Editor's note

Central Americans have arrived in the thousands at the U.S. southern border, causing what President Trump has called a crisis. Scholar Anthony W. Fontes of American University has spent much of the last decade talking to these migrants as they made their way through Mexico, seeking answers to the crucial question: Why would people give up everything, leaving their homes and history behind, to make the dangerous journey to the United States?

Around the world, most people who have been forced to leave their homes are Muslim. At the same time, anti-Muslim violence has been on the rise in the United States since 2015. Does that make it harder to fundraise for the charities that are helping refugees? Two professors conducted an experiment to find out how religious beliefs affect charitable giving.

If you live in St. Louis, you can walk into a Burger King and order a Whopper made with zero meat. Early accounts at this establishment and other restaurants show diners have trouble telling the difference between the meatless burger and a beef version. Molecular biologist and biochemist Mark O'Brian of University at Buffalo explains what ingredient makes the Impossible Whopper enticing to meat-eaters and whether it’s considered a GM food.

Naomi Schalit

Senior Editor, Politics + Society

Top stories

A man hugs his family before leaving for the U.S. border with a migrant caravan from San Salvador, El Salvador, Jan. 16, 2019. AP/Salvador Melendez

Migrants’ stories: Why they run

Anthony W. Fontes, American University School of International Service

Thousands of Central American migrants are trying to cross the U.S. southern border. One scholar followed their paths to find out why they make the dangerous, sometimes deadly, journey.

About a million Rohingya refugees are living in Bangladesh. AP Photo/Dar Yasin

Why Americans appear more likely to support Christian refugees

Joannie Tremblay-Boire, University of Maryland; Aseem Prakash, University of Washington

It's not necessarily because of Islamophobia.

An Impossible Burger sidewalk sign in San Francisco. Chris Allan/Shutterstock.com

What makes the Impossible Burger look and taste like real beef?

Mark R. O'Brian, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

The Impossible Burger contains an ingredient made by genetically modified yeast. So is this new veggie burger organic? Vegan? A GM product?

Politics + Society

Environment + Energy

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Arts + Culture

  • The pitfalls of the narcissistic NBA player

    Emily Grijalva, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

    A group of researchers figured out which NBA teams featured the most egotistical players, and then tracked their performances over the course of a season.

Education

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From our international editions

Today’s quote

Academic fraud is nothing new – and it wasn’t invented in the United States. In certain countries, some public officials have built their entire political careers on the false pretense of scholastic achievement.

 

Putin's plagiarism, fake Ukrainian degrees and other tales of world leaders accused of academic fraud

 

Ararat Osipian

George Mason University

Ararat Osipian