September 4, 2024: Today, the science of children's brains and how they learn. Plus, cats' love-hate relationship with water and changing science in Antarctica. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | We're officially back in school season. Raising young people to become critical thinkers has never been more crucial, and yet rates of U.S. absenteeism among students has been soaring since the pandemic, and school test scores in reading and math have fallen behind those of other rich nations. Scientific research has revealed a lot about how kids' brains develop, how to nurture their learning, and how to propel them to bright futures. Check out my favorite recent articles on kids, learning and school.
Born to Learn
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- How to raise high-achieving kids, based on a 45-year study of supersmart children. | 13 min read
- Paid parental leave and high-quality child care improve children's brain development and could help U.S. kids catch up to their global peers. | 12 min read
Diverse Minds
| - Traditionally characterized as purely a deficit of attention and focus, ADHD has many varieties and some surprising benefits. | 6 min read
- A form of mental closed-captioning called ticker-tape synesthesia means some people can "see" words they're hearing. | 10 min read
Science in School
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- New laws allowing religion into science classes is a dangerous precedent, writes Amanda L. Townley, the executive director of the National Center for Science Education. | 5 min read
| | | Sammy Safari, a ranger in Kenya, stops poachers who hunt sea turtles, and is working to educate local communities so they can work to protect turtles in their area. Watch the full video. | | | • The U.S. has pulled back on the number of scientific projects and people it sends to the Antarctic. This could have global ramifications. | 7 min read | | | • More than 80 percent of our health outcomes are driven by social factors in our environments, writes journalist Julia Hotz. This includes basic needs like nutritious food and clean air and water, but also social outlets for expression, connection and creativity. As mental health conditions like anxiety and depression are on the rise, physicians should consider prescribing nonpharmaceutical, community-based resources and activities, like art classes and cycling clubs, she says. "Social prescriptions, though gaining traction in the U.S., are still not mainstream. It's time to change that." | 5 min read | | | • Cocaine was used more than 200 years earlier in Europe than previously thought. | New Scientist | • Is it time to move past characterizing addiction as a chronic disease? | New York Times (gift article) | • Japanese researchers studied the structure of the great white shark's skin and learned how the animals adapt so well to a wide range of speeds. | Ars Technica | | | One revolution I'm waiting for in the U.S. education system is the acknowledgement that there is no "norm" when it comes to learning. Human brains are remarkably varied and even perceive reality in different ways. Check out our latest collector's edition for more intriguing articles on cognition, unconscious minds, how people learn, and the origins of brain disease.
| —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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