Latest Ideas headlines

At last official count, in 2015, over 33,000 people have died from opioid painkillers, heroin, and fentanyl– twice the number killed by guns — and the number of fatalities is rising. Health officials, police chiefs, employers, welfare workers, and politicians at all levels of government are desperately calling for more effective drug treatment, better prevention, smarter opioid prescribing, and improved pain management.

A search for sunlight.

“Can you actually launch KFC’s world-famous Zinger chicken sandwich into space?”

The term may act as a cloaking device for increased funding to abstinence-only education.

Dressmakers may have superior 3-D vision.

These records span more than 1,000 years.

A moment of levity during TSA screening.

From crowdfunding to counterinsurgency and more in this week’s Uncommon Knowledge.

“Robots don’t judge,” said one test subject.

Alberto Carpinteri is notorious for his dubious theories.

Our annual celebration of fathers is upon us.

People with mental disabilities want to be seen as more than just their diagnoses.

As someone who took a year of Sumerian language courses, I took notice.

Trying to make a perfect catch.

How “free college” turned into a modest scholarship plan.

A collection of unusual academic insights in this week’s Uncommon Knowledge.

Scoring party drugs in Kuwait can be a challenge.

A new discovery could pave the way for more efficient medicines.

E-readers are depriving us of a certain romance and sense of kinship in the world.

A change in terminology takes “innocent until proven guilty” to a whole new level.

Welcome to the inequality derby, where anything can happen!

Only violence and pestilence have leveled the economic playing field.

A growing number of Americans suffer because of a gap between those who enjoy financial stability and those who don’t.

Seeing the Comey testimony won’t change the minds of all believers

It’s a river! It’s an e-commerce site! No, it’s a race of female warriors, and they’re ready for a comeback.

The agony and ecstasy of finding a parking spot.

Americans don’t like to disclose their salaries, but transparency is the answer to pay disparities.

Also: self-help, boys’ clubs, and the new normal in this week’s Uncommon Knowledge.

It doesn’t always matter how much money we get, so long as we’re frequently rewarded.

Ten years ago this month, Apple released the first iPhone.

Despite the LGBT community’s improved visibility, it’s still not clear how many Americans are gay.

It’s a “shooting star” outer space memorial.

This isn’t the first time a dog has achieved such prestige.

We’re betting that we can engineer our way out of problems through biochemical transformations. But what if we can’t?

“Ghosting,” “breadcrumbing,” “cushioning” — America is swiping right on dating lingo.

The nursing staff of Boston Medical Center recently held a 50 Words writing competition. Here are two of the winning entries.

This dismal math presents an opportunity to revamp the way we generate revenue for the Commonwealth.

Facing bankruptcy, Bradley turned to a backup business venture and developed a hit board game. The rest is history.

Experiments on perception, race, and more in this week’s Uncommon Knowledge.

Remembering the reason for this holiday weekend.

This RoboCop patrolled an upscale mall in its first outing.

When a TV or movie franchise succeeds, it may never end.

This one is a record.

Some scientists want to revive the passenger pigeon and the woolly mammoth.

President Trump now faces a special counsel — but how special is “special”?

A new lingo for dog lovers emerges from Internet meme culture. Suddenly, it’s everywhere.