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Americans Use the Book of Revelation to Talk About Immigration – and Always Have
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Americans Use the Book of Revelation to Talk About Immigration – and Always Have

During a campaign speech in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 19, 2024, Donald Trump promised to save the country from immigrants: “I will rescue every town across America that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in a jail or kick them out of our country.” Depicting immigrants as...

How Beef Became a Marker of American Identity
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How Beef Became a Marker of American Identity

Beef is one of America’s most beloved foods. In fact, today’s average American eats three hamburgers per week. American diets have long revolved around beef. On an 1861 trip to the United States, the English novelist Anthony Trollope marveled that Americans consumed twice as much beef as Englishmen. Through war, industry, development and settlement, America’s...

As More Americans Go ‘No Contact’ with Their Parents, They Live Out a Dilemma at the Heart of Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’
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As More Americans Go ‘No Contact’ with Their Parents, They Live Out a Dilemma at the Heart of Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’

Is blood thicker than water? Should family always come first? These clichés about the importance of family abound, despite the recognition that familial relations are oftentimes hard, if not downright dysfunctional. But over the past few years, a discussion has emerged about a somewhat taboo move: cutting ties altogether with family members deemed “toxic.” Called...

SETI Institute Launches Art and AI Residency, Unveils Six Nominees for Innovative Program
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SETI Institute Launches Art and AI Residency, Unveils Six Nominees for Innovative Program

The SETI Artist in Residency (AIR) program announced Algorithmic Imaginings, a new residency that explores how AI technologies affect science and society. The residency focuses on creative research topics such as imaginary life, human-AI collaboration, AI futures, posthumanism, AI and consciousness, and the ethics of AI data. It also connects with current SETI Institute research, including...

Presidential Debates Were a Missed Opportunity for Parents
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Presidential Debates Were a Missed Opportunity for Parents

General-election presidential debates offer high-profile opportunities for citizens to learn about the candidates’ positions and temperaments, since the matchups draw coverage across diverse media, including broadcast and cable television, newspapers, digital news sites, podcasts, and social media. Importantly, debates also present valuable opportunities for parents to talk with teens and young adults about the rights...

Harnessing Science to Tackle Global Crises
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Harnessing Science to Tackle Global Crises

In a paper published in PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, an international team of researchers looked at how science could play a more active role in managing crises. The paper builds on the outcomes of the international conference “What Role for Science in Crisis Times? Outlook in the Health, Environment, and Agriculture Interconnected Areas”, held in Montpellier in...

A New Kind of Authoritarianism: Democracy in Decline at Home and Abroad
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A New Kind of Authoritarianism: Democracy in Decline at Home and Abroad

A majority of Americans worry this year’s general election will be tainted by fraud, according to a recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released earlier this month—an ominous indication of the state of democracy in the U.S.  “When citizens lose trust in the electoral process, they may question the legitimacy of elected officials and the institutions they represent, which...

Bilingualism May Maintain Protection Against Alzheimer’s
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Bilingualism May Maintain Protection Against Alzheimer’s

Bilingualism has long been known to have cognitive benefits for older adults. Research shows it helping delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by up to five years compared to monolingual adults. This is one of several lifestyle factors that may contribute to brain resilience as we age. In a new study published in the journal Bilingualism:...

Will Tropical Biodiversity Run Dry Under Climate Change? Two Visions for the Future
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Will Tropical Biodiversity Run Dry Under Climate Change? Two Visions for the Future

Changing precipitation patterns in the Neotropics, one of Earth’s most biodiverse regions, could threaten two-thirds of the area’s bird species by the year 2100 if climate change goes unchecked, according to new research led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and George Mason University. This would represent a dramatic loss, as the region is home to 30% of...

Verified Users on Social Media Networks Drive Polarization and the Formation of Echo Chambers
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Verified Users on Social Media Networks Drive Polarization and the Formation of Echo Chambers

When X (formerly Twitter) changed its verification system in 2022, many foresaw its potential to impact the spread of political opinions on the platform. In a modeling study, researchers show that having verified users whose posts are prioritized by the platform’s algorithms can result in increased polarization and trigger the formation of echo chambers. Because...