Plus: AI in the classroom
| | | | Top headlines Lead story In the mid-1960s the satirist Tom Lehrer looked at the various nations around the world trying to develop a nuclear weapon and pondered in verse, "Who's next?" That song was firmly in my mind while editing today's story by University of Notre Dame's Amy McAuliffe, an expert on weapons technology and former assistant director of the CIA for counterproliferation. Her article notes that in recent months, discussions have taken place in Canada, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Japan and South Korea about developing homegrown nuclear weapons programs. That is not to say that any will actually make the leap − and even if they tried, it would take some years before any were able to test a device. But the fact that so many nations with traditionally good relations with Washington are looking at the possibility is a significant development. "What has changed demonstrably for many U.S. allies is a newfound skepticism over the credibility of the so-called U.S. nuclear umbrella, which for decades has offered allies an easy way of declining to pursue nuclear weapons," McAuliffe notes. The "nuclear club" has held steady at nine nations since 2006. But for the first time in decades "new entrants are a very real possibility," McAuliffe concludes. [ Science from the scientists themselves. Sign up for our weekly science email newsletter. ] |  | Matt Williams Senior International Editor | |  American allies contemplate a post-U.S. nuclear umbrella future. AP Photo/Alex Brandon Amy McAuliffe, University of Notre Dame The 'nuclear club' currently consists of 9 nations? Could more nations be joining before long? | Education | -
Tal Slemrod, California State University, Chico Some new findings show that AI has certain benefits, such as reducing barriers for students with learning disabilities. But overall, more evidence is needed to understand how AI influences learning. | | Politics + Society | -
Kathy Kiely, University of Missouri-Columbia Americans have been able to know what troops at war are facing, and make informed decisions about the war's cost, because a free press has been able to tell the story − good or bad. Can it still? -
Jeffrey Shook, University of Pittsburgh Allegheny County is pouring millions into a new juvenile detention facility, even as evidence mounts that alternatives to detention are more helpful. | | Environment + Energy | -
Matthew D. Dean, University of California, Irvine; Katherine Asmussen, University of Tennessee Premature deaths rise during long-term blackouts, and ERs fill up. Knowing who is at risk and some creative solutions can help. | | Health + Medicine | -
Adrienne Lapidos, University of Michigan; Elizabeth Thomas, Temple University; Kristen Abraham, University of Detroit Mercy Helping patients navigate disability outside the clinic is critical to rehabilitation for physical conditions. People with psychiatric conditions can benefit from the same philosophy. -
Peter Gunderman, Indiana University Medical imaging contains a veritable wealth of information that is often missed. One way this can change is for patients to ask their doctors what more they can learn from their image results. | | Ethics + Religion | -
Stephen Chen, Wellesley College More than 2,000 years ago, Laozi was all too familiar with the pitfalls of comparing yourself to other people's accomplishments. | | International | -
Shannon Bosch, Edith Cowan University Afghanistan says at least 400 people were killed in a Pakistani strike on a hospital on Monday – the latest in a deadly year for medical staff and patients worldwide. | | | | Today's graphic 📈 |
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