Personal experiences push moms toward anti-vaccine stance

Chinese migration to US is nothing new – but the reasons for recent surge at Southern border are

Meredith Oyen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

A gloomier economic outlook in China and tightening state control have combined with the influence of social media in encouraging migration.

In Kyrgyzstan, creeping authoritarianism rubs up against proud tradition of people power

Keith Brown, Arizona State University

Recent laws and pro-Putin sentiment by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov have sparked concern that the Central Asian country is backsliding on democracy.

April’s eclipse will mean interruptions in solar power generation, which could strain electrical grids

Vahe Peroomian, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

When the Moon blocks the Sun during an eclipse, utility suppliers have to pull power from the grid to make up for gaps in solar energy.

Are private conversations truly private? A cybersecurity expert explains how end-to-end encryption protects you

Robin Chataut, Quinnipiac University

End-to-end encryption provides strong protection for keeping your communications private, but not every messaging app uses it, and even some of the ones that do don’t have it turned on by default.

Why do trees need sunlight? An environmental scientist explains photosynthesis

Rebekah Stein, Quinnipiac University

Trees – and all plants – harvest sunlight to gain the energy they need to live and grow.

Despite its big night at the Oscars, 'Oppenheimer' is a disappointment and a lost opportunity

Naoko Wake, Michigan State University

For all its praise, the film furthers the dominant narrative of the bombs as a morally fraught but necessary project, with American anxieties playing a starring role.

Should people suffering from mental illness be eligible for medically assisted death? Canada plans to legalize that in 2027 – a philosopher explains the core questions

Maria Kulp, Gonzaga University

Assessing a patient’s autonomy can be more difficult when mental illness is the main source of their suffering.

Ramadan will be difficult for those in Gaza or other war zones – what does fasting mean for those who might be already starving?

Mahan Mirza, University of Notre Dame

Ramadan encourages acts of charity. This also poses a question for many Muslims as they consider what more could be done to feed the hungriest in the world, many of whom are in Gaza.

Ancient Rome successfully fought against voter intimidation − a political story told on a coin that resonates today

David B. Hollander, Iowa State University

Fighting for voter access is an inevitable part of any democracy, from ancient Rome to the US today. Roman legislators were able to thwart elite political sway by introducing written ballots.

I’m a political scientist, and the Alabama Supreme Court’s IVF ruling turned me into a reproductive-rights refugee

Spencer Goidel, Auburn University

I’m a scholar, not an activist or an advocate. But now one of the most intimate, personal events of our lives had been turned into a political event by the state’s highest court.

How ‘hometown associations’ help immigrants support their communities in the US and back in their homelands

Susan Appe, University at Albany, State University of New York

Mexican groups are the most common, but immigrants from Turkey, Bolivia and many more countries have formed their own.

Is the National Guard a solution to school violence?

F. Chris Curran, University of Florida

School board members in one Massachusetts district have called for the National Guard to address student misbehavior. Does their request have merit? A school discipline expert weighs in.

Humans are depleting groundwater worldwide, but there are ways to replenish it

Titanosaurs were the biggest land animals Earth’s ever seen − these plant-powered dinos combined reptile and mammal traits

April’s eclipse will mean interruptions in solar power generation, which could strain electrical grids