Havana syndrome fits the pattern of psychosomatic illness – but that doesn’t mean the symptoms aren’t real

Robert Baloh, University of California, Los Angeles

Havana syndrome has spread to government officials around the world and stumped doctors for years. Despite news of mysterious attacks, evidence suggests mass psychogenic illness may be the true cause.

50 years ago, the first CT scan let doctors see inside a living skull – thanks to an eccentric engineer at the Beatles’ record company

Edmund S. Higgins, Medical University of South Carolina

On Oct. 1, 1971, Godfrey Hounsfield’s invention took its first pictures of a human brain, using X-rays and an ingenious algorithm to identify a woman’s tumor from outside of her skull.

The music of proteins is made audible through a computer program that learns from Chopin

Peng Zhang, The Rockefeller University; Yuzong Chen, National University of Singapore

Many features of proteins are analogous to music. Mapping these features together creates new musical compositions that help researchers learn about proteins.

Combining an HIV vaccine with immunotherapy may reduce the need for daily medication

Sheikh Abdul Rahman, Emory University; Bhrugu Yagnik, Emory University; Rama Rao Amara, Emory University

People with HIV need to take daily medication to keep the virus at bay. A study has found that a new treatment combination could boost immunity and control virus levels even after stopping medication.

Why charter schools are not as ‘public’ as they claim to be

Kevin Welner, University of Colorado Boulder

Charter school enrollment grew during the pandemic. But behind these schools’ rising popularity is a history of harsh discipline, inaccessibility and targeted marketing.

SNAP benefits are rising for millions of Americans, thanks to a long-overdue ‘Thrifty Food Plan’ update

Tracy Roof, University of Richmond

Long-term increases like this are unusual. So is the fact that this increased governmental generosity began with a measure approved by Congress when Republicans held majorities in both chambers.

What happened during the last government shutdown: 4 essential reads

Matt Williams, The Conversation

Congress is working on a spending bill to avert another government shutdown. Scholars explain what’s in store if they fail.

Who pays and who benefits from a massive expansion of solar power?

Felix Mormann, Texas A&M University

President Biden’s proposed solar power expansion would cost $350 billion in federal support over the coming decade. An energy expert explains where that money would come from and who it would help.

Big fires demand a big response: How 1910’s Big Burn can help us think smarter about fighting wildfires and living with fire

William Deverell, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Elizabeth A. Logan, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The US has learned that it cannot suppress its way to a healthy relationship with fire in the West. That strategy failed, even before climate change proved it to be no strategy at all.

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.

Global shortage of shipping containers highlights their importance in getting goods to Amazon warehouses, store shelves and your door in time for Christmas

Anna Nagurney, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Before the container was standardized, loading and unloading goods was very labor-intensive, inefficient and costly.

From the story, Avoiding water bankruptcy in the drought-troubled Southwest: What the US and Iran can learn from each other