I recently received e-mails from a frustrated graduate student with chronic disease who was tired of administrative roadblocks at her particular school, and a distraught parent of a college student who was about to withdraw from another school because of her health. Both e-mails sought commiseration and advice, and both speak to the same issue: […]

This has been a busy week of website news for the state’s two biggest news organizations: The Boston Globe is opening up the wall around its site, while GateHouse Media is putting up paywalls on some of its local sites for the first time. The shift at the Globe to what’s known as a metered […]

A new study by Northeastern University finds that the concept of “gaydar” (that gays and lesbians are better able to detect someone’s sexuality on first meeting) has some truth to it. An all-female study found that women who identified as lesbians were in fact more accurately able to identity another woman’s sexuality than their heterosexual […]

Admit it: You’ve always wanted to ride in a private plane. Imagine stretching out your legs and listening to music without headphones. What luxury! Too bad, you probably can’t afford it. But, with Flytenow, you just might. Think of it as a Lyft for airplanes. Flytenow aims to connect pilots looking to rack up hours […]

A new mayor provides an opportunity for new thinking about Boston-area transportation. And since state participation is a must when it comes to the transportation policies that would create the most benefits for city residents, the fact that Boston’s new mayor, Marty Walsh, happens to have 17 years of Beacon Hill experiences and relationships under […]

Lars King’s startup focuses on collecting the best online videos to inspire people to be more motivated — a quality he never really lacked himself, at least not when it came to making money. King, a sophomore at Northeastern University, started his entrepreneurial career at age 12 selling herbs from his parents’ garden to neighbors. […]

The eyes may be windows into the soul, but can we really garner that much information from staring into someone’s face? Research suggests maybe not. A whole business has developed out of training computers to recognize our facial expressions, with companies like Emotient and Affectiva selling facial recognition software that supposedly reveals how focus groups […]

While trends in American criminal justice have come and gone over the last century, what has remained tiresomely — and implacably — consistent has been the role of race as a factor in decision-making by jurists, juries and prosecutors alike. Seemingly unrelated events over the last few weeks suggest that a serious pendulum swing is […]

The state’s landmark law to promote energy efficiency and renewable power sources such as wind and solar is projected to produce a modest economic benefit in coming years, including the creation of about 16,000 jobs, according to new report released Tuesday. The report by Analysis Group, a Boston economic and financial consulting firm, is believed […]

Kyrgyzstan was once known for its Tulip Revolution, a name the followed the trend of color-coded revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine. The ouster of the corrupt regime of President Askar Akayev in 2005 gave those Kyrgyz aspiring for a better future cause for hope, but expectations were quickly dampened. Akayev’s successor Kurmanbek Bakiyev suffered the […]

In a winter of seemingly endless snow and ice, what if there were a better way of fortifying roads against potholes? What if this same technology could be used to build stronger bridges, create solar panels, even penetrate and selectively kill cancer cells? They’re called nanocrystals — particles so small that their width measures about […]

Just before Sara Burgett begins her graduate studies in the physical therapy program at Northeastern University next fall, she’ll be taking a road trip to California – the first time she’ll ever see the Golden State. But instead of an engine and four tires, the 22-year-old Medway native and 2009 Medway High graduate will be on […]