Last week’s Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program and military assets and Iran’s responding missile strikes represent a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two nations. While covert operations and proxy conflicts have defined much of their rivalry in recent years, this overt military strike signals a dramatic shift in the nature of… Continue reading The Israel-Iran Conflict: Q&A with RAND Experts
How Does Graph Theory Shape Our World?
Born in the 18th century when Leonhard Euler solved the puzzle of the seven bridges of Königsberg, graph theory has become a foundational tool in mathematics. It studies relationships through nodes (vertices) and the links (edges) that connect them, transforming the complexity of systems — from friendship networks to airline routes — into elegant abstractions… Continue reading How Does Graph Theory Shape Our World?
My Post-Pandemic Potty Mouth: A Psychologist’s Perspective
The realization hit me somewhere around mile three of my usual run with my running partner. As the miles ticked by and our conversation flowed, I noticed that nearly every story I told was punctuated with curse words. My running partner, in contrast, kept her language clean. Her stories were just as animated, her frustrations… Continue reading My Post-Pandemic Potty Mouth: A Psychologist’s Perspective
When Did Nature Burst Into Vivid Color?
In the animal kingdom, there is incredible variation in visual perception. What an animal sees depends on the structure of its retina and its neural visual processing system. Most insects can see ultraviolet, blue and green light, but there is wide variety among arthropods; mantis shrimp eyes have up to 12 different channels of color,… Continue reading When Did Nature Burst Into Vivid Color?
Death by Nemawashi
Seppuku, also called hara-kiri, is an incredibly painful way to die. A ritualistic Japanese way to kill oneself in feudal times involved cutting open one’s abdomen for the purpose of disembowelment. There also is a metaphorically painful way important decisions can die, one that involves sacrificing national interests due to slow decisionmaking. It is called… Continue reading Death by Nemawashi
Can SpaceX’s New City, Starbase, Learn to Get Along with Its Neighbors?
SpaceX’s Starbase Is Officially a City. Some Neighbors Aren’t Thrilled Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site turned company town in South Texas, faces local opposition from residents outside the city limits By Paola Rosa-Aquino edited by Lee Billings SpaceX rockets stand near the end of a neighborhood street in the company’s Starbase launch complex in this photograph… Continue reading Can SpaceX’s New City, Starbase, Learn to Get Along with Its Neighbors?
Protecting Europe’s Critical Undersea Infrastructure Depends on Coordination and Collaboration
On 21 May, the Polish navy intercepted a mysterious vessel in the Baltic Sea performing suspicious manoeuvres near a power cable which connects Poland and Sweden. The vessel was part of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet,’ an ageing collection of poorly maintained oil tankers and other vessels, often with opaque ownership and improper insurance, which enable the… Continue reading Protecting Europe’s Critical Undersea Infrastructure Depends on Coordination and Collaboration
Researchers Uncover Hidden Ingredients Behind AI Creativity
We were once promised self-driving cars and robot maids. Instead, we’ve seen the rise of artificial intelligence systems that can beat us in chess, analyze huge reams of text and compose sonnets. This has been one of the great surprises of the modern era: physical tasks that are easy for humans turn out to be… Continue reading Researchers Uncover Hidden Ingredients Behind AI Creativity
The Drake Equation (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Aliens, UFOs)
The Drake Equation (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Aliens, UFOs) < !- end of Google Analytics Code Snippet by GA4WP–> // tabnab protection window.addEventListener(‘load’, function () { // make all links have rel=”noopener noreferrer” document.querySelectorAll(‘a[target=”_blank”]’).forEach(link => { link.setAttribute(‘rel’, ‘noopener noreferrer’); }); }); ]]> Podcast: Download MYS372: Is Earth alone? Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli unpack the… Continue reading The Drake Equation (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Aliens, UFOs)
A Swarm at Sea: Supplying Troops with On-Demand Autonomous Watercraft
In any drawn-out military confrontation, the U.S. must support its ground forces with food, fuel, ammunition and weapons. In a conflict with China over Taiwan, however, that material will be coming from as far away as the Philippines and Japan. That means relying on the large, mostly unarmed, civilian-crewed ships, such as those operated by… Continue reading A Swarm at Sea: Supplying Troops with On-Demand Autonomous Watercraft