Philip Lieberman, professor emeritus of anthropology, commented on the likelihood that Neanderthals could speak.

Dr. Peter Kriz, chief of primary care sports medicine at University Orthopedics and assistant team physician for Brown University Athletics, gave recommendations on ways to reduce the occurrence of head injuries in sports, specifically football. The article mentions that Kriz's comments are from quotes he gave to the Providence Journal.

Tricia Rose, professor of Africana studies, commented on how hip-hop has unified people following the announcement of this year's Bandshell lineup, a concert series in Canada that doesn't have a single a hip-hop performer.

A $1.5 million National Science Foundation grant will establish a mathematical and computational data research institute at Brown University, the school announced Thursday.

John Friedman, an associate professor economics at Brown, commented on the recent study he co-athoured that focused on college access and upward mobility. “You should go to Harvard if you can — you don’t need researchers to tell you that,” he said. But for high school juniors and seniors who aren’t getting into the Ivy League and perhaps have a plethora of similar, middle-tier options, he added, “Some of those schools are going to be better than others, even if they say in the rankings, in the U.S. News and World Report, that they all look the same.”

Herbert Rakatansky, a clinical professor emeritus of medicine at Brown University, wrote an op-ed about the power of music to soothe patients. Rakatansky recalls the time he spent with a terminally ill patient named Gregg (not his real name).

Caring for a family member with a neurological disorder such as dementia is vastly more expensive than caring for a senior who is dementia-free, a Brown University led study found.

With President Trump recently announcing beefing up military efforts in Afghanistan, CNN cited estimates on the current war tally that began in 2001. One estimate from the Cost of War Project at Brown University notes the 16-year war surpassed $4 trillion, and will likely increase with the new announcement.

A group of students led by a virtual reality artist-in-residence at Brown University have created a VR experience that aims to bring a bit of history to life for middle and high school students.

Planetary geologist Jim Head commented new findings suggesting there is an abundance of water near Mars' equator. “This is a really wonderful example of how data, once collected, can be analyzed with new techniques,” Head said. “When we eventually send people to Mars, we’ll want to go where the water is.”

Michael L. Littman, professor of computer science at Brown University, wrote an op-ed explaining why Elon Musk apocalyptic warning about artificial intelligence is wrong. Littman's comments come after Musk warned that artificial intelligence is more dangerous than the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.

In this edition of RINPR's "This I Believe Rhode Island," Christy Law Blanchard discusses the importance of memories. Blanchard is an associate director for communications and program development at the John Carter Brown Library.

Jane Metrik, an associate professor at Brown University's School of Public Health, commented on new research that called into question the effectiveness of marijuana in treating patients with chronic pain or post-traumatic stress disorder. Metrik, who was not involved in the study, said the research is timely and well done.

Commentary by columnist Jay Mathews on teacher / principal interactions in schools notes findings in a study by Brown education faculty member Matthew Kraft.