Latest Stories

Development & Education

A subject so taboo that rural Indians only use its initials

How do you teach girls about something so taboo that no one — not even their mothers — will discuss? In traditional, rural India, instructors use games, films, and conversation to help female students understand what's going on with their bodies, especially menstruation. And that knowledge can be the start of other changes in how they see their roles in school and beyond.

Science, Tech & Environment

Proposed changes to US fishing rules could undo protections against overfishing

Since 1976 the US has relied on the Magnuson-Stevens Act to protect fisheries, first extending national waters to 200 miles to exclude foreign trawlers, and later setting sustainable catch limits. Now, the Republican-led House of Representatives has recently reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens and critics say some changes to the law could hurt sustainability.

Conflict & Justice

'Make no mistake, these women are warriors'

The US military operated a unique special operations and intelligence gathering operation during the war in Afghanistan. Half the population was essentially off limits to male soldiers. So the Army created "cultural support teams," all female teams that accompanied special operations units, despite a ban on women serving in combat positions. The job cost one female soldier her life. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells her story and that of the cultural support teams in a new book, "Ashley's War."