Firearm Forensics Has Proven Reliable in the Courtroom. And in the Lab
Despite criticism, a slate of new scientific studies show that forensic firearms analysis is a reliable scientific discipline that the criminal justice system should trust
Net-Zero Emissions Would Save 32,000 Lives and $1 Trillion in the U.S. Alone
The U.S. will see “fewer emergency room visits, fewer asthma attacks” and will save money if it cuts carbon emissions, a new Union of Concerned Scientists analysis says
How Did Nuclear Weapons Get on My Reservation?
A member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation digs into a decades-long mystery: how 15 intercontinental ballistic missiles came to be siloed on her ancestral lands.
We Need Product Safety Regulations for Social Media
As social media more frequently exposes people to brutality and untruths, we need to treat it like a consumer product, and that means product safety regulations
State Election Results Bring Clean Energy Consequences
The outcomes of state elections this week may mean more natural gas plants in Texas, greater use of climate law funds in Kentucky and the continuation of the status quo in Maine and Mississippi
Our Evolutionary Past Can Teach Us about AI’s Future
Evolutionary biology offers warnings, and tips, for surviving the advent of artificial intelligence
AI Needs Rules, but Who Will Get to Make Them?
Skirmishes at the U.K.’s AI Safety Summit expose tensions over how to regulate AI technology
Protecting Plants and Animals at Risk Must Start before They Need the Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act is an emergency measure turning 50 this year. Focusing on ecosystem preservation can keep us from ever needing it
Biden’s Executive Order on AI Is a Good Start, Experts Say, but Not Enough
A new executive order signed this week sets the stage for federal AI standards and requirements and moves beyond previous voluntary agreements with AI companies
Experts Urge Dramatic Shift on Flood Insurance
Millions more people in the U.S. may be required to buy flood insurance based on the recommendation of an expert panel at a time when climate-driven floods are becoming increasingly common
Police Blame ‘Excited Delirium’ for Deaths in Custody, but It’s Not a Real Medical Condition, Experts Say
Doctors want to ban the term “excited delirium,” which has been cited as a possible factor in high-profile police killings of George Floyd and others but is not a recognized medical diagnosis
FEMA Offers Every State $2 Million to Adopt Safer Building Codes
First-of-its-kind FEMA funding aims to update archaic building codes that leave millions of people exposed to climate-fueled hurricanes, floods and other extreme weather