Opinion

A Saskatchewan farmer’s near miss with potentially lethal debris falling from orbit highlights the skyrocketing risks and murky politics of space junk

A case about Atlantic herring has resulted in SCOTUS ending a 40-year policy to defer to expert agencies when considering regulations. The effects will likely be felt far beyond fishing

The Supreme Court majority’s recent decisions about homelessness, public health and regulatory power, among others, undermine the role of evidence, expertise and honesty in American democracy

Drug policy continues to fixate on symptoms rather than the actual disease

I watched United Nations delegates debate AI-based weapons that can fire without human initiation. Humans cannot be taken out of that decision-making

While most Americans enjoy access to marijuana, barriers to research and knowledge expansion persist—with dangerous consequences. Unlimited research access is needed

The rise in infant mortality in Texas shows that in states with strict abortion bans, forcing people to carry nonviable pregnancies to term codifies cruelty and unnecessary pain

Despite great progress, we lack even the beginning of an explanation of how the brain produces our inner world of colors, sounds, smells and tastes. A thought experiment with “pain-pleasure” zombies illustrates that the mystery is deeper than we thought

Heat waves are costly and kill more people each year than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined, but because FEMA doesn’t count them as disasters, communities miss out on important resources

Vaccines are a cornerstone of a healthy immune system—and a healthy life

The withdrawal after 22 years of a controversial stem cell paper highlights how perverse incentives can distort scientific progress

False cures and dangerous misinformation, from the misguided to the exploitative, surround cancer patients, with the capacity to do serious harm