The lab mouse paradox: Why science still depends on animals who don’t represent us
Despite significant advances in human-based research, millions of mice and rats are still used in U.S. laboratories each year—at immense ethical and scientific cost.
Rules vs. reality: How competing views shape the way we use language
From grammar rules to everyday slang, debates over descriptivism and prescriptivism reveal how we balance authority with the way people really speak.
When did societal elites emerge?
The late Stone Age is not commonly associated with socially stratified societies, yet archaeologist Mehmet Özdoğan argues social and political elites were already shaping communities when humans began farming.
Human gene editing and the CRISPR revolution
CRISPR-based technology is advancing rapidly, driving international competition. Its promise to transform medicine is colliding with political and social realities, even as applications expand.
Scale raises the ceiling, but fiscal foundations determine whether autocracy or democracy prevails
The implication is stark: democracy is not only a constitutional or ideological arrangement; it is fundamentally a fiscal one.
Trump can’t blockade love: Why I’m going to Cuba
And there are millions around the world who love the Cuban people—a people who have fought capitalism, imperialism, Apartheid, and Zionism. A people who are always the first to offer aid and solidarity.
The War intervention: AI, data centers, and the environment
This increasingly inextricable partnership between AI and the war economy is throwing us into a fast track of climate and environmental chaos that threatens us all.
The hidden costs of light pollution: Protecting the night for people and planet
Communities can balance safety, cultural life, and ecological health by designing nighttime lighting that protects both people and the natural world.
Earth’s Greatest Enemy shows us we have no choice
A review of Abby Martin's new documentary, Earth's Greatest Enemy.
The war on Iran—and Washington’s missing exit strategy
That means inflicting real costs: U.S. casualties, political backlash at home, strained relations with allies, global economic disruption and a further erosion of Washington’s standing in the world.