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Japan’s sumo association turns 100 – but the sport’s rituals have a much older role shaping ideas about the country

  • Written by Jessamyn R. Abel, Professor of Asian Studies and History, Penn State
imageSumo wrestlers Daieisho and Roga compete in a Grand Sumo Tournament bout at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 19, 2025.AP Photo/Frank Augstein

A visitor to Japan who wanders into a sumo tournament might be forgiven for thinking they had intruded upon a religious ceremony.

Tournaments begin with a line of burly men wearing little more than...

Read more: Japan’s sumo association turns 100 – but the sport’s rituals have a much older role shaping ideas...

Surrealism is better known for its strangeness than the radical politics and revolutionary ambitions of its creators

  • Written by Tom McDonough, Professor of Art History, Binghamton University, State University of New York
imageA visitor looks at 'Magnetic Mountain' by Kurt Seligmann at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Sandrine Marty/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

A large-scale exhibition of surrealism that first opened in Paris in 2024 will have its sole American iteration, “Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100,” at the Philadelphia Art Museum from Nov. 8, 2025,...

Read more: Surrealism is better known for its strangeness than the radical politics and revolutionary...

Building a stable ‘abode of thought’: Kant’s rules for virtuous thinking

  • Written by Alexander T. Englert, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Richmond
imageVirtuous thinking, Kant wrote, is like good carpentry: It builds strong ideas in harmony with one another. Jackyenjoyphotography/Moment via Getty Images

What makes a life virtuous? The answer might seem simple: virtuous actions – actions that align with morality.

But life is more than doing. Frequently, we just think. We observe and spectate;...

Read more: Building a stable ‘abode of thought’: Kant’s rules for virtuous thinking

Why your late teens and early 20s are crucial times for lifelong heart health

  • Written by Jewel Scott, Assistant Professor of Nursing Science, University of South Carolina
imageMany young adults don't realize that high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure and lack of physical activity are early heart disease risk factors.Kmatta/Moment via Getty Images

Emerging adulthood – the life stage that unfolds around ages 18-25 – is full of major transitions, such as starting college or learning a trade, making new...

Read more: Why your late teens and early 20s are crucial times for lifelong heart health

Coal plants emitted more pollution during the last government shutdown, while regulators were furloughed

  • Written by Ruohao Zhang, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics, Penn State
imageCoal-fired power plants emit both smoke and steam.Paul Souders/Stone via Getty Images

When the U.S. government shut down in late 2018, it furloughed nearly 600 Environmental Protection Agency pollution inspectors for more than a month. Those workers had to stop their work of monitoring and inspecting industrial sites for pollution, and stopped...

Read more: Coal plants emitted more pollution during the last government shutdown, while regulators were...

James Comey’s lawyers face an uphill battle to prove selective or vindictive prosecution in his high-profile case

  • Written by Peter A. Joy, Professor of law, Washington University in St. Louis
imagePatrice Failor, wife of former FBI Director James Comey, departs the courthouse following Comey's arraignment hearing in Alexandria, Va., on Oct. 8, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynold/AFP via Getty Images

Soon after President Donald Trump demanded in a social media post that the Department of Justice prosecute his perceived enemy, former FBI director...

Read more: James Comey’s lawyers face an uphill battle to prove selective or vindictive prosecution in his...

1 in 3 US nonprofits that serve communities lost government funding in early 2025

  • Written by Lewis Faulk, Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy, American University
imageThe Trump administration's spending cuts have hit many nonprofits hard. michaelquirk/iStock via Getty Images Plus

About one-third of U.S. nonprofit service providers experienced a disruption in their government funding in the first half of 2025.

That’s what we found when we teamed up with Urban Institute researchers to collect nationally...

Read more: 1 in 3 US nonprofits that serve communities lost government funding in early 2025

A flexible lens controlled by light-activated artificial muscles promises to let soft machines see

  • Written by Corey Zheng, PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageThis rubbery disc is an artificial eye that could give soft robots vision.Corey Zheng/Georgia Institute of Technology

Inspired by the human eye, our biomedical engineering lab at Georgia Tech has designed an adaptive lens made of soft, light-responsive, tissuelike materials.

Adjustable camera systems usually require a set of bulky, moving, solid...

Read more: A flexible lens controlled by light-activated artificial muscles promises to let soft machines see

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could unlock the next revolution in cancer treatment – new research

  • Written by Adam Grippin, Physician Scientist in Cancer Immunotherapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
imageWith a little help, your immune cells can be potent tumor killers.Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

The COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccines that saved 2.5 million lives globally during the pandemic could help spark the immune system to fight cancer. This is the surprising takeaway of a new study that we and our colleagues...

Read more: COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could unlock the next revolution in cancer treatment – new research

Office of Space Commerce faces an uncertain future amid budget cuts and new oversight

  • Written by Michael Liemohn, Professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan
imageThe OSC advocates for commercial activities in space, including commercial satellite launches. AP Photo/John Raoux

When I imagine the future of space commerce, the first image that comes to mind is a farmer’s market on the International Space Station. This doesn’t exist yet, but space commerce is a growing industry. The Space Foundation,...

Read more: Office of Space Commerce faces an uncertain future amid budget cuts and new oversight

More Articles ...

  1. Is it wrong to have too much money? Your answer may depend on deep-seated values – and your country’s economy
  2. The disgraceful history of erasing Black cemeteries in the United States
  3. College faculty are under pressure to say and do the right thing – the stress also trickles down to students
  4. Can AI keep students motivated, or does it do the opposite?
  5. Giant ground sloths’ fossilized teeth reveal their unique roles in the prehistoric ecosystem
  6. King, pope, Jedi, Superman: Trump’s social media images exclusively target his base and try to blur political reality
  7. Trump’s National Guard deployments reignite 200-year-old legal debate over state vs. federal power
  8. When it comes to Ukraine peace negotiations, it’s all over the map
  9. Gender is not an ideology – but conservative groups know learning about it empowers people to think for themselves
  10. Many Colorado homeowners are underinsured − here’s what to do before the next fire
  11. Even before they can read, young children are visualizing letters and other objects with the same strategies adults use
  12. Trump’s words aren’t stopping China, Brazil and many other countries from setting higher climate goals, but progress is slow
  13. Does the full moon make us sleepless? A neurologist explains the science behind sleep, mood and lunar myths
  14. Rethinking polygamy – new research upends conventional thinking about the advantages of monogamous marriage
  15. Astronauts can get motion sick while splashing back down to Earth – virtual reality headsets could help them stay sharp
  16. Flying is safe thanks to data and cooperation – here’s what the AI industry could learn from airlines on safety
  17. When coal smoke choked St. Louis, residents fought back − but it took time and money
  18. The Erie Canal: How a ‘big ditch’ transformed America’s economy, culture and even religion
  19. Why are women’s shoes so pointy? A fashion expert on impractical but stylish footwear
  20. Space exploration in the backyard, on a budget – how NASA simulates conditions in space without blasting off
  21. How mobsters’ own words brought down Philly’s mafia − a veteran crime reporter has the story behind the end of the ‘Mob War’
  22. Pharaohs in Dixieland – how 19th-century America reimagined Egypt to justify racism and slavery
  23. Why is Halloween starting so much earlier each year? A business professor explains
  24. Gunboat diplomacy: How classic naval coercion has evolved into hybrid warfare on the water
  25. How AI can improve storm surge forecasts to help save lives
  26. OpenAI slipped shopping into 800 million ChatGPT users’ chats − here’s why that matters
  27. 10 effective things citizens can do to make change in addition to attending a protest
  28. Pennsylvania’s budget crisis drags on as fed shutdown adds to residents’ hardships — a political scientist explains
  29. Pennsylvania’s budget crisis drags on as fed shutdown adds to residents’ hardships
  30. How new foreign worker visa fees might worsen doctor shortages in rural America
  31. Protein powders and shakes contain high amounts of lead, new report says – a pharmacologist explains the data
  32. Baseball returns to a Japanese American detention camp after a historic ball field was restored
  33. Antioxidants help stave off a host of health problems – but figuring out how much you’re getting can be tricky
  34. AI-generated lesson plans fall short on inspiring students and promoting critical thinking
  35. Trump administration’s layoffs would gut department overseeing special education, eliminating parents’ last resort
  36. New Pentagon policy is an unprecedented attempt to undermine press freedom
  37. Madagascar’s military power grab shows Africa’s coup problem isn’t restricted to the Sahel region
  38. Why and how does personality emerge? Studying the evolution of individuality using thousands of fruit flies
  39. Why countries struggle to quit fossil fuels, despite higher costs and 30 years of climate talks and treaties
  40. Banning abortion is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes
  41. Denver study shows removing parking requirements results in more affordable housing being built
  42. The real reason conservatives are furious about Bad Bunny’s forthcoming Super Bowl performance
  43. Stethoscope, meet AI – helping doctors hear hidden sounds to better diagnose disease
  44. HIV rates are highest in the American South, despite effective treatments – a clash between culture and public health
  45. Zombies, jiangshi, draugrs, revenants − monster lore is filled with metaphors for public health
  46. FEMA buyouts vs. risky real estate: New maps reveal post-flood migration patterns across the US
  47. When government websites become campaign tools: Blaming the shutdown on Democrats has legal and political risks
  48. Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary: How a technological marvel for trade changed the environment forever
  49. Winning with misinformation: New research identifies link between endorsing easily disproven claims and prioritizing symbolic strength
  50. Why higher tariffs on Canadian lumber may not be enough to stimulate long-term investments in US forestry