Steve Doig challenges his journalism students to use the computer to enhance their stories and give context to the larger issues facing society. He also conducts research to give American newspapers a view of whether their staffs represent the communities they serve. --by Candace S. Hughes

The U.S. government debt is massive and growing out of control. Our debt is a burden on our grandchildren. Those are statements that most Americans have become accustomed to hearing. Edward Prescott says they are two of seven widely propagated myths. --by Carrie Barnett

What do cancer clusters and galaxy clusters have in common? Quite a bit, it turns out. Astronomer Rogier Windhorst has discovered that software he uses to analyze telescopic images can also be used to effectively detect cancer cells and early signs of diabetes. --by Skip Derra

Do people with disabilities earn less money than their able-bodied co-workers? Are they less likely to be employed? ASU researchers decided to find out. --by Carrie Barnett

People have touted the healing properties of clays for thousands of years. But do they really have an effect? It turns out that certain clays can kill dangerous bacteria. ASU researchers are studying this clay and trying to figure out what makes it so special. --by Margaret Coulombe

Some people bounce back well from traumatic events or from life’s many defeats, large or small. Others lack the skill. ASU scientists are studying the natural capacity for “resilience” among older Americans. --by Adelheid Fischer

Rogier Windhorst has spent his entire career thinking big. He has to. He is an astrophysicist. He uses the most advanced telescope systems ever developed to peer into deep space, and essentially back in time. --by Skip Derra

Al Qaeda operatives reportedly substituted the word “wedding” for “attack” in e-mail messages. Finding these kinds of word substitutions has been a hit-or-miss process for federal investigators. It’s also tough duty for corporate security pros who try to catch employee collusion. But new research from ASU shows that computer programs are capable of detecting word swaps that conceal the true meaning of e-mail messages.