Many parents feel guilty when their children play video games for hours on end. But a new study points to evidence of a beneficial, causal effect of video games on intelligence. For example, a child who was in the top 17% in terms of hours spent gaming increased their IQ about 2.5 points more than the average child over two years.
The Conversation
The Ethics of ‘Personhood’ in the Abortion Debate
Current constitutional law grants a right to have an abortion until a fetus becomes viable – in other words, until there is a reasonable probability it could survive outside the womb with care. Today, this typically occurs between the 22nd and 24th weeks of pregnancy. But “what is a person?” How people answer this question shapes how they think about a developing human being.
A Fraction of Crops Goes to Feed the Hungry as Most Are Used for Nonfood Purposes
Rising competition for many of the world’s important crops is sending increasing amounts toward uses other than directly feeding people. These competing uses include making biofuels; converting crops into processing ingredients, such as livestock meal, hydrogenated oils and starches; and selling them on global markets to countries that can afford to pay for them.
Tucker Carlson’s Masculinity Crisis
Tucker Carlson’s central premise is that modern society has devitalized American men. Strength, drive and aggression are no longer in vogue, and Americans, as a result, are become weaker. Carlson’s claims as part of a rich heritage of skeptics shouting from the rooftops that American men are becoming devitalized, lazy and effeminate.
‘White Privilege’? The Accusation Is Not Constructive.
Though these words are commonly used, use of “white privilege” can decrease support for racially progressive policies, increase online political polarization and lead to lower quality conversations on social media. In particular, the term drives some whites who would otherwise support efforts toward racial equality away from online conversations.
Fentanyl: What is It, and Why Buying Any Street Drug Is Now Russian Roulette
Buying drugs on the street is a game of Russian roulette. From Xanax to cocaine, drugs or counterfeit pills purchased in nonmedical settings may contain life-threatening amounts of fentanyl.
Disney Confronts the Sort of Trouble It Last Knew in 1941
In April, officials at Disney objected to a Florida law prohibiting instruction in sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded by signing a bill revoking Disney’s self-governing status, a unique arrangement in which the company operated like an independent fiefdom within the state.
The Cleveland Indians Changed Their Name. Should the Atlanta Braves?
It wasn’t until 2018 that the Indians officially removed their logo, a cartoonish Native American named Chief Wahoo, from merchandise, and in 2020 that they changed their name. The Atlanta Braves’ owners, however, have dug in their heels, refusing to replace a name that many Americans – including Native Americans – find offensive and derogatory.
The Southwest is on Fire: 3 Reasons the 2022 Fire Season Is So Early and Intense
New Mexico and Arizona are facing a dangerously early fire season, with 600 fires leaving neighborhoods in ashes and triggering a federal disaster declaration. A scientist explains why the unusual intensity and timing.
Where the Notion of a Wrathful God and Eternal Damnation Appeals to Millions
The Ark Encounter, an evangelical theme park located near Williamstown, Kentucky, has welcomed between 4 million and 5 million visitors since its opening in July 2016. Ark Encounter is a tourist site devoted to emphasizing the wrathful nature of God and the eternal damnation that awaits unrepentant sinners.