OpinionMarch 14, 2024
Math Can’t Solve Gerrymandering
Researchers use powerful geometrical methods to try fixing unfair districts. That alone isn’t enough; we need to fight the values behind gerrymandering
Stories by Matthew R. Francis
Matthew R. Francis is a science writer, journalist, physicist, and frequent wearer of dapper hats. A former college professor who also directed a planetarium, he has written about everything from cosmology to mathematical biology to social justice issues in science.
OpinionJune 26, 2023
Musk and Bezos Offer Humanity a Grim Future in Space Colonies
Privately owned space colonies are more likely to be totalitarian nightmares than libertarian utopias
OpinionJuly 20, 2022
Police Who Tear-Gas Abortion-Rights Protesters Could Induce Abortion
Tear gas is widely used by law enforcement, even though it may cause spontaneous abortion
Space & PhysicsJanuary 26, 2015
Weird X-Rays Spur Speculation about Dark Matter Detection
Scientists must now decide whether the anomalous signal is truly exotic or has a more mundane provenance