School shooters often signal what they're about to do

US food insecurity rate rose to 13.5% in 2023 as government benefits declined and food prices soared

Michael Long, Oklahoma State University; Lara Gonçalves, Oklahoma State University

This trend may surprise you, given the attention the public, policymakers, politicians and the media paid to food insecurity at the height of the pandemic.

Space travel comes with risk − and SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than any private mission has before

Chris Impey, University of Arizona

Traveling to space is riskier than many extreme sports − an increase in private missions could mean more civilians taking that risk.

Yellow food dye can make living tissue transparent − these methods could one day improve cancer treatment, blood draws and even tattoo removal

Guosong Hong, Stanford University

New research demonstrates that the dye that gives nacho cheese its yellow-orange color can also make mouse skin see-through.

Tiny, compact galaxies are masters of disguise in the distant universe − searching for the secrets behind the Little Red Dots

Fabio Pacucci, Smithsonian Institution

These small galaxies are either crammed with stars or they host gigantic black holes. The data astronomers have collected continues to puzzle them.

Trump campaign violated rules in Arlington National Cemetery visit, cemetery legal expert explains

Tanya D. Marsh, Wake Forest University

Cemeteries can set their own rules, and Arlington’s are the most restrictive in the nation, meant to protect what it calls ‘our nation’s most sacred shrine.’

Crossing state lines to get an abortion is a new legal minefield, with courts to decide if there’s a right to travel

Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia; Sonia Suter, George Washington University

Iowa and Idaho have passed abortion trafficking laws that stop people from helping minors get abortions. These laws open the door for questions about the right to travel to get an abortion.

Kamala Harris’ purported Irish ancestry highlights complicated backstory of identity and enslavement

Christine Kinealy, Quinnipiac University; Kimberly DaCosta, New York University; Miriam Nyhan Grey, Mary Immaculate College

Presidential candidate’s potential ties to an Irish slave owner complicate narratives around colonial legacies and the proper place of Black Irish identity in history.

Black church leaders brought religion to politics in the ‘60s – but it was dramatically different from today’s white Christian nationalism

Tobin Miller Shearer, University of Montana

In 1966, the assertion of Black power was grounded in an appeal to the founding principles of the United States. Black church leaders called for healing internal divisions through engagement.

As eastern equine encephalitis spreads, a neurologist explains how to stay safe during this latest outbreak of the ‘triple E’ virus

Daniel Pastula, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Among those developing the brain swelling known as encephalitis, approximately one-third will die, with the rest likely to experience neurological problems.

College students in Austin, Texas, have dwelled in windowless rooms for years − here’s why the city finally decided to ban them

Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits – ‘charisma’

India’s new mega-dam will roil lives downstream with wild swings in water flow every day

Here’s the first question of this week’s edition:

Vladimir Putin's visit to Mongolia on Sept. 2-3 was more notable for what didn't happen than what did. What didn't happen?

1. A. Putin didn't wear a shirt during a formal dinner
2. B. He didn't shake the hand of Mongolia’s prime minister
3. C. He backed out of a planned judo exhibition
4. D. He didn't get arrested

Test your knowledge