The Conversation

• H-bomb creator Richard Garwin was a giant in science, technology and policy
  Garwin was best known as the designer of the hydrogen bomb, but he was also a longtime arms control expert, IBM researcher and adviser to presidents.
• Landing on the Moon is an incredibly difficult feat − 2025 has brought successes and shortfalls for companies and space agencies
  NASA’s learned a lot about the Moon since Apollo. But a perfect landing still requires incredible planning and scientific precision.
• Cultivating obedience: Using the Justice Department to attack former officials consolidates power and deters dissent
  Trump’s use of the Justice Department to target political opponents goes beyond revenge − it deters current officials from defying the president.
• Why we fall for fake health information – and how it spreads faster than facts
  If the health content you see on social media sounds too good to be true, it’s very likely false – but there are ways to check it out before sharing.
• Touch can comfort and heal, but also harm − a psychologist explains why gestures don’t always land as intended
  The most comforting touch communicates care for the person receiving it – not just the intentions of the person offering it.
• Trump’s vision for Air Force One will turn it from the ‘Flying White House’ to a ‘palace in the sky’
  The president’s concerns about Air Force One seem less focused on safety and security and more on size and opulence.
• New chancellor, old constraints: Germany’s Friedrich Merz will have a hard time freeing the country from its self-imposed shackles
  Post-WWII Germany has long been wary of state power and unfettered spending − and that may stymie new chancellor’s plans.
• Trump’s battle with elite universities overlooks where most students actually go to college
  The Trump administration has clashed with elite private universities and threatened to pull their funding. But most college students don’t attend these institutions.
• ‘Manu jumping’: The physics behind making humongous splashes in the pool
  Do a manu jump and you’ll likely make the biggest splash at the pool party.
• Placenta bandages have far more health benefits than risky placenta pills − a bioengineer explains
  Placentas contain a rich amount of nutrients and stem cells, but there’s a difference between eating it at home for wellness and using it in the clinic to improve wound healing.
• Governments continue losing efforts to gain backdoor access to secure communications
  The perennial tug-of-war between government interests and individual liberties is playing out in the battle over encrypted messaging. Technology tilts the field toward individuals.
• Birthright citizenship case at Supreme Court reveals deeper questions about judicial authority to halt unlawful policies
  Arguments before the US Supreme Court on birthright citizenship – awarded to those born in the US – actually focused on the power of federal judges to impose nationwide injunctions.
• Disarming Hezbollah is key to Lebanon’s recovery − but the task is complicated by regional shifts, ceasefire violations
  A shaky truce is still in place in Lebanon. But the country remains on a tenuous footing with Israeli forces in the country’s south and Hezbollah refusing to lay down arms.
• Unprecedented cuts to the National Science Foundation endanger research that improves economic growth, national security and your life
  The Trump administration has terminated hundreds of federal grants that support engineering, biology, geology, computer science, STEM education and much more.
• Congress began losing power decades ago − and now it’s giving away what remains to Trump
  Congress − the first branch of government listed in the Constitution − has been relegated to second-class status.
• Hurricane disaster planning with aging parents should start now, before the storm: 5 tips
  As climate-related disasters grow more frequent and intense, one group remains dangerously underprepared: older adults. Planning should involve the entire family.
• What Pope Leo XIV’s coat of arms and motto reveal about his dedication to the ideals of St. Augustine − an art historian explains
  In choosing his motto and coat of arms, Leo references the Order of St. Augustine, to which he belongs. He uses the identifying symbol of Augustine, a heart pierced by an arrow.
• Pope Francis drew inspiration from Latin American church and its martyrs – leaving a legacy for Pope Leo
  Francis’ papacy honored Latin American Catholics killed for their social justice work, a theologian explains – and Leo may continue that legacy.
• US safety net helps protect children from abuse and neglect, and some of those programs are threatened by proposed budget cuts
  Society as a whole can benefit from programs that protect kids because the harms experienced in childhood can last a lifetime.
• Algebra is more than alphabet soup – it’s the language of algorithms and relationships
  What do Sudoku, AI, Rubik’s cubes, clocks and molecules have in common? They can all be reimagined as algebraic equations.
• Pope Leo XIV’s link to Haiti is part of a broader American story of race, citizenship and migration
  Repelled by American racism, thousands of free people of color bounced between New Orleans and Haiti in the 19th century.
• Pacific voyagers’ remarkable environmental knowledge allowed for long-distance navigation without Western technology
  Looking to the stars is an important part of how Pacific voyagers navigate. But deep knowledge of ocean currents, winds and waves, along with mental mapping strategies, are critical too.
• Challenges to high-performance computing threaten US innovation
  Today’s supercomputers are enormously powerful, but the work they do − running AI and tackling difficult science − is pushing them to their limits. Building bigger supercomputers won’t be easy.
• How your genes interact with your environment changes your disease risk − new research counts the ways
  Environmental factors such as lifestyle and the medications you take influence the effects your genes have on your body − and can clarify how diseases develop.
• Lady Gaga bomb plot: Thwarted plan lifts veil on the gamification of hate and gendered nature of online radicalization
  Instead of promoting diversity, many social networks and other popular digital platforms function as machines for the production and circulation of hate.
• How does the EPA know a pesticide is safe to use in my yard?
  Federal regulations govern which pesticides can be used and give specific directions for applying them. Ignoring those directions is a violation of federal law.
• Taking intermittent quizzes reduces achievement gaps and enhances online learning, even in highly distracting environments
  Racial achievement gaps virtually vanished when students answered quizzes during remote learning.
• Detroit’s next mayor can do these 3 things to support neighborhoods beyond downtown
  Building a stronger Detroit means stabilizing housing, using vacant land to benefit the public and investing in social infrastructure.
• Trump is making it easier to fire federal workers, but they have some legal protections - 3 essential reads
  Since the 1800s, Congress has enacted laws to ensure that federal workers are hired on the basis of their professional qualifications - not their political loyalty.
• How redefining just one word could strip the Endangered Species Act’s ability to protect vital habitat
  The public has until May 19 to weigh in on a Trump administration plan that would leave many endangered species at much greater risk.
• ‘The pope is Peruvian!’ How 2 decades in South America shaped the vision of Pope Leo XIV
  Peruvians have celebrated the election of a man many knew as a missionary and bishop during his 2 decades of service in the South American country.
• What or where is the Indo-Pacific? How a foreign policy pivot redefined the global map
  The term can be traced back to the 1920s, but it only began to gain currency in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
• Why protecting wildland is crucial to American freedom and identity
  Thanks to the power of writer Wallace Stegner, Americans have for decades been able to put words to the importance wilderness holds in the nation’s history and imagination.
• Trump moves to gut low-income energy assistance as summer heat descends and electricity prices rise
  The problem of high energy prices and rising numbers of people unable to afford them isn’t lost on the Trump administration.
• Why do cuts to Medicaid matter for Americans over 65? 2 experts on aging explain why lives are at stake
  When people over 65 lose Medicaid coverage, they stop seeing their doctors for preventive care due to high costs. This in turn leads to worse health outcomes and higher health care costs.
• Researchers uncovered hundreds of genes linked to OCD, providing clues about how it changes the brain − new research
  Researchers examined the DNA of over 53,000 people with OCD and over 2 million people without OCD, gathering data that could one day improve treatment.
• Why collect asteroid samples? 4 essential reads on what these tiny bits of space rock can tell scientists
  Missions that return asteroid samples bring home more than just very expensive dust. These samples can provide valuable insights for scientists and commercial interests.
• AI can scan vast numbers of social media posts during disasters to guide first responders
  Natural disasters prompt a flood of social media posts. AI can help sift the wheat of helpful information from the chaff of chitchat and misinformation.
• How Asian American became a racial grouping – and why many with Asian roots don’t identify with the term these days
  The concept of ‘Asian Americans,’ created in the 1960s by student activists as a way to move past denigrating labels, is today a contested category.
• Where tomorrow’s scientists prefer to live − and where they’d rather not
  A survey of graduate students found that California and New York are the most desirable destinations. Over half of survey-takers said they’d be unwilling to move to Alabama, Mississippi or Arkansas.
• Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship heads to the Supreme Court
  Three federal judges have struck down Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship since he signed it in January 2025. Now, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case.
• Trump heads to the Gulf aiming to bolster trade ties – but side talks on Tehran, Gaza could drive a wedge between US and Israel
  Trump’s first policy-driven overseas visit in his second term will be the Persian Gulf. Trade, Tehran talks and possibly Gaza will be on the agenda.
• From defenders to skeptics: The sharp decline in young Americans’ support for free speech
  Americans across all generations still value free speech. But for younger Americans, especially, that support is less strong and seems increasingly conditional.
• Calorie counts on menus and food labels may not help consumers choose healthier foods, new research shows
  Knowing how many calories a food contains has become a familiar part of eating. But it may muddy rather than clarify a person’s understanding of how healthy that food is.
• Smartwatches promise all kinds of quality-of-life improvements − here are 5 things users should keep in mind
  As wearable technologies become more popular, it’s important to consider how they actually work and what their data actually tells us.
• If you really want to close the US trade deficit, try boosting innovation in rural manufacturing
  New research shows that rural America has untapped export potential. Taking advantage of it could be a more effective way to narrow the trade deficit than tariffs.
• In death penalty cases, the quest for justice is not America’s highest value
  The Supreme Court has ruled that executing the innocent does not violate the Constitution, but some states allow people convicted of crimes to bring actual innocence claims.
• Space law doesn’t protect historical sites, mining operations and bases on the Moon – a space lawyer describes a framework that could
  More people will be going to the Moon in coming years, and the way current legal frameworks are written could lead to conflict.
• As US ramps up fossil fuels, communities will have to adapt to the consequences − yet climate adaptation funding is on the chopping block
  The administration wants to cut funding for programs that help communities adapt to wildfire risk, sea-level rise and invasive species, among many other risks.
• When does a kid become an adult?
  Growing up is a gradual process, and the timing isn’t the same for everyone. But you will be tried as an adult if you are over 18 and accused of committing a crime.