Where do Israel and Hamas get their weapons?

A TikTok ‘expert’ says you have post-traumatic stress disorder − but do you? A trauma psychiatrist explains what PTSD really is and how to seek help

Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University

Post-traumatic stress disorder can’t be diagnosed over social media.

Tiny water-walking bugs provide scientists with insights on how microplastics are pushed underwater

Andrew Dickerson, University of Tennessee

Microplastic pollution is a growing problem − one lab is looking at tiny insects as inspiration for how these pollutants might move through water.

‘Collective mind’ bridges societal divides − psychology research explores how watching the same thing can bring people together

Garriy Shteynberg, University of Tennessee

Even in a moment of extreme partisanship, ‘we’ still exist if ‘we’ can witness something together. Researchers are exploring how shared attention can build connection.

How much influence does Iran have over its proxy ‘Axis of Resistance’ − Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis?

Sara Harmouch, American University; Nakissa Jahanbani, United States Military Academy West Point

Iran has expanded its network of partners across the Middle East. But it isn’t a simple case of Tehran dictating the terms of the alliance.

Back in the USSR: New high school textbooks in Russia whitewash Stalin’s terror as Putin wages war on historical memory

Anya Free, Arizona State University

The whitewashing of former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and his crimes is crucial for understanding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s imperialist ideology and goals.

In opening a Hindu temple on the site of a former mosque, Narendra Modi is following an old Hindu nationalist ploy

Vikram Visana, University of Leicester

Modi is running for his third consecutive term of office, but many believe he plans to remain in power indefinitely.

Why New Hampshire and Iowa don’t make sense as the opening rounds of presidential campaigns

Charles R. Hunt, Boise State University

Two states that are not representative of the US, particularly in terms of race, have outsize influence in the presidential campaign.

Nick Saban’s ‘epic era’ of coaching is over, but the exploitation of players in big-time college football is not

Joseph N. Cooper, UMass Boston

Nick Saban was one of the most successful coaches in college football history. But he was not a champion of players’ rights.

How the word ‘voodoo’ became a racial slur

Danielle N. Boaz, University of North Carolina – Charlotte

Shows, movies and day-to-day language promote myths about voodoo that reinforce more than a century of stereotypes and discrimination, writes a scholar of Africana studies.

Japan is now the 5th country to land on the Moon – the technology used will lend itself to future lunar missions

Congress is close to expanding the child tax credit again − with a smaller boost for families this time

Alcohol and drugs rewire your brain by changing how your genes work – research is investigating how to counteract addiction’s effects