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Is methylene blue really a brain booster? A pharmacologist explains the science

  • Written by Lorne J. Hofseth, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina
imageThis vibrantly colored chemical was originally created for use as a fabric dye.Kittisak Kaewchalun via iStock/Getty Images Plus

The internet is abuzz with tributes to a liquid chemical called methylene blue that is being sold as a health supplement.

Over the past five or 10 years, methylene blue has come to be touted online as a so-called nootropic...

Read more: Is methylene blue really a brain booster? A pharmacologist explains the science

Autocrats don’t act like Hitler or Stalin anymore − instead of governing with violence, they use manipulation

  • Written by Daniel Treisman, Professor of Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles
imageAutocrats today tend to govern by manipulation of the public, among other tactics, rather than solely using violence. Nanzeeba Ibnat/iStock/Getty Images Plus

President Donald Trump’s critics often accuse him of harboring authoritarian ambitions. Journalists and scholars have drawn parallels between his leadership style and that of strongmen...

Read more: Autocrats don’t act like Hitler or Stalin anymore − instead of governing with violence, they use...

Reducing American antisemitism requires more than condemning opposition to Israel and targeting elite universities

  • Written by David Mednicoff, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Public Policy, UMass Amherst
imageLaw enforcement officials dress in protective gear to investigate after an attack on a march in Boulder, Colo., on June 1, 2025, calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Violent antisemitism in the U.S. isn’t limited to the far right wing of the political spectrum. This was tragically obvious in two...

Read more: Reducing American antisemitism requires more than condemning opposition to Israel and targeting...

Even if Putin and Zelenskyy do go face-to-face, don’t expect wonders − their one meeting in 2019 ended in failure

  • Written by Anna Batta, Associate Professor of International Security Studies, Air University
imageRussian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrive at the Elysee Palace in Paris in 2019.Ian Langsdon/Pool Photo via AP

Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met for a second time in Istanbul in a month on June 2, 2025. Missing, again, were the country’s two leaders.

For a fleeting moment ahead of the first...

Read more: Even if Putin and Zelenskyy do go face-to-face, don’t expect wonders − their one meeting in 2019...

California plan to ban most plants within 5 feet of homes for wildfire safety overlooks some important truths about flammability

  • Written by Max Moritz, Wildfire Specialist, University of California Cooperative Extension; Adjunct Professor at the Bren School, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of California, Santa Barbara
imagePhotos after the Los Angeles fires in January 2025 show many yards where vegetation didn't burn while neighboring houses did.AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

One of the most striking patterns in the aftermath of many urban fires is how much unburned green vegetation remains amid the wreckage of burned neighborhoods.

In some cases, a row of shrubs may be all...

Read more: California plan to ban most plants within 5 feet of homes for wildfire safety overlooks some...

New model helps to figure out which distant planets may host life

  • Written by Daniel Apai, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona
imageSome 'water worlds' like Jupiter's moon Europa could potentially be habitable for life.NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute

The search for life beyond Earth is a key driver of modern astronomy and planetary science. The U.S. is building multiple major telescopes and planetary probes to advance this search. However, the signs of life – called...

Read more: New model helps to figure out which distant planets may host life

Debunking 5 myths about when your devices get wet

  • Written by Rachel Plotnick, Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, Indiana University
imageConsumer technologies get wet as a regular part of everyday life.Shuvro Mojumder/Unsplash , CC BY-SA

Nearly everyone has encountered the unthinkable: Your smartphone landed in the toilet. Or you forgot to take off your smartwatch before jumping into the pool. Or maybe you meant to take those earbuds out of your pocket before running the laundry....

Read more: Debunking 5 myths about when your devices get wet

Robots run out of energy long before they run out of work to do − feeding them could change that

  • Written by James Pikul, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
imageRobots can run, but they can't go the distance.AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

Earlier this year, a robot completed a half-marathon in Beijing in just under 2 hours and 40 minutes. That’s slower than the human winner, who clocked in at just over an hour – but it’s still a remarkable feat. Many recreational runners would be proud of that...

Read more: Robots run out of energy long before they run out of work to do − feeding them could change that

Is AI sparking a cognitive revolution that will lead to mediocrity and conformity?

  • Written by Wolfgang Messner, Clinical Professor of International Business, University of South Carolina
imageThe Industrial Revolution mechanized production. Today, there's a similar risk with the automation of thought.kutaytanir/E+ via Getty Images

Artificial Intelligence began as a quest to simulate the human brain.

Is it now in the process of transforming the human brain’s role in daily life?

The Industrial Revolution diminished the need for...

Read more: Is AI sparking a cognitive revolution that will lead to mediocrity and conformity?

Our trans health study was terminated by the government – the effects of abrupt NIH grant cuts ripple across science and society

  • Written by Jae A. Puckett, Associate Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University
imageFunding cuts to trans health research are part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to medically and legally restrict trans rights.AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

Given the Trump administration’s systematic attempts to medically and legally disenfranchise trans people, and its abrupt termination of grants focused on LGBTQ+ health, we...

Read more: Our trans health study was terminated by the government – the effects of abrupt NIH grant cuts...

More Articles ...

  1. 3 ways the government can silence opinions it disagrees with, without using censorship
  2. Veterans’ protests planned for D-Day latest in nearly 250 years of fighting for their benefits
  3. If it looks like a dire wolf, is it a dire wolf? How to define a species is a scientific and philosophical question
  4. Detroit’s population grew in 2023, 2024 − a strategy to welcome immigrants helps explain the turnaround from decades of population decline
  5. Prime numbers, the building blocks of mathematics, have fascinated for centuries − now technology is revolutionizing the search for them
  6. Hurricane season is here, but FEMA’s policy change could leave low-income areas less protected
  7. Millions of US children have parents with substance use disorder, and the consequences are staggering − new research
  8. Are hegemonies a relic of the past? The role of coercion and consent in global domination
  9. The biggest barrier to AI adoption in the business world isn’t tech – it’s user confidence
  10. Solar panels’ shade helps boost Colorado grassland productivity in dry years
  11. Surge of ICE agreements with local police aim to increase deportations, but many police forces have found they undermine public safety
  12. Trump’s white genocide claims about South Africa have deep roots in American history
  13. Beyond the backlash: What evidence shows about the economic impact of DEI
  14. Like today’s selfie-takers, Walt Whitman used photography to curate his image – but ended up more lost than found
  15. The rise and fall – and rise again – of white-tailed deer
  16. What Peru’s Virgen de la Puerta represents about unity and inclusion
  17. Weaponized storytelling: How AI is helping researchers sniff out disinformation campaigns
  18. There’s no evidence work requirements for Medicaid recipients will boost employment, but they are a key piece of Republican spending bill
  19. How trafficked American guns fuel Mexico’s cartel violence – podcast
  20. More Colorado workplaces are becoming safe places for employees in recovery
  21. RFK Jr. says annual COVID-19 shots no longer advised for healthy children and pregnant women – a public health expert explains the new guidance
  22. 3 things to watch as South Koreans head toward the polls following turbulent political period
  23. Guns bought in the US and trafficked to Mexican drug cartels fuel violence in Mexico and the migration crisis
  24. Billy Joel has excess fluid in his brain – a neurologist explains what happens when this protective liquid gets out of balance
  25. Chronic stress contributes to cognitive decline and dementia risk – 2 healthy-aging experts explain what you can do about it
  26. Trump wants to cut funding to sanctuary cities and towns – but they don’t actually violate federal law
  27. The hidden power of cultural exchanges in countering propaganda and fostering international goodwill
  28. Public health and private equity: What the Walgreens buyout could mean for the future of pharmacy care
  29. A common parasite can decapitate human sperm − with implications for male fertility
  30. When Elvis and Ella were pressed onto X-rays – the subversive legacy of Soviet ‘bone music’
  31. High electricity prices zapping your budget? Here are 5 ways to save
  32. Critical minerals don’t belong in landfills – microwave tech offers a cleaner way to reclaim them from e-waste
  33. Texas’ annual reading test adjusted its difficulty every year, masking whether students are improving
  34. Anti-trans measures don’t just target transgender men and women – a sociologist explains how ‘male’ or ‘female’ categories miss the mark for nonbinary Americans
  35. Trump’s West Point speech brought partisanship to the home of the US military − 3 essential reads
  36. Trump’s West Point speech brought partisanship to the home of the US military − 2 essential reads
  37. Queer country: LGBTQ+ musicians are outside the spotlight as Grand Ole Opry turns 100
  38. Could a bold anti-poverty experiment from the 1960s inspire a new era in housing justice?
  39. Christianity has long revered saints who would be called ‘transgender’ today
  40. Pope Leo XIV is the first member of the Order of St. Augustine to be elected pope – but who are the Augustinians?
  41. Air traffic controller shortages in Newark and other airports partly reflect long, intense training − but university-based training programs are becoming part of the solution
  42. Mountain chickadee chatter: Scientists are decoding the songbird’s complex calls
  43. For opioid addiction, treatment underdosing can lead to fentanyl overdosing – a physician explains
  44. Managing forests and other ecosystems under rising threats requires thinking across wide-ranging scenarios
  45. Europeans are concerned that the US will withdraw support from NATO. They are right to worry − Americans should, too
  46. Why some towns lose local news − and others don’t
  47. MAHA report on children’s health highlights harms of ultraprocessed foods – a food scientist explains the research
  48. Harvard fights to keep enrolling international students – 4 essential reads about their broader impact
  49. How does a person become famous when they’re just a kid?
  50. 5 years after George Floyd’s murder: How the media narrative has changed around the killing and the protests that followed