By Filippo Annunziata, Professor of Financial Markets and Banking Legislation, Department of Legal Studies, Bocconi University
Regular stock exchange observers will know all about prediction markets. Users buy and sell contracts that pay a fixed sum if a specified event occurs – a sports team wins a match, a candidate is elected.
The price at which such a contract trades represents the collective estimate of the probability of the event. It resembles a bet in function and a derivative in form. Whether the law classifies it as the one or the other has consequences that extend well beyond the circle of specialists. Lawmakers and courts…
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By John Aitken, Associate, Senior Research Fellow, RAND Europe, RAND Europe
The conflict between Iran and the US appears to have reached a stalemate. The US navy continues to prevent Iranian vessels or others transiting to or from Iranian ports. Iran, meanwhile, threatens shipping moving in or out of the Persian Gulf region via the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has also recently said it will establish a new “restricted zone” stretching into the Gulf from the Strait of Hormuz – although details remain sketchy.
Less frequently discussed is the network of undersea cables…
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By J. Christian Spielvogel, Teaching Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences, Penn State
Trump has approached governing through the same framework as his former business portfolio, where he casts the US as a flagship holding whose value he was elected to increase.
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By Jeongmin Park, PhD Candidate in Health and Human Development, Penn State
Alexis R. Santos, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Demography and Public Policy, Penn State
South Korea’s unusually rapid transition to a super-aged society means it has had little time to find solutions for pension funding and healthcare for the elderly.
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By Andrés Henao, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease, University of Colorado Anschutz
The Tampa Bay Times reported the death of an elderly woman on Sept. 8, 2026. Her family says local doctors attributed her death to dengue fever, although the Florida Department of Health has not yet confirmed that.
This death was likely part of a larger…
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By Bruce Lewenstein, Professor of Science Communication, Cornell University
Chris Mooney, Professor of Practice and Julia G. and Alfred G. Hill Chair of Excellence in Science, Technology, and Medical Writing, University of Tennessee
While science journalism layoffs pile up and publications shutter, more science communication than ever is available via other online venues.
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By Peter J. Marshall, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University
In tests, some AI systems resisted being shut down. But an instinct to stay “alive” isn’t the reason they behaved that way.
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By Matthew J. Mayhew, Professor of Higher Education, The Ohio State University
Courtney DeRoche, Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Educational Studies, The Ohio State University
Yun-Han Weng, Postdoctoral Researcher, The Ohio State University
College students are facing one of the most precarious labor markets in years. A recent New York Federal Reserve study pointed to a sharp increase in the post-college unemployed compared with other workers, with explanations ranging from artificial intelligence job displacement to a broader slowdown in hiring.
One response…
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By Bernadette A. Lear, Education, Behavioral Sciences, and Social Sciences Librarian, Penn State
As a librarian who researches and writes about library history in Pennsylvania, I was delighted to see the American Library Association’s efforts to celebrate its 150th anniversary this year, while making several mentions of Pennsylvania.
The ALA highlighted its 1876 founding in Philadelphia; how Pittsburgh philanthropist…
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By Osea Giuntella, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Pittsburgh
Sally Sadoff, Professor of Economics and Strategy, University of California, San Diego
Silvia Saccardo, Associate Professor of Social and Decision Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University
Universities and colleges won’t necessarily pay students to sleep. But they can offer other incentives that encourage them to close their eyes earlier.
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