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Grilling with lump charcoal: Is US-grown hardwood really in that bag?

  • Written by Adriana Costa, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Bioproducts, Mississippi State University
imageWhen you're getting ready to cook, do you know what's burning underneath?Alexandr Baranov/iStock/Getty Images Plus

People dedicated to the art of grilling often choose lump charcoal – actual pieces of wood that have been turned into charcoal – over briquettes, which are compressed charcoal dust with other ingredients to keep the dust...

Read more: Grilling with lump charcoal: Is US-grown hardwood really in that bag?

Uranium enrichment: A chemist explains how the surprisingly common element is processed to power reactors and weapons

  • Written by André O. Hudson, Dean of the College of Science, Professor of Biochemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology
imageYellowcake is a concentrated form of mined and processed uranium. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, CC BY

When most people hear the word uranium, they think of mushroom clouds, Cold War standoffs or the glowing green rods from science fiction. But uranium isn’t just fuel for apocalyptic fears. It’s also a surprisingly common element that...

Read more: Uranium enrichment: A chemist explains how the surprisingly common element is processed to power...

Yelp’s addition of a ‘Black-owned’ tag led to a slight drop in business ratings in Detroit

  • Written by Matthew Bui, Assistant Professor of Information and Digital Studies, University of Michigan
imageYelp's Black-owned tag was designed to help business owners like Don Studvent attract more customers. His restaurant closed in 2018 after nine years in business.AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

When the online review platform Yelp added a “Black-owned” tag in 2020, it boosted the visibility of Black-owned restaurants in Detroit. It also caused...

Read more: Yelp’s addition of a ‘Black-owned’ tag led to a slight drop in business ratings in Detroit

Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues

  • Written by James L. Gibson, Sidney W. Souers Professor of Government, Washington University in St. Louis
imagePolarization has led many people to feel they're being silenced.AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

For decades, Americans’ trust in one another has been on the decline, according to the most recent General Social Survey.

A major factor in that downshift has been the concurrent rise in the polarization between the two major political parties. Supporters...

Read more: Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their...

Detroit restaurants identified as ‘Black-owned’ on Yelp saw a slight drop in business ratings

  • Written by Matthew Bui, Assistant Professor of Information and Digital Studies, University of Michigan
imageYelp's Black-owned tag was designed to help business owners like Don Studvent attract more customers. His restaurant closed in 2018 after nine years in business.AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

When the online review platform Yelp added a “Black-owned” tag in 2020, it boosted the visibility of Black-owned restaurants in Detroit. It also caused...

Read more: Detroit restaurants identified as ‘Black-owned’ on Yelp saw a slight drop in business ratings

Using TikTok could be making you more politically polarized, new study finds

  • Written by Zicheng Cheng, Assistant Professor of Mass Communications, University of Arizona
imageAre you in an echo chamber on TikTok?LeoPatrizi/E+ via Getty Images

People on TikTok tend to follow accounts that align with their own political beliefs, meaning the platform is creating political echo chambers among its users. These findings, from a study my collaborators, Yanlin Li and Homero Gil de Zúñiga, and I published in the...

Read more: Using TikTok could be making you more politically polarized, new study finds

What if universal rental assistance were implemented to deal with the housing crisis?

  • Written by Alex Schwartz, Professor of Urban Policy, The New School
imageThousands of American families that can't find affordable apartments are stuck living in extended-stay motels.Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

If there’s one thing that U.S. politicians and activists from across the political spectrum can agree on, it’s thatrentsare far too high.

Many experts believe that this...

Read more: What if universal rental assistance were implemented to deal with the housing crisis?

I’m a physician who has looked at hundreds of studies of vaccine safety, and here’s some of what RFK Jr. gets wrong

  • Written by Jake Scott, Clinical Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University
imagePublic health experts worry that factually inaccurate statements by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threaten the public's confidence in vaccines.Andrew HarnikGetty Images

In the four months since he began serving as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made many public statements about vaccines that have cast...

Read more: I’m a physician who has looked at hundreds of studies of vaccine safety, and here’s some of what...

Israel-Iran war recalls the 2003 US invasion of Iraq – a war my undergraduate students see as a relic of the past

  • Written by Andrea Stanton, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies & Faculty Affiliate, Center for Middle East Studies, University of Denver
imageAmerican troops topple a statue of Saddam Hussein on April 9, 2003, in Baghdad. Gilles Bassignac/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

After 12 days of trading deadly airstrikes, Israel and Iran confirmed on June 24, 2025, that a ceasefire is in effect, one day after President Donald Trump proclaimed the countries reached a deal to end fighting. Experts...

Read more: Israel-Iran war recalls the 2003 US invasion of Iraq – a war my undergraduate students see as a...

A preservative removed from childhood vaccines 20 years ago is still causing controversy today − a drug safety expert explains

  • Written by Terri Levien, Professor of Pharmacy, Washington State University
imageA discredited study published in 1989 first alleged a link between thimerosal and autism.Flavio Coelho/Moment via Getty Images

An expert committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines is meeting for the first time since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly replaced the committee’s 17 members with...

Read more: A preservative removed from childhood vaccines 20 years ago is still causing controversy today − a...

More Articles ...

  1. What is reconciliation − the legislative shortcut Republicans are using to push through their ‘Big Beautiful Bill’?
  2. What happens next in US-Iran relations will be informed by the two countries’ shared history
  3. How do scientists calculate the probability that an asteroid could hit Earth?
  4. Trump administration aims to slash funds that preserve the nation’s rich architectural and cultural history
  5. Grover Norquist’s lasting influence on the GOP and US economic policy
  6. Checking in on New England’s fishing industry 25 Years after ‘The Perfect Storm’ hit movie theaters
  7. Why power skills – formerly known as ‘soft skills’ – are the key to business success
  8. Checking in on New England fisheries 25 years after ‘The Perfect Storm’ movie
  9. Blocking exports and raising tariffs is a bad defense against industrial cyber espionage, study shows
  10. Mitochondria can sense bacteria and trigger your immune system to trap them – revealing new ways to treat infections and autoimmunity 
  11. More than half of US teens have had at least one cavity, but fluoride programs in schools help prevent them – new research
  12. Philly psychology students map out local landmarks and hidden destinations where they feel happiest
  13. Ceasefires like the one between Iran and Israel often fail – but an agreement with specific conditions is more likely to hold
  14. Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 − it pushed program underground and spurred Saddam Hussein’s desire for nukes
  15. Supreme Court rules Trump can rapidly deport immigrants to Libya, South Sudan and other countries they aren’t from
  16. How Internet of Things devices affect your privacy – even when they’re not yours
  17. Federal energy office illustrates the perils of fluctuating budgets and priorities
  18. ‘Monkey Biz-ness’: Pop culture helped fan the flames of the Scopes ‘monkey trial’ 100 years ago − and ever since
  19. 3D-printed model of a 500-year-old prosthetic hand hints at life of a Renaissance amputee
  20. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will help astronomers investigate dark matter, continuing the legacy of its pioneering namesake
  21. Diversifying the special education teacher workforce could benefit US schools
  22. Charitable giving grew to $593B in 2024, propelled by a strengthening US economy and a booming stock market
  23. Presidents of both parties have launched military action without Congress declaring war − Trump’s bombing of Iran is just the latest
  24. How the end of carbon capture could spark a new industrial revolution
  25. 3 years after abortion rights were overturned, contraception access is at risk
  26. To spur the construction of affordable, resilient homes, the future is concrete
  27. Astronomy has a major data problem – simulating realistic images of the sky can help train algorithms
  28. Neuropathic pain has no immediate cause – research on a brain receptor may help stop this hard-to-treat condition
  29. I’m an expert in crafting public health messages: Here are 3 marketing strategies I use to make Philadelphia healthier
  30. How do atoms form? A physicist explains where the atoms that make up everything around come from
  31. The sleeper Supreme Court decision that could have profound impacts on the Trump administration agenda – and restore faith in the high court
  32. No country for old business owners: Economic shifts create a growing challenge for America’s aging entrepreneurs
  33. After the smoke clears, a wildfire’s legacy can haunt rivers for years, putting drinking water at risk
  34. US bombs Iran’s nuclear sites: What led to Trump pulling the trigger – and what happens next?
  35. Outsourcing cost of ‘impact’ data could mean 13% more bang for every charitable buck
  36. A militarily degraded Iran may turn to asymmetrical warfare – raising risk of proxy and cyber attacks
  37. How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage
  38. What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support
  39. At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior
  40. Low-income homeowners hit by disasters may get less help from the government, as Trump administration nixes rules on fairness, community input and resilience
  41. Nuclear scientists  have long been targets in covert ops – Israel has brought that policy out of the shadows
  42. Nuclear scientists have long been targets in covert ops – Israel has brought that policy out of the shadows
  43. How to stay safe during heat waves – and the heat stroke warning signs to watch for
  44. How to stay safe during heat waves – and heat stroke warning signs to watch for
  45. Light-powered reactions could make the chemical manufacturing industry more energy-efficient
  46. Trump administration’s conflicting messages on Chinese student visas reflect complex US-China relations
  47. Metro Detroit is growing – but its suburbs are telling a more complicated story
  48. Family and friends shoulder the real cost of dementia − $224B in unpaid care
  49. The term ‘lone gunman’ ignores the structures that enable violence
  50. 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology