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CubeSats, the tiniest of satellites, are changing the way we explore the solar system

  • Written by Mustafa Aksoy, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University at Albany, State University of New York

Most CubeSats weigh less than a bowling ball, and some are small enough to hold in your hand. But the impact these instruments are having on space exploration is gigantic. CubeSats – miniature, agile and cheap satellites – are revolutionizing how scientists study the cosmos.

A standard-size CubeSat is tiny, about 4 pounds (roughly 2...

Read more: CubeSats, the tiniest of satellites, are changing the way we explore the solar system

Afrofuturism thrives in Philly − 5 artists you should know

  • Written by Aaron X. Smith, Assistant Professor of Africology and African American Studies, Temple University
image'A Radiant Light,' by Philly-based Afrofuturist artist Mikel Elam, celebrates cultural roots and the infinite possibilities of the future. Mikel Elam, CC BY-NC-SA

From the creation of the Liberty Bell in the 1750s to the world-famous Philadelphia Sound soul music of the 1960s and ’70s, artistic innovation has long been a staple in Philly...

Read more: Afrofuturism thrives in Philly − 5 artists you should know

The contradictions of ‘Minnesota nice’

  • Written by Giang Nguyen-Dien, Postdoctoral Fellow in American Culture Studies, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
imageMembers of St. Paul's Hmong community protest in 1998 after a local radio host said on air that Hmong immigrants needed to 'assimilate or hit the goddamn road.'Bruce Bisping/Star Tribune via Getty Images

After Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, much of the media coverage zeroed in on Walz’s Midwestern roots,...

Read more: The contradictions of ‘Minnesota nice’

Eric Adams indictment: How campaign finance violations often grow into dramatic scandals

  • Written by Charlie Hunt, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with bribery and fraud following a spiraling federal investigation into his administration.

Among other accusations, federal prosecutors alleged in their September 2024 indictment that Adams received campaign donations from the Turkish government for his 2021 mayoral race and sought to conceal these...

Read more: Eric Adams indictment: How campaign finance violations often grow into dramatic scandals

Big lithium plans for Imperial Valley, one of California’s poorest regions, raise a bigger question: Who should benefit?

  • Written by Manuel Pastor, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
imageThe edge of the Salton Sea, a heavily polluted lake with large geothermal and lithium resources beneath it. Manuel Pastor

Imperial County consistently ranks among the most economically distressed places in California. Its Salton Sea, the state’s biggest and most toxic lake, is an environmental disaster. And the region’s politics have...

Read more: Big lithium plans for Imperial Valley, one of California’s poorest regions, raise a bigger...

Drug prices improved under Biden-Harris and Trump − but not for everyone, and not enough

  • Written by C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut
imageNegotiations to reduce drug prices can sometimes shift costs onto consumers.rudisill/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When it comes to drug pricing, the Trump and Biden-Harris administrations both have some very modest wins to tout.

As director of the Health Outcomes, Policy, and Evidence Synthesis group at the University of Connecticut School of...

Read more: Drug prices improved under Biden-Harris and Trump − but not for everyone, and not enough

Post-election violence is possible in US, political scientist says − and it could be worse than Jan. 6

  • Written by Alexander Cohen, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Clarkson University

Should Americans be bracing for bloodshed if Donald Trump loses the 2024 presidential election?

As a political scientist who studies American politics, I can easily imagine a repeat of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection – or worse – following this November’s presidential election.

Flashback to 2020

Four years ago, in an...

Read more: Post-election violence is possible in US, political scientist says − and it could be worse than...

Grocery stores that donate expiring food − instead of price discounting or discarding − make higher profits

  • Written by John Lowrey, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain and Health Sciences, Northeastern University
imageThis new food pantry opened on Long Island in September 2024.Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images

All major supermarkets and retailers that sell groceries, such as Kroger, Walmart and Costco, give large amounts of food to food banks and pantries. In 2022, retailers donated close to 2 billion pounds of food across the United States,...

Read more: Grocery stores that donate expiring food − instead of price discounting or discarding − make...

How the US government can stop ‘churches’ from getting treated like real churches by the IRS

  • Written by Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame
imageUniformed members of Trail Life USA present the colors at the Family Research Council's 2018 Values Voter Summit.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Family Research Council is a conservative advocacy group with a “biblical worldview.” While it has a church ministries department that works with churches from several evangelical Christian...

Read more: How the US government can stop ‘churches’ from getting treated like real churches by the IRS

Bees have irrational biases when choosing which flowers to feed on − just like human shoppers do

  • Written by Claire Therese Hemingway, Assistant Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee
imageThe other flowers a bee has visited recently will influence how it judges this one.Scott-Cartwright-Photography/Moment via Getty Images

Just like people confronted with a sea of options at the grocery store, bees foraging in meadows encounter many different flowers at once. They must decide which ones to visit for food, but it isn’t always a...

Read more: Bees have irrational biases when choosing which flowers to feed on − just like human shoppers do

More Articles ...

  1. Fungal infections known as valley fever could spike this fall - 3 epidemiologists explain how to protect yourself
  2. Who is Tim Walz? Understanding the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party can help make sense of the VP candidate
  3. The audacity of Kamala Harris’ laughter – and the racist roots of Trump’s derision
  4. Airdropping vaccines to eliminate canine rabies in Texas – two scientists explain the decades of research behind its success
  5. Why do people still back Trump, after everything? 5 things to understand about MAGA supporters’ thinking
  6. Diet-related diseases are the No. 1 cause of death in the US – yet many doctors receive little to no nutrition education in med school
  7. Can you change your personality? Psychology research says yes, by tweaking what you think and do
  8. Local government controls your roads, schools and utilities − but that doesn’t mean the US president doesn’t touch your life in important ways
  9. What is ‘dark money’ political spending, and how does it affect US politics?
  10. Climate change is easier to study when it’s presented as a game
  11. Continuing crackdown on churches and NGOs moves Nicaragua further from democracy to authoritarianism
  12. What America’s history can teach us about debates on religious freedom and its importance for democracy
  13. America is increasingly dependent on foreign doctors − but their path to immigration is getting harder
  14. Lebanese civilians are fleeing the south, fearing an Israeli invasion − a look back at 1982 suggests they have every reason to worry
  15. US home insurance rates are rising fast – hurricanes and wildfires play a big role, but there’s more to it
  16. Why home insurance rates are rising so fast across the US – climate change plays a big role
  17. A brief history of former presidents running for reelection: 3 losses, 1 win and 1 still TBD
  18. No, immigrants aren’t eating dogs and cats – but Trump’s claim is part of an ugly history of myths about immigrant foodways
  19. On the US-Mexico border, the records of Trump and Harris reflect the national mood of less immigration, not more
  20. How to archive your photos in the digital age
  21. Parents with disabilities have faced discrimination for years in the US, but new rules will help ensure that child welfare systems treat them more fairly
  22. Customers like diversity from brands − but can smell hypocrisy a mile away
  23. Sri Lankans throw out old guard in election upset: What nation’s new Marxist-leaning leader means for economy, IMF loans
  24. Can you trust companies that say their plastic products are recyclable? US regulators may crack down on deceptive claims
  25. Mixed emotions – neuroscience is exploring how your brain lets you experience two opposite feelings at once
  26. View politics critically but charitably and with good old common sense: cowboy commentator Will Rogers’ wisdom for 2024
  27. Gun violence in Philadelphia plummeted in 2024 − researchers aren’t sure why, but here are 3 factors at play
  28. How sheriffs define law and order for their counties depends a lot on their views − and most are white Republican men
  29. Here’s how to maintain healthy smartphone habits
  30. Sharks and rays leap out of the water for many reasons, including feeding, courtship and communication
  31. Climate change is a pollution problem, and countries know how to deal with pollution threats – think DDT and acid rain
  32. A video game based on the Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’ is the most recent example of innovative retelling of this popular story
  33. Inside the collapse of Disney’s America, the US history-themed park that almost was
  34. Goodwill created a new high school for dropouts − it led to better jobs and higher wages
  35. A weakened Hezbollah is being goaded into all-out conflict with Israel – the consequences would be devastating for all
  36. Why can’t it always be summer? It’s all about the Earth’s tilt
  37. Gentrification isn’t inevitable − it can hinge on how residents view their neighborhood
  38. Trump and Harris vocabularies signal their different frames of mind
  39. Men are carrying the brunt of the ‘loneliness epidemic’ amid potent societal pressures
  40. Wind phones help the bereaved deal with death, loss and grief − a clinical social worker explains the vital role of the old-fashioned rotary phone
  41. Half of Black gay men will be diagnosed with HIV, despite highly effective preventive treatments − why?
  42. College can be confusing for first-generation students – but it doesn’t have to be
  43. Self-forgiveness is more than self-comfort − a philosopher explains
  44. Nepal’s revamped truth commissions will need to go beyond ‘ritualism’ to deliver justice to civil war victims
  45. Rare Florida fossil finally ends debate about how porcupine jaws and tails evolved
  46. Pager attack on Hezbollah was a sophisticated ‘booby-trap’ operation − it was also illegal
  47. Immigrants are unsung heroes of global trade and value creation
  48. How Israel’s Netanyahu survives in his job
  49. Why the cost of water for poor Black Detroit voters may be key to Kamala Harris winning – or losing – Michigan
  50. Invasive caterpillars can make aspen forests more toxic for native insects – a team of ecologists explains how