SCIENCE

Apr 08 2026EDUCATION

Connecting Local Schools to Global Science with a Local Teacher’s Big Opportunity

A science teacher from Ottawa, Illinois, will spend part of his summer rubbing shoulders with some of the brightest minds in physics. Dan Fitzpatrick, who teaches at St. Bede Academy, has earned a spot in an elite program run by CERN, the famous research center in Switzerland. Out of thousands of ap

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Apr 07 2026SCIENCE

Bridging Two Brain Mysteries: Autism Meets Alzheimer’s

Scientists are starting to see a surprising link between autism, usually thought of as a childhood condition, and Alzheimer’s, a disease that shows up in old age. At first glance the two seem unrelated: one is about early brain wiring, the other about later brain decay. But new studies suggest

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Apr 07 2026POLITICS

NASA’s science budget faces another big cut—what’s really at stake?

For the second year in a row, a new budget plan suggests slashing NASA’s science spending by nearly half. If passed, missions studying planets, stars, and Earth’s climate could be delayed or scrapped entirely. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch soon, and missions to Titan and near-

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Apr 07 2026SCIENCE

Sweet Potatoes Change Color When Stressed - Here's How

Sweet potatoes aren’t just orange or white anymore. Purple varieties pack a powerful antioxidant punch thanks to anthocyanins, the pigments that give blueberries and red cabbage their deep colors. But when these plants don’t get enough phosphorus—a key nutrient—they change how they make these health

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Apr 07 2026SCIENCE

How word order changes our understanding of sentence structure

Scientists once believed that repeating words in a sentence could help the brain remember sentence patterns. This idea came from tests where the main action word (like a verb) was repeated, making it easier to recall the sentence structure. Repeating other words in a sentence didn’t seem to help as

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Apr 06 2026SPORTS

New Rules for Women's Sports Spark Big Debate

The International Olympic Committee recently introduced a controversial rule about who can compete in women's sports. Their new policy says only people born female can join female competitions, confirmed by a one-time gene test. This came after experts pointed out that some athletes with male biolog

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Apr 05 2026ENTERTAINMENT

Science in Sci-Fi: Where Project Hail Mary Hits and Misses

"Project Hail Mary" tries to mix space science with fiction, but not all of it sticks. The story blames a space mold called astrophase for draining sunlight and freezing Earth. Real scientists laugh at that idea—stars are way too big for tiny life forms to affect their energy. Still, the film gets s

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Apr 05 2026POLITICS

Why U. S. scientists pick Europe over a country that cuts science funds

Wali Malik wasn’t planning to leave the U. S. He lived near Boston with his wife and three kids, close to his parents in Washington. Then came the money cuts. Federal grants dried up. Friends in labs started getting pink slips. Research teams shrank. One day the phone rang – a job offer from a brand

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Apr 05 2026WEATHER

How weather forecasts get it right while climate models struggle

Predicting tomorrow’s rain or sun has gotten shockingly accurate lately. Weather apps now get it right most days, giving us reliable warnings for storms or heatwaves days ahead. But when it comes to longer-term climate predictions—like how hot it’ll be in 50 years—the best supercomputers still can’t

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Apr 04 2026ENTERTAINMENT

A Quick Look at the Science in “Project Hail Mary”

The story opens with a scientist named Ryland Grace who is sent on a one‑way trip across the galaxy to save Earth from an alien threat. Some viewers think the film is just a fun adventure, but others argue that it mixes real science with fantasy. Because the book was written by Andy Weir, a write

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