Science News Round Up, May 7, 2025

by Mandy Morgan May 7, 2025

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Drexel PhD Student Receives Global Recognitions for Groundbreaking Research on Climate Change and Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Essien Oku Essien, a distinguished Nigerian scholar at Drexel University, is transforming global climate discourse through his groundbreaking work that elevates Indigenous knowledge systems in the interpretation of climate change. By integrating cultural frameworks from Africa and the Americas, he challenges conventional narratives and advocates for more inclusive, culturally aware approaches to climate policy, earning prestigious fellowships and awards in recognition of his contributions.

Elon Musk Set to Win Big With Trump’s Trillion-Dollar Pentagon Budget

In today’s least surprise news, Trump’s budget proposal significantly increases Pentagon spending, potentially handing billions in defense contracts to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, while simultaneously slashing funding for critical public sectors like education and healthcare. Critics argue this not only exemplifies Musk’s outsized influence and potential conflicts of interest but also undermines essential social programs, highlighting broader issues of prioritization in government spending.

Forecasting with Purpose: Creating Community Through Climate Journalism

Kalain Hosein exemplifies the power of science communication as he transitions from a traditional oil and gas career path to becoming a climate advocate, using his platform to amplify the voices of small island developing states disproportionately affected by climate change. As a climate communicator and a student at Columbia University’s Climate and Society program, Hosein’s work seamlessly integrates journalism, disaster preparedness, and policy advocacy, striving to bridge the gap between technical knowledge and public understanding to foster community resilience and informed action against the climate crisis.

Grammaticality representation in ChatGPT as compared to linguists and laypeople

Recent research highlights that ChatGPT’s grammatical intuition bears significant alignment with human judgments, showing a convergence rate of up to 95% with expert linguists, thus suggesting that it’s increasingly capable of emulating human-like linguistic cognition. This indicates a promising advancement in natural language processing, though the nuances in response patterns urge further exploration to address differences in linguistic task performance between AI and humans.