Biden and Trump debate – can America win?

5 ways anti-diversity laws affect LGBTQ+ people and research in higher ed

Abbie E. Goldberg, Clark University

Laws that scrap diversity, equity and inclusion programs on campus are likely to result in less support for LGBTQ+ students, a psychology professor explains.

After years of explosive growth, fireworks sales have fallen back to Earth – here’s why

Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University

Setting off fireworks at home was as much a pandemic trend as buying a Peloton.

As debate approaches, presidents are blamed for events over which they have little control

Andrew Reeves, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

Most efforts to project how well a candidate will do in an election are based largely on factors over which presidents have little to no control.

What people say today about the first televised presidential debate, between Nixon and JFK, doesn’t match first reactions in 1960

W. Joseph Campbell, American University School of Communication

While people now reflect on how or whether Nixon’s sweaty, haggard appearance during the debate cost him the election, the view in 1960 was that the debate was a draw.

AI companies train language models on YouTube’s archive − making family-and-friends videos a privacy risk

Ryan McGrady, UMass Amherst; Ethan Zuckerman, UMass Amherst

Many videos people upload to YouTube aren’t really meant for public consumption, but they’re available for AI companies to vacuum up. Many of these personal videos are posted by children.

Lucy, discovered 50 years ago in Ethiopia, stood just 3.5 feet tall − but she still towers over our understanding of human origins

Denise Su, Arizona State University

A photo of Lucy’s reconstructed skeleton next to a live four-year-old girl shows how human Lucy was – and how small.

The science behind splashdown − an aerospace engineer explains how NASA and SpaceX get spacecraft safely back on Earth

Marcos Fernandez Tous, University of North Dakota

Safely landing a spacecraft that’s falling from the sky very quickly is easier said than done.

Kenya protests: Ruto pulling the finance bill is unlikely to satisfy angry young protesters – here’s why

Kathleen Klaus, Uppsala University

Kenyans, particularly young ones, are fed up with rising prices as well as being ignored, of corruption and of the conspicuous consumption of politicians.

Hail the size of golf balls and even grapefruit? The science of how tiny ice crystals grow dangerously large

Brian Tang, University at Albany, State University of New York

An atmospheric scientist explains how hail forms and what to do if you’re suddenly being pelted by giant ice chunks falling from the sky.

Pope Francis may have surprised many by inviting comedians to the Vatican, but the value of humor has deep roots in Catholic tradition

Joanne M. Pierce, College of the Holy Cross

Catholic theologians and monastics have always encouraged humor, emphasizing its power to heal and bring cultures together.

How the surrealists used randomness as a catalyst for creative expression

Mark Robert Rank, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

A century ago, the French writer and poet André Breton penned his ‘Manifesto of Surrealism,’ launching an art movement known for creating bizarre hybrids of words and images.

Why do some planets have moons? A physics expert explains why Earth has only one moon while other planets have hundreds

Lead water pipes created a health disaster in Flint, but replacing them with cheaper plastic − as some cities are doing − carries hidden costs

Escalating Israel-Hezbollah clashes threaten to spark regional war and force US into conflict with Iran