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Top headlines
Lead story
We’re not even halfway through 2025, and it’s already been one of the biggest years for going to the Moon.
But of the attempts to reach the Moon that we’ve seen this year and last, only a few have succeeded in landing on the surface, upright, as planned.
Despite advances in space travel, landing on the Moon remains uniquely difficult. To better understand these challenges, I reached out to Zhenbo Wang, an aerospace engineer at the University of Tennessee.
Wang describes the complexity of planning a lunar mission – the obstacles that engineers have to overcome and the myriad places where things can go wrong.
The good news is that space enthusiasts have several more launches to look forward to in the second half of 2025. And as Wang writes, “each mission – whether successful or not – adds to scientists’ collective understanding.”
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Mary Magnuson
Associate Science Editor
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Several missions have already attempted to land on the lunar surface in 2025, with more to come.
AP Photo
Zhenbo Wang, University of Tennessee
NASA’s learned a lot about the Moon since Apollo. But a perfect landing still requires incredible planning and scientific precision.
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Politics + Society
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Cassandra Burke Robertson, Case Western Reserve University
Arguments before the US Supreme Court on birthright citizenship – awarded to those born in the US – actually focused on the power of federal judges to impose nationwide injunctions.
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Joe Wright, Penn State; Erica Frantz, Michigan State University
Trump’s use of the Justice Department to target political opponents goes beyond revenge − it deters current officials from defying the president.
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Health + Medicine
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Angshuman K. Kashyap, University of Maryland
If the health content you see on social media sounds too good to be true, it’s very likely false – but there are ways to check it out before sharing.
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Brian N. Chin, Trinity College
The most comforting touch communicates care for the person receiving it – not just the intentions of the person offering it.
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Arts + Culture
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Janet Bednarek, University of Dayton
The president’s concerns about Air Force One seem less focused on safety and security and more on size and opulence.
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Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti, Rice University
Chosen to direct the world’s most important art show next year, she leaves a legacy of building institutions, uplifting artists and educating through art.
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International
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Mark I. Vail, Wake Forest University
Post-WWII Germany has long been wary of state power and unfettered spending − and that may stymie new chancellor’s plans.
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Education
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Amy Li, Florida International University
The Trump administration has clashed with elite private universities and threatened to pull their funding. But most college students don’t attend these institutions.
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Science + Technology
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Pankaj Rohilla, Georgia Institute of Technology; Daehyun Choi, Georgia Institute of Technology
Do a manu jump and you’ll likely make the biggest splash at the pool party.
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Marley Dewey, University of California, Santa Barbara
Placentas contain a rich amount of nutrients and stem cells, but there’s a difference between eating it at home for wellness and using it in the clinic to improve wound healing.
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Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The perennial tug-of-war between government interests and individual liberties is playing out in the battle over encrypted messaging. Technology tilts the field toward individuals.
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