Columbia

The Next American Idol

Arts, Culture & Media

Sometimes we cling tightly to things we deem ‘traditional’ without realizing they’re not as deeply entrenched in our history as we thought. Take Uncle Sam: he hasn’t changed much sin…

American and Nigerian flags fly next to each other in the center of Abuja August 24, 2000.

Don’t take being American for granted

Culture
Thin filaments of fungi form a dense network between the roots of most of the world's food crops. Some researchers believe that working with such microbes rather than against them, as has often been the case in conventional agriculture, will help the worl

The future of agriculture may be too small to see. Think microbes

Environment
Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s tragic death is an ominous sign of heroin’s expanding reach

Conflict & Justice

Asian market in Missouri becomes hub of many different immigrant communities

Iraqi-American man jailed for sending money to family in Iraq decade ago

Conflict & Justice

After the Gulf War, sanctions prohibited Americans from sending money to Iraq. Iraqi-American Shakir Hamoodi broke those rules, however, when he found out his family in Iraq had miscarried, because they couldn’t afford $10 antibiotics. Now he’s in jail — almost 20 years after the fact.

SpaceX rocket launch marks the beginning of the private era in space

Environment

Tuesday’s launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket marks the first commercial flight for a spacecraft bound to the International Space Station, perhaps the opening salvo of a new, private era of space exploration.

New study shows federal investment in bike infrastructure paying off

May is National Bike Month, a month promoting cycling as a transportation alternative. New data show dramatic increases in bicycle use over the past decade in cities across the country. The data also revealed economic savings from bike commuting.

Columbia University janitor graduates with degree in Classics

It’s not every day that someone employed as a janitor can graduate with a degree from Columbia University. But Gac Filipaj, a refugee who fled war-torn Yugoslavia in the 1990s, became that guy this month. He earned a degree in Classics from Columbia after spending 12 years as both a college janitor and a college student.

VIDEO: Research suggests oceans rapidly becoming more acidic

Environment

Scientists at Columbia University have concluded that the Earth’s oceans are becoming more acidic at an unprecedented rate — increasing more quickly than in the Earth’s history, based on a review of oceanic fossils. It could bring disaster for marine life.