Human Interest

Last week, findingEducation caught up with Dr. danah boyd at the American Association of School Librarians National Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Boyd is an internationally recognized social media expert researcher for Microsoft Research New England, a fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and an ethnographer, blogger and contributing author to the book “Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media.”

China announced that it found 2,000 kidnapped children in the last seven months as part of a campaign to combat the country’s booming child trafficking market.

Though thoughts of Hurricane Katrina may have faded in other parts of the country, efforts to revive stricken areas continue as townspeople commemorate the fourth anniversary of the tragedy.

A new study from the University of Amsterdam shows that romantic love heightens creativity, while lust improves logical thinking. Though experts note there are ways to summon one’s creative energies, even without a muse.

The Folds of Honor Foundation holds its annual fundraiser, Patriot Golf Day, to provide education scholarships for the spouses and children of American veterans.

After all the research done on kindness, competition and survival, are we any closer to understanding the basic question: do nice guys always finish last?

Mila, a beluga whale, rescued a drowning diver in a touching example of positive interaction between humans and marine mammals.

Although the media often credits “survival instincts” for saving lives, making correct survival decisions is more than luck or preparedness—it’s science—and the Army wants to know more.

Some pet owners who can’t afford treatment or care are now letting pets go without care or giving them up to shelters, continuing a yearlong trend.

According to a Pew study, two-thirds of American adults are looking online for advice on “recession-induced personal economic issues.” Here's how you can stay afloat using the Web.

Celebrated British conductor Sir Edward Downes and his wife, Joan Downes, died with assistance at a clinic in Switzerland. Their deaths rekindle the thorny debate over assisted suicide.

Year after year, the number of kidney donations is insufficient to save the lives of thousands on the waiting list for transplants. Some argue that the problem cold be solved by offering financial incentives to donors, but others counter that an organ market would exploit the poor and dehumanize the sellers.

After a 10-year absence, parents in China’s Yunnan province were reunited with their kidnapped son in early July. Still, many parents argue that local police and the government aren’t doing enough to help locate missing children and prevent child abductions.

Ruppy (short for Ruby Puppy) is a cloned beagle from South Korea who glows red under ultraviolet light. He's an example of how dogs may be used to study human diseases.

Homelessness, generally considered an urban problem, seems to be creeping into smaller cities and towns. New research from the Office of Housing and Urban Development says it’s also impacting more families.  

Conducting one of the most exhaustive genetic research studies ever, scientists in Africa are gaining insight into the continent’s genetic diversity.

Recent attacks against Indians in Australia brought cries of racism from the media in India. Now writers have shifted their focus, examining India’s own struggles with racism.

After Gov. Mark Sanford confessed to having an extramarital affair, he joined the company of countless other men in power. Journalists, psychologists and pundits explore why so few female politicians are faced with the same dilemma.

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that judges may ask those testifying in court to remove niqabs, or Islamic facial veils, at their discretion. Where is the balance between religious rights and security?

Chefs across America are donating their skills to homeless shelters, transforming donated food into gourmet meals.

Many of the young creative upstarts previously populating bohemian neighborhoods like Brooklyn’s Williamsburg are moving out because their parents can no longer support them.

Suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the death of Meriwether Lewis, the family of the famed explorer wants to exhume his body to try to learn the truth.

The last surviving passenger of the Titanic, 97-year-old Millvina Dean, died in her sleep Sunday morning.

A recently deceased widow left more than $500,000 to residents of the small seaside village where she lived, joining the ranks of others who have left similarly surprising sums.

Jake Nyberg uses his 1980s hairstyle as a tool to reveal snobbery and raise money.

Kevin Laue, who was born without his left forearm, became the first disabled player to receive a Division I basketball scholarship when he accepted an offer from Manhattan College.

The wild tale of the conman accused of kidnapping his own daughter and adopting a number of aliases goes before the court this week.

A woman looking for the brother her mother gave up for adoption in 1977 discovered he has been her neighbor for more than two years.

Girls can benefit from sports in many ways, but in developing countries where it can help them the most, overcoming discrimination isn’t easy.

The recession has inspired positive holistic change in American society, and what might be bad for business may actually be good for people.