A report released last week by the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project found the break-up rate is 170 percent higher in households where unmarried partners have young children, compared with married households.

W. Bradford Wilcox, a sociologist in University of Virginia and director of the National Marriage Project, says the study is co-authored by 18 family scholars from leading institutions. "The divorce rate for married couples with children has returned almost to the levels we saw before the divorce revolution kicked in during the 1970s. Nevertheless, family instability is on the rise," Wilcox says.

Large numbers of less-educated white Americans are abandoning religious service attendance much faster than their counterparts with higher education. "Our study suggests that the less educated are dropping out of the American religious sector, similarly to the way in which they have dropped out of the American labor market," said senior author W. Bradford Wilcox from the University of Virginia.

Baby nerve cells do form in some parts of the brain, and University of Virginia research could harness that process to create new treatments for certain psychological problems and learning disabilities.

674 undergrads spent the summer aboard the MV Explorer traveling the Mediterranean and North Africa after departing from Nassau, Bahamas, on June 17. The nonprofit Semester at Sea program launched in 1963. It is sponsored by the University of Virginia, which gives sea-faring students credit for the courses they take aboard the 25,000-ton Explorer. Professors use each port of call as an extension of the classroom, taking students on field trips to museums and other experiences.

The work of Kevin Emerson, art professor and filmmaker, in his exhibit, "More Than That: Films by Kevin Jerome Everson," at the Whitney Museum of American Art, is reviewed.

The University of Virginia has formally welcomed its Class of 2015. President Teresa Sullivan provided advice Sunday about the importance of student safety.  Sullivan also greeted the newest group of Wahoo parents Saturday at Old Cabell Hall. Sullivan says this year's class includes many high school superstars. UVA has determined 91 percent of the entering students finished in the top 10 percent of their graduating high school class. 

Jonathan Moreno, a former U.Va. faculty member now at the University of Pennsylvania, writes about Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers' fascination with science.

Former University of Virginia women's basketball coach Debbie Ryan is one of three coaches chosen as this year's recipients for the Lapchick Character Award. Ryan won 739 games at U.Va., leading it to three Final Four appearances.

Gary Kessler B.A. and M.A. in Foreign Affairs; a retired CIA man, Kessler now works as a freelance editor and author. Kessler's story, "Fire on Ice," took 3rd place this spring in the Hook's annual short story contest, judged this year by best-selling author John Grisham.

Joshua Armstrong Ph.D. student in French literature Armstrong's story, "The Canadian," took 2nd place this spring in the Hook's annual short story contest, judged this year by best-selling author John Grisham.

Terry Rephann Regional economist at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service Virginia Democratic Party claims Bob McDonnell has made no progress on jobs Politifact.com / Aug. 18 Larry Sabato Politics professor and director of the Center for Politics Michele Bachmann, campaigning in South Carolina, fights perceptions Boston Herald (McClatchy Newspapers) / Aug. 19 W. Bradford Wilcox Associate professor of sociology and director of the National Marriage Project Wilcox comments on another study about conflict in marriage in "Marital Conflict May Not Ease Over Time" WebMD / Aug. 18...

Brooks H. Pate, chemistry professor, published this article in the current issue.

According to the report, American children are now more likely to have parents who have never married than parents who are divorced. Among its findings, the group of researchers from the University of Virginia report that 42 percent of children at age 12 have lived with cohabiting, unmarried parents, while only 24 percent have lived with a divorced parent.

Researchers at Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Smart Health and Wellbeing Program, to develop a portable fall prediction monitoring system that is said to be able to detect fall risks early on, delivering an early diagnosis and treatment before the unfortunate happens.

Greg Fairchild, director of the Tayloe Murphy Institute, found when communities had banks, crime rates dropped, and that helped push property values up. Fairchild also found it was possible for credit unions to prosper in poor neighborhoods without ripping people off.