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Viral outbreaks are always on the horizon – here are the viruses an infectious disease expert is watching in 2026

  • Written by Patrick Jackson, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia
imageViruses know no borders.mammuth/iStock via Getty Images Plus

A new year might mean new viral threats.

Old viruses are constantly evolving. A warming and increasingly populated planet puts humans in contact with more and different viruses. And increased mobility means that viruses can rapidly travel across the globe along with their human hosts.

As...

Read more: Viral outbreaks are always on the horizon – here are the viruses an infectious disease expert is...

New federal loan limits will worsen America’s nursing shortage and leave patients waiting longer for care

  • Written by Kymberlee Montgomery, Senior Associate Dean of Nursing, Drexel University
imageThere aren't enough people training to become nurses to meet the rising demands for nurse practitioners and registered nurses. Iconic Prototype/iStock/Getty Images Plus

There is growing need for nurses in the United States – but not enough nurses currently working, or students training to become nurses, to promptly see all of the patients...

Read more: New federal loan limits will worsen America’s nursing shortage and leave patients waiting longer...

How facial recognition for bears can help ecologists manage wildlife

  • Written by Emily Wanderer, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh
imageCan you tell these bears apart now? Would you recognize them if you saw them again tomorrow?Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

When a grizzly bear attacked a group of fourth- and fifth-graders in western Canada in late November 2025, it sparked more than a rescue effort for the 11 people injured – four with severe...

Read more: How facial recognition for bears can help ecologists manage wildlife

Why 2026 could see the end of the Farm Bill era of American agriculture policy

  • Written by Christopher Neubert, Deputy Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University
imageFederal funding is a key support for programs that provide free food to needy families.Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

With Congress back in session, legislators will take up a set of issues they haven’t comprehensively addressed since 2018 – the year the last farm bill passed.

Farm bills are massive pieces of legislation that...

Read more: Why 2026 could see the end of the Farm Bill era of American agriculture policy

How tourism, a booming wellness culture and social media are transforming the age-old Japanese tea ceremony

  • Written by Małgorzata (Gosia) K. Citko-DuPlantis, Assistant Professor in Japanese Literature and Culture, University of Tennessee
imageA traditional Japanese tea ceremony in Japan on Dec. 18, 1947.AP Photo

One of Japan’s most recognizable cultural practices – the Japanese tea ceremony, known as chanoyu, or chadō – is being reshaped by tourism, wellness culture and social media.

Matcha, the Japanese powdered green tea that is used during the ceremony, has...

Read more: How tourism, a booming wellness culture and social media are transforming the age-old Japanese tea...

Wearing a weighted vest can promote bone health and weight loss, but it’s not a cure-all

  • Written by Kristen Marie Beavers, Research Professor of Health and Exercise Science, Wake Forest University
imageJannelliz Barragan, center, wears a weighted vest during a workout class in New York on Aug. 13, 2025AP Photo/Shelby Lum

Health and fitness trends come and go, and many fads don’t deliver on their promises – remember vibrating belts or sauna suits? Today, weighted vests, made from sturdy fabrics like nylon and filled with iron sand or...

Read more: Wearing a weighted vest can promote bone health and weight loss, but it’s not a cure-all

Venezuela’s civil-military alliance is being stretched — if it breaks, numerous armed groups may be drawn into messy split

  • Written by Rebecca Hanson, Associate Professor of Latin American Studies, Sociology and Criminology, University of Florida
imageArmed demonstrators march in support of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 23, 2025. AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos

The immediate political void left in Venezuela by Nicolás Maduro’s abrupt removal from power has been filled by the former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as interim president on...

Read more: Venezuela’s civil-military alliance is being stretched — if it breaks, numerous armed groups may...

RFK Jr. guts the US childhood vaccine schedule despite its decades-long safety record

  • Written by Jake Scott, Clinical Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University
imageVaccines on the childhood schedule have been tested in controlled trials involving millions of participants and are constantly monitored for safety.GeorgiNutsov/iStock via Getty Images

The Trump administration’s overhauling of the decades-old childhood vaccination schedule, announced by federal health officials on Jan. 5, 2026, has raised...

Read more: RFK Jr. guts the US childhood vaccine schedule despite its decades-long safety record

Regime change means different things to different people. Either way, it hasn’t happened in Venezuela … yet

  • Written by Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College

The U.S. mission to seize Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has pushed the concept of regime change back into everyday conversation. “Regime Change in America’s Back Yard,” declared The New Yorker in a piece that typified the response to the Jan. 3 operation that saw Maduro exchange a compound in Caracas for a...

Read more: Regime change means different things to different people. Either way, it hasn’t happened in...

Americans generally like wolves − except when we’re reminded of our politics

  • Written by Alexander L. Metcalf, Associate Professor of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, University of Montana
imageWolf reintroduction is often seen as a polarizing issue. Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images

Management of gray wolves (Canis lupus) has a reputation for being one of the most contentious conservation issues in the United States. The topic often conjures stark images of supporters versus opponents: celebratory wolf reintroductions to Yellowstone...

Read more: Americans generally like wolves − except when we’re reminded of our politics

More Articles ...

  1. The battle over a global energy transition is on between petro-states and electro-states – here’s what to watch for in 2026
  2. 2026 begins with an increasingly autocratic United States rising on the global stage
  3. ‘If you don’t like dark roast, this isn’t the coffee for you’: How exclusionary ads can win over the right customers
  4. ‘Neither Gaza nor Lebanon!’ Iranian unrest is about more than the economy − protesters reject the Islamic Republic’s whole rationale
  5. Colorado faces a funding crisis for child care − local communities hope to fill the gaps
  6. Virtual National Science Foundation internships aren’t just a pandemic stopgap – they can open up opportunities for more STEM students
  7. With less charitable giving flowing directly to charities, a tax policy scholar suggests some policy fixes
  8. Philly’s walkable streets and public parks offer older residents chances to stay active – but public transit and accessibility pose challenges
  9. Voters shrug off scandals, paying a price in lost trust
  10. LA fires: Chemicals from the smoke lingered inside homes long after the wildfires were out – studies tracked the harm
  11. LA fires 1 year later: Chemicals from smoke lingered inside homes long after the wildfires were out – studies tracked the harm
  12. The US used to be really dirty – environmental cleanup laws have made a huge difference
  13. How museums can help rebuild trust in a divided America
  14. Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth?
  15. Can the US ‘run’ Venezuela? Military force can topple a dictator, but it cannot create political authority or legitimacy
  16. How Maduro’s capture went down – a military strategist explains what goes into a successful special op
  17. 5 scenarios for a post-Maduro Venezuela — and what they could signal to the wider region
  18. A predawn op in Latin America? The US has been here before, but the seizure of Venezuela’s Maduro is still unprecedented
  19. I wrote a book on the politics of war powers, and Trump’s attack on Venezuela reflects Congress surrendering its decision-making powers
  20. Oldest known cremation in Africa poses 9,500-year-old mystery about Stone Age hunter-gatherers
  21. West Coast levee failures show growing risks from America’s aging flood defenses
  22. LA fires showed how much neighborliness matters for wildfire safety
  23. LA fires showed how much neighborliness matters for wildfire safety – schools can do much more to teach it
  24. Has the Fed fixed the economy yet? And other burning economic questions for 2026
  25. What loving-kindness meditation is and how to practice it in the new year
  26. The ‘sacred’ pledge that will power the relaunch of far-right militia Oath Keepers
  27. AI agents arrived in 2025 – here’s what happened and the challenges ahead in 2026
  28. Midlife weight gain can start long before menopause – but you can take steps early on to help your body weather the hormonal shift
  29. Deepfakes leveled up in 2025 – here’s what’s coming next
  30. New materials, old physics – the science behind how your winter jacket keeps you warm
  31. Who thinks Republicans will suffer in the 2026 midterms? Republican members of Congress
  32. Resolve to network at your employer’s next ‘offsite’ – research shows these retreats actually help forge new connections
  33. West Antarctica’s history of rapid melting foretells sudden shifts in continent’s ‘catastrophic’ geology
  34. How the ‘slayer rule’ might play a role in determining who will inherit wealth from Rob Reiner and his wife
  35. The celibate, dancing Shakers were once seen as a threat to society – 250 years later, they’re part of the sound of America
  36. From truce in the trenches to cocktails at the consulate: How Christmas diplomacy seeks to exploit seasonal goodwill
  37. As DOJ begins to release Epstein files, his many victims deserve more attention than the powerful men in his ‘client list’
  38. How to reduce gift-giving stress with your kids – a child psychologist’s tips for making magic and avoiding tears
  39. The world risks forgetting one of humanity’s greatest triumphs as polio nears global eradication − 70 years after Jonas Salk developed the vaccine in a Pittsburgh lab
  40. Medieval peasants probably enjoyed their holiday festivities more than you do
  41. People are getting their news from AI – and it’s altering their views
  42. Autocracies in transition: In 2025, Cameroon and Tanzania rulers clung to power — but look more vulnerable than ever
  43. Why are some Black conservatives drawn to Nick Fuentes?
  44. Local democracy is holding strong, but rural communities are falling behind, new survey of Michigan officials shows
  45. How C-reactive protein outpaced ‘bad’ cholesterol as leading heart disease risk marker
  46. It’s more than OK for kids to be bored − it’s good for them
  47. I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists
  48. As millions of Americans face a steep rise in health insurance costs, lawmakers continue a century-long battle over who should pay for health care
  49. RFK Jr. wants to scrutinize the vaccine schedule – but its safety record is already decades long
  50. Deception and lies from the White House to justify a war in Venezuela? We’ve seen this movie before in run-ups to wars in Vietnam and Iraq