Life inside Southeast Asia's scam factories

USAID’s apparent demise and the US withdrawal from WHO put millions of lives worldwide at risk and imperil US national security

Nicole Hassoun, Binghamton University, State University of New York

USAID has a decades-long history of fighting smallpox, polio, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.

AIs flunk language test that takes grammar out of the equation

Rutvik Desai, University of South Carolina

Humans understand that ‘red ball’ makes sense but ‘ball red’ does not. Large language models? Not so much.

What’s the shape of the universe? Mathematicians use topology to study the shape of the world and everything in it

John Etnyre, Georgia Institute of Technology

Topologists categorize all the possible shapes in each dimension.

Why people rebuild in Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas despite the risks

Kristina P. Brant, Penn State

The latest floods exposed the deep vulnerability of many mountain communities in eastern Kentucky, where land ownership patterns and other barriers to recovery can leave residents with few options.

Parrotfish support healthy coral reefs, but they’re not a cure-all, and sometimes cause harm

Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM); Ana Lilia Molina Hernández, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

A widely held view in ocean conservation asserts that parrotfish are key to healthy coral reefs. But evidence suggests that the relationship is more complicated.

Philadelphia continues long history of Black-led protest meetings aimed at fighting racial inequity and prejudice

Linn Washington, Jr., Temple University

A packed public meeting at a senior center in January 2025 continues a Philly tradition that dates back to a meeting at Mother Bethel AME Church in January 1817.

Cutting Medicaid and federal programs are among 4 key Trump administration policy changes that could make life harder for disabled people

Matthew Borus, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Tracking disability policies has long been challenging − this will become a harder task under the Trump administration.

How ticket-splitting voters could shape the 2026 midterms

Ian Anson, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Democrats are desperate to retake control of Congress; Republicans want to keep it. To win, it helps to know what kind of voter is willing to cross party lines.

States that impose severe prison sentences accomplish the opposite of what they say they want

John Leverso, University of Cincinnati

Research shows that imposing longer sentences harms inmates and society. There are less expensive − and more effective − ways to hold people accountable and help them prepare for life after prison.

How Nutriset, a French company, has helped alleviate hunger and create jobs in some of the world’s poorest places

Nicolas Dahan, Seton Hall University; Bernard Leca, ESSEC

The key to the for-profit company’s successful partnership with governments, international agencies and humanitarian, nongovernmental organizations is how it handled its patent.

Trump’s claims of vast presidential powers run up against Article 2 of the Constitution and exceed previous presidents’ power grabs

500 years ago, German peasants revolted – but their faith that the Protestant Reformation stood for freedom was dashed by Martin Luther and the nobility

If US attempts World Bank retreat, the China-led AIIB could be poised to step in – and provide a model of global cooperation