Ancient Americans made art deep within the dark zones of caves throughout the Southeast

Jan Simek, University of Tennessee

For thousands of years, Native Americans left their artistic mark deep within caves in the American Southeast. It wasn’t until 1980 that these ancient visual expressions were known to archaeologists.

An autonomous robot may have already killed people – here’s how the weapons could be more destabilizing than nukes

James Dawes, Macalester College

Sci-fi nightmares of a robot apocalypse aside, autonomous weapons are a very real threat to humanity. An expert on the weapons explains how the emerging arms race could be humanity’s last.

The Supreme Court’s immense power may pose a danger to its legitimacy

Richard L. Pacelle, Jr., University of Tennessee

The Supreme Court is a leading player in enacting policy in the US. But it has no army to enforce its decisions; its authority rests solely on its legitimacy.

Francis Scott Key: One of the anti-slavery movement’s great villains

Bennett Parten, Yale University

Few people embody the contradictions of US history like the author of the Star Spangled Banner, someone who denounced slavery as a moral wrong but rejected racial equality.

New NCAA endorsement rules could benefit women more than men

Lindsey Darvin, State University of New York College at Cortland

Women college athletes face far more limited career prospects than men. The NCAA’s new endorsement rules may help level the playing field when it comes to making money from their athletic ability.

Why Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg may be in hot water with the SEC

Jena Martin, West Virginia University

Recent reporting suggests Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg presented different versions of the company's policies in private and public. That could draw the scrutiny of regulators.

Walt Disney’s radical vision for a new kind of city

Alex Krieger, Harvard University

Imagining new kinds of places to live is an American tradition.

How Miles Davis electrified jazz

Björn Heile, University of Glasgow

Davis’s ability to innovate and incorporate other genres into his jazz has left a lasting impact on music.

How a team of musicologists and computer scientists completed Beethoven’s unfinished 10th Symphony

Ahmed Elgammal, Rutgers University

When Beethoven died, all he left behind were some sketches for his 10th Symphony. Now, thanks to the help of artificial intelligence, the composer’s vision is coming to life.

Preliminary research finds that even mild cases of COVID-19 leave a mark on the brain – but it’s not yet clear how long it lasts

Jessica Bernard, Texas A&M University

Reduced brain volume in people who have experienced COVID-19 resembles brain changes typically seen in older adults. The implications of these findings are not yet clear.

Can healthy people who eat right and exercise skip the COVID-19 vaccine? A research scientist and fitness enthusiast explains why the answer is no

Richard Bloomer, University of Memphis

A growing body of research shows that nutrition, sleep, exercise and a host of other lifestyle choices can help optimize the immune system. But they are no substitute for life-saving vaccines.

From the story, 21 million Americans say Biden is ‘illegitimate’ and Trump should be restored by violence, survey finds