During this time of lockdowns and quarantines, I know that many of you are looking for ways to pass the time, so allow me to suggest some entertaining and educational podcasts on the science of sex to help!

I was recently invited to write a book chapter on nonmonogamy in LGBTQ+ relationships, and one of the things I wanted to do in it was compare the prevalence of both consensual nonmonogamy (polyamory, open relationships, swinging) and nonconsensual nonmonogamy (cheating/infidelity). Further, I wanted to look at whether rates of these practices were similar or different for LGBTQ+ persons compared to heterosexual persons. However, I found it surprisingly difficult to locate reliable data points. The problem I kept running into is that study after study conflated consensual nonmonogamy with nonconsensual nonmonogamy. In other words, researchers were putting all of these folks into the same category without attempting to distinguish whether they were permitted under the rules of the relationship or not.

Anecdotally, I’ve heard from a lot of people who have said that they reached out to (or heard from) and ex-partner since the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic began. But just how many people have done so? And what motivated them to reconnect? Some of my colleagues and I at The Kinsey Institute are currently in the midst of researching how this pandemic is affecting people’s intimate lives (click here if you’d like to participate and learn more about the study), and our preliminary data suggest that reaching out to an ex isn’t a rare occurrence.

Research has found that around 1% of the population is asexual, a term usually defined as either a lack of sexual attraction or a lack of desire for partnered sexual activity [1]. Asexuality is something that many people are not familiar with and, as a result, there are lots of myths and misconceptions about it. So, let’s take a moment to review some key facts about asexuality that science has taught us.

Where did the new coronavirus originate, how did it spread so fast -- and what's next? Sharing insights from the outbreak, global health expert and TED Fellow Alanna Shaikh traces the spread of COVID-19, discusses why travel restrictions aren't effective and highlights the medical changes needed worldwide to prepare for the next pandemic. "We need to make sure that every country in the world has the capacity to identify new diseases and treat them," she says. (Recorded March 5, 2020. Update: the CDC is now calling for everyone to wear face coverings in public.)

The common thinking on biological sex goes like this: females have two X chromosomes in their cells, while males have one X and one Y. In this myth-busting talk, science writer and podcaster Molly Webster shows why the so-called "sex chromosomes" are more complicated than this simple definition -- and reveals why we should think about them differently.

If you're feeling anxious or fearful during the coronavirus pandemic, you're not alone. Offering hope and understanding, author Elizabeth Gilbert reflects on how to stay present, accept grief when it comes and trust in the strength of the human spirit. "Resilience is our shared genetic inheritance," she says. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson and head of curation Helen Walters. Recorded April 2, 2020)

More barriers exist now than at the end of World War II, says designer Alexandra Auer. And when you erect one wall, you unwittingly create a second -- an "us" versus "them" partition in the mind that compromises our collective safety. With intriguing results from her social design project focused on two elementary schools separated by a fence, Auer encourages us to dismantle our biases and regain perspective on all the things we have in common.

The coronavirus pandemic put India's population of 1.3 billion into an extreme and sudden lockdown. Social entrepreneur Gayathri Vasudevan explains how the situation is impacting the country's migrant workers, who are stuck far from home with limited access to food and shelter, and calls for an overhaul of India's social infrastructure in order to get people the essentials they need right now. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers. Recorded April 9, 2020)

What if we could help people in crisis anytime, anywhere with a simple text message? That's the idea behind Crisis Text Line, a free 24-hour service that connects people in need with trained, volunteer crisis counselors -- "strangers helping strangers around the world, like a giant global love machine," as cofounder and CEO Nancy Lublin puts it. Learn more about their big plans to expand to four new languages, providing a third of the globe with crucial, life-saving support. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

Thousands of North Carolina teachers will take leave on May 16 to protest at the state capitol, forcing some school districts to close.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is expected to sign a bill into law that would ban suspensions and expulsions for children in prekindergarten through 3rd grade for minor offenses.

“Detracking” math teachers is tough because many educators resist upending their routines or challenging informal hierarchies, and PD initiatives to make it happen are limited.

A pair of cases being heard by the high court will likely determine whether job-discrimination laws apply to tens of thousands of teachers at religious schools.

All districts in Wyoming will be required to provide K-12 computer science instruction, and Idaho high schools will offer at least one high school CS course.

Coronavirus is spreading rapidly in pre- and post-trial correctional facilities across the United States, and the challenges of social distancing for students in regular districts are all massively compounded for students behind bars.

State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.

Five El Paso educators have been charged with scheming to defraud the federal accountability system and, in some cases, retaliating against co-workers who cooperated with the FBI's 5½-year investigation of the Texas school district.

Houston education officials estimate it will cost $700 million to repair and replace schools damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

The chairman and CEO of H-E-B, a Texas-based grocery chain, is sinking more than $100 million into the launch of a new institute focused on improving school leadership in Texas' public schools.

A Houston-area school district is apologizing after an administrator told Muslim students they need to obtain permission from an imam to wear hijabs in school.

About 14,000 more students in the state are enrolled in special education, after the state lifted what it called a "benchmark" enrollment figure of 8.5 percent.

For those keeping score at home, DeVos has now approved ESSA plans for 34 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Department of Education said Texas must stop using a guideline for special education enrollment that may have led to thousands of children being denied services they were qualified to receive.

Officials want to hear from parents, students and educators in the wake of a newspaper series that said Texas is suppressing special education enrollment.

Jan. 6 is the last day to submit comments to the U.S. Department of Education about their experiences with Texas' special education identification processes.

Karthik Nemmani, 14, from McKinney, Texas, nabbed the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion title on Thursday night in Oxon Hill, Md.

The federal office of special education programs said the state failed to ensure that students were properly evaluated for special education, as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The state has developed an extensive plan for fixing a violation of federal special education law, but federal officials want to see additional corrective actions and plan a visit to follow up.

Legislative leaders are preparing a proposal to set aside $800 million a year for school districts that demonstrate strong outcomes. Skeptics call it unfair and say it wouldn’t work.

Thousands of Texas children are believed to have been kept from special education services because of a now-prohibited special education enrollment target of 8.5 percent, which is well below the national average.

This Quality Counts 2019 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.

Several states this year sought to replace their funding formulas, a monumental fiscal and political feat, but only a handful of legislatures have been able to get proposals to their governors' desks.

This Quality Counts 2020 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.

Several states this year sought to replace their funding formulas, a monumental fiscal and political feat, but only a handful of legislatures have been able to get proposals to their governors' desks.

The state's last superintendent resigned under pressure after he attempted to take over Montgomery's school system and figure out a way to grade the state's schools.

Court-ordered school desegregation has been more successful in the South than in any other region of the country, but researchers have noted a new threat: the growing number of communities that are seceding from larger school districts to form their own.

A task force is recommending that the state lowers the score required on the controversial national edTPA exam.

To give districts more flexibility in the face of teacher shortages, New York's education department is proposing to modify its regulations on teacher certifications.

Students at Bellevue Elementary in Syracuse, N.Y., spend an extra 70 minutes at school each day, and their principal says the extended school day has improved their academic performance.

More than half of all states have ordered schools closed for multiple weeks to help slow the pandemic.