Contrary to the popular imagination, not all prisoners claim to be innocent. In fact, there is reason to think that most prisoners acknowledge their guilt of the crime of which they were convicted (while perhaps decrying the manner of investigation, prosecution, or sentencing). Why? Because admitting guilt is essentially a prerequisite to receiving parole in […]

A recent study from Northeastern University, for example, found the proportion of consumer bankruptcies filed primarily because of medical debt is somewhere between 18% to 25%. Despite the smaller percentage, that study agreed with earlier research that concludes medical bills are the single largest cause of consumer bankruptcy.

Computer science researchers from Boston’s Northeastern University have proved that e-commerce sites are tracking the online shopping habits of people and will charge individuals different prices, depending on what type of device they are using to access a website. Previous research and media investigations since 2000 have found that Amazon and US retailer Staples had […]

Violent crime has also been down across Massachusetts. The numbers hit a 35-year low in 2012 before increasing slightly last year. Massachusetts police departments reported a total of 137 murders and non-negligent homicides last year. There were 121 murders reported in 2012, a 16-year low. James Alan Fox, a criminology professor at Northeastern University, cautioned […]

Developer Don Chiofaro has been trying to overwhelm city officials and the public by pitching dramatic, never-before-imagined plans for the Boston Waterfront. Chiofaro’s $1 billion Harbor Square proposal, which would have dual towers rise from a Boston Harbor parcel currently occupied by an unsightly garage, has excited many; it’s also drawn the ire of residents […]

When Adam Beatty sat down to write his college application essay, he faced a different set of anxieties than most prospective students. For one thing, Adam was writing from a desert in Iraq, where he was serving his second tour of duty as a Marine infantryman. For another, he was about to go on patrol, […]

U.S. schools have ramped up security in recent decades, installing metal detectors and surveillance systems to counter a surge in shootings. New England saw one of the worst such attacks in 2012, when a gunman killed 20 elementary students and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. James Alan Fox, a professor […]

Shipworms were already weird animals, but they just got weirder. The ocean-dwelling clams, which actually look much more like slimy worms, are some of the only creatures in the world that can eat wood. Now scientists have figured out that shipworms are even more unique than we thought: Instead of breaking down their food using bacteria in […]

Australia and the United States have already implemented home quarantine orders for at-risk individuals. However, at least one person has refused to comply. If the individual is identified while in a country with low-budget quarantine procedures, they may be around other at-risk individuals, which is certainly not in their interest. Individuals are also unlikely to […]

All types of violent crimes were lower, with murder and non-negligent manslaughter off 4.4 percent to 14,196, the lowest figure since 1968. Rape was down 6.3 percent and robbery fell 2.8 percent, the Federal Bureau of Investigation data showed. James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University in Boston, said there was a variety of […]

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Late last month, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, announced that the two institutions would start purchasing mortgages with down payments as low as 3 percent instead of the already absurdly […]

In fact, some go so far as to argue there’s too much science out there. “We’re well past the point where messaging the science or trying to communicate about the science more effectively is going to change anyone’s opinions,” says Northeastern University communication scholar Matthew Nisbet. “If anything, that’s going to move people to the […]