In shedding the caricature of a conservative pundit, Colbert can have more substantive conversations with his guests, while still employing his unique brand of satire.
Immigration policies for people fleeing poverty or civil unrest dominate the news, but there’s been a huge rise in wealthy migrants to the West. Are these “cash for citizenship” programs worth it?
Larisa Hussak, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
It’s human nature to assume there must be a valid reason for inequalities in society. What’s the psychology behind why we believe there’s something fundamentally different between haves and have-nots?
The UN climate talks in Bonn last week left many key issues unresolved, creating big challenges for forging a global deal in Paris later this year that would avert the worst effects of climate change.
Sophisticated models and supercomputers allow researchers to create a high-fidelity map of the Earth’s trees – and show that we’re losing billions of trees a year.
Peter Alagona, University of California, Santa Barbara
The Endangered Species Act may stave off extinction for the Delta smelt in California, but will it help this threatened fish – or any other at-risk species – recover and thrive again?
The US may be closer than people think to a deal over geographical indications, laws that protect products based on their location such as Champagne, Darjeeling tea and prosciutto di Parma.