🎃 Next Week in Science, October 30, 2025 🎃
Lot’s of Spooky Science stories to chew on!
And what’s in the news
Rethinking psychometrics through LLMs: how item semantics shape measurement and prediction in psychological questionnaires
Summary: A new study demonstrates that semantic relationships in questionnaire items can significantly influence psychometric outcomes, challenging the traditional assumptions about psychological measurement. By using large language models (LLMs) to predict item correlations without empirical data, the study suggests that existing psychometric methods may largely capture semantic relationships rather than uncover latent psychological constructs.
Python Foundation Rejects Government Grant Over DEI Restrictions
The article discusses the risks associated with accepting financial assistance from the National Science Foundation (NSF) due to the potential for retroactive penalties if programs are perceived to violate federal anti-discrimination laws or engage in prohibited actions. This perceived uncertainty in definitions and potential clawbacks leads organizations to avoid such funding to prevent financial jeopardy
Will Belém Kill Paris?
As world leaders converge in Belém, Brazil, for COP30, the future of the Paris Agreement hangs in the balance, facing the challenge of closing emissions gaps and bolstering financial resources amid rising political tensions. Though unlikely to yield major breakthroughs, the summit may promote Brazil’s bioeconomy model, aiming to leverage its tropical forests for sustainable growth and global carbon reduction.
CyberCorps talent pipeline buckles under Trump hiring freezes
Summary: The abrupt cancellation of the CyberCorps career fair and increased federal hiring freezes have left students of this prominent cybersecurity scholarship program facing potential debt and uncertainty, unable to secure required government roles after graduation. This development, resulting from changes in federal workforce policies, particularly impacts a critical pipeline of cybersecurity professionals during a time of heightened cyber threats.
