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What would happen if Section 230 went away? A legal expert explains the consequences of repealing ‘the law that built the internet’

  • Written by Daryl Lim, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, Penn State
imageSens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., are vocal critics of Section 230.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, passed in 1996 as part of the Telecommunications Act, has become a political lightning rod in recent years. The law shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content...

Read more: What would happen if Section 230 went away? A legal expert explains the consequences of repealing...

Shark AI uses fossil shark teeth to get middle school kids interested in paleontology and computer vision

  • Written by Christine Wusylko, Postdoctoral Fellow in Educational Technology, University of Florida
imageA student creates their model using Google Teachable Machine.Christine Wusylko, CC BY-ND

Most kids have a natural curiosity about sharks − especially their sharp and abundant teeth. Our team had the idea to use the appeal of this charismatic apex predator to teach how scientists use artificial intelligence.

We are researchers in AI literacy and...

Read more: Shark AI uses fossil shark teeth to get middle school kids interested in paleontology and computer...

Two key ingredients cause extreme storms with destructive flooding – why these downpours are happening more often

  • Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton

A powerful storm system that stalled over states from Texas to Ohio for several days in early April 2025 wreaked havoc across the region, with deadly tornadoes, mudslides and flooding as rivers rose. More than a foot of rain fell in several areas.

As a climate scientist who studies the water cycle, I often get questions about how extreme storms...

Read more: Two key ingredients cause extreme storms with destructive flooding – why these downpours are...

Why some storms brew up to extreme dimensions in the middle of America – and why it’s happening more often

  • Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton
imageFloodwaters rise in downtown Hopkinsville, Ky., on April 4, 2025.AP Photo/George Walker IV

A powerful storm system that stalled over states from Texas to Ohio for several days in early April 2025 wreaked havoc across the region, with deadly tornadoes, mudslides and flooding as rivers rose. More than a foot of rain fell in several areas.

As a climate...

Read more: Why some storms brew up to extreme dimensions in the middle of America – and why it’s happening...

Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe

  • Written by Kaitlyn DeGhetto, Associate Professor of Management, University of Dayton

To attract business investment, American cities and states offer companies billions of dollars in incentives, such as tax credits. As the theory goes, when governments create a business-friendly environment, it encourages investment, leading to job creation and economic growth.

While this theory may seem logical on its face, it’s a bit of a...

Read more: Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on...

The founder kings of Silicon Valley: Dual-class stock gives US social media company controllers nearly as much power as ByteDance has over TikTok

  • Written by Gregory H. Shill, Professor of Law & Michael and Brenda Sandler Faculty Fellow in Corporate Law, University of Iowa

When Congress passed a law in 2024 to ban TikTok unless it came under U.S. ownership, lawmakers argued that the app’s Chinese parent company posed national security concerns. The Trump administration, which had granted the viral video app a reprieve shortly after taking office in January 2025, extended that pause again on April 4 after the...

Read more: The founder kings of Silicon Valley: Dual-class stock gives US social media company controllers...

Social media before bedtime wreaks havoc on our sleep − a sleep researcher explains why screens alone aren’t the main culprit

  • Written by Brian N. Chin, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Trinity College
imageSocial media use before bedtime can be stimulating in ways that screen time alone is not. Adam Hester/Tetra Images via Getty Images

“Avoid screens before bed” is one of the most common pieces of sleep advice. But what if the real problem isn’t screen time − it’s the way we use social media at night?

Sleep deprivation is...

Read more: Social media before bedtime wreaks havoc on our sleep − a sleep researcher explains why screens...

How racism fueled the Eaton Fire’s destruction in Altadena − a scholar explains why discrimination can raise fire risk for Black Californians

  • Written by Calvin Schermerhorn, Professor of History, Arizona State University
imageAltadena is inherently prone to fire. But Black residents are the most vulnerable. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The damage from the Eaton Fire wasn’t indiscriminate. The blaze that ravaged the city of Altadena, California, in January 2025, killing 17 people and consuming over 9,000 buildings, destroyed Black Altadenans’ homes in greatest...

Read more: How racism fueled the Eaton Fire’s destruction in Altadena − a scholar explains why discrimination...

Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research

  • Written by John Lowrey, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain and Health Sciences, Northeastern University
imageFarmworkers at Del Bosque Farms pick and pack melons on a mobile platform in Firebaugh, Calif., in July 2021.AP Photo/Terry Chea

Agricultural employers who provide farmworkers with health insurance earn higher profits, even after accounting for the cost of that coverage. In addition, farmworkers who get health insurance through their employers are...

Read more: Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research

Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed

  • Written by Ari Caramanica, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Vanderbilt University
imageA pre-Hispanic canal funnels water from mountains to farm fields.Ari Caramanica

Seeing the north coast of Peru for the first time, you would be hard-pressed to believe it’s one of the driest deserts in the world.

Parts of the region receive less than an inch of rain in an entire year. Yet, water and greenery are everywhere. This is the...

Read more: Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture −...

More Articles ...

  1. The ‘courage to be’ in uncertain times − how one 20th-century philosopher defined bravery
  2. AI isn’t what we should be worried about – it’s the humans controlling it
  3. What is reinforcement learning? An AI researcher explains a key method of teaching machines – and how it relates to training your dog
  4. American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today
  5. EPA must use the best available science − by law − but what does that mean?
  6. The trade deficit isn’t an emergency – it’s a sign of America’s strength
  7. Alcohol causes cancer, and less than 1 drink can increase your risk − a cancer biologist explains how
  8. Animal tranquilizers found in illegal opioids may suppress the lifesaving medication naloxone − and cause more overdose deaths
  9. Housing instability complicates end-of-life care for aging unhoused populations
  10. How the small autonomous region of Puntland found success in battling Islamic State in Somalia
  11. What ancient animal fables from India teach about political wisdom
  12. Hip-hop can document life in America more reliably than history books
  13. The hidden power of marathon Senate speeches: What history tells us about Cory Booker’s 25-hour oration
  14. More than just chips: Chinese threats and Trump tariffs could disrupt lots of ‘made in Taiwan’ imports − disappointing US builders, cyclists and golfers alike
  15. Being alone has its benefits − a psychologist flips the script on the ‘loneliness epidemic’
  16. Abolition wasn’t fueled by just moral or economic concerns – the booming whaling industry also helped sink slavery
  17. Florida is home to about 341,000 immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti who may soon lose residency, work permits
  18. The Trump administration says Tren de Aragua is a terrorist group – but it’s really a transnational criminal organization. Here’s why the label matters.
  19. The problem with Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center isn’t the possibility of ‘Cats’
  20. Hormone therapy may cut cardiovascular risk in younger menopausal women
  21. Hard work feels worth it, but only after it’s done – new research on how people value effort
  22. Insects are everywhere in farming and research − but insect welfare is just catching up
  23. Myanmar military’s ‘ceasefire’ follows a pattern of ruling generals exploiting disasters to shore up control
  24. How a lone judge can block a Trump order nationwide – and why, from DACA to DOGE, this judicial check on presidents’ power is shaping how the government works
  25. Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs are the highest in decades − an economist explains how that could hurt the US
  26. Why tattoos are such an unreliable marker of gang membership
  27. Lessons from El Salvador for US university leaders facing attacks from Trump
  28. Lowering the cost of insurance in Colorado – a new analysis of the Peak Health Alliance
  29. Medicare Advantage is covering more and more Americans − some because they don’t get to choose
  30. Susan Monarez, Trump’s nominee for CDC director, faces an unprecedented and tumultuous era at the agency
  31. Vitamin D builds your bones and keeps your gut sealed, among many other essential functions − but many children are deficient
  32. From business exports to veteran care − here’s what some of the 35,000 federal workers in the Philadelphia region do
  33. Supreme Court considers whether states may prevent people covered by Medicaid from choosing Planned Parenthood as their health care provider
  34. Chinese barges and Taiwan Strait drills are about global power projection − not just a potential invasion
  35. Feeling FOMO for something that’s not even fun? It’s not the event you’re missing, it’s the bonding
  36. 23andMe is potentially selling more than just genetic data – the personal survey info it collected is just as much a privacy problem
  37. Research shows that a majority of Christian religious leaders accept the reality of climate change but have never mentioned it to their congregations
  38. The never-ending sentence: How parole and probation fuel mass incarceration
  39. In Israel, calls for genocide have migrated from the margins to the mainstream
  40. With its executive order targeting the Smithsonian, the Trump administration opens up a new front in the history wars
  41. Christian Zionism hasn’t always been a conservative evangelical creed – churches’ views of Israel have evolved over decades
  42. Schools and communities can help children bounce back after distressing disasters like the LA wildfires
  43. Why a presidential term limit got written into the Constitution – the story of the 22nd Amendment
  44. America the secular? What a changing religious landscape means for US politics
  45. Land reparations are possible − and over 225 US communities are already working to make amends for slavery and colonization
  46. Planned blackouts are becoming more common − and not having cash on hand could cost you
  47. GOP lawmakers eye SNAP cuts, which would scale back benefits that help low-income people buy food at a time of high food prices
  48. US earthquake safety relies on federal employees’ expertise
  49. Stone tool discovery in China shows people in East Asia were innovating during the Middle Paleolithic, like in Europe and Middle East
  50. Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans to El Salvador sparks legal questions likely to reach the Supreme Court