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Radioisotope generators − inside the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft

  • Written by Benjamin Roulston, Assistant Professor of Physics, Clarkson University
imageVoyager 1, shown in this illustration, has operated for decades thanks to a radioisotope power system. NASA via AP

Powering spacecraft with solar energy may not seem like a challenge, given how intense the Sun’s light can feel on Earth. Spacecraft near the Earth use large solar panels to harness the Sun for the electricity needed to run their...

Read more: Radioisotope generators − inside the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft

The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy

  • Written by Julia Standefer, Ph.D. Student in Psychology, Iowa State University
imageProtesters fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that will strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity.AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

A state law signed Feb. 28, 2025, removes gender identity as a protected status from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, leaving transgender people vulnerable to discrimination. The rights...

Read more: The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy

Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come

  • Written by Erica Frankenberg, Professor of Education and Demography, Penn State
imageSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow Democrats criticize President Donald Trump's plan to shutter the Education Department on March 6, 2025.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The U.S. Department of Education cut its workforce by nearly 50% on March 11, 2025, when it laid off about 1,315 employees. The move follows several recent directives...

Read more: Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for...

When algorithms take the field – inside MLB’s robo-umping experiment

  • Written by Arthur Daemmrich, Professor of Practice in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
imageMLB's automated ball-strike technology could be used in big league games as soon as 2026.Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Baseball fans tuning into spring training games may have noticed another new wrinkle in a sport that’s experienced a host of changes in recent years.

Batters, pitchers and catchers can challenge a home plate umpire’s ball or...

Read more: When algorithms take the field – inside MLB’s robo-umping experiment

Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study

  • Written by Laurie Archbald-Pannone, Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Virginia
imageMany older adults are not up to date on their vaccines. Morsa Images via Getty Images

Knowing which vaccines older adults should get and hearing a clear recommendation from their health care provider about why a particular vaccine is important strongly motivated them to get vaccinated. That’s a key finding in a recent study I co-authored in...

Read more: Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study

The push to restore semiconductor manufacturing faces a labor crisis − can the US train enough workers in time?

  • Written by Michael Moats, Professor of Metallurgical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Semiconductors power nearly every aspect of modern life – cars, smartphones, medical devices and even national defense systems. These tiny but essential components make the information age possible, whether they’re supporting lifesaving hospital equipment or facilitating the latest advances in artificial intelligence.

It’s easy...

Read more: The push to restore semiconductor manufacturing faces a labor crisis − can the US train enough...

When humans use AI to earn patents, who is doing the inventing?

  • Written by W. Keith Robinson, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University
imageOnly humans can be awarded patents, but AIs can do a lot of the work to earn them.lineartestpilot/iStock via Getty Images

The advent of generative artificial intelligence has sent shock waves across industries, from the technical to the creative. AI systems that can generate viable computer code, write news stories and spin up professional-looking...

Read more: When humans use AI to earn patents, who is doing the inventing?

Why parents of ‘twice-exceptional’ children choose homeschooling over public school

  • Written by Rachael Cody, Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Education, Oregon State University
imageMore Americans are homeschooling their kids.Chris Hondros/Newsmakers via Getty Images

Homeschooling has exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly since the pandemic. But researchers are still exploring why parents choose to homeschool their children.

While the decision to homeschool is often associated with religion, a 2023 survey found...

Read more: Why parents of ‘twice-exceptional’ children choose homeschooling over public school

Environmental protection laws still apply even under Trump’s national energy emergency − here’s why

  • Written by Albert C. Lin, Professor of Law, University of California, Davis
imagePart of the Line 5 pipeline carrying crude oil from Canada to the U.S. runs underwater in the Straits of Mackinac, between two of the Great Lakes.Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy via AP

In response to President Donald Trump’s declaration of a “national energy emergency,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers...

Read more: Environmental protection laws still apply even under Trump’s national energy emergency − here’s why

Are Ukrainians ready for ceasefire and concessions? Here’s what the polls say

  • Written by Gerard Toal, Professor of Government and International Affairs, Virginia Tech
imageAfter three years of conflict, a majority of Ukrainians report being war-weary.Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP via Getty Images.

A U.S.-Ukraine accord on a ceasefire proposal has put the notion of a negotiated end to the three-year war on the agenda, and in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But even before Moscow responds, it’s pretty...

Read more: Are Ukrainians ready for ceasefire and concessions? Here’s what the polls say

More Articles ...

  1. Philly Roller Derby league turns 20 - here’s how the sport skated its way to feminism, anti-racism and queer liberation
  2. How an unexpected observation, a 10th-century recipe and an explorer’s encounter with a cabbage thief upend what we know about collard greens’ journey to the American South
  3. I study refugees, and here are the facts on the history and impact of refugee resettlement in the US
  4. You’ve likely heard the Serenity Prayer − but not its backstory
  5. 3D printing will help space pioneers make homes, tools and other stuff they need to colonize the Moon and Mars
  6. Can the Trump administration legally deport Palestinian rights advocate Mahmoud Khalil? 3 things to know about green card holders’ rights
  7. America’s clean air rules have boosted health and the economy − here’s what EPA’s deregulation spree ignores
  8. America’s clean air rules boost health and the economy − here’s what EPA’s new deregulation plans ignore
  9. Mass layoffs at Education Department signal Trump’s plan to gut the agency
  10. Is the US heading for a government shutdown? 5 essential reads to occupy the mind while we wait to find out
  11. How do researchers determine how toxic a chemical is? A toxicologist explains alternatives to animal testing
  12. The fediverse promises social media without Big Tech – if it can avoid familiar pitfalls
  13. For superfans, comic-con culture is more than fun – it’s sacred, a sociologist explains
  14. Alien and Sedition Acts were reviled in their time, and John Adams was not sorry to see them go
  15. Pennsylvania’s mushroom industry faces urgent labor shortage − and latest immigration policies will likely make it worse
  16. US workers with remote-friendly jobs are still working from home nearly half the time, 5 years after the pandemic began
  17. How Jesse Jackson embodied Southern politics − and changed American elections
  18. The parallels between Kash Patel and William J. Burns, a scandal-mongering 1920s FBI director — an FBI historian explains
  19. Middle age is a time when women are vulnerable to eating disorders
  20. Arrest of ex-president Duterte will shake up dynastic politics in the Philippines – and hand initiative to rival Marcos family
  21. US-Ukraine deal highlights Ukraine’s wealth of critical minerals, but extracting them isn’t so simple
  22. The world regulated sulfur in ship fuels − and the lightning stopped
  23. 5 years of COVID-19 underscore value of coordinated efforts to manage disease – while CDC, NIH and WHO face threats to their ability to respond to a crisis
  24. What is a SLAPP suit? Legal experts explain how these lawsuits suppress free speech
  25. How Trump’s foreign aid and diplomatic cuts will make it harder for the US to wield soft power to maintain its friendships and win new ones
  26. Mission possible − parastronaut programs can make space travel more inclusive and attainable for all
  27. From TB to HIV/AIDS to cancer, disease tracking has always had a political dimension, but it’s the foundation of public health
  28. End-of-life planning can be hampered by misconceptions − but the process is easier than you might think
  29. Trump’s DOGE campaign accelerates 50-year trend of government privatization
  30. What happens when leaders have loyalists in charge of men with guns: Lessons for the US from Nicaragua, Syria and other authoritarian countries
  31. The sun is setting on government transparency in Florida – and secrecy creep is affecting the rest of the US, too
  32. How the color of St. Patrick’s Day went from blue to green
  33. George Washington, a real estate investor and successful entrepreneur, knew the difference between running a business and running the government
  34. Taking a leap of faith into imaginary numbers opens new doors in the real world through complex analysis
  35. DEI initiatives removed from federal agencies that fund science, but scientific research continues
  36. The dark parallels between 1920s America and today’s political climate
  37. The fear of deportation hangs over unauthorized workers trying to fight exploitation, but all workers in the US have rights
  38. The FACE Act was enacted to protect reproductive health clinics − here’s why its history matters today
  39. Ann Arbor’s sustainable energy utility aims to build the electric power grid of the future − alongside the old one
  40. 5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since COVID-19
  41. Is ranch dressing a liquid or a solid? A physicist explains
  42. America is becoming a nation of homebodies
  43. 5 reasons veterans are especially hard-hit by federal cuts
  44. Daylight saving time and early school start times cost billions in lost productivity and health care expenses
  45. How Trump’s $2B court battle over foreign aid could reshape executive authority
  46. Pause in aid has introduced uncertainty into Ukraine’s military planning − forever changing its war calculus
  47. NIH funding cuts will hit red states, rural areas and underserved communities the hardest
  48. ‘Pac-Man with a ponytail’ proteins regulate everything from night vision to heartbeats – studying what GRKs look like could improve an array of drugs
  49. What Amazon MGM’s creative control over the James Bond film franchise means for the future of 007
  50. Exhausted by the news? Here are 6 strategies to stay informed without getting overwhelmed − or misled by misinformation