I’m a physician who has looked at hundreds of studies of vaccine safety, and here’s some of what RFK Jr. gets wrong

The health secretary has made many inaccurate statements about vaccines. But the science is clear that vaccines have dramatically reduced childhood illness, disability and death.

Jake Scott, Clinical Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University • conversation
June 26, 2025 ~10 min

Game theory explains why reasonable parents make vaccine choices that fuel outbreaks

Vaccine hesitancy isn’t a moral failure – it’s a property of a system in which people must balance personal and collective interests.

Avi Dor, Professor of Health Policy and Management, George Washington University • conversation
June 5, 2025 ~10 min


Weaponized storytelling: How AI is helping researchers sniff out disinformation campaigns

Disinformation campaigns are using AI to tell false but compelling stories. AI tools are also helping counter the campaigns by detecting incongruities in usernames, cultural references and timelines.

Azwad Anjum Islam, Ph.D. Student in Computing and Information Sciences, Florida International University • conversation
May 29, 2025 ~10 min

What is AI slop? Why you are seeing more fake photos and videos in your social media feeds

Cheap, low-quality AI-generated content is still extremely attention-grabbing – and thus lucrative for both creators and platforms.

Yara Kyrychenko, PhD Candidate, Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab, University of Cambridge • conversation
May 28, 2025 ~10 min

Why we fall for fake health information – and how it spreads faster than facts

If the health content you see on social media sounds too good to be true, it’s very likely false – but there are ways to check it out before sharing.

Angshuman K. Kashyap, PhD candidate in Health Communication, University of Maryland • conversation
May 16, 2025 ~10 min

Memes and conflict: Study shows surge of imagery and fakes can precede international and political violence

Visual content, including manipulated images, is a staple of propaganda and political messaging. AI analysis shows that a surge of these memes can precede the outbreak of wide-scale violence.

Ernesto Verdeja, Associate Professor of Peace Studies and Global Politics, University of Notre Dame • conversation
April 24, 2025 ~7 min

Some politicians who share harmful information are rewarded with more clicks, study finds

A study of US state legislators found that posting misinformation online was a winning strategy for boosting a politician’s visibility – but not for Democrats.

Yu-Ru Lin, Associate Professor of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
April 22, 2025 ~6 min

Why deregulating online platforms is actually bad for free speech

At first glance it might seem contradictory that restricting some speech can preserve free speech, but research shows that online content moderation protects the marketplace of ideas.

Michael Gregory, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Clemson University • conversation
April 17, 2025 ~7 min


How to find climate data and science the Trump administration removed from government websites

Several groups are working to preserve webpages, tools and data – some of which have already gone missing from government webpages since the start of the Trump administration.

Alejandro Paz, Energy and Environment Librarian, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) • conversation
Feb. 14, 2025 ~10 min

How to find climate data and science the Trump administration doesn’t want you to see

Several groups are working to preserve webpages, tools and data – some of which have already gone missing from government webpages since the start of the Trump administration.

Alejandro Paz, Energy and Environment Librarian, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) • conversation
Feb. 14, 2025 ~10 min

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