What politicians mean when they talk of a 'mandate'

ICC arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu and Hamas leader doesn’t mean those accused will face trial anytime soon

Victor Peskin, Arizona State University

Prosecuting leaders indicted for war crimes is difficult. But the trial of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in the early 2000s offers a potential playbook.

Denmark’s uprooting of settled residents from ‘ghettos’ forms part of aggressive plan to assimilate nonwhite inhabitants

Selma Hedlund, Boston University

The Danish government wants to end so-called parallel societies. But residents of immigrant-majority areas say they’re subject to a racial double standard.

AI harm is often behind the scenes and builds over time – a legal scholar explains how the law can adapt to respond

Sylvia Lu, University of Michigan

The damage AI algorithms cause is not easily remedied. Breaking algorithmic harms into four categories results in pieces that better align with the law and points the way to better regulation.

Awkwardness can hit in any social situation – here are a philosopher’s 5 strategies to navigate it with grace

Alexandra Plakias, Hamilton College

Awkwardness is what happens in social interactions when you suddenly find yourself without a script to guide you through.

Vulnerability to financial scams in aging adults could be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease, new research shows

Laura Fenton, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Duke Han, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Adults who self-reported higher vulnerability toward financial exploitation showed lower thickness in a brain region that is affected early in Alzheimer’s disease.

Americans agree politics is broken − here are 5 ideas for fixing key problems

Ismar Volić, Wellesley College

Surveys show Americans do not believe the political system is serving them. A mathematician of democracy highlights evidence-based changes that could improve matters without tearing the nation apart.

Graduate students explore America’s polarized landscape via train in this course

Sarah Federman, University of San Diego

Political polarization is at an all-time high. Students part of this University of San Diego Kroc School of Peace Studies course examine up close the country’s divides during their journey.

Activism on foot: When Indigenous activists walk the land to honor their past and reshape their future

Meaghan Weatherdon, University of San Diego

Movements like the Journey of Nishiyuu walk the land to reclaim culture and push for Indigenous nations’ rights.

New maps show high-risk zones for whale-ship collisions − vessel speed limits and rerouting can reduce the toll

Anna Nisi, University of Washington

Colliding with ships is a top cause of whale deaths. A new study maps the areas of highest risk, showing where proven strategies such as speed limits and new shipping routes can reduce the toll.

To some ancient Romans, gladiators were the embodiment of tyranny

John M. Oksanish, Wake Forest University

Politicians like Cicero saw gladiators as vain and self-indulgent, while the true warriors engaged in wars of words.

‘Deep inside, something told me I had found the earliest human ancestor; I went numb’ – Yohannes Haile-Selassie on his lifetime quest to discover ancient humanity

Mike Herd, The Conversation

On the 50th anniversary of the discovery of ancient hominin Lucy, a leading Ethiopian scientist on why we need to ‘decolonise’ paleo research – and what it’s like to find the oldest human ancestor.

When an atmospheric river meets a bomb cyclone, it’s like a fire hose flailing out of control along the West Coast

What would it mean if President-elect Trump dismantled the US Department of Education?

‘For the very first time I really enjoyed sex!’ − how lesbian escort agencies became a form of self-care in Japan