As more states “front-load” their presidential primaries to ensure the relevance of their outcomes early in the primary cycle, the nominating process has become increasingly condensed into the first few months of the election year. Iowa’s 2012 presidential caucuses are now scheduled for January 3.

Since 1972 the American presidential nominating process has begun in the state of Iowa. There are many conflicting opinions about whether or not this tradition best serves the interests of democracy — Iowa’s demographics and rural nature are not necessarily representative of the nation at large — but in any case this history continues to unfold through the 2012 election season.

From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Mark A. Rothstein, University of Louisville School of Medicine

As smart devices have evolved and improved, their popularity has increased rapidly. According to a Pew Internet report, more than half of all adults in the United States owned a smartphone in 2013, a 21% increase from 2011.

Throughout the academic year, the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center hosts a weekly Speaker Series. Over the fall 2014 semester, these events have featured a wide variety of journalists and media thinkers, from Charles M. Blow of The New York Times to Miriam Elder of BuzzFeed. The topics of conversation have ranged from the rise of citizen journalism to the need to reform the U.S. presidential election system to promote greater democracy.

Conventional wisdom suggests that human beings require seven to eight hours of sleep a night to rest sufficiently. Factors such as lifestyle and sleep disorders can negatively impact the duration of sleep, and such imbalances can have significant implications on health and mortality.

The stock market is often compared to a casino — the game involves skill, of course, but chance plays a significant role. Inside knowledge can shift the odds, however, particularly when it’s held by just a few players.

Data can make a story. It can be the backbone of an investigation, and it can lead to new insights and new ways of thinking. Unfortunately, the data you want isn’t always readily available. It’s often on the web, but it isn’t always packaged up and available for download. In cases like these, you might want to leverage a technique called web scraping to programmatically gather the data for you.