Schools must act carefully on students’ off-campus speech, Supreme Court rules

Katy Harriger, Wake Forest University

The Mahanoy v. B.L. ruling did not give schools or free-speech advocates the clear lines they may have wanted, but it did attempt to address some of the complexity of modern-day speech.

Despite outrage, new state voting laws don’t spell democracy’s end – but there are some threats

Derek T. Muller, University of Iowa

Are the election law changes proposed in statehouses across the country really as bad as some say? An election law scholar cuts through the yelling to take a sober look at the new voting landscape.

How gay neighborhoods used the traumas of HIV to help American cities fight coronavirus

Daniel Baldwin Hess, University at Buffalo; Alex Bitterman, Alfred State College of Technology, The State University of New York

Having survived the HIV/AIDS pandemic, gay communities in the US were well equipped to get residents health and social services early in the pandemic, when the government's COVID-19 response lagged.

‘Wrong number? Let’s chat’ Maasai herders in East Africa use misdials to make connections

Timothy D. Baird, Virginia Tech; Emily Woodhouse, UCL; J. Terrence McCabe, University of Colorado Boulder

Maasai in Tanzania use their mobile phones all the time – usually to communicate with people they already know. But dialing errors can also breed friendships and business opportunities.

Ransomware, data breach, cyberattack: What do they have to do with your personal information, and how worried should you be?

Merrill Warkentin, Mississippi State University

If an organization that has your data gets hacked, your vulnerability depends on the kind of attack and the kind of data. Here's how you can assess your risk and what to do to protect yourself.

The behind-the-scenes people and organizations connecting science and decision-making

Stephen Posner, University of Vermont; Jennifer Watling Neal, Michigan State University

Before new policy can be based on evidence, decision-makers need to understand the relevant research. Intermediaries between scientists and policymakers translate information and build relationships.

Conversion therapy is discredited and increases risk of suicide – yet fewer than half of US states have bans in place

Donna Sheperis, Palo Alto University; Carl Sheperis, Texas A&M-San Antonio

Kentucky lawmakers are trying to make the state the 21st to enact a ban on conversion therapy. In states that are 'silent' on the issue, nonprofessionals are allowed to continue the harmful practice.

Why choosing the next dalai lama will be a religious – as well as a political – issue

Brooke Schedneck, Rhodes College

For Tibetan Buddhists it is important that they are in charge of the selection process for the next dalai lama, but China wants to appoint its own.

Yellowstone is losing its snow as the climate warms, and that means widespread problems for water and wildlife – a new report details the changes

Bryan Shuman, University of Wyoming

The area's iconic national parks are home to grizzlies, elk and mountain snowfall that feeds some of the country's most important rivers. The region is warming quickly.

How palm oil became the world’s most hated, most used fat source

Jonathan E. Robins, Michigan Technological University

Palm oil is responsible for widespread deforestation and labor abuses, but it's also cheap and incredibly useful. That's why many advocates call for reforming the industry, not replacing it.

Gifted education programs don’t benefit Black students like they do white students

Christopher Redding, University of Florida

Gifted programs may have to revamp the way they operate in order to benefit all students, new research suggests.

How the billions MacKenzie Scott is giving to colleges attended by students of color will help everyone in America

Ivory A. Toldson, Howard University

Her giving style is unusual for a billionaire donor.

Does outer space end – or go on forever?

Jack Singal, University of Richmond

Astronomers know a lot about what's in outer space – and think it's possible it never ends.

Global herd immunity remains out of reach because of inequitable vaccine distribution – 99% of people in poor countries are unvaccinated

Maria De Jesus, American University School of International Service

The high costs of the world's colossally unequal COVID-19 immunization rates.

Can people vaccinated against COVID-19 still spread the coronavirus?

Sanjay Mishra, Vanderbilt University

The COVID-19 vaccines are a smash success. But that doesn't mean they keep every vaccinated person completely free of the coronavirus.

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