Stories by Paul Caine

Scientists in Spain have been analyzing so-called super-deep diamonds as a means to learn more about the formation of the Earth itself. Rabiah Mayas tells us more about that and other stories making science headlines.

The future of medical monitoring is taking shape in a laboratory just north of Chicago. We learn about a new generation of flexible electronics.

Organic gardener Jeanne Nolan and chef Nicole Putzel show us what’s possible (and delicious) for local gardeners – even if you don’t have much space.

This fall, students at the Illinois Institute of Technology will be among the first in the country to have the option of pursuing an undergraduate degree in AI. Aron Culotta, director of the new program, tells us more.

City Council members are still digesting Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s “State of the City” address, in which she revealed an $838 million budget shortfall. We get reaction from Alds. Raymond Lopez and Nicholas Sposato.

As society becomes increasingly dependent on space-based systems, there’s a growing need for protection from potential adversaries. But is the U.S. Space Command – and eventually a Space Force – the answer?

Chicago and the world is on the brink of a transportation revolution – and activists for racial equity want to ensure the benefits of that revolution reach communities of color.

Since 1995, researchers in Chicago and from around the world have used Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source to create super bright X-rays to probe everything from dinosaur bones to atomic particles. But the APS has an even brighter future.

After a Las Vegas consultant says proposed sites for a Chicago casino aren’t financially viable, will state lawmakers change their bets?

Asian carp will certainly survive and most likely thrive if they are able to make their way into Lake Michigan, according to a study released Monday by the University of Michigan.

A trade war with China. Springtime floods. And now weeks without rain have combined to create a perfect storm battering Illinois farmers. Will a disaster declaration be enough to save them?

A year after announcing it was dropping mandatory SATs as part of its admissions process and increasing financial aid for low-income and rural students, the University of Chicago is seeing an impact on enrollment.

Each year, hundreds of Chicago Public Schools are having to make do without teachers and substitutes because of a teacher shortage. But according to new reporting from WBEZ, that shortfall does not impact all schools and students equally.

Descendants of the notorious Depression-era bank robber claim they have evidence that the body in his grave in Indiana may not be his. We examine the enduring fascination with the legendary outlaw.

Advances in prosthetics mean that in the not-too-distant future it’s possible that people who have lost a limb could receive a fully functional robotic replacement. And a lab in Chicago is leading the way to the future.

Another day, another data breach. This time, Capital One admits that more than 100 million of its credit card users have had their personal data hacked.

Jeanne Nolan shows us how to harvest red onions, garlic, scallions and edible weeds from our organic garden at WTTW.

Chicago’s pilot program to allow electric scooters on city streets is proving popular – at least with scooter users. We check in on the four-month program.

A two-year budget impasse had many college students fleeing Illinois. Will a boost in funding now help persuade them to stay?

Could Jeff Bezos’ vision of giant rotating habitats one day support millions of people in space? We speak with two experts about humankind’s future in space. 

Chicago has the largest life expectancy gap of any big city in America. We speak with a researcher who says that while “there’s no easy answer” to the disparity, the city’s high degree of racial segregation clearly plays a role.

A new documentary from Chicago’s Kartemquin Films revisits an extreme weather event that killed more than 700 people – most of them poor and black. We discuss “Cooked: Survival by Zip Code” with producer Fenell Doremus.

It’s the end of an era for the iconic black-owned newspaper that has told the stories of black America since 1905. Is there a future for The Defender – and black media in general – in this time of shrinking newsrooms?

Meet Dr. Mika Tosca, a scientist who traded a job at NASA’s renowned Jet Propulsion Lab to teach climate science to art and design students in Chicago.

Could futuristic-looking headware ultimately lead to self-focusing glasses? Rabiah Mayas returns with a roundup of the latest science news.

As states prepare to draw new election boundaries after the 2020 census, what can be done to ensure those maps give equal weight to all votes? Behind the practice of gerrymandering and the movement to curb it.