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

  • Written by John Etnyre, Professor of Mathematics, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageYou can describe the shape you live on in multiple dimensions.vkulieva/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When you look at your surrounding environment, it might seem like you’re living on a flat plane. After all, this is why you can navigate a new city using a map: a flat piece of paper that represents all the places around you. This is likely why...

Read more: What’s the shape of the universe? Mathematicians use topology to study the shape of the world and...

AIs flunk language test that takes grammar out of the equation

  • Written by Rutvik Desai, Professor of Psychology, University of South Carolina
imageAIs can sound good without having a clue about what they're saying.Carol Yepes/Moment via Getty Images

Generative AI systems like large language models and text-to-image generators can pass rigorous exams that are required of anyone seeking to become a doctor or a lawyer. They can perform better than most people in Mathematical Olympiads. They can...

Read more: AIs flunk language test that takes grammar out of the equation

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

  • Written by Linn Washington, Jr., Professor of Journalism, Temple University
imagePhiladelphians attend a meeting at Germantown’s Center in the Park on Feb. 25, 2025, to strategize a new Black agenda. Linn Washington Jr. , CC BY-NC-ND

A meeting in Philadelphia, held at a senior center on a bitter cold Saturday afternoon in late January 2025, drew nearly 300 people.

They came for two key reasons.

One was to voice outrage at...

Read more: Philadelphia continues long history of Black-led protest meetings aimed at fighting racial...

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

  • Written by Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, Professor of Marine Ecology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
imageRainbow and midnight parrotfish feed at Alacranes Reef in the Gulf of Mexico.Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, CC BY-ND

After two years of record-breaking ocean heat, scientists are assessing the impacts of the world’s fourth mass bleaching event on coral reefs around the globe. At least 74 countries and territories are confirmed to have experienced...

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

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

  • Written by Kristina P. Brant, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Penn State
imageParts of the North Fork of the Kentucky River flooded in July 2022, and again in February 2025.Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

On Valentine’s Day 2025, heavy rains started to fall in parts of rural Appalachia. Over the course of a few days, residents in eastern Kentucky watched as river levels rose and surpassed flood...

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

In many of Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas, residents have little choice but rebuild in risky locations

  • Written by Kristina P. Brant, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Penn State
imageParts of the North Fork of the Kentucky River flooded in July 2022, and again in February 2025.Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

On Valentine’s Day 2025, heavy rains started to fall in parts of rural Appalachia. Over the course of a few days, residents in eastern Kentucky watched as river levels rose and surpassed flood...

Read more: In many of Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas, residents have little choice but rebuild in risky...

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

  • Written by John Leverso, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati
imagePrison doors close, but for most people convicted of crimes, they eventually open again.Hans Neleman/Stone via Getty Images

Across the U.S., tough-on-crime policies are surging again, despite research showing they do little to reduce crime, particularly violent offenses.

Before the early 1990s, people who were sentenced to 10 years in prison might...

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

How ticket-splitting voters could shape the 2026 midterms

  • Written by Ian Anson, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageEven in polarized times, some American voters still cross party lines to support both Democratic and Republican candidates.wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images

With the 2024 U.S. election over and done with, political analysts and both major parties are already turning their attention to the upcoming midterm elections in 2026.

All 435 seats in the...

Read more: How ticket-splitting voters could shape the 2026 midterms

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

  • Written by Matthew Borus, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Binghamton University, State University of New York
imageDisabled people's employment rights and access to free health care are among the policy issues that the Trump administration is aiming to change. Catherine McQueen/Moment/Getty Images

While policy debates on immigration, abortion and other issues took center stage in the 2024 presidential election, the first months of the Trump administration have...

Read more: Cutting Medicaid and federal programs are among 4 key Trump administration policy changes that...

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

  • Written by Nicole Hassoun, Professor of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University of New York
imageUSAID was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as a way to consolidate existing foreign aid programs.JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

On his first day in office, Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump began a drastic reshaping of the United States’ role in global health as part of the first 26 executive orders of his new term.

He...

Read more: USAID’s apparent demise and the US withdrawal from WHO put millions of lives worldwide at risk and...

More Articles ...

  1. How Nutriset, a French company, has helped alleviate hunger and create jobs in some of the world’s poorest places
  2. Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting prioritizes ‘real’ independence from the US − but what does that mean and is it achievable?
  3. A hazy legal landscape means people can get high on hemp products, even where pot is prohibited
  4. Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon
  5. 500 years ago, German peasants revolted – but their faith that the Protestant Reformation stood for freedom was dashed by Martin Luther and the nobility
  6. How early voting on campuses can boost election turnout – not only for students but for residents, too
  7. Trump’s claims of vast presidential powers run up against Article 2 of the Constitution and exceed previous presidents’ power grabs
  8. Generative AI is most useful for the things we care about the least
  9. Selenium is an essential nutrient named after the Greek goddess of the Moon − crucial to health, it may help prevent and treat cancer
  10. Colorado is tackling air pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods by regulating 5 air toxics
  11. If US attempts World Bank retreat, the China-led AIIB could be poised to step in – and provide a model of global cooperation
  12. Francis − a pope who has cared deeply for the poor and opened up the Catholic Church
  13. The murder rate in Venezuela has fallen − but both Trump and Maduro are wrong about why
  14. How Elon Musk’s deep ties to – and admiration for – China could complicate Trump’s Beijing policy
  15. Rising house prices don’t just make it harder to become a homeowner – they also widen the racial wealth gap
  16. 3 ways Trump is acting like a king and bypassing the Constitution’s checks and balances on presidential authority
  17. Why including people with disabilities in the workforce and higher education benefits everyone
  18. As Pennsylvania inches toward legalizing recreational cannabis, lawmakers propose selling it in state-owned dispensaries similar to state liquor stores
  19. Can animals have mental disabilities?
  20. How Roman society integrated people who altered their bodies and defied gender norms
  21. The quest to extend human life is both fascinating and fraught with moral peril
  22. I went to CPAC as an anthropologist to see how Trump supporters are feeling − for them, a ‘golden age’ has begun
  23. Trump’s moves to strip employment protections from federal workers threaten to make government function worse – not better
  24. Brazil coup charges could end Bolsonaro’s political career − but they won’t extinguish Bolsonarismo
  25. A Palestinian film is an Oscars favorite − so why is it so hard to see?
  26. A Palestinian-Israeli film is an Oscars favorite − so why is it so hard to see?
  27. We study mass surveillance for social control, and we see Trump laying the groundwork to ‘contain’ people of color and immigrants
  28. Survey shows immigrants in Florida – even US citizens – are less likely to seek health care after passage of anti-immigrant laws
  29. Colliding plasma ejections from the Sun generate huge geomagnetic storms − studying them will help scientists monitor future space weather
  30. Making sex deadly for insects could control pests that carry disease and harm crops
  31. From ancient emperors to modern presidents, leaders have used libraries to cement their legacies
  32. How allies have helped the US gain independence, defend freedom and keep the peace – even as the US did the same for our friends
  33. A fiscal crisis is looming for many US cities
  34. Trump’s threats on Greenland, Gaza, Ukraine and Panama revive old-school US imperialism of dominating other nations by force, after decades of nuclear deterrence
  35. Trump’s move to closer ties with Russia does not mean betrayal of Ukraine, yet – in his first term, Trump was pretty tough on Putin
  36. p53 is both your genome’s guardian and weakness against cancer – scientists are trying to repair or replace it when it goes awry
  37. Trump order boosts school choice, but there’s little evidence vouchers lead to smarter students or better educational outcomes
  38. The leadership hack that drives success: Being trustworthy
  39. CDC layoffs strike deeply at its ability to respond to the current flu, norovirus and measles outbreaks and other public health emergencies
  40. In pushing for Ukraine elections, Trump is falling into Putin-laid trap to delegitimize Zelenskyy
  41. DEI programs are designed to help white people too – here’s how
  42. Greenland’s rapidly melting ice and landslide-prone fjords make the oil and minerals Trump covets dangerous to extract
  43. Deportation fears create ripple effects for immigrants and their communities
  44. How medical treatments devised for war can quickly be implemented in US hospitals to save lives
  45. Traumatic brain injuries have toxic effects that last weeks after initial impact − an antioxidant material reduces this damage in mice
  46. The dangers of ‘Jekyll and Hyde leadership’: Why making amends after workplace abuse can hurt more than it helps
  47. Investors value corporate tax responsibility – at least when the company is based somewhere with a lot of inequality, research shows
  48. Trans people affirmed their gender without medical help in medieval Europe − history shows how identity transcends medicine and law
  49. Why community pharmacies are closing – and what to do if your neighborhood location shutters
  50. Many gluten-free foods are high in calories and sugar, low on fiber and protein, and they cost more − new research