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Every kid has that moment when she realizes that the adults she admires aren’t perfect. Few children ever learn, however, that the same is true for the inventors and intellectual giants whose distinguished portraits permeate their history textbooks. As it turns out, recognizing that visionaries such as Albert Einstein experienced failure can actually help students perform better in school. In 2016, the cognitive-studies researcher Xiaodong Lin-Siegler of Columbia University’s Teachers...

If you have ever run a marathon, you know that the effort can cause elation, exhaustion, achy legs, blackened toenails and an overwhelming urge to eat. But it is unlikely to have made you vulnerable to colds or other illnesses afterward, according to a myth-busting new review of the latest science about immunity and endurance exercise. The review concludes that, contrary to widespread belief, a long, tiring workout or race can amplify immune responses, not suppress them. [For more on this...

In a recent op-ed in The New York Times, “ How Genetics is Changing Our Understanding of Race ,” the geneticist David Reich challenged what he called an “orthodoxy” in genetics. Due to concerns of political correctness, he argued, scientists are unwilling to do research on—or, in some cases, even discuss—genetic variation between human populations, despite the fact that genetic variations do exist. “It is simply no longer possible to ignore average genetic differences among ‘races,’” he...

Heads up, cities: Economic growth does not necessarily go hand-in-hand with economic and racial inclusion. That’s the finding of a new, in-depth analysis by the Urban Institute (UI) of the 274 largest cities in America. The report and accompanying data tool show how economic shifts in these cities since the 1980s have corresponded with “inclusion”—the ability of low-income residents and people of color to benefit from and contribute to the city’s economic gains. To demonstrate that, the...

In jails and prisons across the United States, mental illness is prevalent and psychiatric disorders often worsen because inmates don't get the treatment they need, says journalist Alisa Roth. In her new book Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, Roth investigates the widespread incarceration of the mentally ill in the U.S., and what she sees as impossible burdens placed on correctional officers to act as mental health providers when they're not adequately trained. "It's...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In a plain brown building sits an office run by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, a place for people who have been held accountable for their crimes and duly expressed remorse. Just a few yards up the street lies a different kind of rehabilitation center, for a country that has not been held to nearly the same standard. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice , which opens Thursday on a six-acre site overlooking the Alabama State Capitol, is dedicated to the...

Ms. T., 75, came to see me for therapy after a man stole her purse. He was in a car and lured her over under the guise of asking directions. Then he grabbed her bag and stepped on the accelerator. She was dragged halfway down the block before she let go. When I saw her a month later, she was still in physical pain from her injuries and emotional pain from having endured a traumatic experience. Ms. T. had raised three successful children as a single mother, while enjoying a prosperous career...

ACE Overcomers: The Center for Resiliency and Trauma-Informed Training The Valley Dream Center of Fresno, California hosted a 2-day training, conducted by ACE Overcomers. 40 individuals gathered for the 2-day training on The Power of a Trauma-Informed Ministry. Most participants were from California's Central Valley, along with attendees from San Diego, Oregon and New Mexico. The primary goal was to increase an understanding of trauma and adverse childhood experiences and introduce a...

Around 1 a.m. on April 24, semi-truck drivers in the Oak Park area of Michigan received a distress call from area police: An unidentified man was standing on the edge of a local bridge apparently ready to jump onto the freeway below. Those drivers then did something amazing. They raced to the scene to help — and lined up their trucks under the bridge , providing a relatively safe landing space should the man jump. The impressive line-up wasn't a coincidence - the drivers were prepared for...

Another opioid overdose death. Another drug-related crime. Another billion dollars spent on ineffective treatments. News about the opioid crisis keeps getting worse. Simple solutions haven't changed the epidemic's course. The number of deaths has continued to increase, driven by an influx of illicit fentanyl sold as heroin, as well as counterfeit pills and other illicit drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine often contaminated with fentanyl. To effectively treat this evolving public health...

Allen County's homicide count stands at 15 for the year, but there are many more victims when you count the children touched by each death. In a new field examining trauma-influenced behavior, knowledge of those events – adverse childhood experiences, or “ACEs” – is now informing how people who work with youth respond. Judge Charles Pratt, who oversees Allen Superior Court's Family Relations Division, has organized a six-month leadership academy to train 40 leaders from education, law...

New research shows there might be health benefits to eating certain types of dark chocolate. Findings from two studies being presented today at the Experimental Biology 2018 annual meeting in San Diego show that consuming dark chocolate that has a high concentration of cacao (minimally 70% cacao, 30% organic cane sugar) has positive effects on stress levels, inflammation, mood, memory and immunity. While it is well known that cacao is a major source of flavonoids, this is the first time the...