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Top headlines
Lead story
The past few months haven’t been easy on scientists – many have had the grants that fund their research pulled or questioned. Grant funding is what allows scientists to do their jobs, and federal agencies like the National Science Foundation are responsible for a large proportion of those grants.
When NSF panels award scientists funding, they don't just consider the research’s scientific caliber. Baked into the proposal is something called broader impacts: The scientist asking for money must describe how they’re going to share what they find with a nonscientist audience – especially the taxpayers who are ultimately footing the bill.
Broader impacts is a huge category. In today’s lead story, Bruce J. MacFadden, a paleontologist from the University of Florida, explains some of the ways he has shared his grant-funded research with the public – from creating museum exhibits to developing lesson plans for science classrooms.
Broader impacts, MacFadden writes, “can make a big difference for K-12 students and teachers, museumgoers, citizen scientists and other people interested in science, while also helping the scientists themselves give back.”
[ Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails). ]
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Mary Magnuson
Associate Science Editor
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As charismatic animals, sharks can stimulate interest in science, research and technology.
Florida Museum (Kristin Grace photo)
Bruce J. MacFadden, University of Florida
Basic research that doesn’t have a specific industrial or experimental application still adds value outside the lab by engaging people with exciting research.
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Ethics + Religion
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Maureen K. Day, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
‘Cultural Catholics’ who rarely attend Mass now make up half of the US church.
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International
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Leoni Connah, Flinders University
Kashmir is one of the most heavily militarised places in the world. In recent weeks, Kashmiris have been subjected to detentions, increased surveillance and home demolitions.
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Matt Williams, The Conversation
India and Pakistan have engaged in 4 wars since 1947. Tensions over the disputed region of Kashmir have often been the source.
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Education
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Jimmy Aguilar, University of Southern California
President Trump wants to change the higher education accreditation process by asking accreditors to root out ‘ideological bias’ and roll back DEI initiatives.
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Politics + Society
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Kevin M. Schultz, University of Illinois Chicago
Republicans have a leader, Donald Trump; a banner, MAGA; and a song, ‘God Bless the USA.’ Democrats have nothing like this.
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Peter Kastor, Washington University in St. Louis
Americans often expect former presidents to not talk about current ones. But it’s not really a surprise that several are criticizing Donald Trump.
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Richardson Dilworth, Drexel University
District attorneys do not make laws, but they have a lot of leeway to decide who gets charged and with what crimes.
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Environment + Energy
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Christopher Halsch, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Eliza Grames, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Insects are often under pressure from several threats at once, from pesticides to habitat loss to pollution.
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Health + Medicine
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Elizabeth Hintz, University of Connecticut; Marlene D. Berke, Yale University
Women who see doctors for pain from reproductive health conditions are often advised to relax and get help for anxiety instead.
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Darlingtina Esiaka, University of Kentucky
Perseverance helps people achieve goals and is linked with well-being. But combined with chronic societal stressors, it can lead to cognitive overload that puts a strain on brain health.
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Economy + Business
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Mingyi Liu, Georgia Institute of Technology
Researchers identified 5 major security pitfalls – and how to steer clear of them.
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Science + Technology
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Jingtao Zhong, University of Tennessee; Baoshan Huang, University of Tennessee
Engineers came up with a set of tests to make sure reclaimed asphalt pavement resists skidding and sliding when wet.
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