Textbooks

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The teaching of science has long generated controversy in the United States—from evolution in the early 20th century to climate change today. Debates have also often emerged around how textbooks teach concepts related to social groups, and in particular whether they gloss over complex realities in ways that may mislead students in providing scientific instruction. …

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered magnetic monopoles in hematite, a material akin to rust, using diamond quantum sensing. This groundbreaking observation of emergent monopoles, which behave like isolated magnetic charges, could revolutionize computing technology by enabling faster and more environmentally friendly applications. Cambridge researchers have identified magnetic monopoles in hematite, suggesting new possibilities for advanced, eco-friendly computing technologies. This first-time…

Credit: DGLimages/Shutterstock Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently outlined a plan to improve math skills in England, which will see young people study the subject at school until they are 18. This sounds straightforward but it's worth considering how tricky new educational policy is to get right. Take, for example, a previous…

In India, children under 16 returning to school this month at the start of the school year will no longer be taught about evolution, the periodic table of elements or sources of energy. The news that evolution would be cut from the curriculum for students aged 15–16 was widely reported last month, when thousands of people signed a petition in protest. But official guidance has revealed that a chapter on the periodic table will be cut, too, along with other foundational topics such as sources of energy and environmental…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain California and Texas textbooks have their differences when it comes to teaching teenagers about American history and the way that subjects like race, gender, and immigration weave through it. But a new Stanford University study has found the two states' U.S. history textbooks are surprisingly similar when dealing with climate change and environmental topics. …

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain One of the world's largest fundamentalist Christian education groups is teaching its students climate change denial as fact, and still presents the theory of evolution as an "absurd and discredited" conspiracy theory, finds a report by University College London (UCL) researchers. Accelerated…

An engraving in the frontispiece to Bryan’s astronomy book depicted her with her daughters, although their names were not disclosed. By combing through a relative’s will, Girolami was able to find their names at last – Ann Marian and Maria. Credit: Fred ZwickyIn the early 1800s, an English schoolmistress, Margaret Bryan, wrote several well-regarded textbooks on astronomy and physics for young women. Despite her correspondence with some of the era’s most esteemed mathematicians and astronomers, details about her life…

Scientists in India are protesting a decision to remove discussion of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution from textbooks used by millions of students in ninth and 10th grades. More than 4000 researchers and others have so far signed an open letter asking officials to restore the material. The removal makes “a travesty of the notion of a well-rounded secondary education,” says evolutionary biologist Amitabh Joshi of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced…

Natural gas is flared off at a plant outside of the town of Cuero, Texas. Photo: Spencer Platt (Getty Images)Officials in Texas want to make sure the state’s science textbooks don’t paint oil and gas in a bad light. The Texas State Board of Education shifted its guidance to schools last month, asking that they focus on the supposedly “positive” aspects of fossil fuels in educational material, E&E News reported.The board, which is dominated by Republicans, adopted changes proposed by board member Patricia Hardy. “If…

It stands to reason, an online tutoring and textbook rental service, like Chegg, is an invaluable resource for students. Launched in 2005, Chegg has so much to offer we couldn’t possibly list it all here. Students will find help with homework, preparation for exams, professional proofreading, in-depth subject analysis, writing assistance, and more. Chegg is one of the best tutoring apps and e-book rental services, but you’ll have to pay for it — and with subscription pricing starting at $16 per month, it’s only…