What helps young people build inner strength? With support from TWCF, citiesRISE developed and tested an arts-based, peer-led intervention focused on “Gratitude, Kindness, and Hope” for youth ages 12-15 in India and Kenya. The interview: https://bit.ly/3Sy6f2a Learn more: https://bit.ly/4bpohKi

What happens when religion & technology enter conversation? Belief in the Future, hosted by @dzkalman.bsky.social and funded by TWCF, explores the ethical, social & existential implications of new technologies through creative conversations. Learn more about Season 2: https://bit.ly/4auYqQP

(1/9) This past February, participants of the TWCF-funded Academic Writing Course From published eight articles in topics ranging from self-employment to neuroscience and parent-teacher communication. Explore the insights linked below:

The TWCF-funded Academic Writing Course supports grantees in publishing peer-reviewed articles, writing book chapters, delivering high-quality paper and poster presentations at leading academic conferences. Here are five new articles from previous participants. 👉 Learn more: https://bit.ly/49tAflM

@seanjwestwood.bsky.social, director of the TWCF “Taking the Pulse on Global Partisan Animosity” project, was recently awarded the Cozzarelli Prize in Behavioral and Social Sciences, awarded by @pnas.org. 👉 Read the awarded paper: https://bit.ly/4fZ4uo3 👉 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4o6LcPV

The online courses from @cos.io were developed to help researchers build practical skills across the research lifecycle and provide them with everything they need to practice open scholarship effectively. 👉 Enroll: https://bit.ly/4xaXefi 👉 TWCF’s approach to Open Research: https://bit.ly/4uc2soc

The CIFAR Neuroscience of Consciousness Winter School is now open to applications! This TWCF-funded three-day event brings together tomorrow’s neuroscience leaders to work closely with world-class researchers. 🔗 Apply before June 10: https://bit.ly/3ZES2Rq

In a recent TEDtalk connected to his TWCF-funded research on political extremes, behavioral scientist @joaconavajas.bsky.social explores what polarized disagreement can reveal about the possibility of progress without violence. 🔗 Watch it here: https://bit.ly/4nFAdfT

The Climate Smart Map, developed by the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator and supported by TWCF, helps users compare progress, spot gaps and connect climate solutions projects across 29 Caribbean countries 🔗 Watch the interview to learn more: https://youtu.be/8xasjsUjGJs?si=ZvRy8w2XZ-Jc5hfm

The TWCF-funded documentary "War Child: Reducing the Suffering of Children in Conflict Zones Around the Globe" has been named a 2026 #WebbyAwards Honoree. Congratulations! 🔗 Watch it here: https://youtu.be/JflV1Wt5SH4?si=RFS8NCF-pEfnHeSu

With support from TWCF, economist Nicholas Bloom is leading research to discover whether working from home leads to increased entrepreneurship and more equitable wealth distribution. 🔗 Learn more: https://www.templetonworldcharity.org/blog/the-work-from-home-revolution-with-nicholas-bloom-video

Congratulations to @storiesofimpact.bsky.social on their fifth consecutive Hermes Creative Award for their episode with Kurt Shaw and Rita da Silva on resistance and renewal through play in Brazilian communities. Listen here: https://bit.ly/4eKECfm

This unique event will bring together the next generation of leaders in neuroscience researchers from across the globe and give them the opportunity to learn from world-class experts on frontier topics in consciousness research. Learn more: www.templetonworldcharity.org/projects-res...

Only 0.001% of Earth’s deep sea has been visually explored. The TWCF-funded project, “Exploration of The Bahamas’ Deep Sea Habitats,” aims to conduct a comprehensive survey of The Bahamas’ deep-sea habitats. 🔗 Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4d8cNuS

Our latest newsletter focuses on animals and diverse intelligences. This issue looks at joy in animals, soundboard buttons for pets, whether dogs can talk, human minds in the age of #AI, and what intelligence is and is not. 🔗 Read here: https://bit.ly/4dz3qor 🔗 Sign up: https://bit.ly/4sTm1C5

An experiment, now published in @currentbiology.bsky.social, used a mouse model of blindsight and discovered that the hippocampus plays a critical and previously unexpected role in the conscious aspect of vision. Read the article: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(26)00320-9

Prof Simon Conway Morris at @cam.ac.uk has been awarded the #TempletonPrize for his work in paleontology and evolutionary biology. His scientific contributions and exploration of the philosophical implications of his discoveries have reshaped our understanding of evolution. https://bit.ly/4d1fbnl

A recent article by a TWCF-funded Academic Writing Course participant explores the lessons from a fellowship that funded theologians from across the globe to learn and apply psychological theories and skills to conduct theology research. Read it here: https://bit.ly/3QIXml6

An article by a TWCF-funded Academic Writing Course participant showed that burdens were financial, psychosocio-cultural and physical, while parents coped through religion, social support groups, medical intervention and self-acceptance. Read it here: https://bit.ly/4cv2BfN

An article by a TWCF-funded Academic Writing Course participant revealed that men were more likely than women to initiate increases in aggression, and blocking impulsive behaviour significantly reduced male aggression. Read it here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-20114-6

In a recent blog post featuring insights from Dr @nickhiggs.bsky.social, Vice President of Strategy & Programs, TWCF, and Kristin Eldon Whylly, Director of Operations, we explore why open research is key to TWCF’s ethos and mission, and central to its future direction. https://bit.ly/4v81qeK

What can ancient wisdom and science teach us about supporting young people? As part of #SkollWeek at Oxford, we co-hosted “Bridging Ancient Wisdom and Contemporary Science for Human Flourishing” with citiesRISE. Thank you to everyone who made this happen!

Simon Conway Morris, a groundbreaking paleontologist whose outstanding scientific contributions have transformed our understanding of the deep patterns that shape the evolution of life, has won the 2026 Templeton Prize. Find out more https://bit.ly/4d1fbnl

A new publication from the TWCF-funded “Rationality and Reason Beyond the Individual Project” found evidence that chimpanzees may be able to reason about mutually exclusive future possibilities. Read more below. 👇

A recent article by a TWCF-funded Academic Writing Course participant found that breed and individual experience affect fear and aggressive behavior in pet dogs. Read more here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-18226-0 @nature.com

Researchers from Macquarie University recently published an article in @science.org showing that bumblebees can learn and recognize rhythmic patterns across speeds, and even across senses. 👉 Read the paper here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz2894

Applications to the @divintelligence.bsky.social Summer Institute 2026 are open! Held at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, from June 21 to July 11, attendees will develop new ways of engaging with questions about mind, cognition, and intelligence. 👉 Learn more and apply: https://disi.org/apply/

In a new blog post featuring insights from Dr @nickdhiggs.bsky.social, Vice President of Strategy & Programs, TWCF, and Kristin Eldon Whylly, Director of Operations, we explore what open research means for TWCF and how it’s central to our future direction. https://bit.ly/4v81qeK

1/8 We’re launching a Quarterly Insights Digest and it’s built with intention. 📩 This is a space for reflection and depth, where we take a closer look at the most impactful stories of the quarter. 🔗 Sign up here: templetonworldcharity.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=... Read the first edition. 👇

Ambitious questions require meaningful, researched answers. Stay tuned to learn more.

What is – and isn’t – intelligence? Patrick House, a @divintelligence.bsky.social alumnus, published a review of the new book “What is Intelligence? Lessons from AI About Evolution, Computing, and Minds” by @blaiseaguera.bsky.social. 👉 Article: https://bit.ly/4lFNDrm 👉 DISI: https://bit.ly/479359x

On this #InternationalDayOfHappiness, tune into the podcasts by the @greatergoodmag.bsky.social#InternationalDayOfHappinessto discover how forgiveness reshapes the brain, eases the body, and helps us move forward with greater compassion and freedom. 👉 Listen here: https://bit.ly/47FlFpQ

Congratulations to Roger Koppl for being awarded the Duncan Black Prize for Best Paper in Public Choice by a Senior Scholar. His paper found that governments’ political priorities shaped how public health research was organized during COVID-19. 👉 https://bit.ly/4amvj2l 👉 https://bit.ly/4uCZhap

Intelligent agents can still take irrational actions and, sometimes, groups of animals are better at making good decisions than their constituent individuals. Read the latest article from the TWCF-funded project, “Rationality and Reason beyond the Individual“ project below.

The TWCF-funded Academic Writing Course supports grantees in publishing peer-reviewed articles, writing edited book chapters, delivering high-quality paper and poster presentations at academic conferences. Here are new articles from previous participants. 👉 Learn more: https://bit.ly/49tAflM

The “Meanings of Life Project: The New Biology” project, funded by TWCF, seeks to identify a new scientific narrative that unites research at the level of genes, molecules, and cells to notions of agency, purpose, and meaning in living entities. 👉 Read the announcement: https://bit.ly/4bwWYy9

1/6 #InternationalWomensDay is an opportunity to recognize the researchers, scholars, and leaders whose work is advancing discovery and deepening our understanding of the world.

Connecting with strangers can help build a kinder, more cooperative society. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are researching the benefits of micro-moments of positive connection. 👉 Read the article: https://bit.ly/3OTGFCP 👉Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4llwPWA

With the support of TWCF, @chriskrupenye.bluesky.social and Amalia Bastos, with the help of Kanzi, a language-trained bonobo, found that apes can play pretend. This suggests that imagination is not unique to humans. 👉 Paper: https://bit.ly/40xbqQq 👉 Blog post: https://bit.ly/45TrfUR

Researchers published a review of how universities can incorporate sustainability into their training, research and management functions. Concepción Naval, one of the leading authors, took part in the TWCF Academic Writing Course. 👉 Paper: https://bit.ly/3OKE7qs 👉 Course: https://bit.ly/49tAflM

Solving the water access problem in low-income countries requires addressing limited infrastructure and significant poverty. A study found that simple water treatment and delivery could become key to provide access to clean drinking water. 👉 https://bit.ly/46raYqo 👉 https://bit.ly/4rCTjV5

For researchers seeking to help humans flourish in a world with increasing polarization, our Global Request for Planning Grants offers up to USD $100,000 to build the teams, tools & understanding for new scientific enterprises on a global scale. ⌛Applications close in 9 days: https://bit.ly/49F3ocy

On #NationalCaregiversDay, we are taking a moment to highlight the importance of studying the social science of caregiving, how it develops, and how societies might better support it. 👉 Watch the video to learn more about the social science of caregiving: https://bit.ly/4tMasgG

How do collective intelligences evolve and what principles shape their emergence? A project at @durham.ac.uk investigates the drivers of intelligence in our close relatives, the great apes. Learn more: www.templetonworldcharity.org/projects-res... Read their latest article below. 👇

Informed by our core values, we fund projects around the world that embody the dynamic and forward-looking vision espoused by our founder, Sir John Templeton. We support work that enhances our positive and distinctive capacities. Visit our website to learn more: https://bit.ly/4aYGE95

The Khaya Lam Project, funded by TWCF, has supported nearly 500 families living in municipally-owned rental accommodation secure legal title deeds to the homes they’ve lived in for years. 👉 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4kwQp1s 👉 Visit the Khaya Lam website: https://bit.ly/4ctuCpn

A study showed that parents who have higher confidence in their parenting abilities are likely to have teenagers who exhibit better self-regulation skills. Rose Opiyo, a leading author, recently took part in the TWCF Academic Writing Course. 👉 https://bit.ly/49tAflM 👉 https://bit.ly/4aummmn

Our latest Global Request for Planning Grants seeks to map the complex ecosystem of polarization and depolarization globally. Up to USD $100,000 will be offered to provide time and resources to ensure the research investment is transformative. ⏳Only 18 days left to apply: https://bit.ly/49F3ocy

As part of the findings of the TWCF-funded project, “Towards a Global Index of Social Connection”, @ijzerman.bsky.social outlined Türkyie’s paradox of high loneliness amid cultural warmth. 👉 Article: bit.ly/4rkL1RU 👉 Project: bit.ly/4qyvsEP

Consciousness is one of the most familiar phenomena in nature, but it is also one of the least understood. This TWCF-funded project studies consciousness with a higher level of rigor and helps narrow down the space of viable theories. Learn more: www.templetonworldcharity.org/projects-res...