What damage did the US do to Iran’s nuclear program? Why it’s so hard to know

A scholar of intelligence and strategy explains why battle damage assessments are so challenging – and why the process has become politicized.

Joshua Rovner, Associate Professor of International Relations, American University • conversation
July 2, 2025 ~10 min

AI might now be as good as humans at detecting emotion, political leaning and sarcasm in online conversations

AI could save people time when analysing text for its meaning.

Ana Jovančević, Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick • conversation
July 2, 2025 ~6 min


Could electric brain stimulation lead to better maths skills?

A new study shows painless brain stimulation technique may improve people’s ability to learn maths skills.

Roi Cohen Kadosh, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Surrey • conversation
July 1, 2025 ~7 min

The hidden cost of convenience: How your data pulls in hundreds of billions of dollars for app and social media companies

Many of the apps and social media platforms you use every day may not charge you money, but often there is a price to pay – your privacy.

Jack West, PhD Student in Computer Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison • conversation
July 1, 2025 ~13 min

Why the US bombed a bunch of metal tubes − a nuclear engineer explains the importance of centrifuges to Iranian efforts to build nuclear weapons

Iran has a long history of enriching uranium in an effort to develop nuclear weapons. It’s not clear how far the US attack set back Iran’s production of bomb-grade uranium.

Anna Erickson, Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology • conversation
July 1, 2025 ~8 min

Supreme Court upholds childproofing porn sites

Kids face risks online, but whether and how the law can protect them is a thorny issue. The Supreme Court weighed in to say states can try with age-gating – essentially requiring ID at the online door.

Meg Leta Jones, Associate Professor of Technology Law & Policy, Georgetown University • conversation
June 27, 2025 ~8 min

Cyberattacks shake voters’ trust in elections, regardless of party

A study found that viewing news of a cyberattack lowered voter trust in election integrity – even when the voter’s candidate won and even if the attack wasn’t on voting systems.

Bruce Schneier, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School • conversation
June 27, 2025 ~9 min

Using TikTok could be making you more politically polarized, new study finds

Users on TikTok gravitate to networks of like-minded people, but right-leaning users tend to be in more tightly sealed echo chambers.

Zicheng Cheng, Assistant Professor of Mass Communications, University of Arizona • conversation
June 26, 2025 ~5 min


Blocking exports and raising tariffs is a bad defense against industrial cyber espionage, study shows

Supply-chain decoupling doesn’t stop rival nations from hacking each other and can make it worse. A cyber-espionage expert explains what does work.

William Akoto, Assistant Professor of Global Security, American University • conversation
June 25, 2025 ~7 min

Here’s why the public needs to challenge the ‘good AI’ myth pushed by tech companies

Big tech companies often push a positive view of AI.

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Professor in Global Thought and Comparative Philosophies, Director of Centre for AI Futures, SOAS, University of London • conversation
June 23, 2025 ~5 min

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