Inside El Salvador's sprawling prison system

Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants – but the 18th-century law has been invoked only during times of war

Daniel Tichenor, University of Oregon

The Alien Enemies Act, first used in the late 1700s, was last invoked during World War II.

An artist traces her choices under Putin’s Russia – from resistance to retreat to exile – one mural at a time

Stephen Norris, Miami University

Graphic artist Victoria Lomasko’s journey highlights how censorship has intensified in Russia.

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire didn’t resolve any deep-seated issues. Now, it’s shattered

Marika Sosnowski, The University of Melbourne

A ceasefire may bring a temporary halt to fighting, but as the current conflict in Gaza shows, it doesn’t solve every issue.

A brief history of Medicaid and America’s long struggle to establish a health care safety net

Ben Zdencanovic, University of California, Los Angeles

Left out of FDR’s New Deal, the health insurance program for the poor was finally established in 1965.

Social movements constrained Trump in his first term – more than people realize

Kevin A. Young, UMass Amherst

Pushback works.

Researchers created sound that can bend itself through space, reaching only your ear in a crowd

Jiaxin Zhong, Penn State; Yun Jing, Penn State

By combining ultrasound with a concept called nonlinear acoustics, you can create sound that stays silent until it reaches a specific location.

Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing the heat

Kevin A. Schug, University of Texas at Arlington; Alexander Kaplitz, University of Texas at Arlington

Pyrolysis breaks down plastic and generates potentially useful oil − but it’s not a silver bullet for the planet.

Cells lining your skin and organs can generate electricity when injured − potentially opening new doors to treating wounds

Sun-Min Yu, UMass Amherst; Steve Granick, UMass Amherst

Textbooks usually depict the epithelial cells encasing the interior and exterior of your body as passive barriers. But researchers discovered they can produce electrical signals like neurons.

People say they prefer stories written by humans over AI-generated works, yet new study suggests that’s not quite true

Martin Abel, Bowdoin College; Reed Johnson, Bowdoin College

Participants in a study were willing to spend just as much time and money on an AI-generated story as one they were told was written by a human.

Spanish speakers in Philadelphia break traditional rules of formal and informal speech in signs around town

Daniel Guarin, Temple University

It’s all about what they want you to do.

Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating in many places, with serious consequences

Susanne Schmeier, IHE Delft; Melissa McCracken, Tufts University

Nationalistic behavior can put people, economies and ecosystems, and even peace, at risk. The US, which paused Columbia River talks with Canada, isn’t the only country shifting in this direction.

Why forecasting where tornadoes will hit is still hard to do − even though storm predictions are improving

Chris Nowotarski, Texas A&M University

Researchers are turning to computer models, drones and other methods to improve tornado forecasting.

Colorado and other states have expanded access to abortion, but not for adolescents

Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation − and boosts its chances of a seat at the table should Iran-US talks resume

Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come