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Indie coffee shops are meant to counter corporate behemoths like Starbucks – so why do they all look the same?

  • Written by Conrad Kickert, Associate Professor of Architecture, University at Buffalo
imageMany coffee shops today seem to be aesthetically divorced from time and place.stomy/iStock via Getty Images

Like many young, urban professionals, we run on coffee. We especially enjoy frequenting independently owned cafes that pride themselves on ethically sourced beverages, strong local ties and a hip aesthetic.

They’re the kinds of places...

Read more: Indie coffee shops are meant to counter corporate behemoths like Starbucks – so why do they all...

AI doesn’t ‘see’ the way that you do, and that could be a problem when it categorizes objects and scenes

  • Written by Arryn Robbins, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Richmond
imageAn AI and a human might classify this mammal with gray, wrinkled skin as very different animals.Richard Bailey/Corbis via Getty Images

Even with no fur in frame, you can easily see that a photo of a hairless Sphynx cat depicts a cat. You wouldn’t mistake it for an elephant.

But many artificial intelligence vision systems would. Why? Because...

Read more: AI doesn’t ‘see’ the way that you do, and that could be a problem when it categorizes objects and...

Oil isn’t just fuel: Iran conflict could disrupt markets for everything from plastics to fertilizers

  • Written by André O. Hudson, Dean of the College of Science, Professor of Biochemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology
imageDisruptions to crude oil transport could affect more than fuel supply chains. AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File

Tensions in the Middle East often trigger concerns about rising gasoline prices. But disruptions to oil supplies could affect much more than the cost of filling up a car. That’s because crude oil is not only burned as fuel. It is also the...

Read more: Oil isn’t just fuel: Iran conflict could disrupt markets for everything from plastics to fertilizers

Notions of ‘Christendom’ often miss the mark – medieval Europe’s ideas about faith and power were not so simple

  • Written by Brett Whalen, Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
imageA painting in Rome's San Silvestro Chapel depicts Pope Sylvester I and Constantine the Great.Wikimedia Commons

During the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 5, 2026, Paula White-Cain, senior adviser to the White House Office of Faith, introduced President Donald Trump as “the greatest champion of faith that we have ever had in the executive...

Read more: Notions of ‘Christendom’ often miss the mark – medieval Europe’s ideas about faith and power were...

US military leans into AI for attack on Iran, but the tech doesn’t lessen the need for human judgment in war

  • Written by Jon R. Lindsay, Associate Professor of Cybersecurity and Privacy and of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageAI is helping U.S. forces find and choose targets in Iran, like this airfield.U.S. Central Command via AP

The U.S. military was able “to strike a blistering 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours of its attack on Iran” thanks in part to its use of artificial intelligence, according to The Washington Post. The military has used Claude, the...

Read more: US military leans into AI for attack on Iran, but the tech doesn’t lessen the need for human...

Universities survived Trump’s 2025 funding freeze, but the money still isn’t flowing to researchers

  • Written by Brendan Cantwell, Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, Michigan State University
imageColumbia University, seen in June 2025, is one of the schools that made a deal with the Trump administration last year in order to avoid losing funding. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Several prominent universities, including Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, made headlines in 2025 in a dizzying back-and-forth with the federal...

Read more: Universities survived Trump’s 2025 funding freeze, but the money still isn’t flowing to researchers

Bird losses are accelerating across North America, particularly in farming regions where agriculture is most intensive

  • Written by François Leroy, Postdoctoral Researcher in Ecology, The Ohio State University
imageEastern meadowlark populations across the U.S. grasslands have dropped by about three-quarters since 1970.lwolfartist via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

Since the 1970s, the U.S. has lost billions of birds. We now know that those losses aren’t just growing – they are accelerating in places with intensive human activity, particularly where...

Read more: Bird losses are accelerating across North America, particularly in farming regions where...

Generative AI can play a role uplifting family and community in early childhood education

  • Written by Andres Bustamante, Associate Professor of Education, University of California, Irvine

Use of generative artificial intelligence technology is already widespread in K-12 schools and higher education. Now, AI technologies such as conversational agents and tablet-based assessments are starting to make their way toward early childhood education.

One concern with AI in a prekindergarten setting is that the technology will replace or...

Read more: Generative AI can play a role uplifting family and community in early childhood education

Why shadow tankers are the only ships still moving through the Strait of Hormuz

  • Written by Charles Edward Gehrke, Deputy Division Director of Wargame Design and Adjudication, US Naval War College
imageMany oil tankers aren't moving in the Middle East.DedMityay/iStock / Getty Images Plus

The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. Since the beginning of the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, oil tanker traffic through the world’s most critical oil shipping choke point has collapsed, dropping by more than...

Read more: Why shadow tankers are the only ships still moving through the Strait of Hormuz

Trump’s war against Iran is uniquely unpopular among US military actions of the past century

  • Written by Charles Walldorf, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Wake Forest University
imageFire breaks out at the Shahran oil depot after U.S. and Israeli attacks in Tehran on March 8, 2026.Hassan Ghaedi/Anadolu via Getty Images

It’s clear that regime change is among the biggest objectives of the U.S. war in Iran.

“I have to be involved in the appointment” of Iran’s next leader, President Donald Trump said on March...

Read more: Trump’s war against Iran is uniquely unpopular among US military actions of the past century

More Articles ...

  1. Astrophysicists trace the origin of valuable metals in space, from colliding stars to merging galaxies
  2. Gifts from top 50 US philanthropists jumped to $22.4B in 2025 − Mike Bloomberg, Bill Gates and the estate of Paul Allen lead a list of the biggest givers
  3. Women of the Rosenstrasse protest challenged the Nazi regime for their detained Jewish husbands’ freedom – and won
  4. Making good choices when life gets messy – practical wisdom relies on human judgment, not rules
  5. Just thinking about tequila, whiskey or wine shifts your mindset – new research
  6. Higher buprenorphine doses help patients stay in opioid use disorder treatment, new study finds
  7. Why cloud service outages ripple across the internet – and the economy
  8. Iran war: 4 big questions that help clarify the future of the Middle East
  9. This Sunshine Week, Florida reflects an alarming national trend of blocking the public’s access to information
  10. 47 years of deep mistrust and misperception paved the way to war between Iran and the US − and complicate any negotiations
  11. From bodice rippers to romantasy, romance novels are dominating the book market – and rewriting women’s sexual power
  12. Mining the ocean floor: 5 deep-sea sources of critical minerals essential to technology, and the fragile marine life at risk
  13. Iraq war’s aftermath was a disaster for the US – the Iran war is headed in the same direction
  14. Alaska’s glacial lakes are expanding, increasing the risk of destructive outburst floods
  15. US is less prone to oil price shocks than in past decades
  16. Mobile clinics offer a practical way to improve health care access in maternity care deserts
  17. Why do mountaintops stay snowy, even though they’re closer to the Sun?
  18. Social media can draw attention to atrocities – a key factor in reducing risk of recurrence
  19. What James Madison can teach Americans about religious freedom today
  20. Why do mountaintops stay snowy?
  21. What does the appendix do? Biologists explain the complicated evolution of this inconvenient organ
  22. Abandoned Pennsylvania mines and waste-heat recycling could make the state’s massive new data centers far more sustainable
  23. I’ve studied MAGA rhetoric for a decade, and this is what I see in Hegseth’s boasts, action-movie one-liners and gloating over dominance
  24. Silicone wristbands can help scientists track people’s exposure to pollutants like ‘forever chemicals’
  25. Big beautiful refund? 5 tax code changes that may put more money in your pocket
  26. Arming a Kurdish insurgency would be a risky endeavor – for both the US and Iran’s minority Kurds
  27. War in Middle East brings uncertainty and higher energy costs to already weakening US economy
  28. China’s muted response over war in Iran reflects Beijing’s delicate calculus as a concerned onlooker
  29. How Instagram addictiveness lawsuit could reshape social media – platform design meets product liability
  30. Today’s obsession with authenticity isn’t new – being true to yourself has troubled philosophers for centuries
  31. Venezuela’s fragile environment faces rising risks as US pushes for oil and critical minerals and illegal gold mining spreads
  32. When Washington and the states are in conflict, the ultimate winner is not always certain
  33. Telehealth is widely used by older adults insured by Medicare, new research shows
  34. Public health needs steady budgets – and federal funding uncertainty causes real harms, even if the money is later restored
  35. Family-friendly workplaces are great − but ‘families of 1’ get ignored
  36. Measuring poverty on a spectrum instead of an arbitrary line conveys a more accurate picture of inequality
  37. Trump offered a restrictive deal to universities that almost all rejected – but the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education may not be entirely dead
  38. How does Iran go about selecting a new supreme leader? And who is in the running?
  39. Persian Gulf desalination plants could become military targets in regional war
  40. Researchers are combining drones and AI to make removing land mines faster and safer
  41. Why are some stars always visible while others come and go with the seasons?
  42. How Denver’s Northeast Park Hill community reduced youth violence by 75%
  43. Operational secrecy kept the US from making evacuation plans – and that means Americans in the Mideast could wait days
  44. Billions of dollars, decades of progress spent eliminating devastating diseases may be lost with undoing of USAID
  45. We designed an AI tutor that helps college students reason rather than give them answers
  46. Nearly a third of Pennsylvania gamblers are at risk of problem gambling − but few seek treatment
  47. 2025 was hotter than it should have been – 5 influences and a dirty surprise offer clues to what’s ahead
  48. GLP-1 drugs may fight addiction across every major substance, according to a study of 600,000 people
  49. Hezbollah − degraded, weakened but not yet disarmed − destabilizes Lebanon once again
  50. When unpaid cooking, cleaning and child care get a dollar value, income inequality in the US shrinks – but the gap has grown since 1965