Research & Ideas

Photo of flooding in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Flood Control

As New Orleans rebuilds, U of T students are helping the city rethink its approach to water management

Photo of a woman's hands holding an elderly woman's hand.

Elderburbia

A term for Canada's growing population of senior citizens

Bad Drivers?

U of T study shatters myth that recent immigrants cause more car accidents than other Canadians

McLuhan at the CBC in Toronto, January 1966 Photo: Henri Daumain, for Life Magazine, Courtesy of The Estate of Marshall McLuhan

Marshall’s Laws

Fifty years after the publication of his most famous works, we’re still making sense of all Marshall McLuhan had to say

Illustration of a face made of puzzle pieces.

Mind Games

Doctors have been trying for decades to classify mental illnesses. So why do precise definitions still elude us?

Photo of Alexandra Lysova

Always the Victim?

A criminology student questions long-standing assumptions about women and domestic violence

Image of a tower behind a Euro symbol covered in stars

Europe’s Debt Troubles

With the markets betting on a Greek default, and the situation in Spain deteriorating, a second global financial crisis looms

Caring for the Elderly

Women often look after their older relatives – for no pay. As populations age, this may have to change

Samer Muscati.

The Watchman

Human rights researcher Samer Muscati helps Iraqis find justice in a nation beginning to rebuild

B&W photo of a buck

Still Life

Pictures of animals through history reveal how our thinking about them has changed

Photo of Arab Spring

Arab Spring

Will the uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East usher in lasting change?

What Is Sacred?

Two U of T thinkers debate whether we can ever know what is truly "right" or "wrong"

Photo by Chris Granger

Bar Brawls

It seems young men fight primarily to gain the approval of … other men

Illustration of a person on a maple-leaf shaped block of ice, separated from a group of people on an icy shore.

True North

What does Canada stand for now? Have we lost our international reputation as a nature-loving, peacekeeping haven for newcomers?

Tom Rachman

The Debut

How do you write a bestselling first novel? If you're Tom Rachman, you start by majoring in film

Image of Bible in Arabic

Islam and the Bible

What do Arabic translations of Christianity’s holy book reveal about three of the world’s great religions?

Illustration of a figure using a laptop computer.

Funemployment

Sometimes, being unemployed can be positive - it depends on who you ask

The Pointers by Tom Thomson

Body Double

A U of T team finally settles the question of where Tom Thomson was buried

Photo by 416style at Flickr.com

The Living City

Engineers are using the idea of "urban metabolism" to design more sustainable neighbourhoods

Chris Spence, the director of education for the Toronto District School Board, believes in providing parents and students with choices in public education. Under his leadership, alternative schools have flourished.

Different but Equal

Toronto parents can choose to send their children to a variety of specialized schools. But is it possible to have too much choice in alternative education?

Photo of Sao Paolo skyline.

How Cities Compare

Urban centres have a huge impact on their residents’ well-being. So how can we make them better?

Portraits of fallen soldiers.

The Fallen

Joanne Tod is painting portraits of every Canadian soldier who has died in Afghanistan

Illustration of Toronto City Hall

What Toronto Needs

A real transit strategy, a solution to its financial troubles, better urban design – and mayoral candidates willing to discuss these things

Photo of pics grazing at what appears to be a farm.

The Lives of Animals

Most animals raised for food in Canada live on industrial sites where they never go outdoors. Under our laws, this is perfectly legal, but is it ethical?

A child walking past a mural in Mumbai

A Year in Mumbai

Normand Labrie coped with sweltering heat and noisy classrooms to bring Canadian teaching techniques to India's largest city

Photo of a pollution/oil covered bird in the water.

Averting Disaster

BP oil spill could have been avoided if the company had used the "precautionary principle," says prof

Photo of a man's face

The Age of a Face

The culture and language you are raised with can affect your ability to judge the age of people's faces

Izzeldin Abuelaish

Waging Peace

Three of his daughters were killed by Israeli fire. In Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish’s new book, he calls for an end to the violence

Photo of a Caravaggio painting

The Dark Master

Caravaggio rebelled against dogma and received wisdom. Is that why we like him so much?

Illustration of a man in a coma; a ghost above holds a sign that says

Ending It All

We run our lives as we wish. Why can’t we have a say in our own death?

Image of a film reel

Mumblecore

What kind of films are part of the "mumblecore" movement?

The Polite Party

Psychology research finds that conservatives are more concerned with order, liberals are more compassionate

Water Pressure

Canadians feel no urgency to conserve water, but they should, says architecture prof

Illustration of a stork hitting a bullseye

Birthright Lottery

Why should the accidental circumstances of birth confer almost unlimited opportunity to some and condemn others to a life of struggle?

The researchers hope to show that where you live is just as important as how you live.

Is Your City Happy?

People living on the east side of Toronto are more neurotic than those in the west, study of cities’ “personalities” finds

In the Mood for Love

Women more likely than men to experience physical arousal without thinking that they're aroused, study finds

The Price of Happiness

Workers paid hourly are generally happier, dollar for dollar, than those on salary, study finds

Is Life Getting Better?

A new measure of national wealth would include health, education and other things Canadians consider important

Rock Springs, New Mexico - The home of Navajo elder Berta Tom in Rock Springs

Look Closely!

Award-winning photojournalist Rita Leistner shines a light on North American native communities