Would gas tax breaks make a big difference when prices are skyrocketing? We asked 4 experts

Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University; Erich Muehlegger, University of California, Davis; Sanya Carley, Indiana University; Theodore J. Kury, University of Florida

Consumers are feeling pain at the pump and demanding solutions. Some politicians are pushing gasoline tax waivers – but that means less money to fix roads, and often not much economic relief.

Tornadoes, climate change and why Dixie is the new Tornado Alley

Ernest Agee, Purdue University

Studies show tornadoes are getting more common and more intense, and they’re shifting eastward to a new tornado hot spot.

Madeleine Albright saw US as an ‘indispensable nation’ and NATO as an expansionist ideal

Peter Harris, Colorado State University

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has died at age 84. But many of the foreign policy concepts she helped bring to the post-Cold War world remain.

How fairy tales shape fighting spirit: Ukraine’s children hear bedtime stories of underdog heroes, while Russian children hear tales of magical success

Mia Bloom, Georgia State University; Sophia Moskalenko, Georgia State University

The Russian army has fared poorly and the Ukrainian military has fared well, defying experts’ predictions about the war in Ukraine. Can children’s fairy tales help explain the difference?

March Madness stars can now cash in on endorsements – but some limits set by states and universities may still be unconstitutional

Sam C. Ehrlich, Boise State University; Neal Ternes, Arkansas State University

States and universities have passed many rules governing what types of name, image and likeness deals athletes can sign. Most are innocuous, but three may violate their First Amendment rights.

New data-sharing requirements from the National Institutes of Health are a big step toward more open science – and potentially higher-quality research

Stephen Jacobs, Rochester Institute of Technology

Starting in 2023, all research proposals funded by the NIH will need to include a data sharing and management plan. An expert on open science explains the requirements and how they might improve science.

An emphasis on brilliance creates a toxic, dog-eat-dog workplace atmosphere that discourages women

Andrea Vial, New York University Abu Dhabi

A focus on raw intellectual talent may unintentionally create a cutthroat workplace culture. New research suggests women’s preference to avoid that environment may contribute to gender gaps in some fields.

Vaccine hesitancy is complicating physicians’ obligation to respect patient autonomy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ryan Liu, Penn State

New ethical issues are emerging during COVID-19 as doctors struggle with their obligations to ‘do no harm’ and respect patient autonomy.

How much is the media buzz from a March Madness Cinderella run worth to a school like Saint Peter’s?

Nancy Haskell, University of Dayton

A recent study found that an unexpected run in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament can boost enrollment.

A large solar storm could knock out the power grid and the internet – an electrical engineer explains how

What is the new COVID-19 variant BA.2, and will it cause another wave of infections in the US?

The West thinks that Russians, suffering from sanctions, will end up abandoning Putin – but history indicates they won’t