PandemicsGlobal COVID Rise Continues; 50 Nations Report B117 Variant By Lisa Schnirring Published 14 January 2021 In its weekly snapshot of global COVID-19 trends, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that after lower reporting over the 2-week holiday period, cases and deaths are on the rise again in all but one of its regions

Our picksNext Animal-to-Human Pandemic | Telegram Purges Extremist Content | Tackle Domestic Disinformation, and more Published 14 January 2021 ·  F.B.I. Urges Police Chiefs Across U.S. to Be on High Alert for Threats ·  Fueled by the U.S. Capitol Siege, Violent Extremists with ‘Political Grievances’ Will Likely Pose the ‘Greatest Domestic Terrorism Threats in 2021,’ Intelligence

Climate challengesA Climate in Crisis Calls for Investment in Direct Air Capture Published 14 January 2021 There is a growing consensus among scientists as well as national and local governments representing hundreds of millions of people, that humanity faces a climate crisis that demands a crisis response. New research explores one possible mode of response:

Democracy watchU.S. Prosecutors Expect to Charge Hundreds of Capitol Rioters By Masood Farivar Published 13 January 2021 U.S. prosecutors say they have identified more than 170 people for potential criminal charges in connection with the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol and that they expect that number to run into the hundreds in the

Democracy watchIs Impeaching President Trump “Pointless Revenge”? Not If It Sends a Message to Future Presidents By Michael Blake Published 13 January 2021 If Congress chooses to impeach President Trump, it is because there is a need to mark out, through a definitive statement, what no president ought to do. It will also set the

Armed conflictAn Avalanche of Violence: Revealing Predictable Patterns in Armed Conflicts Published 13 January 2021 New research finds that human conflict exhibits remarkable regularity despite substantial geographic and cultural differences. New work by SFI’s Collective Computation Group (C4) finds that human conflict exhibits remarkable regularity despite substantial geographic and cultural differences. In November 1941, two years after

Power plantsIt’s Getting Hot in Here: Warming World Will Fry Power Plant Production Published 13 January 2021 There’s no doubt the Earth’s temperatures are going up. The power plants that keep air conditioners pushing out cold air could soon be in a vicious cycle in a warming world–not able to keep up with growing demands

Water securityFinding Toxic Chemicals in Drinking Water Published 13 January 2021 Most consumers of drinking water in the United States know that chemicals are used in the treatment processes to ensure the water is safe to drink. But they might not know that the use of some of these chemicals, such as chlorine, can also

Food securityBeating the “Billion-Dollar Bug” Is a Shared Burden Published 13 January 2021 A lurking threat that has stymied US corn growers for decades is now returning to the forefront: western corn rootworm. Sometimes referred to as the “billion-dollar bug,” the species’ tiny larvae chew through the roots of corn plants, causing devastating yield losses.

Truth decayStopping the Deluge of Disinformation Flooding the Internet, Social Media Published 12 January 2021 The use and spread of disinformation — false or misleading information intended to deceive people — is being amplified and accelerated at an alarming rate on the internet via social media. Within the U.S., this has quickly eroded trust in