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1,000-year-old stalagmites from a cave in India show the monsoon isn’t so reliable – their rings reveal a history of long, deadly droughts

  • Written by Gayatri Kathayat, Associate Professor of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University
imageStalagmites grow from the cave floor up as water drips down.Gayatri Kathayat

In a remote cave in northeast India, rainwater has slowly dripped from the ceiling in the same spots for over 1,000 years. With each drop, minerals in the water accumulate on the floor below, slowly growing into calcium carbonate towers known as stalagmites.

These...

Read more: 1,000-year-old stalagmites from a cave in India show the monsoon isn’t so reliable – their rings...

Biden again indicates that US will defend Taiwan 'militarily' – does this constitute a change in policy?

  • Written by Meredith Oyen, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageAre Biden's comments on Taiwan an accidental or deliberate pivot?AP Photo/Susan Walsh

President Joe Biden has – not for the first time – suggested that the U.S. would intervene “militarily” should China attempt an invasion of Taiwan._

In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sept. 18, 2022, Biden vowed to...

Read more: Biden again indicates that US will defend Taiwan 'militarily' – does this constitute a change in...

Electric planes are coming: Short-hop regional flights could be running on batteries in a few years

  • Written by Gökçin Çınar, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan
imageSmall planes are easier to electrify, but larger ones aren't far behind.Chalabala/istock via Getty Images

Electric planes might seem futuristic, but they aren’t that far off, at least for short hops.

Two-seater Velis Electros are already quietly buzzing around Europe, electric sea planes are being tested in British Columbia, and larger planes...

Read more: Electric planes are coming: Short-hop regional flights could be running on batteries in a few years

Super-Earths are bigger, more common and more habitable than Earth itself – and astronomers are discovering more of the billions they think are out there

  • Written by Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona
imageAstronomers think the most likely place to find life in the galaxy is on super-Earths, like Kepler-69c, seen in this artist's rendering.NASA Ames/JPL-CalTech

Astronomers now routinely discover planets orbiting stars outside of the solar system – they’re called exoplanets. But in summer 2022, teams working on NASA’s Transiting...

Read more: Super-Earths are bigger, more common and more habitable than Earth itself – and astronomers are...

Why China feels threatened by the moral authority of a 90-year-old Catholic bishop

  • Written by Scott D. McDonald, Non-resident Fellow, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies; PhD Candidate, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
imageCardinal Joseph Zen has long supported protesters and critiqued China.AP Photo/Kin Cheung

Cardinal Joseph Zen will stand trial on Sept. 19, 2022, in Hong Kong for his role as a trustee of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund. This organization paid legal fees and medical bills for Hong Kongers protesting the Extradition Law Amendment Bill. This 2019...

Read more: Why China feels threatened by the moral authority of a 90-year-old Catholic bishop

Proposed federal abortion ban evokes 19th-century Comstock Act – a law so unpopular it triggered the centurylong backlash that led to Roe

  • Written by Amy Werbel, Professor of the History of Art, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
imageA sign at a July 2022 abortion-rights protest in Santa Monica, California, recalls the country's long history of trying to restrict access to reproductive health care. David McNew/Getty Images

Sen. Lindsey Graham has proposed a national U.S. abortion ban barring the procedure after 15 weeks. This push to restrict abortion access across the country...

Read more: Proposed federal abortion ban evokes 19th-century Comstock Act – a law so unpopular it triggered...

Typhoon Merbok, fueled by unusually warm Pacific Ocean, pounded Alaska's vulnerable coastal communities at a critical time

  • Written by Rick Thoman, Alaska Climate Specialist, University of Alaska Fairbanks
imageA satellite image shows how vast the remnants of Typhoon Merbok were as the storm hit the Alaska coast.National Weather Service

The powerful remnants of Typhoon Merbok pounded Alaska’s western coast on Sept. 17, 2022, pushing homes off their foundations and tearing apart protective berms as water flooded communities.

Storms aren’t...

Read more: Typhoon Merbok, fueled by unusually warm Pacific Ocean, pounded Alaska's vulnerable coastal...

Ukraine's rapid advance against Russia shows mastery of 3 essential skills for success in modern warfare

  • Written by Benjamin Jensen, Professor of Strategic Studies, Marine Corps University; Scholar-in-Residence, American University, American University School of International Service
imageAn abandoned and disabled Russian tank. Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian forces, aided by Western firepower, have upset traditional military logic once again.

Advancing deep into Ukrainian territory seized by Moscow earlier in its invasion, a counteroffensive launched in September 2022 has forced back the invading Russian army. In the...

Read more: Ukraine's rapid advance against Russia shows mastery of 3 essential skills for success in modern...

Hayao Miyazaki’s 'Spirited Away' continues to delight fans and inspire animators 20 years after its US premiere

  • Written by Northrop Davis, Professor of Media Arts, University of South Carolina
imageCritics praised the film for its stunning visuals.Studio Ghibli

When Hayao Miyazaki’s animated feature “Spirited Away” premiered in the U.S. 20 years ago, most viewers hadn’t seen anything like it.

Disney distributed the film. But as one critic pointed out, “Seeing just 10 minutes of this English version … will...

Read more: Hayao Miyazaki’s 'Spirited Away' continues to delight fans and inspire animators 20 years after...

School start times and screen time late in the evening exacerbate sleep deprivation in US teenagers

  • Written by Horacio de la Iglesia, Professor of Biology, University of Washington
imageLess than 30% of teenagers are getting the sleep they need.Mayur Kakade/Moment via Getty Images

With the school year underway around the U.S., parents and caregivers are once again faced with the age-old struggle of wrangling groggy kids out of bed in the morning. For parents of preteens and teenagers, it can be particularly challenging.

Sometimes...

Read more: School start times and screen time late in the evening exacerbate sleep deprivation in US teenagers

More Articles ...

  1. ARPA-H: High-risk, high-reward health research is the mandate of new, billion-dollar US agency
  2. These high school 'classics' have been taught for generations – could they be on their way out?
  3. Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne at a time of deep religious divisions and worked to bring tolerance
  4. We asked Ukrainians living on the front lines what was an acceptable peace – here's what they told us
  5. Debates about migration have never been simple – just look at the Hebrew Bible
  6. US is becoming a 'developing country' on global rankings that measure democracy, inequality
  7. The national broadband rollout has a blind spot: Lack of accurate, transparent data about internet access speeds
  8. 2022's supercharged summer of climate extremes: How global warming and La Niña fueled disasters on top of disasters
  9. Railroads and unions reach deal to avert devastating strike, keeping America's trains and the economy on track – for now
  10. A New Mexico official who joined the Capitol attacks is barred from politics – but the little-known law behind the removal has some potential pitfalls for democracy
  11. Lies are more common on laptops than on phones – how devices may shape our behavior when bargaining with strangers
  12. Fed likely to stay the course on interest rate hike as inflation ticks up but gas prices ease
  13. Is your gas stove bad for your health?
  14. 5 challenges of doing college in the metaverse
  15. Free preventive care under the ACA is under threat again – a ruling exempting PrEP from insurance coverage may extend nationwide and to other health services
  16. Cold shutdown reduces risk of disaster at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – but combat around spent fuel still poses a threat
  17. Student enrollment falls at colleges and universities that are placed on probation
  18. The Catholic Church is increasingly diverse – and so are its controversies
  19. How Shiite Islam reached Tanzania, and Ashoura processions became an annual tradition
  20. Should you vote early in the 2022 midterm elections? 3 essential reads
  21. Uncovering the genetic basis of mental illness requires data and tools that aren't just based on white people – this international team is collecting DNA samples around the globe
  22. Donor beware: Pause before you give to any cause
  23. Iran and the US appear unlikely to reach a new nuclear deal – leaving everyone more unsafe
  24. Arizona's Latino voters and political independents could spell midterm defeats for MAGA candidates
  25. Charles III faces challenges at home, abroad – and even in defining what it means to be king
  26. Educators can help make STEM fields diverse – over 25 years, I've identified nudges that can encourage students to stay
  27. How you can help protect sharks – and what doesn't work
  28. Barbara Ehrenreich helped make inequality visible – her legacy lives on in a reinvigorated labor movement
  29. How do ants crawl on walls? A biologist explains their sticky, spiky, gravity-defying grip
  30. What is proof-of-stake? A computer scientist explains a new way to make cryptocurrencies, NFTs and metaverse transactions
  31. Stop using 'Latinx' if you really want to be inclusive
  32. Burning Man highlights the primordial human need for ritual
  33. La Crosse virus is the second-most common virus in the US spread by mosquitoes – and can cause severe neurological damage in rare cases
  34. How Ukraine is adapting the ancient practice of trophy displays for modern propaganda
  35. Why are some people mosquito magnets and others unbothered? A medical entomologist points to metabolism, body odor and mindset
  36. Supreme Court to revisit LGBTQ rights – this time with a wedding website designer, not a baker
  37. In 1953, 'Queen-crazy' American women looked to Elizabeth II as a source of inspiration – that sentiment never faded
  38. Meditation holds the potential to help treat children suffering from traumas, difficult diagnoses or other stressors – a behavioral neuroscientist explains
  39. Yes, Black patients do want to help with medical research – here are ways to overcome the barriers that keep clinical trials from recruiting diverse populations
  40. Building something better: How community organizing helps people thrive in challenging times
  41. Ghost islands of the Arctic: The world’s ‘northern-most island’ isn’t the first to be erased from the map
  42. Intense heat and flooding are wreaking havoc on power and water systems as climate change batters America’s aging infrastructure
  43. Fears of a polio resurgence in the US have health officials on high alert – a virologist explains the history of this dreaded disease
  44. Human skin stood up better to the sun before there were sunscreens and parasols – an anthropologist explains why
  45. Purpose and gratitude boost academic engagement
  46. Supreme Court’s selective reading of US history ignored 19th-century women’s support for ‘voluntary motherhood’
  47. Christian nationalism is getting written out of the story of January 6
  48. America's next big labor battle could be Minor League Baseball
  49. Sleeping fish? From sharks to salmon, guppies to groupers, here's how they grab a snooze
  50. Birds migrate along ancient routes – here are the latest high-tech tools scientists are using to study their amazing journeys