The U.S. spends more on education than many other countries, yet it has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the world. The problems of education are complicated, and fixing them is a long-term task. But somewhere near the heart of that effort, there has to be a ...

After months of delay, Boys Scouts of America (BSA) is finally voting today to overturn its ban on “openly gay” scouts (though not scout leaders—those are still verboten.) The BSA has defended its discriminatory policy on the grounds that homosexuality is incompatible with the Scout Law, especially with the values expressed in its ...

The race is over. You (or your son or daughter) got into college, accepted the offer of admission, bought the sweatshirt with your school’s logo. There’s just one obstacle standing in the way: summer. A growing body of research shows that the summer before college can be a treacherous time ...

Teen birth rates in the U.S., which have been declining for two decades, have reached a record low, with significant drops in almost every state. The report, from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that teen birth rates fell at least 15% in all states with the ...

A promising new drug for treating asthma could not only reduce asthma symptoms but also improve lung function in patients, according to a new study. The results of the trial involving dupilumab, which is being developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and French drugmaker Sanofi, showed the drug reduced asthma attacks by 87% in patients ...

The largest study to date confirms that ketamine — a “club drug” that is also legally used as an anesthetic — could be a quick and effective way to relieve depression. The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association and represent growing excitement about ketamine’s potential. ...

The advice to detect and treat cancers at the first opportunity may not apply to older men with prostate tumors, according to the latest study. With a government-backed group advising that most men no longer need regular screening for prostate cancer with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, researchers now ...

CT scans can reveal a remarkable amount of useful medical information, but more studies underscore the need to balance the benefits of that knowledge with the risks of being exposed to the scans’ small amounts of radiation. Being able to peer into the human body without making a single incision is ...

Sneezing and wheezing can make children feel miserable, and that discomfort can hamper how well they do in school. About 7.1 million children in the U.S. live with asthma, and it’s health consequences are well known; inflamed lung tissue can contribute to lasting lung damage, as well as make breathing difficult. But ...

With summer vacation about to start, kids will inevitably spend even more time online. So here are some tips for making sure they’re only seeing what’s appropriate for them. “You shouldn’t have to be a computer scientist to protect yourself and stay safe online,” says Nadja Blagojevic, a manager of privacy and security ...