Unprecedented cuts to the National Science Foundation endanger research that improves economic growth, national security and your life

The Trump administrations has canceled more than 1,400 federal grants that support engineering, biology, geology, computer science, STEM education and much more.

Paul Bierman, Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Vermont • conversation
May 15, 2025 ~10 min

DEI initiatives removed from federal agencies that fund science, but scientific research continues

Trump’s DEI-related executive orders may affect early career scientists and researchers who study representation in science, but most research grants are unaffected.

Filomena Nunes, Professor of Physics, Michigan State University • conversation
March 10, 2025 ~9 min


Do aliens exist? We studied what scientists really think

Only 10.2% of astrobiologists disagree with the claim that intelligent aliens likely exist.

Sean McMahon, Reader in Astrobiology, University of Edinburgh • conversation
Jan. 14, 2025 ~8 min

The chickadee in the snowbank: A 'canary in the coal mine' for climate change in the Sierra Nevada mountains

These tiny songbirds have extraordinary memories for the tens of thousands of spots where they hide food. But that doesn’t help when heavy snow blocks their access.

Benjamin Sonnenberg, Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno • conversation
Jan. 4, 2024 ~10 min

Intellectual humility is a key ingredient for scientific progress

An intellectually humble person may have strong commitments to various beliefs − but balanced with an openness to the likelihood that others, too, may have valuable insights, ideas and evidence.

Michael Dickson, Professor of Philosophy, University of South Carolina • conversation
Dec. 6, 2023 ~10 min

Tenacious curiosity in the lab can lead to a Nobel Prize – mRNA research exemplifies the unpredictable value of basic scientific research

The winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine made a discovery that helped create the COVID-19 vaccines. They couldn’t have anticipated the tremendous impact of their findings.

André O. Hudson, Dean of the College of Science, Professor of Biochemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology • conversation
Oct. 3, 2023 ~9 min

Scientists understood physics of climate change in the 1800s – thanks to a woman named Eunice Foote

The results of Foote's simple experiments were confirmed through hundreds of tests by scientists in the US and Europe. It happened more than a century ago.

Sylvia G. Dee, Assistant Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Rice University • conversation
July 22, 2021 ~8 min

From permafrost microbes to survivor songbirds – research projects are also victims of COVID-19 pandemic

Three scientists describe the fieldwork they've had to delay in 2020 because of the pandemic. These are setbacks not just for their careers, but for the body of scientific knowledge.

Miriah Kelly, Assistant Professor of Environment, Geography & Marine Sciences, Southern Connecticut State University • conversation
Dec. 7, 2020 ~10 min


The mystery of the missing portrait of Robert Hooke, 17th-century scientist extraordinaire

Online sleuthing and deductive reasoning identifies what appears to be the only existent portrait painted of the celebrated scientist during his lifetime.

Larry Griffing, Associate Professor of Biology, Texas A&M University • conversation
July 27, 2020 ~10 min

Science elicits hope in Americans – its positive brand doesn't need to be partisan

When you ask Americans what the word 'science' brings to mind, a majority respond 'hope.' Using this built-in brand can help communicate important science messages.

Todd Newman, Assistant Professor of Life Sciences Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison • conversation
July 23, 2020 ~8 min

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