What a french fry has in common with a cigarette

Trouble on the Belarus-Poland border: What you need to know about the migrant crisis manufactured by Belarus’ leader

Tatsiana Kulakevich, University of South Florida

Belarus has created a migrant crisis at its border in an apparent move to punish the European Union for its opposition to the country’s leader.

Mapping how the 100 billion cells in the brain all fit together is the brave new world of neuroscience

Yongsoo Kim, Penn State

Scientists have been mapping the brain for centuries. New visualization tools bring them one step closer to understanding where thoughts come from and new ways to treat neurological disorders.

A lab-stage mRNA vaccine targeting ticks may offer protection against Lyme and other tick-borne diseases

Andaleeb Sajid, National Institutes of Health

The study found that ticks were unable to feed on guinea pigs vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine, preventing transmission of the pathogen that causes Lyme disease.

What Americans hear about social justice at church – and what they do about it

R. Khari Brown, Wayne State University; Ronald Brown, Wayne State University

Race, politics and religion have a long and tangled history in the US. And it all comes together each week in sermons across the country.

5 ways to break into the video game industry

André Thomas, Texas A&M University

A former video game executive offers advice on how to land a job in the industry.

Entrepreneurship classes aren’t just for business majors

Lisa Bosman, Purdue University; Stephanie A. Fernhaber, Butler University

Teaching entrepreneurial skills is a staple in business schools. But it can benefit all students – including majors in engineering, agriculture and even the arts.

US vaccine rollout was close to optimal at reducing deaths and infections, according to a model comparing 17.5 million alternative approaches

Audrey L. McCombs, Iowa State University; Claus Kadelka, Iowa State University

With limited vaccines available in early 2021, the CDC had to decide which people received vaccines first. With the help of a supercomputer, researchers have shown that the CDC did an excellent job.

After COP26, the hard work begins on making climate promises real: 5 things to watch in 2022

Rachel Kyte, Tufts University

The world promised progress at the Glasgow climate conference. Now it has to turn those promises into reality. A former senior UN official describes what to watch for in the coming year.

Joe Exotic channels the spirit of America’s 19th-century tiger kings

Madeline Steiner, University of South Carolina

The flamboyant big-cat aficionados of the Gilded Age weren’t strangers to fierce competition, threats and bizarre drama.

Russian anti-satellite weapon test: What happened and what are the risks?

Wendy Whitman Cobb, US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies

Russia destroyed one of its old satellites during a successful test of an anti-satellite weapon. A space security expert explains what this weapon was and the dangers of the expanding debris field.

The ‘great resignation’ is a trend that began before the pandemic – and bosses need to get used to it

Ian O. Williamson, University of California, Irvine

A record share of workers quit their jobs in September. A human resources scholar explains how this is a trend that predates the pandemic.

Cancers are in an evolutionary battle with treatments – evolutionary game theory could tip the advantage to medicine

Anuraag Bukkuri, University of South Florida

Applying the principles of ecology and evolution could help oncologists anticipate cancer drug resistance and optimize their treatment plans for patients.

Today’s graphic

From the story, Infrastructure law: High-speed internet is as essential as water and electricity