universities

Discussion over a Medicare for All plan is picking up, with supporters arguing a single-payer system would guarantee universal health coverage and cut administrative costs, while critics warn of higher taxes and disruption to existing insurance. The debate reflects a long-running divide in US politics over how far government should go in reforming healthcare.

Physicists report new evidence that gravity behaves holographically, meaning it can collapse the dimensions of space, though the implications for reality remain unknown. The findings, reported by Quanta Magazine, touch on the idea that our three-dimensional universe may be encoded on a lower-dimensional surface. Researchers say they understand the math but not yet what it means for the nature of spacetime, and cosmologists are debating the consequences.

The University of Southern California has ended its practice of selling donated cadavers to the US Navy, which reportedly used them for training connected to the Israeli military. The decision follows scrutiny of the arrangement and its ethical implications regarding consent and the use of donated bodies. Critics had called the programme inappropriate, and the university's move is being discussed as part of wider debates over institutional ties to Israel's war effort.

Around 4,600 Service Employees International Union staff across Oregon's seven public universities are poised to begin a strike on Monday. The potential walkout threatens operations at campuses statewide, including the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, as union workers press for a new contract. It comes amid a wave of labor actions in the state and nationwide.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has set out a plan for universal free social care, urging the government to 'rip the plaster off' and confront the issue of how to fund and reform the system. The proposal would remove means-testing and charges for care, positioning Burnham as a voice for bolder reform in the Labour Party ahead of potential leadership discussion.

Eyal Weizman, professor of spatial and visual cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, and founder of the research agency Forensic Architecture, is taking part in a discussion about his book "Ungrounding: The Architecture of Genocide". The conversation covers his investigations into destruction in Gaza and the built environment's role in the Israel-Palestine conflict, drawing attention amid ongoing fighting.

Investors Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen, co-founders of venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, are funding a new academy designed as an alternative to a traditional college education. The Wall Street Journal reports on the project, which reflects growing interest in Silicon Valley in challenging the four-year degree as the default path to a career, particularly for students interested in technology and entrepreneurship.

Data analytics company Databricks is paying $22.8 million for naming rights to the University of California, Berkeley's football field. The deal is being framed as more than a sports marketing play: Databricks was founded by Berkeley alumni and professors, and the investment signals its deep ties to the campus and its ambition to recruit talent and boost its brand as it grows ahead of a potential public listing.

Researchers from Purdue University are travelling to a remote island group in the Pacific Ocean to investigate possible remnants of Amelia Earhart's aircraft. The aviator vanished during her 1937 attempt to fly around the world, and her disappearance remains one of aviation's great mysteries. The expedition has drawn attention as it could finally shed light on what happened to her plane.

Researchers report that they have determined a key measurement relating to the early universe with record-breaking precision. The result is described as the most accurate of its kind, though the specific quantity measured and the team behind it have not been detailed. More precise early-universe measurements help scientists test models of the cosmos's first moments and constrain theories of how the universe evolved.

A new report examines how artificial intelligence is being integrated into higher education, weighing its benefits against the risk of eroding students' critical thinking skills. It pairs industry statistics with analysis of how universities can adopt AI tools while preserving independent reasoning, academic integrity and rigorous assessment standards.

Counting of votes has begun in the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) election, with results for 2026 being tracked live across the capital. Students and political observers are watching closely to see which student wing will win the union's top posts, as the outcome is often seen as a barometer of youth mood in Delhi politics.

The Hill carries a commentary arguing that American colleges and universities have a responsibility to help the country keep the commitments it makes to service members, particularly around education benefits and support for veterans transitioning to civilian life. The piece calls on higher education institutions to do more to fulfill obligations made to those who serve in the US military.

The UN Human Rights Council has adopted Namibia's Universal Periodic Review outcome by consensus, a step the report describes as a significant milestone in the country's ongoing engagement with the international human rights system. The UPR process involves UN member states reviewing each other's human rights records and accepting or noting recommendations. Adoption by consensus indicates no member state objected to the outcome document.

Stanford University and Nvidia have open-sourced CLM-8B, an AI model built for software agents that caches reusable actions instead of recomputing them. In tests the model ran up to nine times faster than Jev, a comparable agent system. The open release is drawing attention for offering large speed gains on agentic workloads, an area where inference cost is a major bottleneck for developers.