Reasons women have won only 3 percent of science Nobels

Editor's note

Two women received science Nobel Prizes this past week: Donna Strickland in physics and Frances Arnold in chemistry. They join a very elite club – and bring the total number of female science laureates to 20 out of 607. Arizona State scholar Mary Feeney writes that she looks forward to a time when a woman winner is “newsworthy only for her science and not her gender.” But for now, women in academic science face some serious barriers on the road to parity. Be sure to check out some of our other coverage of the 2018 Nobel Prizes, too.

If Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to the Supreme Court, he will follow in Neil Gorsuch’s footsteps as a “minority justice” appointed by a “minority president” who lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote. Political scientist Kevin J. McMahon explores how the growing number of minority justices on the court could set the institution at odds with the American public.

Equipping a young child with a cellphone for school is often seen as a way for parents to quickly get in touch should the need arise. But research conducted by psychologist and bullying expert Elizabeth Englander found that providing cellphones to elementary school children comes with certain risks. She offers parents a series of tips to help keep cellphone-carrying children safe.

Maggie Villiger

Science + Technology Editor

Politics + Society

Interruptions at Supreme Court confirmation hearings have been rising since the 1980s

Paul M. Collins, Jr., University of Massachusetts Amherst; Lori A. Ringhand, University of Georgia

One striking feature of Brett Kavanaugh's testimony was the number of times he interrupted. Data shows that hearing interruptions are becoming more common, particularly when the nominee is female.

Beto O'Rourke won’t beat Ted Cruz in Texas – here’s why

James Henson, University of Texas at Austin

Pollsters at the University of Texas in Austin explain why the numbers just don't add up for the Democrat.

Health + Medicine

Most men do not perpetrate sexual violence against women

Joan M. Cook, Yale University

In the wake of the #MeToo movement and women finally feeling free to discuss having been sexually assaulted, it may seem like all men are predators. A trauma psychologist says this is far from true.

‘Bystander effect’ and sexual assault: What the research says

Heather Hensman Kettrey, Clemson University ; Robert Marx, Vanderbilt University

The Kavanaugh hearings have brought sexual assault to the forefront. A just-published study suggests that bystanders can help prevent it.

Nobels

Warriors against sexual violence win Nobel Peace Prize: 4 essential reads

Naomi Schalit, The Conversation

With the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to two leaders who fight against sexual violence as a tool of war, we looked into our archive to find stories about those efforts across the globe.

2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: a turning point in the war on cancer

Duane Mitchell, University of Florida

James Allison and Tasuku Honjo won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for encouraging immune cells to attack cancer. See how their work has revolutionized cancer therapies and medicine.

Nobel goes to chemists who learned to ‘hack’ evolution in the lab

Brian Bachmann, Vanderbilt University

Nature doesn't always make the things we need so three Nobel Prize winners figured out how to fast-track evolution in the lab to create medicines, biofuels and industrial chemicals for modern life.

2018 Nobel Prize for physics goes to tools made from light beams – a particle physicist explains

Todd Adams, Florida State University

The Nobel Prize for physics was awarded to three scientists for the inventions of optical tweezers – in which two laser beams can hold a tiny object – and a method for creating powerful lasers.

Economics + Business

How is ‘new NAFTA’ different? A trade expert explains

Amanda M. Countryman, Colorado State University

Canada, the US and Mexico are about to rip up the 25-year-old NAFTA and replace it with something new. But how new?

Charities take digital money now – and the risks that go with it

Philip Hackney, University of Pittsburgh; Brian Mittendorf, The Ohio State University

Harvesting gains from digital money by giving some of it away can be better for donors than the nonprofits they support.

Environment + Energy

Fishing forecasts can predict marine creature movements

Heather Welch, University of California, Santa Cruz; Elliott Lee Hazen, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Stephanie Brodie, University of California, Santa Cruz

A new tool called EcoCast helps fishermen in the West Coast figure out where it's best to fish that day.

Heat is a serious threat to dairy cows – we’re finding innovative ways to keep them cool

Alycia Drwencke, University of California, Davis; Cassandra Tucker, University of California, Davis; Theresa Pistochini, University of California, Davis

Dairy cows are sensitive to heat, so farmers cool them down with sprinklers and fans. Researchers are designing better, more efficient systems to keep cows comfortable through hot California summers.

Ethics + Religion

How should we judge people for their past moral failings?

Andrew Khoury, Arizona State University

Whether the sins of our past stay with us forever has become a pertinent question of our time. A philosopher argues we don't need to carry our past burdens – although there are some moral conditions.

The Catholic Church resists change – but Vatican II shows it’s possible

Melissa Wilde, University of Pennsylvania

The Second Vatican Council made many doctrinal changes possible in the Catholic Church. An expert argues why the church needs another such council.

Education

We provided psychological first aid after the Las Vegas shooting – here’s what we learned

Michelle Paul, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Heather Dahl, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; John A. Nixon, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Noelle Lefforge, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

One year after the Oct. 1 shooting massacre in Las Vegas, a team of scholars from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas offers insights into how to best help those affected by the violence.

Controversial young adult novel offers insight into Kavanaugh hearings, sexual assault

Kelly Roberts, Meredith College

An English professor says educators should use "Speak" – an often banned novel about sexual assault – to engage young people about the topic.

Arts + Culture

Think journalism’s a tough field today? Try being a reporter in the Gilded Age

Randall S. Sumpter, Texas A&M University

To survive in 19th-century newsrooms, reporters would have to hustle to get by, even if it meant producing fakes, staging events and sharing work with reporters from competing newspapers.

‘Coming of Age in Mississippi’ still speaks to nation’s racial discord, 50 years later

Leigh Ann Wheeler, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Does Anne Moody's memoir represent how far we've come as a society. Or is it a stark reminder of how far we need to go?

Science + Technology

Could an artificial intelligence be considered a person under the law?

Roman V. Yampolskiy, University of Louisville

A legal loophole could grant computer systems many legal rights people have – threatening human rights and dignity and setting up some real legal and moral problems.

Is a polygraph a reliable lie detector?

Jessica Gabel Cino, Georgia State University

It would be great to know for sure when someone is lying and when someone is telling the truth. But no technology that purports to do so is foolproof.