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A man walks past a tent on a grassy field, with a school in the background

Supreme Court to consider whether local governments can make it a crime to sleep outside if no inside space is available

Clare Pastore, University of Southern California

A colored image show methane leaking form a source with buildings nearby.

More climate-warming methane leaks into the atmosphere than ever gets reported – here’s how satellites can find the leaks and avoid wasting a valuable resource

Riley Duren, University of Arizona

Exploding stars send out powerful bursts of energy − I’m leading a citizen scientist project to classify and learn about these bright flashes

Amy Lien, University of Tampa

A burst of bright light coming out of a hazy cloud.
Drugs that aren’t antibiotics can also kill bacteria − new method pinpoints how

Mariana Noto Guillen, UMass Chan Medical School

Array of multicolored pills in blister packs
In the age of cancel culture, shaming can be healthy for online communities – a political scientist explains when and how

Jennifer Forestal, Loyola University Chicago

ten figure-like wooden cylinders topped by spheres with nine beige ones arranged in a circle around one red one
Indian protesters pull from poetic tradition to resist Modi’s Hindu nationalism

Krupa Shandilya, Amherst College

Woman dressed in blue and yellow screams at security personnel.

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a young Black woman with long braided hair facing the camera with a web of white lines on the left side of her face

Deepfake detection improves when using algorithms that are more aware of demographic diversity

Siwei Lyu, University at Buffalo and Yan Ju, University at Buffalo

A grizzly bear walking through a patch of sunlit grass

Grizzly bear conservation is as much about human relationships as it is the animals

Alexander L. Metcalf, University of Montana

Foundations are using so many confusing words that few people can figure out what they’re doing

Aaron Zeiler, University of Florida and Ann Searight Christiano, University of Florida

Woman shrugging with her hands pointing outward.
The US is losing access to its bases in Niger − here’s why that’s a big deal

Michael A. Allen, Boise State University; Carla Martinez Machain, University at Buffalo, and Michael E. Flynn, Kansas State University

A man covered in white cloth gestures to a map of Niger and the surrounding region while another man in a suit looks on.
Once enemies, Japan and US strengthen their alliance – and it goes beyond AUKUS

Craig Mark, Temple University

Once enemies, Japan and US strengthen their alliance – and it goes beyond AUKUS
Rwanda genocide: 30 years on, why Tutsis are at the centre of DR Congo’s conflict

Christopher P. Davey, Binghamton University, State University of New York

A group of women seated outdoors, many wearing cloth wraps and headscarves
A white man with yellow hair and a suit sits at a table with other people in formal clothing him around him and looks toward the camera with a serious face.

Trump’s New York felony charges are going to trial – what the images might show when the business fraud case kicks off

Mary Angela Bock, The University of Texas at Austin

Germany’s turning point: 2 years into strategic pivot, progress made bodes well for the US, NATO and the world

Michael F. Harsch, National Defense University

Two men, one in a suit, the other in a polo neck-shirt, meet.
Taxes are due even if you object to government policies or doubt the validity of the 16th Amendment’s ratification

Michele Frank, Miami University

A torn-up copy of IRS tax form 1040.
Human brains and fruit fly brains are built similarly – visualizing how helps researchers better understand how both work

Kristin Scaplen, Bryant University

GIF of black square that gradually reveals flickering green and red swatches surrounded then swallowed by dark blue in a roughly oblong shape
Taylor Swift’s homage to Clara Bow

Deirdre Clemente, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Annie Delgado, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Black and white portrait of young woman bathed in light resting her head on her hands.
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War in Gaza

people in helmets and riot gear carrying guns stand outside a white building.

Are embassies off-limits? Ecuadorian and Israeli actions suggest otherwise − and that sets a dangerous diplomatic precedent

Jorge Heine, Boston University

Rebuilding Gaza was seen as a ‘Herculean’ task before Oct. 7; six months of bombing has led to crises that will long outlive the war

Dima Nazzal, Georgia Institute of Technology

Workers and residents stand on a pile of rubble with one building standing in the background.
Israeli strike on World Central Kitchen aid convoy shows growing danger of humanitarian work in conflict zones

Elizabeth Stites, Tufts University

A man stands near a white vehicle that has a large hole in its top and its doors open. The road is empty and the ocean is nearby.
Israeli siege has placed Gazans at risk of starvation − prewar policies made them vulnerable in the first place

Yara M. Asi, University of Central Florida

A girl holds out an empty pan while boys surround her.
US attempt to ‘revitalize’ Palestinian Authority risks making the PA less legitimate, more unpopular

Dana El Kurd, University of Richmond

Two men sit with a table between them with Palestinian and US flags on.
Read more stories about the Israel-Hamas war

Caregiving

A smiling elderly woman in a wheelchair is hugged by her daughter.

Family caregivers can help shape the outcomes for their loved ones – an ICU nurse explains their vital role

Courtney Graetzer, Vanderbilt University

New studies suggest millions with mild cognitive impairment go undiagnosed, often until it’s too late

Soeren Mattke, University of Southern California and Ying Liu, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A senior woman in a wheelchair sits outside in a garden.
For-profit nursing homes are cutting corners on safety and draining resources with financial shenanigans − especially at midsize chains that dodge public scrutiny

Sean Campbell, The Conversation and Charlene Harrington, University of California, San Francisco

An elderly person's hands are folded in the person's lap.
Family caregivers face financial burdens, isolation and limited resources − a social worker explains how to improve quality of life for this growing population

Kathy L. Lee, University of Texas at Arlington

Young African American woman smiles at her father who is in a wheelchair.
Michigan Gov. Whitmer proposes a caregiver tax credit − an idea many Americans support

Sarah E. Patterson, University of Michigan and Adriana Reyes, Cornell University

Woman embraces elderly man from behind.
Read more about health

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Baltimore bridge collapse

A cargo ship carrying stacks of boxes crashes into a metal structure.

Dali hit Key Bridge with the force of 66 heavy trucks at highway speed

Amanda Bao, Rochester Institute of Technology

Failure of Francis Scott Key Bridge provides future engineers a chance to learn how to better protect the public

Michael J. Chajes, University of Delaware

A cargo ship is ensnared in a mangled steel bridge.
Port of Baltimore bridge collapse rattles supply chains already rocked by troubles in Panama and the Red Sea

Simona Stan, University of Montana

American flags hang off cranes with one reading Port of Baltimore USA.
Bridges can be protected from ship collisions – an expert on structures in disasters explains how

Sherif El-Tawil, University of Michigan

a car sits at an angle on a bridge roadway at the edge of a collapsed section with a cargo ship in the background
I’ve captained ships into tight ports like Baltimore, and this is how captains like me work with harbor pilots to avoid deadly collisions

Allan Post, Texas A&M University

the front of a container ship floats with large chunks of the bridge it crashed into lying on top
Read more about the bridge that collapsed

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Earth Month

Branches of a magnolia tree with blooms that have turned brown and withered

Climate change is shifting the zones where plants grow – here’s what that could mean for your garden

Matt Kasson, West Virginia University

New York City greenlights congestion pricing – here’s how this toll plan is expected to improve traffic, air quality and public transit

John Rennie Short, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Cars and trucks move across a multi-level bridge in two directions
Climate engineering carries serious national security risks − countries facing extreme heat may try it anyway, and the world needs to be prepared

Ben Kravitz, Indiana University and Tyler Felgenhauer, Duke University

The sun sets over Chicago on a hot day.
Coastal wetlands can’t keep pace with sea-level rise, and infrastructure is leaving them nowhere to go

Randall W. Parkinson, Florida International University

Areas of golden grasses broken up by water. Lines where canals once went through are evident.
Who are today’s climate activists? Dispelling 3 big myths for Earth Month

Dana R. Fisher, American University

Middle-age activists hold signs and shout. Two older women are also there, along with some younger people in the background. All are smiling.
Read more stories about the environment

Election 2024

How jurors will be selected in Trump’s legal cases - a criminal law expert explains

Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., Harvard University

A white man wearing a dark business suit is surrounded by other men wearing dark suits.
Trump pushes the limits of every restriction he faces – including threatening judges and their families

Paul M. Collins Jr., UMass Amherst

A man in a business suit points into a crowd.
From Reagan to Obama, presidents have left office with ‘strategic regret’ − will leaving troops in Iraq and Syria be Biden or Trump’s?

Charles Walldorf, Wake Forest University

Men and women in fatigues embrace on a military ship.
Talking to Americans reveals the diversity behind the shared opinion ‘the country is on the wrong track’

Dante Chinni, Michigan State University and Ari Pinkus, Michigan State University

Three people holding images of thumbs down, one with a thumbs up.
Read more election coverage

New research in health and science

Illustration of a fisheye lens view of a mass of purple blobs, a beam of light shining through.

Personalized cancer treatments based on testing drugs quickly leads to faster treatment, better outcomes

Diana Azzam, Florida International University

PFAS ‘forever chemicals’: Why EPA set federal drinking water limits for these health-harming contaminants

Kathryn Crawford, Middlebury

Hands in purple gloves pour a water sample into a bottle for testing.
Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research

Dustin Long, University of Washington and Chloe Bryson-Cahn, University of Washington

Patient wearing mask lying on hospital bed, hand extended toward camera
Tiny crystals capture millions of years of mountain range history – a geologist excavates the Himalayas with a microscope

Matthew J. Kohn, Boise State University

Microscopy heat map of an oblong sliver, with violet at the edges and yellow toward its center, with numbers indicating millions of years superimposed.
Fossilized dinosaur eggshells can preserve amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, over millions of years

Evan Thomas Saitta, University of Chicago

A cross section showing long, multicolor columnar structures.
Read more new science research

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Woman laughs as an elephant puts the tip of its trunk to her cheek.

Elephant tourism often involves cruelty – here are steps toward more humane, animal-friendly excursions

Michelle Szydlowski, Miami University

Domestic violence survivors seek homeless services from a system that often leaves them homeless

Nkiru Nnawulezi, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Lauren Cattaneo, George Mason University

Anguished person sits at their bedside, their hand holding their head.
Power outages leave poor communities in the dark longer: Evidence from 15 million outages raises questions about recovery times

Chuanyi Ji, Georgia Institute of Technology and Scott C. Ganz, Georgetown University

A couple stand in the doorway of their home with water surrounding it, including up the front step.
In a future with more ‘mind reading,’ thanks to neurotech, we may need to rethink freedom of thought

Parker Crutchfield, Western Michigan University

A dot diagram in the shape of a brain, with an open book beneath it, against a blue background.
How to battle boredom at work

Casher Belinda, University of Notre Dame

woman with bored expression holds left fingers to her left temple while staring down at her desk, which has a computer, coffee and a lamp on it

Most read this week

1.
What is Eid al-Fitr and how do Muslims celebrate it? 6 questions answered

Ken Chitwood, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

What is Eid al-Fitr and how do Muslims celebrate it? 6 questions answered
2.
Brain scans of Philly jazz musicians reveal secrets to reaching creative flow

John Kounios, Drexel University and Yvette Kounios, Widener University

Brain scans of Philly jazz musicians reveal secrets to reaching creative flow
3.
Newly discovered genetic variant that causes Parkinson’s disease clarifies why the condition develops and how to halt it

Matthew Farrer, University of Florida

Newly discovered genetic variant that causes Parkinson’s disease clarifies why the condition develops and how to halt it
4.
Starbucks seeks Supreme Court protection from being ordered to rehire baristas who say they were fired for union-promoting activities

Michael Z. Green, Texas A&M University

Starbucks seeks Supreme Court protection from being ordered to rehire baristas who say they were fired for union-promoting activities
5.
Trump pushes the limits of every restriction he faces – including threatening judges and their families

Paul M. Collins Jr., UMass Amherst

Trump pushes the limits of every restriction he faces – including threatening judges and their families
6.
Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research

Dustin Long, University of Washington and Chloe Bryson-Cahn, University of Washington

Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research

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