The Latest Breaking News from the US National Science Foundation

World’s largest digital camera weighs 3 tons and will take 7.88 million photos of the sky over 10 years; each is 8GB in size and has a 3200-megapixel resolution

World's largest digital camera will repeatedly scan the night sky, creating an unprecedented public archive of billions of astronomical discoveries.

TechRadar · Jul 9

'Building AI literacy, proficiency, and fluency': how the US National Science Foundation is planning a nationwide AI workforce expansion

NSF outlines its nationwide plan to expand AI literacy, training, and adoption for workers, businesses, and local communities.

TechRadar · Apr 3

White men file workplace discrimination claims but are less likely to face inequity than other groups

In December 2025, Andrea Lucas, the chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, invited white men to file more sex- and race-based discrimination complaints against their employers.

The Conversation · Feb 16

Ecological disruptions are a risk to national security

When the natural environment is stretched beyond its ability to meet basic human needs for food, clean air, drinkable water and shelter, it is not just a humanitarian concern for the world community. Research shows that these crises are a matter of national security for the U.S. and other countries.

The Conversation · Mar 27, 2025

Are Ukrainians ready for ceasefire and concessions? Here’s what the polls say

A U.S.-Ukraine accord on a ceasefire proposal has put the notion of a negotiated end to the three-year war on the agenda, and in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Conversation · Mar 13, 2025

Robots are coming to the kitchen − what that could mean for society and culture

Automating food is unlike automating anything else. Food is fundamental to life – nourishing body and soul – so how it’s accessed, prepared and consumed can change societies fundamentally.

The Conversation · Aug 29, 2024

Ancient poppy seeds and willow wood offer clues to the Greenland ice sheet’s last meltdown and a glimpse into a warmer future

As we focused our microscope on the soil sample for the first time, bits of organic material came into view: a tiny poppy seed, the compound eye of an insect, broken willow twigs and spikemoss spores. Dark-colored spheres produced by soil fungi dominated our view.

The Conversation · Aug 5, 2024

Supermassive black holes have masses of more than a million suns – but their growth has slowed as the universe has aged

Black holes are remarkable astronomical objects with gravity so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape them. The most gigantic ones, known as “supermassive” black holes, can weigh millions to billions times the mass of the Sun.

The Conversation · Jul 12, 2024

Wind turbine blades: inside the battle to overcome their waste problem

Wind-farm owners in Europe are holding off on scrapping their old turbines to maximise the power they can generate from them. That’s the latest news from a meeting we recently attended on the industry’s future. Wind turbines are designed to last 25 years, but the calculus for owners appears to…

The Conversation · Nov 28, 2023

When Greenland was green: Ancient soil from beneath a mile of ice offers warnings for the future

About 400,000 years ago, large parts of Greenland were ice-free. Scrubby tundra basked in the Sun’s rays on the island’s northwest highlands. Evidence suggests that a forest of spruce trees, buzzing with insects, covered the southern part of Greenland. Global sea level was much higher then, between 20 and 40…

The Conversation · Jul 20, 2023