By Edward D. Melillo, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Amherst College
Federal prosecutors recently described an interstate criminal enterprise with all the trappings of organized crime: clandestine warehouses, money laundering and stolen goods transported across state lines. The mid-September 2026 announcement stated that 19 defendants faced charges; two had just pleaded guilty, while the remainder are slated for trial in April 2027.
The stolen material was not drugs, guns or jewels. It was leftover cooking…
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By Brian Tang, Professor of Atmospheric Science, University at Albany, State University of New York
Several factors make for high water levels, and they conspired to worsen the storm surge that flooded coastal areas from North Carolina to New York.
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By Stefani Langehennig, Assistant Professor of Practice, University of Denver
Most states require warnings on AI-generated political ads, but studies show these disclosures do little to alter people’s willingness to share the content. Most states have legislated election deepfakes by requiring a warning 28 states require disclosures on the media
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By Yucheng Lin, Assistant Professor of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong
Robert Kopp, Professor of Earth Sciences, Rutgers University
The Antarctic ice sheet’s future depends how a chain of events plays out. A new study finds the evidence points in one direction.
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By Gudani Goodman Mukoma, Lecturer, University of Venda
Biokineticists can help identify NCD risk in rural communities, but gaps in referral pathways and public healthcare integration may limit access to follow-up care.
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By Saheed Babajide Owonikoko, Researcher, Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Modibbo Adama University of Technology
Concentrating security in volatile areas may not be the solution, as terrorist groups will always take advantage of vulnerable areas.
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By Busani Ngcaweni, Director: Center for Public Policy and African Studies, University of Johannesburg
South Africa has been on a decades-long journey of reforming its public service. But serious problems persist.
In September 2026 the urgency for change was again underscored during the Madlanga Commission of inquiry into corruption in the police and security forces. In his testimony, the chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Somadoda Fikeni, lamented the state of governance and accountability.…
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By Jean-Pierre Darnis, Full professor at the University of Côte d’Azur, director of the master’s programme in “France-Italy Relations”. Associate fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS, Paris) and adjunct professor at LUISS University (Rome), Université Côte d’Azur
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Pope Leo XIV’s views on international politics set out a vision that rejects the logic of power and imperialism in favour of diplomacy, the rule of law and multilateral institutions.
Europe occupies a central place in this vision: the Pope sees the European Union as a project that transcends national rivalries.
During his visit to France, he combined a celebration of the nation’s Christian heritage with a condemnation of nationalism, while emphasising…
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By Iñaki Echeverría Huarte, Assistant Professor, Universidad de Navarra
Angel Garcimartín Montero, Catedrático de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Navarra
Iker Zuriguel Ballaz, Professor of Applied Physics, Universidad de Navarra
This story began, like so many in the history of science, with something we were not looking for.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we were studying a practical question: how do people move around in an enclosed space when you ask them to keep apart from one another? Watching the footage time after time, we noticed something odd: almost every participant walked in loops that turned in the same direction, always anticlockwise. Stranger still, none of them seemed to have noticed they were doing it.
That…
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By Catherine Unsworth, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Chemistry, University of Liverpool
Steve Rannard, Professor of Chemistry and co-Director of the Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics, University of Liverpool
Long-acting treatments could reduce missed doses and ease the burden of taking medicines every day, while giving patients more choice.
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