This commentary was originally published by Journal of Democracy on July 30, 2025. Taiwan held a massive recall vote on July 26, threatening to remove 24 opposition Kuomintang (KMT) politicians from the legislature. This would have endangered the party’s combined majority with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), possibly returning Taiwan to unified government under the… Continue reading Taiwan’s Risky No-Holds-Barred Politics
The Science Adviser for The Last of Us Says COVID Changed How We View Zombie Stories
The year was 2013, and the release of a hotly anticipated zombie-apocalypse video game was on the horizon. The game, called The Last of Us, invited players to explore what then seemed a fanciful scenario: a world devastated by a pandemic in which a pathogen kills millions of people. Unlike in many apocalypse fictions, the… Continue reading The Science Adviser for The Last of Us Says COVID Changed How We View Zombie Stories
The Myth of the 5 A.M. Club: Why Early Isn’t Always Best
There’s a persistent myth in our culture that success and downright virtue belong to the early risers—those “5 a.m. club” members who rise before the sun and conquer their to-do lists while the rest of us are still snoozing. Social media is flooded with images of pre-dawn productivity, and best-selling books tout the virtues of… Continue reading The Myth of the 5 A.M. Club: Why Early Isn’t Always Best
A New Geometry for Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
Kunzinger and Sämann wanted to use their new way of estimating curvature to determine whether these singularity theorems would still be valid if they no longer assumed space-time is smooth. Would singularities persist even in rougher, more realistic-looking spaces? It’s important to find out if the smoothness condition can be waived, Sämann said, because doing… Continue reading A New Geometry for Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
Healthy Sleep Is a Community Issue
This commentary was originally published by The Baltimore Sun on June 26, 2025. Healthy sleep is often viewed as a matter of personal responsibility—setting a consistent bedtime, avoiding caffeine, and limiting screen time before bed. While these individual habits are important, new research led by researchers at RAND and the University of Pittsburgh suggests that… Continue reading Healthy Sleep Is a Community Issue
Testing Sperm Health with a Mechanical Engineering Twist
Rachel Feltman: For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman. The World Health Organization estimates that infertility impacts one in six adults globally. But when it comes to addressing infertility, male partners are often left out of the equation. Some studies suggest that in 18 to 27 percent of cases where a heterosexual couple seeks… Continue reading Testing Sperm Health with a Mechanical Engineering Twist
The U.S. Power Grids Need AI Disclosure Requirements
The electrical grid is a complex system that is managed for reliability above all else—in no small part because it supports other life-sustaining services like water systems and telecommunications. Increasingly, though, electric utilities are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help manage power demand and assist in decisionmaking. While this has the potential to enhance… Continue reading The U.S. Power Grids Need AI Disclosure Requirements
Futuristic Radio Telescope Will Spot Baby Solar Systems—If It’s Funded
New Mexico’s Plains of San Agustin are otherworldly: Silence, sand and sharp plants reign on the valley floor. Knobbly volcanic rock rises above. Pronghorns’ legs and jackrabbits’ ears break up the landscape. And so, too, does one of the world’s largest telescopes. The plains house the aptly named Very Large Array (VLA)—a radio telescope made… Continue reading Futuristic Radio Telescope Will Spot Baby Solar Systems—If It’s Funded
Countering Russian Influence: Support for Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova in the ‘Waiting Room of the West’
As Europe rallies to support Ukraine’s defence and fortify its own security, three other post-Soviet states—Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova—remain dangerously exposed to Russian coercion. Each has expressed a desire to move closer to the West: Moldova and Georgia are official EU candidates, and all three participate in the European Union’s Eastern Partnership. Yet despite these… Continue reading Countering Russian Influence: Support for Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova in the ‘Waiting Room of the West’
Elon Musk’s Grok Chatbot Has Started Reciting Climate Denial Talking Points
CLIMATEWIRE | It was a simple enough question. Is climate change an urgent threat to the planet? To most climate scientists, the answer is straightforward: Yes, rapid warming from fossil fuel burning is pushing Earth toward dangerous tipping points. On supporting science journalism If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing.… Continue reading Elon Musk’s Grok Chatbot Has Started Reciting Climate Denial Talking Points