fresno State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Tedford and running back Ronnie Rivers hoist the Las Vegas Bowl trophy after the Bull Dogs defeated Arizona State on Dec. 15. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

How big bonuses for winning coaches became a tradition in college football

Jasmine Harris, Ursinus College

While college football coaches who make it to the widely televised bowl games stand to collect major bonuses, history shows that bonuses for top coaches predate the days of TV and radio.

Studies have suggested that teens’ perception of risk in these products is influenced by flavor. Diego Cervo/Shutterstock.com

Could the increase in e-cigarette use by teens be colored by flavor?

Leah Ranney, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

E-cigarette usage among teens has surged. A tobacco control expert explains how flavors may be contributing.

Maria Meza, a 40-year-old migrant woman from Honduras, runs away from tear gas with her 5-year-old twin daughters in front of the border wall in Tijuana, Mexico. Kim Kyung Hoon/Reuters

Of the trillion photos taken in 2018, which were the most memorable?

Nicole Smith Dahmen, University of Oregon

Each day, readers are bombarded with shocking, inspiring and informative images. In their overwhelming volume, they can be easily forgotten. Nonetheless, some do rise to the top.

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From our international editions

  • Winter solstice: the astronomy of Christmas

    Gareth Dorrian, Nottingham Trent University; Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University

    If we didn't correct for gravitational effects on the Earth's orbit, the winter solstice would shift backwards by a day every 72 years.

  • Why Ebola is proving hard to beat in the DRC

    Connor Bamford, University of Glasgow

    Instability in the DRC and Ebola's deadly properties is making it hard to contain the virus.

  • Want citizens to care about climate change? Write them a check

    Abhishek Kar, University of British Columbia; Hisham Zerriffi, University of British Columbia

    Millions of people worldwide are either indifferent to a carbon tax or opposed. If citizens were motivated by potential carbon dividends, maybe politicians would finally take action on climate change.

Today’s quote

Sound is a powerful indicator of environmental degradation and an effective tool for developing more sustainable ecosystems.

 

Listening to nature: How sound can help us understand environmental change

 

Garth Paine

Arizona State University

Garth Paine