October 13, 2025

From spark to inferno: New model inspired by forest fires could explain why some ideas go viral

A new model could help experts better understand—and possibly curb—misinformation, by identifying how and when information gains or loses strength as it moves through digital networks.

"All of the events portrayed in A House of Dynamite could happen at any moment—today, even. And that's the point," writes Bulletin multimedia editor Erik English. Read more.

The world is betting on solar and wind, despite Trump's championing of fossil fuels in the United States, writes Zoya Teirstein of Grist. Read more.

With the collapse of key treaties amid rising geopolitical tensions, arms control efforts struggle to keep pace with today's security environment, writes Doreen Horschig. As new technologies and multipolar dynamics redefine strategic competition, a reimagined, flexible form of arms control is both necessary and possible. This Bulletin magazine article is available to all readers for a limited time.

Upcoming event

UPCOMING EVENT

Your Data and Your Truth in the AI Era

The rise of social media has blurred the boundaries between fact and fiction. Viral content from unknown sources and weaponized narratives raise a troubling question: are you seeing what you want to see, or what others want you to see?

Join the Bulletin for a virtual discussion on data, truth, and the AI era on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 12:45 ET / 11:45 CT. Register to attend here.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"[In choosing María Corina Machado, the Nobel committee had] elevated a courageous hero of peacemaking — someone who works among her own people to protect them against repression and atrocity crimes in order to shape a more peaceful and democratic world.”

— David Scheffer, a former U.S. ambassador at large for war crimes issues and an international law scholar at Arizona State University, "Nobel Peace Prize Live Updates: Venezuelan Pro-Democracy Politician María Corina Machado Wins," New York Times

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