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For the last week, astronomers gathered in Prague have debated, among other topics, what the right answer is to the question 'Is Pluto a planet?' This debate has captured the attention of huge numbers of people, many of whom have passionate opinions on this question. And now, by the vote of a small majority from among the 424 professional astronomers who happen to be members of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) — I am not — and who also bothered to attend the first part of the final plenary session of the meeting — more than 2000 persons attended the IAU meeting but did not participate in the vote — a decision has been made. The answer: vagueness and confusion. This debate will continue. Read More

Earlier this year, with surprisingly little media attention, we celebrated a major milestone in the fight against cancer — for the first time in record-keeping history, the number of American lives lost to cancer declined. Read More

From adolescence on, I heard a constant refrain from my Indian father: "Don't ever believe that you're really American." I found his advice peculiar, especially as I had been living in America since age 8 and had largely forgotten my time in India. To him, it didn't matter that the only language in which I could think a complex thought was English. It didn't matter that the only music I listened to was Michael Jackson, the Bee Gees and Billy Joel. Read More

Elliot W. Eisner, Lee Jacks Professor of Education and professor of art at Stanford University, will speak Friday, Sept. 29, at the ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University Student Life Center. The speech is the second of the 2006-2007 Chancellor's Lecture Series and part of ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ's annual Family Weekend. Read More

A new study suggests that taking a wait-and-see approach before giving antibiotics to children with acute ear infections results in significantly lower use of antibiotics, with little difference in outcomes for the children. Read More

²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ's Tracy Sharpley-Whiting is the winner of the 2006 Horace Mann Medal. The medal is awarded each year to a Brown University Graduate School alumnus or alumna who has made significant contributions to scholarly research. Read More

"The Shape of Things," by Neil LaBute, will debut Thursday, Sept. 28, at Neely Auditorium at ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University. The critically acclaimed play follows the moves of an art student who makes it her mission to transform a nerdy, insecure, overweight undergraduate into her confident, stylish, good-looking lover. Although the transformation seems beneficial at first, unpleasant consequences soon ensue. Read More

Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager who saved more than 1,200 lives during the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda, will speak Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University's Student Life Center. Read More

"Remembering Sept. 11" will be the focus of a ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University interactive videoconference on Monday, Sept. 11, with Professor James Booth, whose research includes the remembrance of national events. Read More

Allan Guyet, ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University's chief of police for the past eight years, will retire at the end of the year. Read More

An album produced by two ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University professors is the first music collection to be added to a National Endowment for the Humanities collection of works which strengthen students' understanding of American history and culture. Read More

The ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University community will mark the five-year anniversary of Sept. 11 with a morning remembrance and an open roundtable discussion led by faculty in the afternoon. Read More

Little Texas will perform acoustically at ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ's Dyer Observatory Saturday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. Doors will open at 4 p.m. Tickets are $7 for students, $12 for ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University faculty/staff and Bluebird on the Mountain season ticket holders, and $15 for general public. There is also a $50 VIP ticket that will allow for pre-show access and a meet and greet with the band. Read More

Have you considered how many hands it took to get the broccoli you just purchased from the field to your table? Did you know that it quite possibly came from Guatemala? Did you ever consider that someone grew that broccoli for you so they could send their kids to a better school? Read More

Reflections from the Mexican-United States border by members of the ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University community who spent a week traveling the area open the fall semester of community programming offered by ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ Divinity School. Read More

U.S. Senate candidates Harold Ford Jr. and Bob Corker will square off for a statewide televised debate at ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University's Ingram Hall Oct. 28. Read More

A juice every other day could keep Alzheimer's disease at bay, new research suggests. Read More

About 200 ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University students will board buses on Friday, Sept. 1, to travel overnight to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the nationally televised football season opener between ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ and Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 2. Read More

A new national research and development center has been created at ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University's Peabody College of education and human development to answer one of the thorniest questions in education policy — do financial incentives for teachers, administrators and schools affect student achievement? Read More

Renowned architect William McDonough, a leader in the movement for sustainable architecture and product design, will speak at ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University on Tuesday, Sept. 26. Read More