Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Infographic: The Rise of Americans With No Religion

Today, one in five in the American public doesn't identify with any religion, the highest share since Pew Research Center began this poll in...

By Good Partner,
Good Partner
See Full Bio
Column Five
Column Five
See Full Bio
Mar 27, 2013

Today, one in five of the American public doesn't identify with any religion, the highest share since Pew Research Center began this poll in 2007. Who makes up this group, and what implications does the growing trend have for secularization, politics, and spirituality?

starbucks-digital-networkspirituality and religion

The Latest

woman looking up toward the sky; earth from space
Science

New MIT study says 'quantified proof' Earth's ozone layer is healing

Old people dancing
Science

Seniors reveal the 5 things that make getting old better than being young

Theresa Malkiel
History

How International Women’s Day reforms history, with roots from one Jewish immigrant

More For You

social media post with scientists

AMU is offering a lifeline to American scientists who want to continue their research.

Photo credit: LinkedIn/Canva

French university offers jobs to American scientists afraid of government censorship

As the current federal government in the U.S. has been freezing or cutting funding for several research grants, a French university has stepped in with an offer for American scientists. Aix Marseille University (AMU) is offering a program for them to continue projects that have been compromised or cut off.

“The program is called ‘Safe Place for Science,’ and will provide 15 million Euros in funding for some 15 researchers over a 3-year period,” said Clara Bufi, a spokesperson for Aix Marseille University, in an interview with 404 Media. “It targets, but is not limited to, climate and environment, health, and human and social sciences.”

Keep ReadingShow less
The Four Magic Phrases to Use When You’re Stopped by the Cops
Knowing your rights when navigating the unbalance of power in any given police traffic stop.
Image from YouTube video.

The Four Magic Phrases to Use When You’re Stopped by the Cops

Whether it's a traffic stop that turns into "We smell something in your car" or a "driving while black" situation, you have rights when you're pulled over, and it's for the best if you actually use them.

So how does this work, anyway? Well, you have rights when you're pulled over. These have been established via case law, and ultimately, some stem from the Constitution itself. In order, here are the magic phrases, along with some graphics to help you remember.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ultra-difficult color test is so hard only 1 percent of people can get a perfect score
red yellow and green paper
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Ultra-difficult color test is so hard only 1 percent of people can get a perfect score

Lenstore, a UK-based eye care company, has created an ultra-difficult color test that’s so challenging, the retailer says that less than 1% of the first 2,000 people who took it got a perfect ten out of ten. The test involves distinguishing between different hues of the same color and putting the colors in the correct order on the spectrum.

Lenstore says that women fair better than men on the test. Females scored an average of 57.7%, while men obtained an average of 53.8%. These results closely mirror the current scientific data on sex and color perception.

Keep ReadingShow less
A sick person sitting on their couch

Scientists have made a potential breakthrough, discovering a new part of the human immune system.

Photo credit: Canva

Scientists discover a new part of the human immune system that could cure superbugs

Scientists in Israel have discovered a new part of the human immune system, shedding light on a potential "untapped source of natural antibiotics." The research focuses on protaesomes, structures inside cells that, according to the Israel Cancer Research Fund, essentially function as "cellular garbage cans," helping remove "unwanted or damaged proteins and helping the immune system recognize harmful invaders and cancer cells."

Now, as detailed in the scientific journal Nature and illuminated by the BBC, the new study has "addressed a question that remained unanswered for decades," showing that proteasomes can detect bacteria in cells—and then use old proteins as defense against that bacteria."

Keep ReadingShow less
Actor Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con

www.flickr.com

Kyra Sedgwick reveals the hilariously cringe pickup line Kevin Bacon once tried out on her

Even the most beautiful relationships can have a rocky start. Kevin Bacon and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, made the news recently for their Vanity FairOscars party glow-ups, where they each posted adorable photo slideshows and videos on Instagram. On Kevin's page, he simply wrote "date night" as the description for a gorgeous picture of himself with Kyra, dressed to the nines in a black-and-white Prabal Gurung dress.

Kyra captioned her similar photo (though now outside), "Going out on a school night!" But it was an Instagram Reel that really captured their magic. With the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" as background music, it shows Kyra displaying a table of beauty products, and her glam squad circling her with hair extensions, bronzer, smoky-eye shadows, and lint rollers for the dress. Cut to: Kevin in shorts, casually solving a jigsaw puzzle.

She continues with nails, earrings, you name it, and then back to Kevin, who is now further along on his puzzle, revealing that it's of our Solar System. But in the final shot, after all that primping on her end, the result is the same. Both Kyra and Kevin look fabulous.

Their delightful connection has caused old interviews to resurface from a time when it wasn't exactly love at first sight. At least, not for Kyra. (Kevin, on the other hand, was immediately smitten.)

According to a piece on Ranker, "What Famous Couples Who Met Their Spouses on Set Said About Them," Lauren Glen compiled a list of quotes from celebrity couples when they first met.

In a 2008 interview with Redbook, Kyra remembers, "He definitely wasn’t my type. In fact, I vividly remember looking at his butt when he walked away after we first met and thinking, 'Well, I guess some girls like that.'" She then adds, "And now it's one of my favorite parts of his anatomy! That's probably too much information!"

Kyra Sedgwick sitting outside near a poolKyra Sedgwick www.flickr.com

But here's the cringe part: In an interview with Conan O'Brien, Kyra shares a story of a scene she and Kevin had to film together wherein he gives her a massage. She claims Kevin then said, "You know you're really tight. Have you ever had a massage? You should make an appointment to go see [this masseuse], and you know, it just so happens the massage room is in the gym, and if I happen to be finished with my workout when you're finished with your massage, maybe we can get dinner?” To which Kyra thought, "Yeah, sure, that's not going to happen. I'm not going to tell him when my massage is." Conan then replied, "Worst line ever."

Kevin, for his part, felt the exact opposite. In an interview he gave in 2011 on CNN, when asked if he knew she was "the one," he shares, "I found her, you know, really very beautiful and sexy and aloof. And I was just immediately in love with her, and she was just immediately put off by me."

Actor Kevin BaconKevin Bacon by David Shankboneen.m.wikipedia.org

But Kevin didn’t give up, obviously, and Kyra knew he was her "person" soon after. The two have continued to inspire couples for decades, proving one can go from cringe to crave very quickly.

And the best part is that their love still seems to be easy like Sunday morning. In 2018, HuffPost notednoted that Kevin once told Good Housekeeping, "Being with Kyra is so natural for me; it's the easiest aspect of my life. I know that I don't need a beach or room service to be happy."

Keep ReadingShow less
Jerry Parkin and his chair

Jerry's memory will be honored at his local Burger King.

Photo credit: @kare11

Minnesota Burger King workers bring a heartwarming gift to 91-year-old customer's funeral

The family of 91-year-old Jerry Parkin knew that dear friends would come and pay their respects at his funeral, but were initially puzzled when the morning staff of a local Burger King restaurant showed up. And they didn’t show up empty handed.

“Someone came into the kitchen at church and said, ‘The whole crew of Burger King is here, and they brought a chair,’” said Jenny Olsen, Jerry’s surviving daughter, to News Channel 7 WJHG. “I said, ‘What?’”

Keep ReadingShow less
Why do police tap your tail light when you're pulled over?

Why do police tap your tail light when you're pulled over?

There are few things more nerve-wracking than watching an officer slowly walk up to your car through your side-view mirror. Especially when you’re not sure why they pulled you over. "Are my registration and proof of insurance in the glove compartment?" you ask yourself.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman chewing on pencil

Research is showing that chewing on your wooden pencil could help your memory when studying.

Photo credit: Canva

Study shows chewing on wood might be better for your brain than chewing gum

If you’re looking to improve your brain’s health, Korean university research is showing after dinner you should pass on chewing gum and start gnawing on your toothpick. Researchers at Kyungpook National University have found in a published study that the act of chewing increases blood flow and influences brain activity, along with finding that chewing wood could specifically improve your memory.

Previous studies concluded that chewing helped the brain given that it increases blood flow, allowing the brain to get more oxygen and nutrients quicker to help it function. However, the brain over time suffers through oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species, harmful molecules that damage brain cells. One way the brain protects itself from this stress is releasing antioxidants, which includes glutathione. Glutathione neutralizes these reactive oxygen species.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025