Countries are racing to return to the Moon

+ bail, bonds and Trump US Edition - Today's top story: India's Chandrayaan-3 landed on the south pole of the Moon − a space policy expert explains what this means for India and the global race to the Moon [View in browser]( US Edition | 25 August 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Trump out on bail]( - [AI’s scores on a common creativity test stun researchers]( - [Try this week’s edition of our news quiz]( Lead story On Wednesday, India became the fourth country to successfully land a craft on the Moon. Their Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down close to the Moon’s south pole, an area of profound scientific interest that’s marked by ancient ice deposits and tall, sunlit peaks. India is not the only country looking to the Moon. China has had a few crafts make it to the Moon in recent years, while NASA’s Artemis program is aiming for a 2025 landing. And Russia nearly managed to return to the Moon just this week, but its Luna-25 craft crashed into the lunar surface three days before Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing. What’s with all this renewed interest in Earth’s only natural satellite? And why do countries like India and China, who weren’t involved in the space race of the 1960s, want in? I asked Mariel Borowitz, an expert in international space policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, [for more insight into the geopolitics of Moon landings](. [ [Get our Understanding AI series – four emails delivered over the course of a week, with experts explaining this confusing topic.]( ] Mary Magnuson Assistant Science Editor India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander successfully touched down on the south pole of the Moon on Aug. 23, 2023, sparking celebrations across the country. AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi [India’s Chandrayaan-3 landed on the south pole of the Moon − a space policy expert explains what this means for India and the global race to the Moon]( Mariel Borowitz, Georgia Institute of Technology India became the first country to land near the south pole of the Moon, a notoriously difficult achievement that also marks them as the fourth country to land on the Moon. Politics + Society - [Trump out on bail – a criminal justice expert explains the system of cash bail]( Megan T. Stevenson, University of Virginia One by one, former President Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants in the Georgia presidential election interference case turned themselves in for arrest at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. Arts + Culture - [AI scores in the top percentile of creative thinking]( Erik Guzik, University of Montana Researchers had college students and AI take a standardized test in creative thinking, and all of them were scored by trained evaluators who didn’t know in advance that some had been completed by AI. Health + Medicine - [Screen time is contributing to chronic sleep deprivation in tweens and teens – a pediatric sleep expert explains how critical sleep is to kids’ mental health]( Maida Lynn Chen, University of Washington Exposure to screens before bedtime can contribute to chronic sleep deprivation, which raises the risk for anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts. Ethics + Religion - [How some Muslim and non-Muslim rappers alike embrace Islam’s greeting of peace]( Margarita Guillory, Boston University; Jeta Luboteni, Boston University In many parts of the world, hip-hop has become a way for Muslim artists to assert their belonging and identity. Education - [How educational research could play a greater role in K-12 school improvement]( Detris Honora Adelabu, Boston University A veteran education researcher raises questions about whether educational research is actually being put to use. International - [Brics expansion: six more nations are set to join - what they’re buying into]( Bhaso Ndzendze, University of Johannesburg The disparate nature of the six prospective members is bound to spark debate about the real nature of Brics. Trending on site - [Wagner group’s Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly died in private jet crash – if confirmed, it wouldn’t be first time someone who crossed Putin met a suspicious demise]( - [What is most likely going on in Area 51? A national security historian explains why you won’t find aliens there]( - [8 GOP candidates debate funding to Ukraine, Trump’s future and – covertly, with dog whistles – race]( The Conversation Quiz 🧠Here’s the first question of [this week’s edition:]( Yevgeny Prigozhin, the rogue founder of Russia's mercenary Wagner Group, appears to have died in a very suspicious plane crash. Prigozhin began his rise to power as Vladimir Putin's favorite what? - A. Judo instructor - B. Brother-in-law - C. TV detective - D. Caterer [Test your knowledge]( [The Conversation Book Club launch event on September 14.]( Join the conversation with Manil Suri and The Conversation’s Senior Science + Technology Editor, Maggie Villiger, on September 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific. Please [register in advance]( to save your spot. - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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