In the Gray Areas

Examining history through the lens of US export controls reveals how economic and national security have become so entwined.

To build a more inclusive academic STEM workforce, the federal government and universities should explore ways to provide accessible and affordable childcare to graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty.

To prepare for future conflicts, South Korea needs to adopt a more inclusive defense R&D structure while shifting the system’s focus toward future science and technology needs.

In her poem “How much chemical disorder…,” artist and poet Sueyeun Juliette Lee explores the power of science and technology to redefine aspects of the human experience as fundamental as when death occurs. “A hundred years ago, cardiac arrest was irreversible. / People were called dead / when their heart stopped beating. / Today death is believed to occur 4 / to 6 minutes after the heart stops beating / because after several minutes it is difficult / to resuscitate the brain …”

If researchers want leaders to make evidence-based policies, they must develop ways to support the use of research in policymaking that are themselves based on evidence.

Science funders can enable responsible international collaboration by developing global norms for ethical research that appropriately respond to today’s geopolitical tensions.

Sexual harassment in scientific and technical fields isolates survivors, and legal compliance practices alienate some even further. Collective bargaining could engage the whole academic community in creating a better workplace.

The long fight against sexual harassment is shifting from compliance to culture.

In the early 2000s, a metaphor borrowed from consumer electronics helped electric vehicle enthusiasts, Silicon Valley engineers, and policymakers reinvent the automobile.

Breakthrough neurotechnologies have the potential to help patients suffering from a range of diseases—if regulators can ensure these devices serve those who need them most.

An Arkansas man’s unprecedented recovery of consciousness, and his recent death, demonstrate why progress in neuroscience must be matched by new standards of care for patients as well as attention to their civil rights.

To make research more valuable and enhance trust in science, scientists and institutions must build greater capacity for risk communication.

When NASA collaborated with social scientists to engage the public in two-way conversations about the agency’s Asteroid Initiative, the outcome surprised everyone.