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Top headlines
Lead story
The weekend’s ice and snow storm left a mess across a large swath of the U.S., with more than 800,000 people still without power Monday morning in the South and freezing temperatures forecast to hang on into the week in many areas. Thousands of flights were canceled, and the ice damage and heavy snow that continued in the Northeast on Monday shut down schools in several states.
In our lead story, atmospheric and climate scientists Matt Barlow of UMass Lowell and Judah Cohen of Massachusetts Institute of Technology explain the science behind this huge and powerful storm, and how it got a boost from the stratospheric polar vortex.
We have been following the events in Minneapolis closely and are digging in this morning to find academics who can help put them into context. If you have any questions that you think are in need of explanation, please reply to this email and we will try to address them.
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Stacy Morford
Senior Environment, Climate and Energy Editor
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Boston and much of the U.S. faced a cold winter blast in January 2026.
Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Mathew Barlow, UMass Lowell; Judah Cohen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The atmosphere is a complicated place. Warm temperatures in one spot can contribute to brutally cold storms somewhere else.
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Environment + Energy
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Dinesh Phuyal, University of Florida
Plants need phosphorus, and other nutrients, to grow. But soil tests can’t tell if there’s too much.
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Guilherme Maricato, UFRJ; Clinton N. Jenkins, Florida International University; Maria Alice S. Alves, UERJ; Rodrigo Tardin, UFRJ
Despite Brazil’s recent expansions of protected areas, research shows that the favorite habitats of whales and dolphins are still threatened by human activities.
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Education
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Lightning Jay, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Ana L. Ros, Binghamton University, State University of New York
High school students in the US often learn about Latin America through the lens of the US, as a main character that exerts power.
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International
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Andrew Latham, Macalester College
During the Cold War, projecting a readiness to act erratically may have served a purpose. But it has diminishing returns if used too often.
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Politics + Society
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Ilia Murtazashvili, University of Pittsburgh
Voters in places like Aliquippa and Braddock aren’t becoming more radical; they’re responding to decades of disinvestment and institutional failure.
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Ethics + Religion
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Richard Balkin, University of Mississippi
Forgiveness is key to relationships – but it’s not as simple as deciding you’d like to forget and move on. A counselor breaks down misconceptions.
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Michael Blake, University of Washington
The claim that national security can justify territorial acquisition marks a sharp break from the principles the US championed after World War II.
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Science + Technology
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Ricky J. Sethi, Fitchburg State University; Worcester Polytechnic Institute
What if an AI system could recognize when it’s confused or when to think more carefully? Researchers are working to give large language models these metacognitive abilities.
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Michal Kowalewski, University of Florida; Thomas K. Frazer, University of South Florida
Seashells are the skeletons of sea creatures – and they’re older than you might think.
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Health + Medicine
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Kwesi Akonu Adom Mensah Forson, University of Virginia
After decades of stalled progress, new vaccines, treatments and genetic tools are helping scientists protect children and save lives worldwide.
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Economy + Business
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Beverly Moran, Vanderbilt University
For Americans in so-called ‘banking deserts,’ ending paper tax refund checks could be a costly move.
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Michael D. Caligiuri, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Miranda Kitterlin-Lynch, Florida International University; Phil Jolly, Penn State
Nearly three-quarters of tourism professors are white, a recent analysis found, and nearly half are white men.
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