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Good science requires much more than evidence

Empiricists believe that scientific theories are true only if they make correct empirical predictions: if we can't verify these predictions, then there is no reason to expect that they tell us anything about reality. However, Professor of Philosophy at King's College David Kyle Johnson argues that this is mistaken. In response to Bas van Fraassen, who has written on this subject for the IAI, he argues that we have many reasons for believing a theory to be true, such as it being parsimonious and having large scope — qualities which have been used throughout the history of science as criteria for judging theories. In 2024, Princeton philosopher Bas van Fraassen wrote a short article for IAI News entitled “Science Does not Describe Reality: The Limits and Benefits of Explanation.” At the time, I was working on two projects (a science book and a Great Course) that, when completed, would (among other things) defend science’s ability to describe reality. I wanted to write a response to van Fraassen, but the projects demanded too much of my attention. But now that those projects are complete, I am in a position to explain the objections to van Fraassen’s thesis. Summarizing van Fraassen’s argumentIn a nutshell, his argument is this: What scientists do is make predictions based on theories and then invite others to test to see whether those predictions are borne out. “If theory T is right, result R should happen in experimental condition C.” Many think that running an experiment that shows that R happens in condition C is proof that theory T is true (and should be believed). But, van Fraassen argues, that R happened in condition C is only a reason to think that R happens in condition C. That’s the only observable, or empirical, result we can actually see, so that is all that we are really justified in believing. (The underlying theory that made that prediction still may or may not be true.) That is why he calls those who accept his position “empiricists.”Before I explain what is wrong with this position, let me explain what it gets right. What van Fraassen Gets RightFirst, a theory correctly predicting the results of an experiment is not, strictly speaking, “proof” that the theory is correct. The basic line of reasoning is this:If the theory T is true, result R should happen. Result R did happen. Thus, theory T is true.In other words:“If T then R. R. Thus, T.”This is a deductively invalid, fallacious mode of reasoning, called “affirming the consequent.” Those premises do not guarantee that the conclusion follows. “If I am in Pennsylvania, then I am in the USA. I am in the USA. Thus, I am in Pennsylvania.” Clearly that argument doesn’t guarantee its conclusion; neither does the above argument.However, science is not a deductive method of reasoning; it is an inductive one. And inductive arguments merely try to raise the probability of their conclusion, not “prove” them for certain. Thus, the fact that an experimental result doesn’t prove a theory is true is irrelevant; it’s not supposed to. That is not what scientific reasoning is about.___If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational.___Second, it’s also true that a single experimental result doesn’t provide enough justification to believe that a theory is true. Scientists do not come to a consensus about whether a theory is true by looking at a single experiment; they look at all the evidence to determine where the preponderance of evidence points. The mere fact that I am in the USA raises the probability that I am in Pennsylvania, but not nearly enough to conclude that I am in Pennsylvania. However, if I am also regularly encountering people wearing Eagles and Phillies hats and seeing advertisements for Founding Father tours, I probably am. In the same way, a theory successfully predicting the outcome of one experiment is not enough to conclude that it is true; but if a theory makes a wide variety of predictions that are all vindicated by multiple experiments, performed by many different groups and people, all actively trying to prove the theory false (which is what good scientific experiments are designed to do)—that is a good reason to conclude that the theory is true. In other words, if you repeatedly try to prove something false but can’t, that is a very good indication that it isn’t. The problem of underdeterminationIn reply, those whom van Fraassen calls “empiricists” often point to the “problem of underdetermination.” For any given theory that makes successful predictions about what happens in experimental conditions, there are countless other possible theories that make exactly the same predictions—and since they do, the experimental evidence in question is just as much reason to accept any of those theories as it is to accept our original one. Thus, the argument goes, we have no way of knowing whether our original theory is true, or one of the other “predictively equivalent” theories is true. SUGGESTED VIEWING How Occam's Razor changed the world With Johnjoe McFadden As an example of underdetermination, philosophers often offer this example. The evidence of fossils seems to provide reason to conclude that the universe is quite old; ancient fossils are what the “ancient universe” hypothesis predicts. But it’s also possible that God created an ancient-looking universe 200 years ago, complete with a “fake” fossil record for us to find, to make it look old. The existence of fossils is what that theory predicts too. So, the argument goes, the fossil record can’t be used as evidence that the universe is ancient; the fossil record supports the “200-year-old ancient-looking universe” theory just as much. The problem of underdetermination points out that, for any theory with supporting evidence, we could invent another completely different theory that predicts exactly the same evidence, and thus undermine that evidence’s ability to support the original theory.But this “argument from underdetermination” betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what scientific reasoning is and how it works. To explain, let me use another rather strange (but very real and commonly discussed) philosophical thought experiment called “The Grue Problem.” The “Grue” ProblemSuppose I want to know what color emeralds are, so I observe a few, see that they all appear green, and form the theory that “all emeralds are green.” I thus predict that the next 100 emeralds I find will also appear to be green. And let’s say that happens, and so I thus conclude that my theory that all emeralds are green is true. Now, one might rightly point out that I don’t know for sure that all emeralds are green—I have not seen them all. Maybe some I haven’t found yet are blue. Fair enough. After all, we used to think that all swans were white, until we found some black ones. But let’s say that I go on a quest and collect every emerald in the universe—and, for the sake of the argument, let’s say I can do this, and can even know that I have every one of them. So, I collect them all, look at them all, and verify that they all appear green. Can’t I now rightly conclude that all emeralds are green?Inspired by the problem of underdetermination, a friend might argue that I cannot.Sure, they all appear green now—but there could be another kind of color called “grue.” Something is grue if it is green up to a certain point in time, but then spontaneously turns blue. And there could be an infinite number of “shades” of grue. Something that is one shade of grue will turn blue at noon today, but something that is another shade of grue will turn blue at noon tomorrow, etc. So yes, the emeralds appear green now; and since they haven’t turned blue yet, they are not some “past” shade of grue. But they might be some “future” shade of grue (e.g., they may turn blue at noon tomorrow). And since all future shades of grue are consistent with “being green up to this point in time,” the evidence you have is completely consistent with the notion that all emeralds are some future shade of grue, rather than green. Indeed, that they would appear green until now is what the “some future shade of grue” hypothesis predicts. So, we have just as much reason to conclude that all emeralds are some shade of grue as we do to conclude that they are green.You’re probably thinking “It’s not equally possible that the emeralds are grue; they are obviously green.” You are right! But explaining why your instinctive reaction to my friend’s argument is correct will help inform why van Fraassen’s “empiricist” is wrong and science actually does describe reality.The main mistake my friend makes is in thinking that the “empirical evidence” (of all the emeralds appearing green) is (or even should be) all I am using to draw the conclusion that all emeralds are green. It is not. I am also considering known facts about how colors typically work; things don’t usually change color, and when they do, they don’t do so suddenly, without cause, and all at once. So, even though the simple evidence of the emeralds all appearing green up to this point is consistent with them being some future shade of grue—that is even what the grue hypothesis “predicts”—it is still exceedingly unlikely that they are. The hypothesis that they are green is much more likely. Understanding science refutes the problem of underdetermination The misunderstanding about science that the “empiricist” pointing to “the problem of underdetermination” makes is similar to the one that my friend made. Science is not just about considering experimental evidence; in fact, it’s not even just about considering empirical evidence. As Ernan McMullin and many other philosophers of science have pointed out, the inference that makes science is “inference to the best explanation” (sometimes called “abduction” or “retroduction” by McMullin). While, depending on the circumstances, scientists use many different kinds of reasoning, science as a whole is, simply put, the process of considering multiple competing explanations and comparing them to certain criteria—explanatory criteria (the kinds of things explanations must be and do, by definition, to be a good explanation)—to see which explanation is the best.And these criteria do not deal only with empirical results. Yes, successful predictions raise the probability of a hypothesis, but it’s also the case that the more new assumptions a theory makes, the less likely it is to be true; every new assumption presents an opportunity for the theory to be false. (The fewer assumptions a theory makes, the simpler or “more parsimonious” it is said to be.) Likewise, the more existing evidence a theory contradicts, the less likely it is, because in order for a theory to be true, every piece of evidence it contradicts has to be somehow faulty. (The fewer established theories a new theory contradicts, the more “conservative” it is said to be.) And, obviously, the more something explains, the better explanation it is. (This is called having “scope.”) If a theory raises unanswerable questions, it’s not expanding our understanding, and thus is not wide-scoping. Scientists consider all these things when deciding which theory to accept, because the theory that adheres best to these explanatory criteria is most likely to be true.___the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth.___The reason the grue hypothesis is no good is because it invents an entirely new kind of color—not just a new shade, but an entirely different category of color (a different way colors work)—and thus is not parsimonious. It raises unanswerable questions about how and why emeralds would just spontaneously change from green to blue (and thus does not have wide scope). And it contradicts what is already well established about how color works (and thus is unconservative).The theories that the problem of underdetermination points to do the same thing. Yes, the theory that God created an “ancient-looking universe” (complete with an ancient-looking fossil record) two hundred years ago is also consistent with the empirical evidence (of a fossil record) that presently exists; but that theory is monumentally unparsimonious (it requires many extra assumptions about infinite entities) and not wide-scoping (it raises unanswerable questions about why God would do such a thing). So, I can rationally conclude that it is false.Indeed, the history of science includes many examples of theories that were rejected because they lacked parsimony and/or scope, even before their falsity (and the truth of their competing theory) was confirmed by observation. As I point out in my book, geocentrism was rejected by the scientific community because it lacked parsimony, almost 200 years before the observation of parallax confirmed that the Earth moves around the sun. And the continuum theory of matter was completely rejected by 1860, because it couldn’t explain chemical reactions or organize matter into a periodic table, even though the experiments that eventually confirmed atomic theory weren’t even proposed until the 1870s. Solving the best of a bad lot problemIn response, the “empiricists” are likely to object, this time pointing to the “best of a bad lot” problem. “We have no reason to conclude that an explanation that has been shown to be better than others is true because we have no guarantee that the true theory was among those that we were considering.” If you have a “lot” (a collection) of poor explanations, even the best one is not true.The responses to this problem, however, are numerous. Peter Lipton argues that the set of hypotheses that scientists consider are not just randomly selected and thus unlikely to contain a theory that is true; they use existing knowledge to home in on what is most likely to be true. A doctor trying to explain abdominal pain is not going to bother wondering whether demons are causing it; they are going to stick with things like appendicitis and kidney stones, because they are most likely. Further, despite its name, inference to the best explanation is not just the process of comparing hypotheses and accepting the best one; we also want one that is a good explanation in its own right. If it’s not, we are going to keep looking until we find an explanation that is. And while that process does not guarantee that we will come across the exact truth, it’s very likely that the theory that emerges as the best will be at least approximately true, and thus we will be justified in believing it. And lastly, as I point out in my book, although many theories not based in scientific evidence (like geocentrism and continuum theory) have been completely overturned, science almost always progresses by the refinement of scientifically established theories—not their replacement. (Although our sun is not the center of the universe, heliocentrism was our first step in understanding the Earth’s true place in the universe.) So even if a theory we accept today may not be completely right, accepting it is a step on the journey toward the complete truth. The example of atomic theoryNow, it’s worth pointing out that most empiricists are not skeptical of all scientific theories; they are only skeptical of the ones that hypothesize the existence of “unobservables.” It’s not like they think that round Earth, heliocentrism, and germ theory are just useful (but untrue) “instruments” for making predictions about how to most efficiently navigate the seas, predict planetary motion, and treat diseases. They admit that the Earth actually is round, that the planets revolve around the sun, and that germs exist and cause disease. These facts and entities can be observed; the theories that suggest they exist are true. It’s only when theories start hypothesizing the existence of unobservables—like electrons, or quantum fields—that can’t be observed directly, that we should start doubting the theories’ truth. And to be fair to van Fraassen, in this published work, he doesn’t really say that we should doubt the truth of such theories. Only that scientific reasoning does not rationally force us to accept them as true. Skepticism, or agnosticism, he argues, is warranted. SUGGESTED READING Science is based in metaphor By Andrew Reynolds But the history of atomic theory throws a monkey wrench into that argument. Atoms used to be unobservable; again, scientists first accepted the theory that they exist because it had such grandiose explanatory power. But then atoms were seen with electron microscopes. They thus moved into the category of the observable. But this didn’t substantially change anything about what scientists were justified in believing; it certainly didn’t change any “atomic skeptics’” minds. It just confirmed what everyone already knew! If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational. The fact that the thing itself is not technically observable does not make doubting its existence rational.What’s more, the atoms were seen with an electron microscope. But electrons are themselves unobservable. How can an electron microscope reveal an atom if electrons are not real? This leads us to what is famously known as Hilary Putnam’s “miracle argument.” It’s (not) a miraclePhilosopher Hilary Putnam’s miracle argument is somewhat famous. Basically, he argued that a scientific theory being able to repeatedly make successful predictions—even about unobservables—without being at least approximately true would require a “miracle.” In other words, it would be such an improbable occurrence that it could not rationally be believed—the better explanation for why scientific theories about unobservables make the right predictions is because the unobservable entities and structures they hypothesize exist.Van Fraassen has addressed this argument. Indeed, in his original article, where he references Alison Gopnik’s point about orgasms not being “necessary for procreation” even though the desire for orgasm “drives the creation of progeny,” he is pointing to his own argument about how organisms are not naturally selected by evolution to get true beliefs; to the extent that belief-forming processes are selected for, the ones that are selected are the ones that are useful for survival—not the ones that produce true beliefs. In the same way, van Fraassen argues, scientific theories are accepted, not because they are true, but because they aren’t falsified; they make successful predictions; that’s what makes them “stick around.” So, the fact that they make successful predictions (and thus became accepted) is not a reason to think they are true.This argument is similar to C. S. Lewis’s “argument from reason,” which he used to argue against evolution: “The truth of evolution undercuts our ability to know that it is true.” Lewis’ argument famously failed; Elizabeth Anscombe, by Lewis’s own admission, demolished Lewis in a debate on the topic, and I have explained elsewhere why modified versions of the argument fail as well. In short, it’s because it fails to recognize that a belief-forming process can make an organism more likely to survive because it reliably produces true beliefs. It is therefore not the case that beliefs generated by naturally selected belief-forming processes are automatically false or unjustified.In the same way, the reason a theory “sticks around” could be because it’s not falsified, because it “makes correct predictions.” But the reason it makes correct predictions is most likely because it is true. (In pointing this out, I am echoing the arguments of Musgrave, Lipton, Psillos, and Kitcher, who refuted van Fraassen’s argument and analogy long before his 2024 article.) It would be a huge coincidence that it could do so without being true. And that is the point of Putnam’s miracle argument. Thus, contrary to van Fraassen’s suggestion, the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth. ConclusionLet me close by saying something about the fact that empiricists don’t doubt the truth of all scientific theories, just the ones that hypothesize unobservables. In today’s society, this theory is dangerous to espouse publicly. The nuance between being skeptical about all of science, and just the highly technical theories about unobservables, is guaranteed to be lost to the average reader. And there is so much unjustified skepticism and doubt about the findings of science and experts that a headline like “Science Does Not Describe Reality” could easily fuel the anti-science movement, worsen climate change denial and cause the next pandemic.This is why I believe it was important to still respond to van Fraassen’s article, a full two years after he wrote it. Not only, as I have argued, does it represent a philosophically inaccurate view of how scientific reasoning works and what scientific reasoning can do, but it is a dangerous view to boot. It should thus be rejected.

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Sep 29 • 2:15 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Questions Raised With Recent Trump Administration Political Ads

Sep 28 • 7:39 PM EDT • Politics • yahoo.com

2026 State of Business Readiness: Joe Seetoo

Joe Seetoo, CFA®, CFP®, CEPA® Wealth Advisor, Partner Morton Wealth Joe Seetoo is a partner and Senior Wealth Advisor at Morton Wealth, located in

Sep 28 • 4:23 PM EDT • Business • labusinessjournal.com

The Only Colors Reacts Survey

Predicting week 5: MSU @ Wisconsin

Sep 28 • 3:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Man City CEO 'defiant' over Premier League charges

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano issues a "defiant" message to other club executives about the club being found guilty of a majority of Premier League charges, BBC Sport has been told.

Sep 28 • 2:53 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Panthers bring back familiar face to practice squad on Monday

The Panthers have brought back a hog molly to their practice squad.

Sep 28 • 1:12 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Eagles at Bears: 3 Props to Play

The Chicago Bears face the Philadelphia Eagles on MNF. Here are 3 props to play.

Sep 28 • 1:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

U20 Elite League: Germany vs. Italy

Hannes Wolf’s Germany U20 squad will face Italy in Spain in the second matchday of the U20 Elite League. Last season's runner-up started their campaign with a narrow win over France, while Italy los...

Sep 28 • 12:46 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Kristaps Porzingis out indefinitely while dealing with a 'health issue'

Sep 28 • 12:42 PM EDT • Health • sports.yahoo.com

Kristaps Porzingis out indefinitely while dealing with a 'health issue'

Sep 28 • 12:42 PM EDT • Health • sports.yahoo.com

Scottie Barnes on expectations for this season: "You …

Scottie Barnes on expectations for this season: "You …

Sep 28 • 10:51 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

👀 Vozinha on his fame: I prefer my old life

Goalkeeper Vozinha broke his silence to speak about the strong impact popularity has had on his daily life following his standout performance at the World Cup.No privacy in everyday lifeThe goalkeeper...

Sep 28 • 10:18 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Forest Green allow Savage to talk to another club

Forest Green give manager Robbie Savage permission to speak to another club, amid speculation linking him to Peterborough United.

Sep 28 • 9:37 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Bell sure Crewe will 'click' as draw run continues

Lee Bell says Crewe are working hard to improve in attacking areas and is confident it will soon "click" after a sixth successive League Two draw.

Sep 28 • 8:45 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

What do the numbers tell us about Hogh's Celtic start?

It is fair to say Kasper Hogh has not had the start he or Celtic would have wanted after the club spent a club-record fee to sign the Denmark striker from Bodo/Glimt. Having bagged 53 goals in 102 appearances for his previous team, a handful of which came in the Champions League against top-level opposition, the 25-year-old arrived to fanfare following the signing of fellow big-money capture Camilo Duran. Now, with Martin O'Neill's men on a three-game losing run, serious questions are starting to be asked after Hogh's underwhelming introduction.

Sep 28 • 8:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

'Flat' Plymouth display frustrates boss Cleverley

Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley says he is frustrated by his side's "flat" performance in their 1-0 loss to Burton Albion.

Sep 28 • 6:48 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Jersey Bulls earn first point of season at Fleet Town

Jersey Bulls women earn their first point since winning promotion after a 1-1 draw at Fleet Town.

Sep 28 • 4:54 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Airbus probes A321neo flaw as repair plan eases disruption

Airbus and Italy's Leonardo are investigating a glitch at a privately held coatings firm ‌that triggered a quality alert affecting 500 of the planemaker's best-selling A321neo jets, people familiar with the matter said.

Sep 28 • 3:45 AM EDT • Business • reuters.com

NI players relish Windsor return against Hungary

Northern Ireland's hosting of Hungary in the Uefa Nations League will be their first game in Belfast for 315 days.

Sep 28 • 3:09 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Makhanya price tag soars after Rangers move

Massive jump in value for Rangers summer signing as Celtic midfielder says team still recovering from Champions League exit...

Sep 28 • 3:01 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Adexo Advertising Surpasses 500 Active Businesses and $20 Million in Managed Ad Spend

MINNEAPOLIS, MN / ACCESS Newswire / September 28, 2026 / , a Minneapolis-based AI advertising platform that builds and optimizes Facebook and Google Ads for local and service-based businesses, today announced that it now serves more than 500 active businesses and has managed more than $20 million in advertising spend since launching in 2022.The milestone reflects growing demand among small and mid-sized businesses for advertising measured by qualified leads and booked jobs rather than clicks.

Sep 28 • 2:10 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com

Studs and duds from Rams' 30-26 loss to Broncos

Kyren Williams and Davante Adams showed up in a big way, while Emmanuel Forbes Jr. had a rough night for the Rams.

Sep 28 • 12:47 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

UFC Insider Shares Welcome Health Update on Raoni Barcelos

UFC insider Ariel Helwani shared a welcome update on the health condition of UFC fighter Raoni Barcelos after suffering knockout on Saturday. The post UFC Insider Shares Welcome Health Update on Raoni Barcelos appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 27 • 11:45 PM EDT • Health • sports.yahoo.com

UFC Insider Shares Welcome Health Update on Raoni Barcelos

UFC insider Ariel Helwani shared a welcome update on the health condition of UFC fighter Raoni Barcelos after suffering knockout on Saturday. The post UFC Insider Shares Welcome Health Update on Raoni Barcelos appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 27 • 11:45 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

MTV VMAs 2026 Winners List: Madonna Dominates, Taylor Swift Wins Special Honor

It was like 1998 all over again. Madonna won six Video Music Awards that year for Ray of Light. Flash forward to tonight, and the pop icon won seven awards, including Artist of the Year, for Confessio...

Sep 27 • 10:41 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

Taylor Swift debuts ‘Patient Zero’ music video at VMAs starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell

The pop star and actress play women who have dated the same man — who secretly poisoned both of them the whole time.

Sep 27 • 10:11 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

Jaxon Smith-Njigba totals 128 yards, two TDs

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba rolled up 10 receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 14 targets in Week 3

Sep 27 • 9:27 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

San Jose Sharks Opening Night Lineup Projection

Sep 27 • 8:46 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Report: Conference executives crafting ‘Plan B’ ahead of Protect College Sports Act vote

Monday evening, the U.S. Senate is expected to hold a full vote on the Protect College Sports Act. In the meantime, executives at the conference level are crafting “Plan B,” Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported. The plan would include parts of the bipartisan Senate bill, including a $48.8 million revenue-share cap, which would be a […]

Sep 27 • 6:20 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Max Scherzer Gets A Win To Finish The Season

Reds 1 Blue Jays 5 If I were Max Scherzer, that’s how I’d want to end my career. He threw seven innings, allowed six hits, one earned run, one walk, and seven strikeouts (which would finish him with 3,557 strikeouts, three fewer than Justin Verlander). Max threw 114 pitches. That’s just amazing, especially on short […]

Sep 27 • 6:07 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Jaguars’ Latest Prediction Would Be Dream Scenario for Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to take care of business in Week 3 against the New England Patriots. When the final whistle was blown, they ended up winning by a dominant final score of 35-6. With the win, the Jaguars improved to 2-1 on the young season. They are beginning to look […] The post Jaguars’ Latest Prediction Would Be Dream Scenario for Trevor Lawrence appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

Sep 27 • 6:02 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Giant, feathered dinosaur with massive claws and tons of teeth found in China

But don't worry, this Cretaceous behemoth probably ate plants.

Sep 27 • 1:03 PM EDT • Science • yahoo.com

Changing UK benefits for young people a ‘moral crusade’, says minister

Pat McFadden urges Labour MPs to back overhauls, amid signs party looking to cut payments for some 16- to 24-year-olds

Sep 27 • 12:33 PM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com

PREVIEW: Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals Gameday

The Pittsburgh Steelers will open AFC North play wth a home date against the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Sep 27 • 7:38 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

The proof that Alexander Isak was worth £125 million

Alexander Isak didn’t hit the ground running like many hoped he would following a £125 million move from Newcastle last summer. The Swede failed to settle into Arne Slot’s side and then suffered ...

Sep 27 • 7:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Israel vs Ireland – Match preview and team news

Ireland will look to bounce back from their opening UEFA Nations League defeat against Kosovo when they face Israel at the Nagyerdei Stadion on Sunday.Israel vs Ireland – Match preview and team new...

Sep 27 • 5:15 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Hibs take winger Matondo on trial

Former Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo is on trial with Hibernian while Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis admits joining Celtic would be of interest.

Sep 27 • 4:06 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

England lose to Spain in Nations League

International action

Sep 27 • 3:34 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

'Huge' - Aurelien Tchouameni to Liverpool transfer update

Aurelien Tchouameni in action for Real Madrid, with Andoni Iraola in a circular inset

Sep 27 • 2:35 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Serbia vs Netherlands – Match preview and team news

Netherlands will continue their UEFA Nations League journey on Sunday as they face Serbia in their next match away from home at the Stadion Rajko Mitić.Serbia vs Netherlands – Match preview and te...

Sep 27 • 1:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Raoni Barcelos health update: UFC Vegas 121 headliner awake after terrifying fight finish

Some good news has emerged following a terrifying end to UFC Vegas 121. Raoni Barcelos was stretchered out of the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, following a bizarre and downright terrifying finish to his main event fight against Raul Rosas Jr. tonight (Sat., Sept. 26, 2026). Thankfully, the first update on the 39-year-old Brazilian […]

Sep 26 • 11:33 PM EDT • Health • sports.yahoo.com

Have Linfield been overlooked as possible title contenders?

BBC Sport NI explores if people had ruled out Linfield's title credentials too early in the season.

Sep 26 • 5:28 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Kyle Monangai expected to play in Week 3

Bears RB Kyle Monangai set for normal workload after full practice

Sep 26 • 3:25 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Putellas scores first WSL goal in London City win

Alexia Putellas scores her first goal in English football as London City Lionesses continue their excellent start to the season with victory against Brighton to move second in the WSL.

Sep 26 • 1:53 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Texas football's Colin Simmons flagged for 'simulating using the restroom'

"Idiotic. It doesn't get much more vulgar either." Texas' Colin Simmons was penalized for "simulating using the restroom" against Tennessee.

Sep 26 • 1:46 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Saturday Jays Notes

Second-to-last day of the regular season. There isn’t much news. Max Scherzer says he’ll wait until after the season to decide whether he wants to pitch next year, but he’s set to start tomorrow, in front of his kids (just in case). He hasn’t put up numbers that would make me want to re-sign him. […]

Sep 26 • 1:21 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Second-half strikes give Ballymena win over Ports

Second-half strikes from Finley Thorndike and Igor Rutkowski give Ballymena a 2-0 win over Portadown.

Sep 26 • 12:48 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Warriors GM Shares Excitement Over Steph Curry’s Contract Extension

The Golden State Warriors are excited to have Steph Curry back.

Sep 26 • 12:36 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Dybala and Molina to remain at Trigoria

The most anticipated event for Argentinians and beyond will take place on October 6th. The AFA has invited Nahuel Molina and Paulo Dybala to take part in Lionel Messi’s final match for Argentina—a...

Sep 26 • 10:10 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Castleford captain Mellor heads to Catalans

Captain Alex Mellor leaves Castleford Tigers after four years to join Catalans Dragons in a two-year deal.

Sep 26 • 9:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Gasser's Career Night Secures Brewers' Historic 101st Win

Robert Gasser’s nine-strikeout gem fueled the Milwaukee Brewers milestone victory.

Sep 26 • 8:48 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com