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Merriam-Webster's word of the year – authentic – reflects growing concerns over AI's ability to deceive and dehumanize

  • Written by Roger J. Kreuz, Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis
imageAccording to the publisher’s editor-at-large, 2023 represented 'a kind of crisis of authenticity.'lambada/E+ via Getty Images

When Merriam-Webster announced that its word of the year for 2023 was “authentic,” it did so with over a month to go in the calendar year.

Even then, the dictionary publisher was late to the game.

In a...

Read more: Merriam-Webster's word of the year – authentic – reflects growing concerns over AI's ability to...

Writing instructors are less afraid of students cheating with ChatGPT than you might think

  • Written by Daniel Ernst, Assistant Professor of English, Texas Woman's University
imageMany educators say they are worried about being unable to keep up with advances in AI. Guillaume via Getty Images

When ChatGPT launched a year ago, headlines flooded the internet about fears of student cheating. A pair of essays in The Atlantic decried “the end of high-school English” and the death of the college essay.“ NPR...

Read more: Writing instructors are less afraid of students cheating with ChatGPT than you might think

Philly parents worry about kids' digital media use but see some benefits, too

  • Written by Denise E. Agosto, Professor of Library and Information Science, Drexel University
imageParents can model good media habits, like using online tools to connect with family and friends. Ridofranz/iStock/Getty Images Plus

A group of U.S. senators recently called on tech giant Meta – which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger – to hand over documents related to the mental and physical harms its products...

Read more: Philly parents worry about kids' digital media use but see some benefits, too

After a pandemic pause, Detroit restarts water shut-offs – part of a nationwide trend as costs rise

  • Written by Elizabeth Mack, Professor of Geography, Michigan State University
imageThe Detroit Water and Sewerage Department shut off water to thousands of homes after the city declared bankruptcy in 2013.Joshua Lott/Getty Images

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Detroit residents got a break from water shut-offs.

In March 2020, just after the coronavirus made hand-washing a matter of public health, the City of Detroit...

Read more: After a pandemic pause, Detroit restarts water shut-offs – part of a nationwide trend as costs rise

Unwrapping Uranus and its icy secrets: What NASA would learn from a mission to a wild world

  • Written by Mike Sori, Assistant Professor of Planetary Science, Purdue University

Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, orbits in the outer solar system, about two billion miles (3.2 billion kilometers) from Earth. It is an enormous world – quadruple the diameter of Earth, with 15 times the mass and 63 times the volume.

Unvisited by spacecraft for more than 35 years, Uranus inhabits one of the least explored regions of...

Read more: Unwrapping Uranus and its icy secrets: What NASA would learn from a mission to a wild world

A researcher's prescription for better health care: A dose of humility for doctors, nurses and clinicians

  • Written by Barret Michalec, Research Associate Professor of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
imageHumility among health care providers can help prevent burnout.Cecilie Arcurs/E+ via Getty Images

Better health care for patients begins with humility – a term not often associated with medicine.

I witnessed displays of humility firsthand eight years ago, the night my son was born, in the way the doctor and doula worked together to deliver our...

Read more: A researcher's prescription for better health care: A dose of humility for doctors, nurses and...

Next on the United Auto Workers' to-do list: Adding more members who currently work at nonunion factories to its ranks

  • Written by Marick Masters, Professor of Business and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University
imageWill Tesla's workers be the next to approve a UAW contract?AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

Having negotiated “record contracts” with the Big Three – and seen the bulk of its rank-and-file members approve them – the United Auto Workers says its work isn’t done.

The union intends to try once more to persuade the rest...

Read more: Next on the United Auto Workers' to-do list: Adding more members who currently work at nonunion...

The psychology of climate negotiations: How to move countries from national self-interest to global collective action

  • Written by Asif Husain-Naviatti, Visiting Fellow in International Climate Governance, Columbia University
imageU.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry, second from left, during climate negotiations in 2021.Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Global heat has seared to new extremes in recent months, and devastating climate disasters are providing powerful reminders of the costs of climate change, as governments around the world prepare for the 2023 United Nations climate...

Read more: The psychology of climate negotiations: How to move countries from national self-interest to...

Dozens of US adolescents are dying from drug overdoses every month − an expert on substance use unpacks the grim numbers with 3 charts

  • Written by Ty Schepis, Professor of Psychology, Texas State University
imageDrug-induced deaths are another reason to frequently check in on your adolescent’s mental health. DigitalVision/Getty Images

Drug overdose deaths in the United States continue to rise.

Overdoses claimed more than 112,000 American lives from May 2022 to May 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 37% increase...

Read more: Dozens of US adolescents are dying from drug overdoses every month − an expert on substance use...

How climate negotiators turn national self-interest into global collective action

  • Written by Asif Husain-Naviatti, Visiting Fellow in International Climate Governance, Columbia University
imageU.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry, second from left, during climate negotiations in 2021.Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Global heat has seared to new extremes in recent months, and devastating climate disasters are providing powerful reminders of the costs of climate change, as governments around the world prepare for the 2023 United Nations climate...

Read more: How climate negotiators turn national self-interest into global collective action

More Articles ...

  1. Supreme Court to consider giving First Amendment protections to social media posts
  2. The challenges of being a religious scientist
  3. Why are bullies so mean? A youth psychology expert explains what's behind their harmful behavior
  4. Earth's magnetic field protects life on Earth from radiation, but it can move, and the magnetic poles can even flip
  5. Chlorine is a highly useful chemical that's also extremely dangerous − here's what to know about staying safe around it
  6. Pollution from coal power plants contributes to far more deaths than scientists realized, study shows
  7. A ceasefire is far from lasting peace -- a national security expert on the Israel-Hamas deal
  8. Americans are tiptoeing out of economic turmoil this holiday shopping season
  9. Forensic anthropologists work to identify human skeletal remains and uncover the stories of the unknown dead
  10. Small-town America's never-ending struggle to maintain its values hasn't always been good for US democracy
  11. Are rents rising in your Philly neighborhood? Don't blame the baristas
  12. In the face of death, destruction and displacement, beauty plays a vital role in Gaza
  13. Digitized records from wildlife centers show the most common ways that humans harm wild animals
  14. Forget dystopian scenarios – AI is pervasive today, and the risks are often hidden
  15. Why George Santos' lies are even worse than the usual political lies – a moral philosopher explains
  16. Who can defend voting rights? An appeals court ruling sharply limiting lawsuits looks likely to head to the Supreme Court
  17. Lizards, fish and other species are evolving with climate change, but not fast enough
  18. Lizards, insects and other species are evolving with climate change, but not fast enough
  19. How do viruses get into cells? Their infection tactics determine whether they can jump species or set off a pandemic
  20. West Bank's settler violence problem is a second sign that Israel's policy of ignoring Palestinians' drive for a homeland isn't a long-term solution
  21. What would it take for a cease-fire to happen in Gaza?
  22. Gaza's next tragedy: Disease risk spreads amid overcrowded shelters, dirty water and breakdown of basic sanitation
  23. Shows like 'Scandal' and 'Madam Secretary' inspire women to become involved in politics in real life
  24. 'Time warp' takes students to Native American past to search for solutions for the future
  25. This Thanksgiving − and on any holiday − these steps will help prevent foodborne illness
  26. In America, national parks are more than scenic − they’re sacred. But they were created at a cost to Native Americans
  27. Thank gluten's complex chemistry for your light, fluffy baked goods
  28. Airlines are frustrating travelers by changing frequent flyer program rules – here's why they keep doing it
  29. Thanksgiving stories gloss over the history of US settlement on Native lands
  30. Good profits from bad news: How the Kennedy assassination helped make network TV news wealthy
  31. Immune health is all about balance – an immunologist explains why both too strong and too weak an immune response can lead to illness
  32. Education linked to better employment prospects upon release from prison
  33. What a biannual gathering of 1967 Impalas reveals about the blurry line between fandom and religion
  34. Every state is about to dole out federal funding for broadband internet – not every state is ready for the task
  35. Pooling multiple models during COVID-19 pandemic provided more reliable projections about an uncertain future
  36. Being homeless means not being free − as Americans are supposed to be
  37. How do crystals form?
  38. Don't be fooled by Biden and Xi talks − China and the US are enduring rivals rather than engaged partners
  39. Thanksgiving sides are delicious and can be nutritious − here's the biochemistry of how to maximize the benefits
  40. What is quantum advantage? A quantum computing scientist explains an approaching milestone marking the arrival of extremely powerful computers
  41. Forget ‘Man the Hunter’ – physiological and archaeological evidence rewrites assumptions about a gendered division of labor in prehistoric times
  42. Unthanksgiving Day: A celebration of Indigenous resistance to colonialism, held yearly at Alcatraz
  43. Gettysburg tells the story of more than a battle − the military park shows what national ‘reconciliation’ looked like for decades after the Civil War
  44. 5 marketing lessons from the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce romance
  45. Hamas isn't the first military group to hide behind civilians as a way to wage war
  46. Fewer U.S. college students are studying a foreign language − and that spells trouble for national security
  47. Colleges face gambling addiction among students as sports betting spreads
  48. Jury convictions of Bannon and Navarro for refusing congressional subpoena may energize lawmakers' ability to hold powerful people accountable
  49. Women's activism in Iran continues, despite street protests dying down in face of state repression
  50. No, you're not that good at detecting fake videos − 2 misinformation experts explain why and how you can develop the power to resist these deceptions