Science + Technology – The Conversation – new research, AI, space, psychology and more

a vertical yellow sign with black numbers stands in the middle of flowing water

Why it can be hard to warn people about dangers like floods – communication researchers explain the role of human behavior

Keri K. Stephens, The University of Texas at Austin and Hamilton Bean, University of Colorado Denver

An illustration showing four spacecraft in a pyramid formation following a thin sail which is moving towards a stream of particles coming form the Sun.

Spacecraft equipped with a solar sail could deliver earlier warnings of space weather threats to Earth’s technologies

Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, University of Michigan

Two pairs of ants colored orange and black fighting

This tropical plant builds isolated ‘apartments’ to prevent battles among the aggressive ant tenants it relies on for survival

Guillaume Chomicki, Durham University and Susanne S. Renner, Washington University in St. Louis

A photograph of sand ripples and sand dunes. A particularly large dune is in the background.

Dune patterns in California desert hold clues that help researchers map Mars’ shifting sands

Lauren Berger, Texas A&M University

AI-generated child pornography is surging − a legal scholar explains why the fight against it is complicated and how the law could catch up

Wayne Unger, Quinnipiac University

a large white buidling with tall greco-roman columns

Grok’s antisemitic rant shows how generative AI can be weaponized

James Foulds, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Phil Feldman, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Shimei Pan, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

two smartphones, one on top of the other, both showing an icon of a circle with a diagonal slash through it

a man in a business suit stands in front of a window and flag

Marco Rubio impersonator contacted officials using AI voice deepfakes – computer security experts explain what they are and how to avoid getting fooled

Matthew Wright, Rochester Institute of Technology and Christopher Schwartz, Rochester Institute of Technology

Scientific norms shape the behavior of researchers working for the greater good

Jeffrey A. Lee, Texas Tech University

people in white lab coats and blue gloves look at a monitor

Your data privacy is slipping away – here’s why, and what you can do about it

Mike Chapple, University of Notre Dame

Right hand typing a number into a field on a laptop labelled authenticate your account, left hand holds the smartphone showing the authentication number

Social media can support or undermine democracy – it comes down to how it’s designed

Lisa Schirch, University of Notre Dame

a person wearing a face mask and plastic face shield holds a hand-written poster in each hand

Turbulent research landscape imperils US brain gain − and ultimately American prosperity

Marc Zimmer, Connecticut College

young people at a protest holding up signs supporting international students

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Space

A star-filled sky over a ridge with a building on it.

Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast

Darryl Z. Seligman, Michigan State University

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will help astronomers investigate dark matter, continuing the legacy of its pioneering namesake

Samantha Thompson, Smithsonian Institution

A telescope facility, which is a building with a curved dome on top, sitting on a mountain.

How do scientists calculate the probability that an asteroid could hit Earth?

Toshi Hirabayashi, Georgia Institute of Technology

A small, blurry, bright dot against a dark sky.

Astronomy has a major data problem – simulating realistic images of the sky can help train algorithms

John Peterson, Purdue University

What is the summer solstice? An astronomer explains

Stephen Schneider, UMass Amherst

Digital life

Giant eyeball looks at woman on computer at desk

The hidden cost of convenience: How your data pulls in hundreds of billions of dollars for app and social media companies

Kassem Fawaz, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Jack West, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Supreme Court upholds childproofing porn sites

Meg Leta Jones, Georgetown University

a green metal statue of a cherub in the foreground with a large stone building with Greco-Roman columns in the background

Cyberattacks shake voters’ trust in elections, regardless of party

Ryan Shandler, Georgia Institute of Technology; Anthony J. DeMattee, Emory University, and Bruce Schneier, Harvard Kennedy School

an arm extends, hand on the edge of the larger of two side-by-side vertical display screens

Using TikTok could be making you more politically polarized, new study finds

Zicheng Cheng, University of Arizona

eight young adults sit in a row in a city plaza looking at their phones

How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage

Jennifer D. Oliva, Indiana University

A older man sits up on an exam table during a routine check-up. His female doctor is holding out a tablet as they review some recent test results together.

More articles about artificial intelligence

New research

War, politics and religion shape wildlife evolution in cities

Elizabeth Carlen, Washington University in St. Louis

Man standing on boat releasing fish from a net into the water

Humans and animals can both think logically − but testing what kind of logic they’re using is tricky

Olga Lazareva, Drake University

Rodent climbing the rungs of a small, colorful abacus

Here’s a way to save lives, curb traffic jams and make commutes faster and easier − ban left turns at intersections

Vikash V. Gayah, Penn State

A bird's-eye view of an intersection showing a driver turning left.

Mitochondria can sense bacteria and trigger your immune system to trap them – revealing new ways to treat infections and autoimmunity

Andrew Monteith, University of Tennessee

Yellow blob emanating green threads trapping thin purple blobs and one red blob

3D-printed model of a 500-year-old prosthetic hand hints at life of a Renaissance amputee

Heidi Hausse, Auburn University and Peden Jones, Auburn University

Neuropathic pain has no immediate cause – research on a brain receptor may help stop this hard-to-treat condition

Pooja Shree Chettiar, Texas A&M University and Siddhesh Sabnis, Texas A&M University

Illustration of brain with thorns wrapped around it

Light-powered reactions could make the chemical manufacturing industry more energy-efficient

Arindam Sau, University of Colorado Boulder; Amreen Bains, Colorado State University, and Anna Wolff, Colorado State University

RNA has newly identified role: Repairing serious DNA damage to maintain the genome

Francesca Storici, Georgia Institute of Technology

Illustration of DNA disintegrating at the taper of its helix, a red glow surrounding the break

Brain and mind

Expansion of marriage rights to same-sex couples also expanded access to the psychological benefits that come with tying the knot

Alana L. Riso, Binghamton University, State University of New York and Matthew D. Johnson, Binghamton University, State University of New York

a crowd holds an oversized rainbow flag outside a columned building.

Your brain learns from rejection − here’s how it becomes your compass for connection

Begüm Babür, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Child sitting on bench watching other children play with a ball

Stop the ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ snap judgments and watch your world become more interesting

Lorraine Besser, Middlebury

forearms reach out with thumbs-up or thumbs down-gestures against a blue background

Your left and right brain hear language differently − a neuroscientist explains how

Hysell V. Oviedo, Washington University in St. Louis

Two disembodied ears against a black background

Curious Kids

Real kids ask real questions and real experts answer them

Two images, one of a person doing a handstand, and the other that same image inverted, looking like the person is holding up the ground.

Are people at the South Pole upside down?

Abigail Bishop, University of Wisconsin-Madison

How can the James Webb Space Telescope see so far?

Adi Foord, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Clouds of red, pink and white gas and dust highlight this starscape.

Kids ask the questions. Scholars answer them.

Be sure to include your name, age and where you live. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

Send in your question!

Graphic that says 'connecting experts with curious kids', with words in background saying 'how? why? who?'

How do atoms form? A physicist explains where the atoms that make up everything around come from

Stephen L. Levy, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Stars and gas clouds set against a dark background.

Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the planet’s reddish hue and why it looks different to some telescopes

David Joffe, Kennesaw State University