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Synthetic biology promised to rewrite life – with the death of its pioneer, J. Craig Venter, how close are scientists?

  • Written by André O. Hudson, Dean of the College of Science, Professor of Biochemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology
imageFirst came the Human Genome Project, then came the field of synthetic biology.Alena Butusava/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When scientist J. Craig Venter and his team announced in 2010 that they had created the first cell controlled by a fully synthetic genome, it marked a turning point in how scientists think about life.

For the first time, DNA...

Read more: Synthetic biology promised to rewrite life – with the death of its pioneer, J. Craig Venter, how...

Gerrymandering is unpopular with Florida voters – my recent survey shows why DeSantis pushed it through anyway

  • Written by Daniel A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, University of Florida
imageState Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Fla., speaks against mid-decade redistricting during a special session of the Florida Legislature on April 29, 2026.AP Photo/Mike Stewart

The Sunshine State has joined Texas, California and a handful of other states in the battle of mid-decade redistricting.

On April 29, 2026, in a near party-line vote, the Florida...

Read more: Gerrymandering is unpopular with Florida voters – my recent survey shows why DeSantis pushed it...

Three women sit for Israeli Rabbinate’s exam, amid growing recognition for Orthodox Jewish women’s religious leadership

  • Written by Michal Raucher, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, Rutgers University
imageOrthodox Jewish women attend an event celebrating the completion of the 7½-year cycle of daily study of the Talmud, the central text of Jewish law, on Jan. 5, 2020, in Jerusalem.AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov

When people picture a rabbi, they may imagine a man standing in front of a congregation in a synagogue. But “rabbi” means much...

Read more: Three women sit for Israeli Rabbinate’s exam, amid growing recognition for Orthodox Jewish women’s...

‘A study showed…’ isn’t enough – scientific knowledge builds incrementally as researchers investigate and revisit questions

  • Written by Jeffrey A. Lee, Professor of Geography and the Environment, Texas Tech University
imageWhen you hear about some new research finding, consider how it fits into the context of other related studies.Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Your goofy but lovable cousin just told you that you should stop eating eggs because he read somewhere that a study showed they are bad for you.

How much should you trust your relative on such...

Read more: ‘A study showed…’ isn’t enough – scientific knowledge builds incrementally as researchers...

Seeing an eclipse from Earth is awe-inspiring – for astronauts seeing one from space, the scene was even more grand

  • Written by Deana L. Weibel, Professor of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University
imageDuring a total solar eclipse, the Sun is barely visible behind the Moon. Roger Sorensen

The astronauts on Artemis II’s trip to the Moon in April 2026 didn’t just have an amazing journey through space. They also saw something extraordinary. They were the first humans to see a total solar eclipse from space.

A solar eclipse happens when...

Read more: Seeing an eclipse from Earth is awe-inspiring – for astronauts seeing one from space, the scene...

Supreme Court ruling: The latest in history of diminishing minority voting rights

  • Written by Robert D. Bland, Assistant Professor of History and Africana Studies, University of Tennessee
imageThe Supreme Court issued a significant ruling that could limit minority voting rights in states across the country.Bloomberg Creative via Getty Images

Divided along ideological lines, the U.S. Supreme Court on April 29, 2026, issued a ruling that severely weakens a provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. That provision, known as...

Read more: Supreme Court ruling: The latest in history of diminishing minority voting rights

What Trump’s post as a Jesus-like figure tells us about political messianism

  • Written by Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College
imagePresident-elect Donald Trump speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center on Dec. 22, 2024, in Arizona. Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

President Donald Trump sparked immediate outcry on April 12, 2026, when he posted an image of himself as a Jesus-like figure. The post, which Trump later said was supposed to depict him...

Read more: What Trump’s post as a Jesus-like figure tells us about political messianism

Warmer temps bring soaring tick populations – here’s how to stay safe from Lyme disease

  • Written by Lakshmi Chauhan, Associate Professor of Infectious Disease Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
imageExposure to ticks can be a downside to spending time in the woods.skaman306/Moment via Getty Images

Spring’s warmer weather lures people outdoors – and into possible contact with ticks that spread Lyme disease.

Already, the 2026 tick season is booming. On April 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that emergency room...

Read more: Warmer temps bring soaring tick populations – here’s how to stay safe from Lyme disease

Supreme Court bolsters donors’ free speech rights in unanimous crisis pregnancy center ruling

  • Written by Wayne Unger, Associate Professor of Law, Quinnipiac University
imageState governments have had trouble regulating what crisis pregnancy centers should tell their clients and donors.AP Photo/Mark Zaleski

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for a chain of crisis pregnancy centers based in New Jersey to challenge a subpoena from New Jersey’s attorney general.

First Choice Women’s Resource Centers...

Read more: Supreme Court bolsters donors’ free speech rights in unanimous crisis pregnancy center ruling

Universities returning Native American remains and artifacts isn’t just about physical objects – it’s about dignity and justice

  • Written by Kerri J. Malloy, Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies, San José State University
imageA museum curator removes a rare Native American Chumash basket from California, circa 1800, at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., in 2003.MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

Many universities and museums in the U.S. have long held Native American burial artifacts, other sacred objects and even human remains.

Most of these...

Read more: Universities returning Native American remains and artifacts isn’t just about physical objects –...

More Articles ...

  1. Americans care more about future generations than many think – and that gap could matter for policy
  2. The US has long used economic coercion to achieve foreign policy goals — the war in Iran shows how that power has declined
  3. How much should politics influence science, and vice versa? National Science Board’s ousting resurrects an existential debate
  4. Supreme Court considers how much states can protect consumers when federal agencies won’t
  5. Supreme Court geofencing case weighs constitutionality of digital dragnets – and how far your rights go in the data Big Tech collects on you
  6. Supreme Court considers whether police can use Big Tech data to capture info from all cellphone users in a place and time
  7. Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling makes it harder to protect minority voting power and alters the landscape of future elections
  8. Students are taught to hide in closets and under tables if there is a school shooting – but does practicing for this possibility keep kids safe?
  9. Can the nearly $1 trillion-a-year US military really be depleting key weapons in Iran?
  10. What courage is, how to build it and why you should take a risk
  11. Reclassification of marijuana opens doors for much-needed medical research into the benefits and risks of the drug
  12. Stockings once worn by Philly’s wealthiest man show the value of women’s mending in early America
  13. Thousands of employed Colorado workers need SNAP benefits to make ends meet
  14. Trump’s Medicaid fraud crackdown may sound sensible, but it could harm Americans who require long-term care
  15. The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy is creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that harm water and health of world’s poor
  16. UAE’s OPEC exit has been long in the works – and may mark the beginning of a Gulf realignment
  17. Facial recognition data is a key to your identity – if stolen, you can’t just change the locks
  18. More than 140,000 Americans die from COPD each year – here’s why survival depends on more than avoiding smoking
  19. Wearable glucose monitors offer real-time data, but for healthy people no guidelines exist to interpret the numbers
  20. How the concept of ‘medical freedom’ is reshaping the military’s decades-long stance on the flu vaccine mandate − and endangering troops’ readiness
  21. Reading gains in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are often touted, but don’t show full picture of literacy
  22. Tapping your genome with AI and quantum computing could deliver on the promise of personalized medicine – but practical and ethical hurdles remain
  23. Your local storm forecast is likely based on weather miles away – we’re trying to bring it closer to home
  24. Why is water wet?
  25. Potential signs of life on distant planets sound exciting – but confirmation can take years
  26. Perseverance doesn’t always pay off for companies – sometimes it’s better to ‘fail fast’
  27. Texas proposes Bible readings for K-12 students, reigniting century-old legal battle over their place in public schools
  28. Donkeys are a symbol of endurance for Palestinians – they are also a target of settler violence and care
  29. America’s founding promise of religious freedom has long coexisted with prejudice, even as many Christians have worked to confront it
  30. Older Americans who vote live longer than those who don’t – new research
  31. Sora’s downfall signals broader problems with AI’s creative utility
  32. Latest attack threatening President Trump reflects rising political violence in US
  33. What to know about sex trafficking as Pittsburgh hosts the NFL draft
  34. Justice Department’s effort to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans could face widespread judicial pushback
  35. What the Declaration of Independence does – and doesn’t – say about God
  36. Meloni and Trump’s cooling relationship marks the failure of an EU-MAGA middle ground
  37. ‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries – including criticism of Iran war
  38. Boom in cremation hides surprising truths about what Americans really want when they die
  39. You probably wouldn’t notice if an AI chatbot slipped ads into its responses
  40. What is black garlic? How heat and humidity turn a pungent ingredient mild and slightly sweet
  41. ‘Affordable’ Pittsburgh doesn’t have enough affordable housing – here’s why
  42. China surpasses US in research spending – the consequences extend far beyond scientific ranking and clout
  43. Trump administration’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center breaks with norms – and may lack evidence of criminal wrongdoing
  44. Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of the reason
  45. Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of the cause
  46. Supreme Court’s ‘shadow docket’ brings hasty decisions with long-lasting implications, outside of its usual careful deliberation
  47. School gardens help students learn science and connect with agriculture – but making them happen isn’t easy
  48. The new brain break app for Philadelphia students raises questions about more screen time
  49. Many churches, synagogues and mosques are built around families – and they’re struggling to respond to rising singles
  50. New reading textbooks, same problem: Why children’s reading scores in the US aren’t rising