SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Science " 21,017 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Catching up with healthspan and lifespan supplements: A roundup of the latest science
Research on supplementation and aging is advancing quickly, helping to supplant “live longer” language with more nuanced claims based on closer examination of biological mechanisms that might help people live better for longer if they test out in human clinical trials.
Watch the USC Price School's nautical science class voyage to Catalina Island
The USC Price School is home to a unique nautical science program that teaches students navigation and seamanship.
The Science of Kindness
Dr. Laura Saunders from the Institute of Living explains how random acts of kindness boost happiness in both those who give and those who receive.
The Missing Two Decades! What Howell Left Out of His “History”
I conclude my conversation with Dr. Casey Luskin about his critique of a recent book from New York University Press, by C. W. Howell.
National Security Science and Technology Strategy Highlights Expanded Role for Export Controls, Investment Screening, and Data Security
On August 20, 2026, the White House released the National Security Science and Technology Strategy (“NSSTS“), which establishes the Trump administration’s framework for maintaining US technological leadership and protecting critical and emerging technologies. The NSSTS is organized around four pillars: (1) focusing techno-strategic competition, (2) building technological resilience, (3) accelerating innovation, and (4) protecting national
Pollard Lecture set for Oct. 8
Dorothee Kern, from Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Scripps Research, will present the 2026 Ernest C. Pollard Lecture in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, titled “The Protein Dance: From Experiments to AI Predictions,” at 12:10 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, in 008 Mueller Laboratory at Penn State University Park. This free public lecture is sponsored by the Penn State Eberly College of Science.
JVS animal science students outline FFA projects
Animal science and FFA students discussed shelter certifications, fall events and foster care projects with the JVS board.
Mike Watkins named 2026 Penn State Distinguished Poultry Science Alumnus
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Department of Animal Science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has named Mike Watkins, vice president of live operations for Bell & Evans in...
Moment of Science: The enduring history and science of salt
For thousands of years, few minerals have shaped human civilization, diet, and trade quite like common salt.
GSU, Shimadzu host second annual forensic science symposium
Georgia Southern University’s College of Science and Mathematics (COSM) is teaming up with Shimadzu Scientific Instruments to host the second annual Forensic Science Symposium on Sept. 30. This year’s event offers an expanded list of speakers, poster presentations and a panel discussion covering a broad range of topics.
Adults spend one day a year talking like pirates, and science says that is not a bad thing
Not many days can claim they started with a friendly game on a racquetball court, but Sept. 19, Talk Like a Pirate Day, has that ... Read moreThe post Adults
Adults spend one day a year talking like pirates, and science says that is not a bad thing
Not many days can claim they started with a friendly game on a racquetball court, but Sept. 19, Talk Like a Pirate Day, has that ... Read moreThe post Adults
Adults spend one day a year talking like pirates, and science says that is not a bad thing
Not many days can claim they started with a friendly game on a racquetball court, but Sept. 19, Talk Like a Pirate Day, has that ... Read moreThe post Adults
BioTech Social Announces Advisory Board To Advance Financial Innovation For Life Science Companies
× This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. kAm k^Am kAm k^AmkAm k^AmkAm k^AmkAm k^AmkAmk6>mtIA6C:6?465 =6256CD 24C@DD 3:@E649?@=@8J[ 7:?2?46[ E649?@=@8J[ A2E:6?E 6?8286>6?E[ 4@>>F?:42E:@?D[ 2?5 4@>A2?J 3F:=5:?8 H:== 25G:D6 q$x 2D :E 3F:=5D 7:?2?4:2= :?7C2DECF4EFC6 2C@F?5 =:76 D4:6?46 :??@G2E:@?k^6>mk^AmkAmqt%wt$sp[ |5][ $6AE6>36C `f[ a_ae \ , k2 9C67lQ9EEAi^^^?6HDC@@>^Q C6=lQ?@@A6?6CQmz~#t(x#tk^2m . q:@%649 $@4:2= x?4] Wq$xX[ A2C6?E 4@>A2?J @7 q:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2=[ E@52J 2??@F?465 E96 7@C>2E:@? @7 2? 25G:D@CJ 3@2C5 3C:?8:?8 E@86E96C 6IA6C:6?465 =6256CD 7C@> 3:@E649?@=@8J[ 962=E942C6[ 7:?2?46[ E649?@=@8J[ A2E:6?E 25G@424J[ 4@>>F?:42E:@?D[ 2?5 4@>A2?J 3F:=5:?8]k^AmkAm%96 25G:D@CJ 3@2C5 H:== DFAA@CE q$x’D 3C@256C >:DD:@? @7 255C6DD:?8 @?6 @7 E96 >@DE A6CD:DE6?E 492==6?86D :? =:76 D4:6?46Di 4@??64E:?8 AC@>:D:?8 :??@G2E:@? H:E9 E96 42A:E2= ?66565 E@ 25G2?46 E9C@F89 =6?8E9J 2?5 6IA6?D:G6 56G6=@A>6?E A2E9H2JD]k^AmkAmq$x :D 3F:=5:?8 7:?2?4:2= :?7C2DECF4EFC6 2C@F?5 =:76 D4:6?46 :??@G2E:@?] q:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2=[ :ED $tr\C68:DE6C65 2?5 ux}#p\>6>36C #68F=2E:@? rC@H57F?5:?8 A@CE2=[ C6AC6D6?ED E96 4@>A2?J’D 7:CDE :>A=6>6?E2E:@? @7 E92E DEC2E68J] ~G6C E:>6[ q$x :?E6?5D E@ 6IA=@C6 255:E:@?2= 7:?2?4:2= DECF4EFC6D[ E@@=D[ 2?5 G69:4=6D 56D:8?65 2C@F?5 E96 5:DE:?4E:G6 42A:E2= ?665D @7 =:76 D4:6?46 4@>A2?:6D]k^AmkAm“$4:6?E:DED DA6?5 J62CD 56G6=@A:?8 D@=FE:@?D 7@C 5:D62D6D 7@C H9:49 A2E:6?ED DE:== 92G6 E@@ 76H @AE:@?D[ @?=J E@ D66 E96> 72:= 5F6 E@ 7F?5:?8 82AD 2E E96 EC2?D:E:@? :?E@ 4=:?:42= 56G6=@A>6?E” D2:5 sC] }6G2 (6DE[ rt~ 2?5 r@\u@F?56C @7 q$x] “p5G2?4:?8 E92E C6D62C49 C6BF:C6D DFDE2:?65 DFAA@CE @G6C >2?J J62CD] (6 H2?E E@ 96=A 4C62E6 2? 6?G:C@?>6?E :? H9:49 AC@>:D:?8 4=:?:42= D4:6?46[ >66E:?8 ECF6 F?>6E ?665D[ 42? 4@?E:?F6 >@G:?8 7@CH2C5 H9:=6 >F?:E:6D 27764E65 3J E96 5:D62D6 46?EC2= E@ E96 4@?G6CD2E:@?]”k^AmkAmp55C6DD:?8 E96 {:76 $4:6?46 “'2==6J @7 s62E9”k^AmkAm%96 7:?2?4:?8 492==6?86 :D A2CE:4F=2C=J 24FE6 5FC:?8 E96 D@\42==65 7F?5:?8 “G2==6J @7 562E9”[ E96 A6C:@5 :? H9:49 4@>A2?:6D >FDE 4@?E:?F6 :?G6DE:?8 :? C6D62C49[ 4=:?:42= 56G6=@A>6?E[ C68F=2E@CJ H@CA2?J 3F:=5:?8[ @7E6? 367@C6 E96J 42? 86?6C2E6 >62?:?87F= 4@>>6C4:2= C6G6?F6 @C 2EEC24E EC25:E:@?2= :?DE:EFE:@?2= 42A:E2=]k^AmkAmq$x =2F?4965 q:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2= :? yF?6 a_ae 2D 2 C68F=2E65 :?G6DE>6?E 4C@H57F?5:?8 A@CE2= 3F:=E DA64:7:42==J 7@C =:76 D4:6?46 4@>A2?:6D] %96 A@CE2= 6?23=6D 6=:8:3=6 4@>A2?:6D E@ C2:D6 FA E@ Sd >:==:@? :? 42A:E2= 2??F2==J 7C@> :?5:G:5F2= :?G6DE@CD F?56C #68F=2E:@? rC@H57F?5:?8 H9:=6 4C62E:?8 @AA@CEF?:E:6D 7@C 2 3C@256C A@AF=2E:@? @7 :?G6DE@CD E@ A2CE:4:A2E6 :? AC:G2E6 =:76 D4:6?46 :??@G2E:@?]k^AmkAmq$x G:6HD E96 A@CE2= 2D E96 368:??:?8 @7 2 =2C86C 677@CE]k^AmkAm“q:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2= :D @FC 7:CDE :>A=6>6?E2E:@?[ ?@E E96 6?5A@:?E[” D2:5 qC:2? !] r9C:DE:6[ r92:C 2?5 r@\u@F?56C @7 q:@%649 $@4:2= x?4] “~FC 3C@256C @3;64E:G6 :D E@ 3F:=5 7:?2?4:2= :?7C2DECF4EFC6 2C@F?5 E96 D4:6?46[ 56G6=@A:?8 7:?2?4:?8 >6492?:D>D E92E 36EE6C >2E49 42A:E2= E@ E96 >:=6DE@?6D[ C:D6?E]”k^AmkAmr9C:DE:6 25565[ “rC@DD:?8 E96 G2==6J @7 562E9 :D ?@E D:>A=J 2 7F?5C2:D:?8 AC@3=6>] %96 42A:E2= 92D E@ H@C< H:E9:? 2 >F49 =2C86C DJDE6> :?G@=G:?8 D4:6?E:7:4 >:=6DE@?6D[ C68F=2E@CJ A2E9H2JD[ A2E:6?ED[ DEC2E68:4 A2CE?6CD[ 4@>A2?J =6256CD9:A[ 2?5 :?G6DE@C 6IA64E2E:@?D] %92E :D @?6 C62D@? H6 H2?E65 2? 25G:D@CJ 3@2C5 H:E9 DF49 2 H:56 C2?86 @7 6IA6C:6?46]”k^AmkAmp |F=E:5:D4:A=:?2CJ p5G:D@CJ q@2C5k^AmkAm%96 25G:D@CJ 3@2C5 3C:?8D E@86E96C =6256CD H9@ 92G6 3F:=E 2?5 7:?2?465 4@>A2?:6D[ 56G6=@A65 3:@E649?@=@8J A2CE?6CD9:AD[ ?2G:82E65 C68F=2E65 >2CF?:E:6D[ >2?2865 4@CA@C2E6 C6AFE2E:@?[ 2?5 2DD6>3=65 =6256CD9:A E62>D]k^AmkAm%96 8C@FA :?4=F56D sC] x>25 p;;2H:[ q@3 q2C:49[ y@9? r@FC:4[ z2C:? w6==DG:6?6?4:2 ~CE:K[ (:==:2> $49C256C[ 2?5 p?5C6H (:==:D]k^AmkAmsC] x>25 p;;2H:[ p5G:D@C[ :D rt~ 2?5 r@\u@F?56C @7 #J3@sJ?[ 2 3:@E649?@=@8J 4@>A2?J 56G6=@A:?8 42?46C :>>F?@E96C2A:6D E2C86E:?8 2 4CJAE:4 AC@E6@>6] !C6G:@FD=J[ 96 H2D ':46 !C6D:56?E @7 qFD:?6DD s6G6=@A>6?E 2E p3D4:[ H96C6 96 5C@G6 >@C6 E92? Se__ >:==:@? :? A2CE?6CD9:AD 2?5 A=2J65 2 C@=6 :? E96 4@>A2?J’D S`]d 3:==:@? x!~] w6 2=D@ 4@\7@F?565 px\5C:G6? AC@E6:? 56D:8? 4@>A2?J s6?@G:F>[ H9:49 H2D 24BF:C65 3J p3D4:] p;;2H: 9@=5D 2 !9s :? q:@496>:DECJ 2?5 |@=64F=2C q:@=@8J 2?5 2? |qp 7C@> E96 #25J $49@@= @7 |2?286>6?E 2E &r $2? s:68@]k^AmkAmq@3 q2C:49[ p5G:D@C[ :D 2? 6I64FE:G6 D62C49 AC@76DD:@?2= H:E9 >@C6 E92? ae J62CD @7 6IA6C:6?46 C64CF:E:?8 4@>>F?:42E:@?D[ AF3=:4 C6=2E:@?D[ :?G6DE@C C6=2E:@?D 2?5 8@G6C?>6?E 2772:CD =6256CD] %9C@F89 r}# $62C49[ 96 H@C =6256CD9:A ?665D] w:D 6IA6C:6?46 DA2?D &]$] 2?5 :?E6C?2E:@?2= >2C246FE:42= 2?5 962=E942C6 4@>>F?:42E:@?D[ 4@?DF>6C AC@5F4ED 2?5 7:?2?4:2= D6CG:46D]k^AmkAmy@9? r@FC:4[ p5G:D@C[ 3C:?8D >@C6 E92? 7@FC 564256D @7 6IA6C:6?46 24C@DD 7:?2?46[ 32?@?E@CJ x?E6C7:?2?4:2= }6EH@C 7C@> :ED 62C=J J62CD E9C@F89 :ED 8C@HE9 :?E@ 2 7:?2?4:2= D6CG:46D ?6EH@C< DFAA@CE:?8 E9@FD2?5D @7 :?DE:EFE:@?D ?2E:@?H:56] t2C=:6C[ 96 96=5 =6256CD9:A A@D:E:@?D 2E !$x}6E 2?5 q6== pE=2?E:4[ ?@H '6C:K@? 2?5 AC6G:@FD=J H@C>:DD:@? W$trX] w6 9@=5D 2? |qp 7C@> %96 v6@C86 (2D9:?8E@? &?:G6CD:EJ 2?5 2 q$ :? r@>>6C46 7C@> E96 &?:G6CD:EJ @7 ':C8:?:2]k^AmkAmz2C:? w6==DG:D] (:==:D D6CG6D @? E96 w62=E942C6 2?5 !92C>246FE:42= |2?286>6?E !C@8C2> p5G:D@CJ q@2C5 2E r@=F>3:2 qFD:?6DD $49@@= 2?5 E96 q@2C5 @7 p5G:D@CD 2E v6@C86E@H? &?:G6CD:EJ’D |4s@?@F89 $49@@= @7 qFD:?6DD] w6 62C?65 2 q$qp 7C@> v6@C86E@H? &?:G6CD:EJ 2?5 2 ys 2?5 |qp 7C@> r@=F>3:2 &?:G6CD:EJ]k^AmkAmu:?2?4:2= |@56=D s6D:8?65 pC@F?5 w@H {:76 $4:6?46D s6G6=@Ak^AmkAm{:76 D4:6?46 4@>A2?:6D 5:776C 7F?52>6?E2==J 7C@> >2?J @E96C 6>6C8:?8 3FD:?6DD6D] r2A:E2= C6BF:C6>6?ED 2C6 7C6BF6?E=J 5C:G6? 3J D4:6?E:7:4[ 4=:?:42= 2?5 C68F=2E@CJ >:=6DE@?6D C2E96C E92? 4@?G6?E:@?2= C6G6?F6 8C@HE9] s6G6=@A>6?E E:>6=:?6D 42? DA2? J62CD[ 2?5 D:8?:7:42?E 6?E6CAC:D6 G2=F6 >2J 36 4C62E65 H6== 367@C6 2 AC@5F4E C62496D E96 >2C@56=D E92E >@C6 4=@D6=J C67=64E 9@H =:76 D4:6?46 :??@G2E:@? 24EF2==J AC@8C6DD6D]k^AmkAm“u@C >6[ E9:D F=E:>2E6=J 4@>6D 324< E@ D4:6?46 2?5 E96 A6@A=6 :E :D :?E6?565 E@ D6CG6[” (6DE D2:5] “!2E:6?ED 2?5 A2E:6?E 4@>>F?:E:6D @7E6? F?56CDE2?5 3@E9 E96 FC86?4J @7 F?>6E ?665 2?5 E96 C62=:E:6D @7 =:G:?8 H:E9 5:D62D6 :? H2JD E92E 42? 255 :>A@CE2?E A6CDA64E:G6 E@ E96 56G6=@A>6?E AC@46DD 2?5 E96J D9@F=5 36 23=6 E@ :?G6DE :? E96D6 4@>A2?:6D] pD H6 E9:?< 23@FE ?6H H2JD E@ DFAA@CE 6>6C8:?8 =:76 D4:6?46 4@>A2?:6D[ H6 H2?E E9@D6 A6CDA64E:G6D C6AC6D6?E65 2=@?8D:56 E9@D6 @7 D4:6?E:DED[ 6?EC6AC6?6FCD[ 2?5 :?G6DE@CD]”k^AmkAmq$x 6IA64ED E96 25G:D@CJ 3@2C5 E@ AC@G:56 DEC2E68:4 8F:52?46 2D E96 4@>A2?J 56G6=@AD q:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2= 2?5 6G2=F2E6D 255:E:@?2= 2AAC@2496D E@ 6IA2?5:?8 2446DD E@ 42A:E2= 7@C =:76 D4:6?46 4@>A2?:6D]k^AmkAm“~FC 7@4FD :D DEC2:89E7@CH2C5[” r9C:DE:6 D2:5] “%96C6 :D C6>2C6C8:?8 4@>A2?:6D[ 2?5 E@@ >F49 @7 :E 6?4@F?E6CD 2 7:?2?4:?8 82A 367@C6 :ED A@E6?E:2= 42? 36 G2=:52E65] (6 H2?E E@ 3F:=5 7:?2?4:2= :?7C2DECF4EFC6 E92E 8:G6D >@C6 @7 E92E D4:6?46 2? @AA@CEF?:EJ E@ >2A2?J 56G6=@AD A=2E7@C>D[ E@@=D[ 2?5 7:?2?4:2= DECF4EFC6D :?E6?565 E@ 6IA2?5 2446DD E@ 42A:E2= 7@C 3:@E649?@=@8J[ A92C>246FE:42=[ >65:42= E649?@=@8J[ 5:28?@DE:4[ 5:8:E2= 962=E9[ 2?5 @E96C =:76 D4:6?46 4@>A2?:6D] q:@%649 $@4:2= x?4] :D E96 A2C6?E 4@>A2?J @7 q:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2= {{r]k^AmkAmu@C >@C6 :?7@C>2E:@?[ G:D:Ei k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^HHH]3:@E649]D@4:2=Qm9EEADi^^HHH]3:@E649]D@4:2=k^2mk^AmkAmp3@FE q:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2=k^AmkAmq:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2= :D 2? $tr\C68:DE6C65 7F?5:?8 A@CE2= 2?5 ux}#p >6>36C 7@4FD65 6I4=FD:G6=J @? =:76 D4:6?46 4@>A2?:6D C2:D:?8 42A:E2= F?56C #68F=2E:@? rC@H57F?5:?8] %96 A@CE2= 6?23=6D 6=:8:3=6 4@>A2?:6D E@ C2:D6 FA E@ Sd >:==:@? :? 42A:E2= 2??F2==J 7C@> :?5:G:5F2= :?G6DE@CD H9:=6 AC@G:5:?8 :?G6DE@CD 2446DD E@ AC:G2E6 =:76 D4:6?46 :?G6DE>6?E @AA@CEF?:E:6D F?56C #68F=2E:@? rC@H57F?5:?8]k^AmkAmx?G6DE>6?E @AA@CEF?:E:6D @776C65 E9C@F89 q:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2= 2C6 DA64F=2E:G6[ :==:BF:5[ 2?5 :?G@=G6 2 9:89 568C66 @7 C:D6?E] %9:D AC6DD C6=62D6 :D 7@C :?7@C>2E:@?2= AFCA@D6D @?=J 2?5 5@6D ?@E 4@?DE:EFE6 2? @776C E@ D6== @C D@=:4:E2E:@? @7 2? @776C E@ 3FJ 2?J D64FC:EJ] p?J D64FC:E:6D @776C:?8 4@?5F4E65 E9C@F89 q:@%649 uF?5:?8 !@CE2= :D >256 @?=J AFCDF2?E E@ 2AA=:423=6 @776C:?8 >2E6C:2=D 7:=65 H:E9 E96 &]$] $64FC:E:6D 2?5 tI492?86 r@>>:DD:@?]k^AmkAmu@C >@C6 :?7@C>2E:@?[ G:D:Ei k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^HHH]3:@E649]7F?5Qm9EEADi^^HHH]3:@E649]7F?5k^2mU?3DAjk^AmkAm|65:2 r@?E24Eik^AmkAm{66\p?? |FCA9Jk^AmkAmq:@%649 $@4:2= x?4k^AmkAmk2 9C67lQ>2:=E@i=662??o3:@E649]D@4:2=Qm=662??o3:@E649]D@4:2=k^2mU?3DAjk^AmkAm k^Am
Alaska Science Forum: Getting to the bottom of copper’s rise to the top
Kennecott has been spruced up quite a bit since my last visit there nearly 30 years ago.
With US measles deaths on the rise, local officials are stepping in where RFK Jr won’t
As the country’s top public health official spends his time in office undermining science, doctors and advocates mount an urgent campaign for childhood vaccines
When DNA sounds a lasting alarm: cGAS-STING links aging to brain inflammation
Neurodegenerative diseases, cerebrovascular disorders and other age-related neurological conditions are major causes of long-term disability. A review published in SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences by researchers from Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, examines how damaged nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA can become immune danger signals. The authors highlight cGAS-STING as a key molecular hub linking cellular damage, inflammaging and neuroimmune dysfunction, and discuss opportunities for more precise therapeutic intervention.
Can researchers trust that AI models won’t leak their ideas?
Research funders are asking how they can stop confidential scientific ideas in grant proposals from leaking out through large language models (LLMs), for example if reviewers use AI to help them judge applications. Last week, a row erupted in mathematics after OpenAI announced it had solved a notoriously difficult problem, only for another mathematician to demand answers over whether the company had used ideas he had fed into its models. The spat, and the broader issue of idea leakage through AI models, was discussed by funders at an R&D policy conference held in Paris on September 14. At worst, it threatens to undermine the correct attribution of breakthroughs, one of the foundations of modern science. The mathematics dispute around OpenAI is “certainly something we're looking at” Jason Gallo, head of the newly established Office of Metascience at the US National Science Foundation (NSF), told the Blue Sky Forum, hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The controversy started on September 8, when OpenAI announced it had cracked a mathematical problem that had gone unsolved for 90 years. Using a swarm of AI agents, millions of dollars’ worth of computing power and a new internal model, the company said it had finally proved that a long-used formula for modelling fluid dynamics breaks down under certain conditions. However, Tristan Buckmaster, a New York University mathematician who had been independently working with collaborators on the same problem using OpenAI’s Codex tool, hit back with a statement questioning whether the company had snooped on his Codex sessions to gain an advantage. OpenAI has always denied it looked up the “specific user data” of Buckmaster and colleagues. However, the company initially admitted that “while unlikely, we cannot rule out that de-identified data derived from their usage of our products helped improve our models,” although its proofs “differ significantly” from Buckmaster’s. The firm later said that, following an investigation, it concluded that Buckmaster’s Codex prompts “could not have influenced the [OpenAI] system in any way, including through training.”Funder concernYet OpenAI’s initial admission that its model might have ingested Buckmaster’s ideas, then spat them out to its own mathematicians, has scientistsworriedthat their work could leak out if shared with AI. Some AI tools give users an opt-out option to stop their sessions from training the model. If such guarantees can be trusted, this gives scientists some confidence they can use an LLM to develop an idea without the risk of it leaking out.But there’s a bigger potential vulnerability. To win money to investigate ideas, scientists have to share them with funding bodies. These grant proposals are normally kept strictly confidential, to prevent other scientists from scooping them, or to protect commercially valuable intellectual property. To preserve this confidentiality, when the NSF uses AI models, “we have to be sure that it's not making server calls out to an external party, leaking that data,” said Gallo to delegates in Paris. Leaks through reviewersHowever, funders normally use external academic reviewers to assess proposals. And there are growing worries that these reviewers are feeding grant ideas into AI models to help them make a judgement. Research funders have noticed that peer review reports and funding recommendations have “suddenly become much longer, more detailed and complex,” said Diogo Machado, head of the data science unit at Technopolis, a science and technology-focused consultancy. “The sense is that reviewers are increasingly using generative AI in their review work, even where guidelines sometimes forbid it,” he told Science|Business. “This is very difficult for funders to control or prove.” Happening at scaleThis sharing of confidential proposals with AI models is “happening at scale already,” said James Wilson, executive director of the Research on Research Institute, based at University College London, during the debate in Paris. In response, Gallo said the NSF had “strict guidance” around the uploading of proposals to AI models. But he added the NSF was mulling new types of assessment to make sure applicants were truly the originators of their ideas, such as following a short-form proposal with an oral presentation, which would allow the foundation to “really interrogate the investigator on their intellectual contribution.” Related articlesHow can Europe cope with a flood of AI-assisted research grant proposals?The risks and benefits of AI in screening research grant proposals Viewpoint: AI could make scientific overload worse“For us as funders, a lot of the ways to ensure that the application remains the applicant's own intellectual contribution, those ways are quite regressive,” Peter Clifford, head of strategy at Research Ireland, told delegates. “They're maybe ten or 15 or 20 years old, and they don't scale particularly well.” Disputes over the origin of ideas are as old as modern science. Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz spent more than a decade arguing over who invented calculus, for example. And long before LLMs emerged, academics would agonise over how much of their early work to reveal at conferences, in case their colleagues scooped them, Jack Leahy, a senior metascience advisor to the UK government, told delegates. But AI was “accelerating” the “problems of the system,” he said.
Canada looks to deepen research and education links with the EU
Canada is looking for deeper research and education links with the EU, according to its prime minister, Mark Carney. His comments followed hard on the heels of an offer from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to give his nation associate membership of the EU, a status that currently has no legal status or definition. Both sides have yet to detail how this newfound political enthusiasm will translate into concrete action.Addressing the European Parliament on September 17, Carney cited both the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and the Erasmus+ student mobility scheme as areas for future collaboration.Association with the next iteration of Horizon Europe “would allow us to pool resources, cooperate on frontier technology, leverage our world-class research institutes and universities,” he told MEPs. Canada joined the present programme in 2024, but only takes part in Pillar 2, which supports collaborative research projects. Carney also said that young people should be allowed to work, study and live where they want, on either side of the Atlantic. “Canadian membership of Erasmus+ would give your students and ours more opportunity to learn at some of the world’s top universities, to broaden their horizon and to build those lasting ties that will sustain our alliance,” he said.Limited exchanges with Canada are already possible, for example in the Erasmus Mundus strand of the scheme, which supports joint master’s programmes. This would be considerably increased if the country became a full associate member, a club currently limited to nations neighbouring the EU.Most favoured nation?As for the offer of associate membership of the EU, the aim would be to build “an alliance for the future to create a common prosperity and economic security base,” von der Leyen said during her state of the European Union address, also in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on September 16.“We will work on intelligent manufacturing,” she went on. “We will create a tech alliance. We will integrate defence industrial bases. We will make the Arctic a flagship joint project. We will work on energy-critical minerals and batteries, on [artificial intelligence], quantum, cyber and economic security.”Mona Nemer, Canada’s chief science advisor, told Science|Business that the political speeches by Carney and Von der Leyen will open the door to even more scientific cooperation between Canada and the EU. She even attributed the broader political partnership to the scientific diplomacy of Horizon Europe association. “The science and research collaborations have predated this political rapprochement,” she said.While she is not part of the government decision-making process, Nemer thinks Carney’s speech in the European Parliament is more than “political posturing” and the Canadian government is likely to come up with more practical ideas for how to boost collaboration in the near future. “The prime minister mentioned Horizon [Europe] and Erasmus+, maybe there is something more concrete around this,” she said.She went on to suggest that Canada and Europe could also work more closely together on setting international standards for emerging technologies, AI safety, data sovereignty and joint research infrastructures, such as particle accelerators and marine research fleets.Nemer confirmed that science cooperation will be on the agenda at an upcoming EU-Canada summit in October. She met recently with EU ambassadors to Canada to "see where the possibilities are, to signal that there is interest."Room for expansionLike other countries outside Europe that are associated to Horizon Europe, such as South Korea, Australia or Japan, Canada is not allowed to host European Research Council (ERC) grantees. However, Canadian universities hint they would like re-open that discussion. “Canada’s participation in Horizon Europe, the world's largest research funding programme, has been a big success,” said Robert Asselin, the chief executive of U15 Canada, an umbrella body for some of the country’s biggest research universities, in a statement. “Ensuring swift re-association to the next research programme, will be vital to maintain this momentum. We would welcome efforts to explore further opportunities to collaborate with European partners, such as through the European Research Council,” he said. Related articlesHow a new multilateral defence bank could boost innovationEurope’s independence hinges on innovation, von der Leyen saysBut so far, there are no details from the Commission on how von der Leyen’s proposal would boost Canadian access to the ERC or other sensitive research calls in Horizon Europe. And it is unclear how other non-European associated countries, such as New Zealand or Australia, would react if Canada was given better access than them. The same questions may arise closer to home. “How would a new category of associate member of the EU differ from Norway’s participation in EU programmes through the European Economic Area?” asked Jan Palmowski, secretary general of the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities. “And how does this proposal for Canada change discussion for the UK, Norway and Switzerland for the next Multiannual Financial Framework?”Another area for discussion is how far Canadian organisations can participate in sensitive projects. “I would expect some of the most crucial issues at hand to be whether Canada can participate more closely and predictably in calls that are deemed sensitive on research security or EU preference grounds, on critical technologies, for instance,” Palmowski said. Canada’s participation in other parts of Horizon Europe, as well as the European Competitiveness Fund, might also be discussed, he added.Whatever the details, closer cooperation between the EU and Canada represents a “substantial” opportunity, according to Mattias Björnmalm, secretary general of the Cesaer university group. “Scientific excellence depends on talented people being able to work together, exchange knowledge and access complementary expertise and infrastructure,” he said. “A closer EU-Canada partnership would strengthen these conditions and provide greater certainty for long-term collaboration.”
This popular fermented food may help flush nanoplastics from the body
A kimchi-derived bacterium can bind to nanoplastics under gut-like conditions and may help carry them out of the body. In mice, the probiotic more than doubled the amount of nanoplastics detected in feces, pointing to a surprising potential use for microbes from fermented foods.
Science council plots diplomacy push for fractured world
Peter Gluckman says the multilateral system needs new tools to survive an age of rivalry
Scientists discover a mysterious new frog hiding in the Amazon
Scientists discovered a new frog species in the flooded forests of the western Amazon, distinguishing it from nearly identical relatives through DNA and its unique call. Adenomera varcena highlights how much Amazonian biodiversity remains hidden even as habitat loss and climate change threaten these poorly understood species.
Veralto Announces Climate Targets Validated by the Science Based Targets initiative
/PRNewswire/ -- Veralto Corporation (NYSE: VLTO), a global leader in essential water and product quality solutions dedicated to Safeguarding the World's Most...
DeWine Satisfied That 'Science of Reading' is Working - News-Talk 1480 WHBC
COLUMBUS, Ohio (News Talk 1480 WHBC) – Governor Mike DeWine has made the education and health of...
Africa Is Breaking Apart Faster Than We Thought, Forming a New Ocean
It's reached a "critical threshold".
A UCLA-led study published in Science Advances in 2025 found that African forest elephants are indispensable planters of ebony trees — the wood traditionally used for piano keys and guitar fretboards — and in parts of the Congo Basin where elephants have been hunted out, there are 68 percent fewer ebony saplings
The disappearance of African forest elephants from Congo Basin forests is quietly unraveling the future of the wood that lines piano keys and guitar fretboards.
Scientists Turned Ordinary Shiitake Mushrooms into Living Computers
Your next computer might grow in a compost heap.
With new building to debut, Mercy nursing college becomes university
Mercy College of Health Sciences will have a new name to display on its new 23,700-square-foot nursing school in downtown Des Moines.
The Science of Childhood Anxiety
Yale researchers are improving the treatment of childhood anxiety by investigating all aspects of the disorder, down to the molecular level.
What eyewitness accounts tell us about the science of memory
The malleability of memory once cast doubt on eyewitness identification in criminal cases, but new research reveals how eyewitness memory can be used accurately
Scientists Finally Figured Out How Much Groundwater There Is Under the US and It Is Enough to Fill the Great Lakes 13 Times Over
Researchers used 1 million data points and a machine learning algorithm to estimate groundwater stores with higher resolution than ever before.
Serenity Forge announces sci-fi visual novel and strategy card game Faraday Blues for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC
Serenity Forge has announced Faraday Blues, a science-fiction visual novel and strategy card game hybrid coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store in 2027.
Hot flashes and hormone therapy: the science of perimenopause
After decades of controversy over prescribing hormone therapy for perimenopause, many providers are reconsidering their approach.
Will AI kill us? ‘This is not science fiction’ warns NJ Dem
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the Bergen County Democrat, is advocating for swift federal action on AI. Republican leaders aren't yet listening.
Virtual launch: New report on ethics oversight of AI-related health research
WHO will host a virtual launch of its new report, Artificial Intelligence-related Health Research: Ethics Review and Oversight, which provides practical recommendations for researchers, ethics committees, regulators, funders and policy-makers on the responsible conduct of AI-enabled health research.
New platform launched to help stroke survivors and families “understand the science shaping stroke care”
The European Stroke Organisation (ESO)—in partnership with the Survivors Honouring Inclusion, Networking and Empowerment (SHINE) Global Stroke Collaboration—today announced the launch of Stroke Insights, a new online platform designed to translate complex stroke science into clear, trusted and practical information, ensuring stroke survivors and their families can navigate the latest medical research in a more […]
Virtual launch: New report on ethics oversight of AI-related health research
WHO will host a virtual launch of its new report, Artificial Intelligence-related Health Research: Ethics Review and Oversight, which provides practical recommendations for researchers, ethics committees, regulators, funders and policy-makers on the responsible conduct of AI-enabled health research.
Opinion: Science corrects Itself. So must justice.
Adjusting a conclusion in response to better evidence is not a failure of science. It is science working. The failure would be refusing to change.
Women's Kidney Health in Focus
Globally, one in 10 women lives with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is closely intertwined with cardiovascular risk as part of the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome.
Behind the scenes of Science Unlocked
From nerve-wracking boat rides on a Kenyan lake to translating complex scientific concepts into stories everyone can understand. Plus, hear why a dedicated researcher named Patrick became an unexpected hero!
Regents OK first Augusta University undergrad degree in public health
Augusta University's School of Public Health has announced its very first undergraduate program, designed to give students a foundation on which to build careers in health sciences.
The science behind Florida football’s physical transformation starts with Jake Sankal
Nutritionist Jake Sankal is the science behind some of Florida football's body transformations. Here's how it works.
The science behind Florida football’s physical transformation starts with Jake Sankal
Nutritionist Jake Sankal is the science behind some of Florida football's body transformations. Here's how it works.
NSF and UKRI Invest More Than $10 Million in Quantum Chemistry Research
NSF and UKRI are investing more than $10 million across eight projects studying quantum information science in chemical systems.
Mosaic (MOS) Bets On Enzymes While Its Core Business Bleeds
On August 17, Mosaic Biosciences, a unit of The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS), launched Renuvis Enzara, an enzyme-based treatment meant to speed up how fast crop residue breaks down after harvest. The launch landed less than two weeks after Mosaic reported a second-quarter net loss of $273 million, a sharp reversal from the $411 million profit […]
Carbondale Area Science and Technology Club hosts STEM Night for elementary students
Members of the Carbondale Area High School Science and Technology Club hosted a “Blast Off to Summer” STEM Night for Carbondale Area Elementary students toward the end of the 2025-26 school year. Throughout the evening, students explored ex…
NSF and UKRI Commit $10 Million in Joint Funding for Molecular Quantum Information Science
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have launched a joint $10 million (£7.4 million) research initiative supporting eight transatlantic research teams. Funded via $5 million from the
Summer Goes Out With a Heat Dome
Temperature records toppled across the central and southern U.S. as the autumnal equinox approached.
Outdoor science lab brings hands-on lessons to Herndon High School
An outdoor science lab is giving Herndon High School students a chance to participate in high-tech, hands-on lessons without leaving campus.
Bring open science into the classroom
To truly change science, the next generation of researchers must understand not only open science practices but also the values behind them. Find three ways to introduce them to students
Researchers to develop microsensor for potentially dangerous gas emissions
Professor Mohammad Younis to lead National Science Foundation project that could detect problems with lithium-ion batteries.
WCC Faith and Science Working Group: rethinking what it means to be human
The Faith and Science Working Group is part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing. It evaluates modern technological and scientific advancements through theological and ethical lenses, focusing on human dignity, digital justice, and existential risks.
Search begins for arts and sciences dean
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln has launched a national search to select its next dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The 15-member search advisory committee will be chaired by Richard Moberly, Dean and Schmoker Professor in the College of Law.
NASA’s New Horizons spots signs of liquid nitrogen flowing on Pluto
Scientists have found the first evidence that liquid may have flowed across Pluto’s surface in the recent past. Dark features on the enormous Sputnik Planitia glacier appear consistent with liquid nitrogen rising through cracks from deep beneath the ice. Computer models show that nitrogen could melt at the glacier’s base and travel upward like fluid through small conduits. The finding reveals that Pluto may be much more geologically active than its frozen appearance suggests.
Training tomorrow’s citizen scientists in introductory science courses
Faculty who teach large introductory STEM courses often experience burnout, writes Michael Evans. Thinking of yourself as a trainer of citizen scientists and seeing your field in the world around you can help keep teaching fresh
Tyrannosaurus Rex Was Warm-Blooded and Able to Live in the Arctic, Study Finds
It’s been 66 million years and science is still learning more about the most famous dinosaur.
A Vocation Discovered: Dwayne Simmons’ Journey to Becoming a Renowned Neuroscientist
Since earning his bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University, Dwayne Simmons has forged a career as an esteemed neuroscience professor, researcher, and newly inducted fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In looking back on his accomplished vocational journey, the neuroscience considers his undergraduate education in Malibu to be the key that unlocked his potential.
Alabama awards $262,000 grant to upgrade forensic science equipment
Gov. Kay Ivey's office has awarded $262,000 to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to enhance drug case investigations and morgue services.
CHLA Research Programs Encourage High School and College Students to Explore Careers in Science and Medicine
Participants in the Chuck Lorre Research Scholars Program and the Samuels Family Los Angeles High School Internship Program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles lead guided research projects, gaining experience for future medical and scientific careers.
All Roads Did Not Lead to Rome. Scientists Mapped 186,000 Miles of Roman Roads and Found a Problem With the Phrase
The empire’s 300,000-kilometer road network was stranger and less Rome-centered than legend suggests.
UNLV Awarded $6M from National Science Foundation to Accelerate Pace of Innovation
UNLV among select group of universities with high research output identified for potential to “unleash innovation” and create economic impact.
How smart are cats? Here’s what science says
Cats show intelligence through memory, object permanence, independent problem-solving, sensory awareness, learning, and their ability to respond to humans.
Scientists Grew Human Brain Tissue Inside Mice and It Actually Worked
The transplanted cells formed circuits, reached the spinal cord and responded to injury.
Wednesday Evening Science Trivia
Radford political science professor Chapman Rackaway talks AI fears, bipartisanship
Radford political science professor Chapman Rackaway talks AI fears, bipartisanship
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
Adora Life Science Announces the Appointment of Dr. Clinton D. Morgan as Chief Medical Officer
Adora Life Science (Adora) today announced that Dr. Clinton D. Morgan, MD, will be joining Adora as its full-time Chief Medical Officer, effective November 1, 2026. Dr. Morgan has previously been appointed to Adora's Board of Directors and has been consulting part-time on human therapeutic opportunities, mechanism of action and development strategies. Dr. Morgan will spearhead Adora's human clinical development, regulatory strategy, and the company's scientific and research network.
Most Humans Can See 10 Million Colors. Cal Scientists Found One More.
We talk to Austin Roorda and Ren Ng, the scientists behind the color science, and Galchen.
Radford political science professor Chapman Rackaway talks AI fears, bipartisanship
DMU opens applications for Iowa’s first Doctor of Medical Science program
Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences has opened applications for a new Doctor of Medical Science program, which the university says is the first of its kind in Iowa. The fully online, 30-credit program is designed for physician associates/assistants seeking to advance into clinical leadership, education or research roles. The cohort-based program consists of…
DMU opens applications for Iowa’s first Doctor of Medical Science program
Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences has opened applications for a new Doctor of Medical Science program, which the university says is the first of its kind in Iowa. The fully online, 30-credit program is designed for physician associates/assistants seeking to advance into clinical leadership, education or research roles. The cohort-based program consists of…
The Science of Reading Has an Implementation Problem. Could Engineering Help?
Researchers suggest that an "engineering of reading" could better translate evidence into practice.
AMS Science Preview: High-Res Global Forecasting, Tornado Emergencies
Recent research in AMS journals spotlights tornado emergencies, kilometer-scale global weather forecasting, a new normal for polar sea ice, links between Tibetan snow cover and intense tropical…
Microserve Ranks No. 4 Among B.C.'s Top Grossing Science and Technology Companies
Microserve is proud to be ranked No. 4 among British Columbia's top revenue producing science and technology companies in BCBusiness magazine's 2026 Top 100 rankings.
The Science Behind TIL Therapy and Its Potential Impact on Cancer Treatment - City of Hope
The Science Behind TIL Therapy and Its Potential Impact on Cancer Treatment - City of Hope / Alexandra E. Rojek, cancer, City of Hope, Cristina O’Donoghue,
Ancient rivers on Mars take center stage at UT Austin’s Hot Science
What Does the Science of Climate Change Really Look Like?
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a three-part series on how the Right should think about environmental and climate policy. Read Chris Barnard on Reclaiming Environmental Policy from the Left. More than a decade ago, the world’s governments negotiated and signed the Paris Climate Agreement, committing to hold global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius. In the following years, climate had immense cultural power. Greta Thunberg emerged. Fortune 500 companies established net-zero plans. The U.S. got the Inflation Reduction Act. Then the pendulum swung back. President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office, speaking of green energy as a “scam” and carbon footprints as a “hoax” and on all matters of international policy emphasizing bilateral engagement and power over globalism and cooperation. The technology companies that had been at the forefront of net-zero pledges and green leadership discovered the importance of all-of-the-above power to their visions for artificial intelligence and began quietly postponing or removing their targets. On the left side of the political spectrum, rising concerns about inflation and cost pushed climate lower down in the stated priorities of voters and stump speeches of politicians. The moment is ripe for a reset on the politics of climate change and for conservatives especially to chart a course that acknowledges and addresses the real challenges in plausible ways. So what should we think about climate change as we enter a post-peak climate era? If it is neither an apocalypse nor a hoax, what will hold up as a durable view of climate change? And how does it project onto the concerns and priorities of the right-of-center’s emerging coalition? New to Commonplace_? Subscribe below to get the magazine in your inbox._ Subscribe A Solid Foundation As the politics and economics of climate careened over the past ten years, the physics carried on regardless. In 2015, the year the Paris Climate Agreement was adopted, the world emitted 41.2 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. By 2025, emissions had risen only 2.4%, to 42.2 gigatonnes, because falling emissions from land use offset increasing emissions from fossil fuels. But slow growth in annual emissions is not rapid decline, let alone net-zero, so carbon dioxide kept accumulating in the atmosphere, going from 399 to 426 parts per million. Global temperature kept rising too, from about 1.1 degrees Celsius above the 1850–1900 average in 2015, to 1.4 degrees above it in 2025. None of this should surprise anyone. Even most prominent skeptics, like the authors of the 2025 report commissioned by the Trump administration’s Department of Energy, accept the basic physics. Carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere at industrial volumes accumulates and traps heat that would otherwise escape to space. That heat warms the upper ocean and increases temperatures at the surface. Increased ocean heat and melting of land ice cause sea levels to rise. Changes in the climate become noticeable to us as subtle shifts in temperature and precipitation, seasons arriving early or late, changes in the surrounding ecosystem, and weather extremes. The much more meaningful debate is not about whether these things are happening, but about what it all means for human societies. (While it is a proxy measure of overall risk, no one experiences global surface temperature.) This debate invokes at least three interesting questions: how much today’s warming is showing up in regional climate trends, how much more warming we should anticipate, and how extreme weather events can be understood in the context of climate change. Recent scientific advances give us new insights into each of these, but there is still much to learn. This is the context in which the next generation of conservative leaders will be the first to deal with significant climate change as a fact, not a forecast. It will be with them for their entire careers. Our evolving scientific picture of climate change will come from weather and climate records stretching further into the past, new kinds of observations in the present, better modeling tools for the future, and simply more time to observe the emergence of climate signals and their tangible effects on ecosystems and communities in the United States and around the world. The policy landscape will be shaped by not only the impacts of changes in the climate, but also by the ways in which societies respond and by the emergence of new technologies for both altering the trajectory of emissions and adapting to new climate realities. Global climate records now show the fingerprints of warming in different phenomena around much of the world. The IPCC, in its most recent assessment report, documents warming trends over all land regions, even as natural variability adds substantial variance to local trends. And the highest temperature extremes have become more intense and frequent, almost everywhere, since the 1950s. Scientists are highly confident that these changes are attributable to human influence. But confidence in detecting trends and attributing them to human influence degrades across heavy precipitation events; drought trends are heterogeneous and not attributable to human activity with great confidence. For hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe storms there is even less confidence in trends or their relationship to climate change. In general, a fair summary of the evidence is that for well-observed phenomena, like surface temperature or heavy rainfall, with a clear relationship to warming, our multidecadal observations are consistent with human influence overcoming natural variability over long time periods and extremes increasing. For regions that are sampled more sparsely, or phenomena with a higher noise-to-signal ratio, we will need to observe them longer to understand the magnitude of the climate signal or improve dynamical understanding using models and observations together. But for Climate For those who can’t wait, we also have new techniques that attempt to understand the role climate change has in influencing particular extreme events. When the climate is changing and disaster strikes, it is natural to ask whether that disaster was somehow “caused” by climate change. For scientists and policymakers acting in good faith, answering that question helps develop a more accurate picture of the problem, how it may be getting worse, and what preparations we should be making to respond to it. It may, at some point, give some weight to how liability is assigned by courts or adaptation funding is distributed by society. But how we ask this question is extremely important. It is easy to get the analysis wrong by discounting the role that meteorology plays. As meteorologist Theodore Shepherd explained in a clear 2016 review of climate attribution methods, “if a weather or climate event is truly extreme in the present climate, then perforce it requires unusual meteorological conditions, which means that climate change is at most a contributing factor.” Share Scientists have two ways to probe climate as a contributing factor, both of which have entered media coverage of extreme weather events. One asks a probabilistic question: How much more likely is a particular event (e.g., a temperature record over a particular area) amid global warming? The answer involves using historical records and computer simulations to estimate the likelihood of such an event in both a changed and a preindustrial climate. The findings are less about the specific event, and more about events of that nature. The other question is: How has the changed climate affected the specific event in question? Here, scientists try to understand what a similar event would have looked like in the preindustrial climate. This is sometimes called the storyline approach, where the story is the specific meteorological details of the event. These methods offer ways to test the intuition of scientists about real weather extremes. In late June and early July of 2021, a persistent high-pressure ridge, or heat dome, set up over the Pacific Northwest and an extraordinary heat wave affected the area from Oregon to British Columbia. For six days, it shattered temperature records across the region and hundreds died from heat-related causes, in an area where such high, and persistently high, temperatures were well outside of experience and many live without air conditioning. Scientists have studied its connection to climate change using multiple approaches. This specific event was created by a rare combination of meteorological factors, a strong high-pressure ridge created the conditions for extreme heat, which occurred on top of higher average temperatures in the region from global warming. Probabilistic analyses showed that climate change increased the likelihood of such an event by at least 8-fold to more than 100-fold. One standout example found that such an event had effectively zero probability of occurring in the preindustrial climate. The enormous range in these assessments reflects how hard it is to estimate probabilities of events at the tail of the historical record. Estimates of the effect on the temperature of the event are more clustered. A recent review paper documents how multiple methodologies have found a positive influence, roughly 1-2 degrees Celsius of an anomaly that exceeded 15 degrees, of climate change on the temperature magnitude of the event. Multiple studies have investigated and found some positive influence of climate change in other extreme events. Attribution studies found climate likely increased the heavy rainfall that accompanied Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and surrounding regions in 2024. The extensive fires that struck Los Angeles in 2025 illustrate how the causal chain can become messy, though. Studies do detect a positive influence of climate on the event’s likelihood, but while climate change likely contributed to underlying aridity, it would not have played a role in the heavy winds or land practices that preceded disaster. These event attribution studies will become more common for extreme, or damaging, weather events. They can be produced quickly, and often are reported before peer review. As the Pacific Northwest heatwave example shows, when multiple methods converge on a positive attribution, the finding should probably carry some weight even if you have to be careful about accepting the results from a single study. I expect that as climate change proceeds and the climate thus departs further from a preindustrial counterfactual, the influence will become more detectable across a variety of extreme events and more easily identified. This will be used to cast blame, but can also be used to inform how communities and society adapt to ongoing change. We May Still Be Surprised One positive development, insofar as less climate change is better, has been that our central estimates for future climate change should probably be revised downward. Mostly, that is because the high-end warmings that scientists regularly analyzed about ten to 20 years ago, driven by high emissions throughout the twenty-first century, now appear to be somewhere between unlikely and impossible. At one time, the upper end of mainstream climate projections extended well into 4 to 6 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of this century, which, models suggest, would have wrought enormous real-world damage. Current energy and policy trends now point toward 2.5 or 3 degrees. Damages and risks are commonly modeled as increasing steeply with more warming, so this is already a better-than-previously-expected outcome for the climate (which is independent of the physical response to emissions). But we should maintain a wide range for plausible outcomes and prepare for the possibility of being surprised. Emissions trajectories are subject to deep uncertainty, the physical climate response is still developing, and whatever change occurs in the climate will then be mediated through unpredictable economic, social, and political institutions. Over the past decade, the pace of warming surprised some keen observers and appeared to accelerate, though not yet outside the range of expectation provided by climate models. The reasons for that apparent acceleration are being actively studied (as was the apparent pause in warming from 1998 to 2012), but no single driver has emerged. Some blame it on the El Niño, variability which would have no bearing on climate. Some think it is a result of factories in East Asia and global shipping fleets cutting aerosol emissions, which in the strongest version of the argument would indicate higher climate sensitivity to carbon-dioxide emissions. Others are more measured, not yet ready to draw solid conclusions as to whether climate projections require revision. We will have to see. Long-Term Thinking Climate change asks us to think over long time scales. But the pace of human-driven warming is compressing a large global change into a century. Changing weather patterns and extreme events are already causing adjustment costs and damages and will do more. Adaptation will help, but it is not free. For some communities, these costs will erode livelihoods and well-being, and may force migration. Are we prepared for large-scale managed retreats in the United States? Thankfully, American wealth, geographical diversity, and moderate climates may leave us better prepared than many around the world. But wealthy countries can still suffer serious disruption from narrowly concentrated costs, even if they appear entirely manageable in aggregate. Readers of Commonplace are familiar with the challenges of rapidly adapting to economic forces. The displacement that came from the China Shock is barely perceptible in aggregate GDP and employment data, but it affected millions of people and those people were far less mobile than economic models tended to assume. Deindustrialization rippled through the nation with enormous effects for not only our economic vitality, but also our national security. The forces surrounding climate change may not be so different; the world gets richer and must accept some diffuse costs. Those may be modest overall, but cause all manner of unpredictable effects with which policymakers must cope. In the case of the China Shock, our faith in a growing pie served us poorly. We’ll need to do better on climate. Leave a comment
‘Facts, science, evidence’: Commissioners OK data center health impact study
Lackawanna County commissioners awarded a contract Wednesday for a data center health impact study and could have the final report in hand by Christmas.
Rep. Houchin's Science of Reading Act passes House
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – A bill authored by Rep. Erin Houchin (R-District 9) passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Press Release: John Mannion Bill to Promote Science of Reading Passes House
Bipartisan House-passed bill promotes evidence-based literacy instruction to improve reading outcomes in schools.Quiver AI SummaryHouse passes reading bill: Representative John W. Mannion said the U.S. House passed his “Science of Reading Act of 2026” with bipartisan support. The bill is described as aiming to improve reading outcomes in elementary and secondary schools by promoting evidence-based literacy instruction.What the legislation would d
IU Computer Science professor discusses the future of AI
Students spotlight animal science program at Jefferson County JVS board meeting
BLOOMINGDALE, OH (WTRF) – Students in the animal science management program and FFA at Jefferson County Joint Vocational School addressed the school board during the Sept. 15 session, giving …
A health-and-wellness company begins trading on a different public market Sept. 17
OTCQB companies undergo annual verification and management certification; Earth Science Tech combines pharmacy operations, telemedicine and direct fulfillment.
Earth Science Tech, Inc. Uplists to OTCQB Venture Market
MIAMI, FL, Sept. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTC: ETST) ("Earth Science Tech" or the "Company"), operating as a holding company with a diversified highly accountable portfolio of distinct entities, today announced its successful uplisting to the OTCQB Venture Market (the "OTCQB") effective for trading September 17, 2026. The OTCQB is a premier, established public market for entrepreneurial and growth-stage companies. To qualify for quotation, companies must meet rigoro
Florida Climate Week returns with hands-on science in North Palm Beach
Florida Climate Week returns Oct. 5 to 11 with events like a research vessel tour to promote sustainable solutions.
Florida Climate Week returns with hands-on marine science
Florida Climate Week returns Oct. 5 to 11 with events like a research vessel tour to promote sustainable solutions.
Florida Climate Week returns with hands-on marine science
Florida Climate Week returns Oct. 5 to 11 with events like a research vessel tour to promote sustainable solutions.
High school science teacher discovers rare T. Rex tracks: 'A real pivotal moment'
Kent Hups could not contain his excitement when he came across several giant three-toed track prints that appeared to be T. Rex footprints in North Dakota.
High school science teacher discovers rare T. Rex tracks: 'A real pivotal moment'
Four footprints were found in a sequenced trackway.
University of Kentucky opens new meats and food science center in Woodford County
The center is designed to serve as a bridge between academic research and Kentucky’s livestock and food processing industries.
Mannion's Science of Reading Act passes house
Rep. John W. Mannion (NY-22) announced that his legislation, the Science of Reading Act of 2026, passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The bipartisan bill, also supported
Humans Are Now Changing How Sharks Survive—Scientists Sound the Alarm - Futura-Sciences
A worrying new trend in shark behavior This phenomenon is highlighted in the documentary Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie, available on National Geographic and Disney+. Several years ago, researchers and grassroots organizations began recording a troubling behavioral shift among sharks in the Gulf of Mexico: depredation. What does that mean?...