NASA's administrator helps the US reach for the stars

Adults grow new brain cells – and these neurons are key to learning by listening

Aswathy Ammothumkandy, University of Southern California; Charles Liu, University of Southern California; Michael A. Bonaguidi, University of Southern California

Understanding how new neurons affect brain function throughout adulthood can offer new approaches to treating epilepsy and dementia.

Extraterrestrial life may look nothing like life on Earth − so astrobiologists are coming up with a framework to study how complex systems evolve

Chris Impey, University of Arizona

A specific set of chemical conditions led to the emergence of life on Earth. But can life emerge from other chemistries?

What is Salt Typhoon? A security expert explains the Chinese hackers and their attack on US telecommunications networks

Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Chinese hackers are alleged to have broken into US phone networks, giving Chinese intelligence services a window onto specific Americans’ phone and messaging activity.

Trump attacks diversity, but a fellow New Yorker − US Rep. Vito Marcantonio − worked to represent all Americans in a multiracial democracy

Sandhya Shukla, University of Virginia

The U.S. congressman from East Harlem promoted compassion in a district marked by ethnic, racial and class differences. It’s a story worth remembering in today’s divided America.

Love it or hate it, nonliteral ‘literally’ is here to stay: Here’s why English will survive

Valerie M. Fridland, University of Nevada, Reno

Language changes because of how it finds itself most gainfully employed by speakers through time. So it’s OK to say “The movie literally blew my mind” and not mean it … literally.

What is the ‘way of the warrior’? Students investigate the arts of war and peace in this course about virtue and the ethics of violence

Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo, Hamilton College

The study of martial arts involves physical training − but also raises larger questions about ethics and what justifies the use of force.

Protests, sectarian violence and a growing spat with India: Bangladesh’s new leaders are beset with challenges to its democracy

Manoj Misra, Western Connecticut State University

Restoring democracy will be a tall order for the interim government as it grapples with security, economic and geopolitical crises.

Geneticists have finally solved the mystery of Garfield’s orange coat

Lluís Montoliu, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB - CSIC)

Two new studies have revealed why some cats are orange – an enduring enigma of genetics, until now.

How right-wing media is like improv theater

AI Jesus might ‘listen’ to your confession, but it can’t absolve your sins − a scholar of Catholicism explains

Long-standing American principle of birthright citizenship under attack from Trump allies

The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz

Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation

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

Which of the following has been hailed as one of the CDC's "10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century"?

1. A. Forcing Coca-Cola to produce Diet Coke
2. B. Adding fluoride to the water supply
3. C. Eliminating smallpox
4. D. Development of the COVID-19 vaccine

Test your knowledge