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A brief history of Medicaid and America’s long struggle to establish a health care safety net

  • Written by Ben Zdencanovic, Postdoctoral Associate in History and Policy, University of California, Los Angeles
imagePresident Lyndon B. Johnson, left, next to former President Harry S. Truman, signs into law the measure creating Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.AP Photo

The Medicaid system has emerged as an early target of the Trump administration’s campaign to slash federal spending. A joint federal and state program, Medicaid provides health insurance...

Read more: A brief history of Medicaid and America’s long struggle to establish a health care safety net

People say they prefer stories written by humans over AI-generated works, yet new study suggests that’s not quite true

  • Written by Martin Abel, Assistant Professor of Economics, Bowdoin College
imageArtificial intelligence is expected to generate a growing share of the world's creative work.karetoria/Moment via Getty Images

People say they prefer a short story written by a human over one composed by artificial intelligence, yet most still invest the same amount of time and money reading both stories regardless of whether it is labeled as...

Read more: People say they prefer stories written by humans over AI-generated works, yet new study suggests...

Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing the heat

  • Written by Kevin A. Schug, Professor of Analytical Chemistry, University of Texas at Arlington
imageLarge proportions of plastic waste don't get recycled. Westend61 via Getty Images Plus

In 1950, global plastic production was about 2 million tons. It’s now about 400 million tons – an increase of nearly 20,000%.

As a material, it has seemingly limitless potential. Plastic is inexpensive to produce while being lightweight and sturdy. Its...

Read more: Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing...

Social movements constrained Trump in his first term – more than people realize

  • Written by Kevin A. Young, Associate Professor of History, UMass Amherst

Donald Trump’s first term as president saw some of the largest mass protests seen in the U.S. in over 50 years, from the 2017 Women’s March to the 2020 protests after George Floyd’s murder.

Things feel different this time around. Critics seem quieter. Some point to fear of retribution. But there’s also a sense that the...

Read more: Social movements constrained Trump in his first term – more than people realize

Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating in many places, with serious consequences

  • Written by Susanne Schmeier, Associate Professor of Water Law and Diplomacy, IHE Delft
imageLake Chad once provided adequate livelihoods for 20 million people in Africa, but it lost 90% of its surface area in 30 years.AP Photo/Christophe Ena

Just over half the world’s population shares a river or lake basin with at least one other country. To sustainably manage those water resources for the health of people, ecosystems and...

Read more: Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating...

Spanish speakers in Philadelphia break traditional rules of formal and informal speech in signs around town

  • Written by Daniel Guarin, Adjunct professor, Temple University
imageSpanish-language signs in Philadelphia contradict the grammar lessons most of us were taught.Daniel Guarin Buitrago, CC BY-ND

I’ve discovered something fascinating about how Spanish speakers in Philadelphia address each other and communicate through public signs.

The discovery is part of my research on language patterns in Philadelphia –...

Read more: Spanish speakers in Philadelphia break traditional rules of formal and informal speech in signs...

Beatings, overcrowding and food deprivation: US deportees face distressing human rights conditions in El Salvador’s mega-prison

  • Written by Mneesha Gellman, Associate Professor of Political Science, Emerson College
imageShackled and bent over – some of the 250-plus deportees arriving in El Salvador.El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele framed his offer to house “dangerous American criminals” and “criminals from any country” as a win-win for all.

The fee for transferring detainees...

Read more: Beatings, overcrowding and food deprivation: US deportees face distressing human rights conditions...

Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants – but the 18th-century law has been invoked only during times of war

  • Written by Daniel Tichenor, Professor of Political Science, University of Oregon
imagePrison guards transfer alleged Venezuelan gang members to a detention center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador presidential press office via AP

As President Donald Trump often promised during his 2024 presidential campaign, on March 15, 2025, he invoked an obscure 18th-century law called the Alien Enemies Act to justify...

Read more: Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants – but the 18th-century law has been...

Cells lining your skin and organs can generate electricity when injured − potentially opening new doors to treating wounds

  • Written by Sun-Min Yu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Polymer Science and Engineering, UMass Amherst
imageYour skin cells can generate electricity when wounded.Torsten Wittmann, University of California, San Francisco/NIH via Flickr, CC BY-NC

Your cells constantly generate and conduct electricity that runs through your body to perform various functions. One such example of this bioelectricity is the nerve signals that power thoughts in your brain....

Read more: Cells lining your skin and organs can generate electricity when injured − potentially opening new...

Researchers created sound that can bend itself through space, reaching only your ear in a crowd

  • Written by Jiaxin Zhong, Postdoctoral Researcher in Acoustics, Penn State
imageFor your ears only.Cinefootage Visuals/iStock via Getty Images Plus

What if you could listen to music or a podcast without headphones or earbuds and without disturbing anyone around you? Or have a private conversation in public without other people hearing you?

Our newly published research introduces a way to create audible enclaves –...

Read more: Researchers created sound that can bend itself through space, reaching only your ear in a crowd

More Articles ...

  1. Washington Post’s turnaround on its opinion pages is returning journalism to its partisan roots − but without the principles
  2. What is the rules-based order? How this global system has shifted from ‘liberal’ origins − and where it could be heading next
  3. Colorado and other states have expanded access to abortion, but not for adolescents
  4. Fewer deaths, new substances and evolving treatments in Philly’s opioid epidemic − 4 essential reads
  5. Remembering China’s Empress Dowager Ling, a Buddhist who paved the way for future female rulers
  6. From pulpits to protest, the surprising history of the phrase ‘pride and prejudice’
  7. The US military has cared about climate change since the dawn of the Cold War – for good reason
  8. Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy
  9. What was the first thing scientists discovered? A historian makes the case for Babylonian astronomy
  10. Trump’s first term polarized teens’ views on racism and inequality
  11. Why was it hard for the GOP – which controls Congress – to pass its spending bill?
  12. Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation − and boosts its chances of a seat at the table should Iran-US talks resume
  13. See you in the funny papers: How superhero comics tell the story of Jewish America
  14. Radioisotope generators − inside the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft
  15. The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy
  16. Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come
  17. When algorithms take the field – inside MLB’s robo-umping experiment
  18. Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study
  19. The push to restore semiconductor manufacturing faces a labor crisis − can the US train enough workers in time?
  20. When humans use AI to earn patents, who is doing the inventing?
  21. Why parents of ‘twice-exceptional’ children choose homeschooling over public school
  22. Environmental protection laws still apply even under Trump’s national energy emergency − here’s why
  23. Are Ukrainians ready for ceasefire and concessions? Here’s what the polls say
  24. Philly Roller Derby league turns 20 - here’s how the sport skated its way to feminism, anti-racism and queer liberation
  25. How an unexpected observation, a 10th-century recipe and an explorer’s encounter with a cabbage thief upend what we know about collard greens’ journey to the American South
  26. I study refugees, and here are the facts on the history and impact of refugee resettlement in the US
  27. You’ve likely heard the Serenity Prayer − but not its backstory
  28. 3D printing will help space pioneers make homes, tools and other stuff they need to colonize the Moon and Mars
  29. Can the Trump administration legally deport Palestinian rights advocate Mahmoud Khalil? 3 things to know about green card holders’ rights
  30. America’s clean air rules have boosted health and the economy − here’s what EPA’s deregulation spree ignores
  31. America’s clean air rules boost health and the economy − here’s what EPA’s new deregulation plans ignore
  32. Mass layoffs at Education Department signal Trump’s plan to gut the agency
  33. Is the US heading for a government shutdown? 5 essential reads to occupy the mind while we wait to find out
  34. How do researchers determine how toxic a chemical is? A toxicologist explains alternatives to animal testing
  35. The fediverse promises social media without Big Tech – if it can avoid familiar pitfalls
  36. For superfans, comic-con culture is more than fun – it’s sacred, a sociologist explains
  37. Alien and Sedition Acts were reviled in their time, and John Adams was not sorry to see them go
  38. Pennsylvania’s mushroom industry faces urgent labor shortage − and latest immigration policies will likely make it worse
  39. US workers with remote-friendly jobs are still working from home nearly half the time, 5 years after the pandemic began
  40. How Jesse Jackson embodied Southern politics − and changed American elections
  41. The parallels between Kash Patel and William J. Burns, a scandal-mongering 1920s FBI director — an FBI historian explains
  42. Middle age is a time when women are vulnerable to eating disorders
  43. Arrest of ex-president Duterte will shake up dynastic politics in the Philippines – and hand initiative to rival Marcos family
  44. US-Ukraine deal highlights Ukraine’s wealth of critical minerals, but extracting them isn’t so simple
  45. The world regulated sulfur in ship fuels − and the lightning stopped
  46. 5 years of COVID-19 underscore value of coordinated efforts to manage disease – while CDC, NIH and WHO face threats to their ability to respond to a crisis
  47. What is a SLAPP suit? Legal experts explain how these lawsuits suppress free speech
  48. How Trump’s foreign aid and diplomatic cuts will make it harder for the US to wield soft power to maintain its friendships and win new ones
  49. Mission possible − parastronaut programs can make space travel more inclusive and attainable for all
  50. From TB to HIV/AIDS to cancer, disease tracking has always had a political dimension, but it’s the foundation of public health