
NASA brings standards of evidence to the search for UFOs
America’s space agency is convening a commission to investigate unidentified flying objects. In a Newsweek op-ed, Adam Frank explains why NASA’s involvement could be a game changer.

Anti-trans laws use child protective services to harm transgender youth
Professor Mical Raz argues in the Washington Post that for trans children, their “very existence is at stake” when definitions of neglect and abuse become overly broad.

Pro-White hiring bias for NFL head coaches, analysis finds
Writing in the Washington Post, Rochester political scientist Bethany Lacina shows the degree to which Black coaches are underrepresented in the NFL.

Brain-based arguments to reduce child poverty miss the point
In a Washington Post op-ed, Rochester professor Mical Raz outlines the pitfalls of using babies’ brain function and biology to inform anti-poverty family policies.

There’s hope for objective moral standards—but how can we better live up to them?
Rochester ethicist William FitzPatrick considers whether “’the better angels of our nature’ are robust enough to create and sustain a better world.”

Current COVID spike in Bermuda a ‘precedented’ battle against pandemics
Stuck indoors on a tiny island in Bermuda during a COVID lockdown, Rochester historian Michael Jarvis dug into his files to learn more about Bermuda’s previous experiences with imported epidemics.

Oscars seek to increase diversity with newly proposed rules. Will it work?
In an analysis for the Washington Post, Rochester political scientist Bethany Lacina and student Ryan Hecker ’23 offer a spoiler alert.

Is it time for a universal wage for housework?
In an essay in the Washington Post, history PhD student Kevin Sapere argues the pandemic has made it “all the more relevant” to compensate housework.

Will Biden’s immigration plan encourage illegal immigration?
By enabling undocumented workers to travel freely between the US and their home countries, it may actually enable them to return home, writes Daniel Reichman.

Campaign finance reform will not restore trust in democracy, say two social scientists
Proposed campaign finance legislation is “riddled with claims that do not hold up when subjected to scientific scrutiny,” argues Rochester political scientist David Primo.