Plus AI use in the workplace; September, 2026

Plus AI use in the workplace; September, 2026

Synthesis Report - Trends in the Information Environment: 2026 Expert Survey Results

Daniel Blumstein recently sat in a Colorado meadow waiting for yellow-bellied marmots to appear, as the ecologist and evolutionary biologist had done many times before, the New York Times reported. Bu...

Vol.2, August 2026

Early thoughts at the intersection of technology and society from a social science perspective. Click to read From the Research Desk, by John Irons, PhD, a Substack publication. Launched a month ago.

GOP leaders are supporting a spending bill that would prevent the White House from asserting greater control over hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants.

Early thoughts at the intersection of technology and society from a social science perspective. Click to read From the Research Desk, by John Irons, PhD, a Substack publication. Launched a few seconds...

Vol.1, July 2026

Early thoughts at the intersection of technology and society from a social science perspective. Click to read From the Research Desk, by John Irons, PhD, a Substack publication. Launched 4 years ago.

Experts say dismantling the ocean observation system will ‘severely degrade’ the accuracy of weather predictions

Bread is about to get more expensive. The last time U.S. farmers brought in a wheat harvest this small, Richard Nixon was still president. The USDA told farmers on Monday…

Federal funding cuts have curtailed research at elite universities such as MIT, dulling America’s competitive edge globally.

The US Forest Service has proposed closing some three-quarters of its research sites in a move that has provoked widespread fear and uncertainty.

Order entered on 5/7/2026: Slip-Op 26-47: Granting Plaintiffs' motions for summary judgment and entering a permanent injunction for The State of Washington, Burlap and Barrel, Inc., and Basic Fun, Inc...

Dismissal of the National Science Board is widely seen as latest move to erase NSF’s independence

The White House budget proposal would also curb federal payments for scientific publishing

Though much of the stations’ research is long-term, some fire experts say the cuts could hamper firefighting efforts as soon as this summer.

The administration has requested a 54% cut to the agency’s funding and reupped other proposals Congress rejected last year.

Researchers say changes in how the National Institutes of Health approve and distribute grants are putting patients, cures and the entire biotech industry in peril.

By watching Alzheimer’s-related protein clumping unfold second by second, researchers have uncovered new clues about the role of metal ions.

It’s easy, looking at the past year, to see the damage the administration has done. But researchers are also stepping up, trying to fill the gaps.

Living at high altitude appears to protect against diabetes, and scientists have finally discovered the reason. When oxygen levels drop, red blood cells switch into a new metabolic mode and absorb lar...

The full effects of DOGE cuts to tens of thousands of federal contracts and agreements may never be fully known, experts say, and controversy lingers.

First-of-its-kind product raises questions about costs, access, and equity

A new study shows that targeting key epigenetic proteins may permanently switch off cancer genes. Scientists at Monash University, working with Harvard University, report they have found a way to perm...

npj Complexity - The case against efficiency: friction in social media

The laboratory, previously known as NREL, cut roles in research and operations, a spokesperson said.

The Trump administration plans to rescind $600 million in public health funds from four Democratic-led states, including Illinois.

The Legislature’s most powerful budget-writers asked state agencies to spell out plans for spending cuts — ratcheting up a debate that is dominating the 2026 session.

Forbes reports that reduced federal support for university research and graduate training under President Donald Trump’s administration has contributed to widespread uncertainty across higher educatio...

Wildfire smoke, spore-spread fungal diseases and microplastic are all on the rise, even as the US government slashes support for respiratory research and policy.

URBANA, Illinois, US, January 27 (IPS) - Scientists across the U.S., including me, are stressed after a year marked by several changes and challenges, including cuts to science funding that have stal...

Five ways dismantling NCAR will cost the American people, and two ways to save it.

Researchers lay bare the human toll of lay-offs, funding cuts and attacks on science one year after the president’s return to the White House.