September 19, 2025 3 min read Writing in Your Books Is Good for Your Brain—Here’s Why Annotating the margins of books is an important part of deep reading and has a long legacy of merit in both science and literature By Brianne Kane edited by Jeanna Bryner Readers on TikTok and Instagram are making the aesthetics… Continue reading The TikTok Trend of Writing in Margins Is Based on Real Neuroscience
The Missing Piece: Minerals Processing and Deep Sea Mining
This commentary was originally published by Modern Diplomacy on September 18, 2025. The world’s oceans have long been a source of riches that help sustain human civilization. Since antiquity, fishing has played an essential role in global food security, and over 3 billion individuals today derive a significant amount of their animal protein intake from… Continue reading The Missing Piece: Minerals Processing and Deep Sea Mining
Tipsy Bats and Perfect Pasta Win Ig Nobel Prizes for Weird Science Research
Many scientists dream of winning a Nobel Prize, an accolade that brings worldwide recognition, prestige and a place in the pantheon of greatness alongside the likes of Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Francis Crick. Then there are the other awards — the Ig Nobel prizes, which were devised to highlight research that makes people laugh,… Continue reading Tipsy Bats and Perfect Pasta Win Ig Nobel Prizes for Weird Science Research
Could AI Help Improve How Public Policy Is Made?
The public’s lack of trust in government and the continuing rise of AI are two persistent stories in the news this year. In a March 2025 survey (PDF), trust in the U.S. government was down to 4 percent and only 11 percent said America is a mostly fair society. In another survey less than 40… Continue reading Could AI Help Improve How Public Policy Is Made?
How Climate Scientists Saw the Future Before It Arrived
In May, the Trump administration released its fiscal 2026 budget request, which called for cutting National Science Foundation and NASA science budgets by more than half. The administration’s proposed NOAA budget, released a few weeks later, proposes eliminating the agency’s scientific research arm altogether, terminating over 1,000 additional employees and shuttering around a dozen institutes,… Continue reading How Climate Scientists Saw the Future Before It Arrived
Governing at the Speed of Change: An AI-Enabled Adaptive Framework for Complex Challenges
State and local governments face increasing—and increasingly complex—economic and social problems that require more agile decisionmaking with less certainty than ever before, as RAND describes in its Social and Economic Policy Rethink Initiative. However, there may be new solutions that can support government officials as they face the future. AI technology is rapidly advancing, offering… Continue reading Governing at the Speed of Change: An AI-Enabled Adaptive Framework for Complex Challenges
A Good Night’s Sleep Is Important for Weight Loss
This Nature Outlook is editorially independent, produced with financial support from Avadel. A healthy diet and regular exercise have long been staples of weight management. But research shows that the role of sleep, which helps to regulate appetite hormones and calorie intake, is just as important. Esra Tasali, a sleep specialist at University of Chicago… Continue reading A Good Night’s Sleep Is Important for Weight Loss
Germany Has Stepped Up on Ukraine. Can It Also Lead on Upgrading Europe’s Defense Capabilities?
While there was much apprehension among European commentators leading up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month, a silver lining emerged: for once, Europe managed to present a united front. Germany, in particular, played an important role. Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an emergency… Continue reading Germany Has Stepped Up on Ukraine. Can It Also Lead on Upgrading Europe’s Defense Capabilities?
Interview: Grimoires & the Occult
Podcast: Download MYS383: Are demons liars who can never be trusted? Can possession stem from more than the demonic? Jimmy Akin continues his conversation with Alexander Eth from Glitch Bottle podcast and tackles grimoires, exorcism, Hermetic texts, divine hiddenness, and how the Catholic faith understands magic. Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow… Continue reading Interview: Grimoires & the Occult
The Quantum Mechanics of Greenhouse Gases
There’s a simple story of the greenhouse effect: A blanket of carbon dioxide envelops the planet, letting sunlight in but trapping its heat. As a result, Earth warms. But how does this actually work? Carbon dioxide amounts to only a tiny smattering of gas molecules — 0.042%, or roughly 420 parts per million — in… Continue reading The Quantum Mechanics of Greenhouse Gases