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Pikachu protesters, Studio Ghibli memes and the subversive power of cuteness

  • Written by Yii-Jan Lin, Associate Professor of New Testament, Yale University
imageThe Pokémon character Pikachu has become the unofficial symbol of the opposition to Turkish President Recep Erdogan.Pat Batard/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

In Antalya, Turkey, in the early hours of March 27, 2025, Pikachu was spotted fleeing the police, making a getaway as fast as his short yellow legs could waddle.

The person dressed as...

Read more: Pikachu protesters, Studio Ghibli memes and the subversive power of cuteness

Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE Act has no basis in the Constitution – and ignores precedent that only states decide who gets to vote

  • Written by John J. Martin, Research Assistant Professor of Law, University of Virginia
imagePeople stand in line to vote in Santa Monica, Calif., on Nov. 5, 2024. Apu Gomes/Getty Images

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed on April 10, 2025, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act – or SAVE Act. The bill would make voting harder for tens of millions of Americans.

The SAVE Act would require anyone registering to...

Read more: Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE Act has no basis in the Constitution – and ignores...

AI-generated images can exploit how your mind works − here’s why they fool you and how to spot them

  • Written by Arryn Robbins, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Richmond
imageA beautiful kitchen to scroll past – but check out the clock.Tiny Homes via Facebook

I’m more of a scroller than a poster on social media. Like many people, I wind down at the end of the day with a scroll binge, taking in videos of Italian grandmothers making pasta or baby pygmy hippos frolicking.

For a while, my feed was filled with...

Read more: AI-generated images can exploit how your mind works − here’s why they fool you and how to spot them

Tiny cut marks on animal bone fossils reveal that human ancestors were in Romania 1.95 million years ago

  • Written by Briana Pobiner, Research Scientist and Museum Educator, Smithsonian Institution
imageSeveral fossils with possible cut marks from Grăunceanu, Romania.Briana Pobiner

Looking again through the magnifying lens at the fossil’s surface, one of us, Sabrina Curran, took a deep breath. Illuminated by a strong light positioned nearly parallel to the surface of the bone, the V-shaped lines were clearly there on the fossil. There...

Read more: Tiny cut marks on animal bone fossils reveal that human ancestors were in Romania 1.95 million...

A Roman governor ordered Jesus’ crucifixion – so why did many Christians blame Jews for centuries?

  • Written by Nathanael Andrade, Professor of History, Binghamton University, State University of New York
image'Ecce Homo' (Behold the Man), by 19th-century painter Antonio Ciseri, depicts Pontius Pilate presenting Jesus to a crowd in Jerusalem.Tungsten/Galleria d'Arte Moderna via Wikimedia Commons

It’s a straightforward part of the Easter story: The Roman governor Pontius Pilate had Jesus of Nazareth killed by his soldiers. He imposed a sentence that...

Read more: A Roman governor ordered Jesus’ crucifixion – so why did many Christians blame Jews for centuries?

White House plans for Alaskan oil and gas face some hurdles – including from Trump and the petroleum industry

  • Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Lecturer in International Studies, University of Washington
imageA pumping station and oil pipeline north of Fairbanks, Alaska, are part of the existing fossil fuel industry in the state.AP Photo/Al Grillo

The second Trump administration has launched the next stage in the half-century-long battle between commerce and conservation over Alaskan oil and gas development. But its moves are delivering a mixed message...

Read more: White House plans for Alaskan oil and gas face some hurdles – including from Trump and the...

Pornography may be commonplace, but a growing body of research shows it causes lasting harm to the brain and relationships

  • Written by Danielle Sukenik, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
imageProblematic porn use is defined by having difficulty controlling or limiting use. taviox/iStock via Getty Images Plus

While pornography has been present throughout human history in various forms, such as ancient erotic art to more modernized motion pictures, research shows an increase in use over recent decades given the rise of technology and...

Read more: Pornography may be commonplace, but a growing body of research shows it causes lasting harm to the...

ICE can now enter K-12 schools − here’s what educators should know about student rights and privacy

  • Written by Brian Boggs, Assistant Professor of Policy and Educational Leadership, University of Michigan
imageEducators are legally obligated to protect and educate all their students.PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty

United States federal agents tried to enter two Los Angeles elementary schools on April 7, 2025, and were denied entry, according to the Los Angeles Times. The agents were apparently seeking contact with five students who had allegedly...

Read more: ICE can now enter K-12 schools − here’s what educators should know about student rights and privacy

What the Supreme Court’s ruling on man wrongly deported to El Salvador says about presidential authority and the rule of law

  • Written by Jean Lantz Reisz, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, Co-Director, USC Immigration Clinic, University of Southern California
imagePeople hold signs on April 4, 2025, supporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

The Supreme Court on April 10, 2025, unanimously upheld the lower court order directing the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland man who was...

Read more: What the Supreme Court’s ruling on man wrongly deported to El Salvador says about presidential...

Cancer hijacks your brain and steals your motivation − new research in mice reveals how, offering potential avenues for treatment

  • Written by Adam Kepecs, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis
imageMany patients with late-stage cancer slip into a profound apathy as the disease ravages their bodies − and brains.demaerre/iStock via Getty Images Plus

A cruel consequence of advanced cancer is the profound apathy many patients experience as they lose interest in once-cherished activities. This symptom is part of a syndrome called cachexia,...

Read more: Cancer hijacks your brain and steals your motivation − new research in mice reveals how, offering...

More Articles ...

  1. Tax Day highlights the costs of single living – but demographics are forcing financial change
  2. Fill-in-the-blank training primes AI to interpret health data from smartwatches and fitness trackers
  3. Race isn’t a ‘biological reality,’ contrary to recent political claims − here’s how scientific consensus on race developed in the 20th century
  4. Trump’s nomination for NASA leader boasts business and commercial spaceflight experience during a period of uncertainty for the agency
  5. Schools are harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionize courses in hospitality management
  6. Black Americans are more likely than other racial groups to express their faith in the workplace
  7. China’s new underwater tool cuts deep, exposing vulnerability of vital network of subsea cables
  8. Will Africa’s young voters continue to punish incumbents at the ballot box in 2025? We are about to find out
  9. Universities in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union thought giving in to government demands would save their independence
  10. Supreme Court’s decision on deportations gave both the Trump administration and ACLU reasons to claim a victory − but noncitizens clearly lost
  11. Why you should think twice before using shorthand like ‘thx’ and ‘k’ in your texts
  12. Colorado’s early childhood education workers face burnout and health disparities, but a wellness campaign could help
  13. Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe
  14. What would happen if Section 230 went away? A legal expert explains the consequences of repealing ‘the law that built the internet’
  15. Shark AI uses fossil shark teeth to get middle school kids interested in paleontology and computer vision
  16. Two key ingredients cause extreme storms with destructive flooding – why these downpours are happening more often
  17. Why some storms brew up to extreme dimensions in the middle of America – and why it’s happening more often
  18. Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe
  19. The founder kings of Silicon Valley: Dual-class stock gives US social media company controllers nearly as much power as ByteDance has over TikTok
  20. Social media before bedtime wreaks havoc on our sleep − a sleep researcher explains why screens alone aren’t the main culprit
  21. How racism fueled the Eaton Fire’s destruction in Altadena − a scholar explains why discrimination can raise fire risk for Black Californians
  22. Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research
  23. Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed
  24. The ‘courage to be’ in uncertain times − how one 20th-century philosopher defined bravery
  25. AI isn’t what we should be worried about – it’s the humans controlling it
  26. What is reinforcement learning? An AI researcher explains a key method of teaching machines – and how it relates to training your dog
  27. American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today
  28. EPA must use the best available science − by law − but what does that mean?
  29. The trade deficit isn’t an emergency – it’s a sign of America’s strength
  30. Alcohol causes cancer, and less than 1 drink can increase your risk − a cancer biologist explains how
  31. Animal tranquilizers found in illegal opioids may suppress the lifesaving medication naloxone − and cause more overdose deaths
  32. Housing instability complicates end-of-life care for aging unhoused populations
  33. How the small autonomous region of Puntland found success in battling Islamic State in Somalia
  34. What ancient animal fables from India teach about political wisdom
  35. Hip-hop can document life in America more reliably than history books
  36. The hidden power of marathon Senate speeches: What history tells us about Cory Booker’s 25-hour oration
  37. More than just chips: Chinese threats and Trump tariffs could disrupt lots of ‘made in Taiwan’ imports − disappointing US builders, cyclists and golfers alike
  38. Being alone has its benefits − a psychologist flips the script on the ‘loneliness epidemic’
  39. Abolition wasn’t fueled by just moral or economic concerns – the booming whaling industry also helped sink slavery
  40. Florida is home to about 341,000 immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti who may soon lose residency, work permits
  41. The Trump administration says Tren de Aragua is a terrorist group – but it’s really a transnational criminal organization. Here’s why the label matters.
  42. The problem with Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center isn’t the possibility of ‘Cats’
  43. Hormone therapy may cut cardiovascular risk in younger menopausal women
  44. Hard work feels worth it, but only after it’s done – new research on how people value effort
  45. Insects are everywhere in farming and research − but insect welfare is just catching up
  46. Myanmar military’s ‘ceasefire’ follows a pattern of ruling generals exploiting disasters to shore up control
  47. How a lone judge can block a Trump order nationwide – and why, from DACA to DOGE, this judicial check on presidents’ power is shaping how the government works
  48. Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs are the highest in decades − an economist explains how that could hurt the US
  49. Why tattoos are such an unreliable marker of gang membership
  50. Lessons from El Salvador for US university leaders facing attacks from Trump