NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

The Conversation

Can you choose to believe something, just like that?

  • Written by Mark Boespflug, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Fort Lewis College
imageI decide, therefore I believe?duoogle/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Some years ago, I was in a lively conversation with a software developer about arguments for and against God’s existence. After discussing their merits and shortcomings, he paused – perhaps a little impatiently – and said, “You know, these arguments really...

Read more: Can you choose to believe something, just like that?

‘Lebanon wanted us gone … it was a risk to leave’ − Syrian refugees who fled Israeli bombs face hostility and uncertainty on return

  • Written by Jasmin Lilian Diab, Assistant Professor of Migration Studies; Director of the Institute for Migration Studies, Lebanese American University
imageLebanese aid workers help Syrian refugees at the Masnaa border crossing in Bekaa Valley.Sami Boudra/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has brought a cautious sense of relief to a Lebanese population battered by a yearlong conflict, not least the more than 1 million people displaced during the escalatio...

Read more: ‘Lebanon wanted us gone … it was a risk to leave’ − Syrian refugees who fled Israeli bombs face...

Bluesky isn’t the ‘new Twitter,’ but its resemblance to the old one is drawing millions of new users

  • Written by Casey Fiesler, Associate Professor of Information Science, University of Colorado Boulder
imageBluesky is having a moment as millions of people have joined in the wake of the 2024 election.Anna Barclay/Getty Images

What would you say at Twitter’s funeral?

That’s the question my collaborators and I asked over 1,000 people on social media as part of a broader research project on Twitter migration. Responses ranged from the profane...

Read more: Bluesky isn’t the ‘new Twitter,’ but its resemblance to the old one is drawing millions of new users

How a director of national intelligence helps a president stay on top of threats from around the world

  • Written by Gregory F. Treverton, Professor of Practice in International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
imageThe director of national intelligence coordinates the work of 18 agencies that ultimately provide crucial intelligence to the president. Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In all the arguments over whether President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence is fit for the job, it’s easy to lose sight of...

Read more: How a director of national intelligence helps a president stay on top of threats from around the...

Prenatal supplements largely lack the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids to help prevent preterm birth − new research

  • Written by Mary Scourboutakos, Family Medicine Resident and Nutrition Expert, Eastern Virginia Medical School
imageFew women of childbearing age consume adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.Caroline Purser/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Most prenatal supplements lack the amount of omega-3 fatty acids that could help prevent preterm birth, meaning delivery before 37 weeks’ gestation. This is a key finding of a new study, published by my team, in the...

Read more: Prenatal supplements largely lack the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids to help prevent...

Supreme Court could narrow the scope of federal environmental reviews, with less consideration of how projects would contribute to climate change

  • Written by J.B. Ruhl, Professor of Law, Director, Program on Law and Innovation, and Co-director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program, Vanderbilt University
imageNEPA reviews are a tool for informing the public about how major federal actions could affect the environment.May Lim / 500px via Getty Images

In the 1993 movie “Jurassic Park,” Dr. Ian Malcolm, a fictional math genius specializing in chaos theory, explains the “butterfly effect,” which holds that tiny actions can lead to...

Read more: Supreme Court could narrow the scope of federal environmental reviews, with less consideration of...

Water fluoridation helps prevent tooth decay – how growing opposition threatens a 70-year-old health practice

  • Written by Amal Noureldin, Clinical Professor of Cariology, Prevention and Restorative Dentistry, Texas A&M University
imageFluoride is a mineral found in water that strengthens teeth and helps prevent cavities.vitapix/E+ via Getty Images

Driving through downtown Dallas, you might see a striking banner hanging at the U-turn bridge, near the Walnut Hill exit on Central Expressway (US 75): “Stop Fluoridation!” Below it, other banners demand action and warn of...

Read more: Water fluoridation helps prevent tooth decay – how growing opposition threatens a 70-year-old...

Notre Dame reopens in Paris 5 years after fire – its reconstruction preserves the past and illuminates France’s modern ambitions

  • Written by Irit Kleiman, Associate Professor of Romance Studies, Boston University
imageOnlookers watch Notre Dame Cathedral burn on April 14, 2019.Photo by Eric BOUVET/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Parisians navigating the narrow streets of the 4th arrondissement in recent days may have heard a familiar, yet nearly forgotten, sound. The bells of Notre Dame Cathedral have been ringing again after nearly five years, in preparation for...

Read more: Notre Dame reopens in Paris 5 years after fire – its reconstruction preserves the past and...

America’s counties are less purple than they used to be

  • Written by Robert J. Vanderbei, Professor of Operations Research and Financial Engineering, Princeton University
imageLooking at county election results shows the geography of America's partisan divide.Robert Vanderbei

The United States isn’t mostly red or mostly blue. It’s mostly purple. That’s what I’ve learned from a quarter-century of making maps based on the results of presidential elections.

The country is, however, becoming more...

Read more: America’s counties are less purple than they used to be

AI Jesus might ‘listen’ to your confession, but it can’t absolve your sins − a scholar of Catholicism explains

  • Written by Joanne M. Pierce, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
imageVisitors were invited to pose questions to the AI Jesus, viewed on a monitor behind a latticework screen.Courtesy of the Catholic Church of the City of Lucerne, CC BY

This autumn, a Swiss Catholic church installed an AI Jesus in a confessional to interact with visitors.

The installation was a two-month project in religion, technology and art titled...

Read more: AI Jesus might ‘listen’ to your confession, but it can’t absolve your sins − a scholar of...

More Articles ...

  1. One’s a Hugh Grant thriller, one’s a hot-mess reality show – and both center on stereotypes about Mormon women
  2. Is masculine anxiety spurring support for Trump among Gen Z?
  3. How right-wing media is like improv theater
  4. What South Korea’s short-lived martial law says about nation’s democracy and the autocratic tendencies of President Yoon
  5. Why you should talk to people you disagree with about politics
  6. Threatening texts targeting minorities after election were vile − but they might not be illegal
  7. Rape survivors like Gisèle Pelicot are choosing to speak out, refuting the idea that they should feel shame
  8. We surveyed hundreds of vacationers to confirm this ancient wisdom: The journey matters as much as the destination
  9. New IRS funding boosted tax enforcement and improved taxpayer services during the Biden administration
  10. NEOWISE, the NASA mission that cataloged objects around Earth for over a decade, has come to an end
  11. Noam Chomsky at 96: The linguist, educator, philosopher and public thinker has had a massive intellectual and moral influence
  12. Are trans women ‘biologically male’? The answer is complicated
  13. Wildland firefighters face a big pay cut if Congress doesn’t act − that’s taking a toll on a workforce already under stress
  14. Wildland firefighters face up to $20,000 pay cut if Congress doesn’t act − that’s taking a toll on a workforce already under stress
  15. What is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham? And how did the Islamist group evolve into a key player in Syria’s civil war?
  16. Pardon who? Hunter Biden case renews ethical debate over use and limits of peculiar presidential power
  17. Do Mom and Dad really know what’s best? A psychologist explains why kids see their parents as bossier than they are
  18. Music can change how you feel about the past
  19. The apocalypse that wasn’t: AI was everywhere in 2024’s elections, but deepfakes and misinformation were only part of the picture
  20. Why sending a belated gift is not as bad as you probably think − and late is better than never
  21. Tip pressure might work in the moment, but customers are less likely to return
  22. Dozens of cyclists and pedestrians are killed each year in Philly − an injury epidemiologist explains how to better protect bike lanes, slow drivers down and reduce collisions
  23. US attorney general’s professionalism can protect Americans’ privacy, former federal judge explains
  24. Tiff Massey’s ‘7 Mile Livernois’ exhibition isn’t just about a neighborhood – it’s a tribute to Black Detroit
  25. Fossilized footprints reveal 2 extinct hominin species living side by side 1.5 million years ago
  26. 208 million Americans are classified as obese or overweight, according to new study synthesizing 132 data sources
  27. An upward spiral – how small acts of kindness and connection really can change the world, according to psychology research
  28. Why Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire now − and what it means for Israel, Lebanon, Biden and Trump
  29. Is using AI tools innovation or exploitation? 3 ways to think about the ethics
  30. UN climate negotiations end on shaky geopolitical ground, but I see reasons for hope
  31. Cycling can make seniors healthier and more independent − here’s how to design bikes and networks that meet their needs
  32. Cinnamon, spice and ‘everything nice’ – why lead-tainted cinnamon products have turned up on shelves, and what questions consumers should ask
  33. Light exercise can yield significant cognitive benefits, new research shows
  34. On Bodhi Day, Buddhists commemorate Siddhartha Gautama’s enlightenment by lighting lamps to combat darkness
  35. ‘Insurrection,’ ‘equity’ and more − these are the words that trigger Trump supporters
  36. To control your spending this holiday season, stick with cash
  37. Trump’s next HUD secretary would have a lot to do to address the history of racist housing policy – and Trump’s own comments and history suggest that’s unlikely
  38. How the gladiators inspired evangelicals’ sense of persecution
  39. Taxpayers spend 22% more per patient to support Medicare Advantage – the private alternative to Medicare that promised to cost less
  40. China’s influence grows at COP29 climate talks as US leadership fades
  41. Amid lull in tit-for-tat missile exchange, Iran and Israel seek to control the online narrative
  42. Students go to hell and back in this course that looks at depictions of the damned throughout the ages
  43. Election reform was on the ballot – voters largely said ‘no’
  44. Polling in the age of Trump highlights flawed methods and filtered realities
  45. I wrote a book on the execution of the Rosenbergs for Cold War spying – and a recently declassified document has convinced me that Ethel was innocent
  46. Tiny laboratories that fit in your hand can rapidly identify pathogens using electricity
  47. Gen Z heads home: How to navigate the evolving parent-child relationship as kids become adults
  48. In a world where political polarization and disengagement are denting democracy, does Botswana’s ‘kgotla’ system hold the key?
  49. Opioid-free surgery treats pain at every physical and emotional level
  50. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ case raises questions about the many observers who might have ignored his alleged crimes