US Edition - Today's top story: Using thunderquakes to X-ray Earth – a new study shows urban seismology in action August 24, 2026 US Edition   Top headlines Misinformation over mRNA shots could harm cancer battle The changing way Americans are experiencing religion Why a 3,000-page novel serves as a salve to modern life Lead story A loud crash of thunder can make you jump, but did you know that those acoustic waves can keep going and travel into the ground? In a new study, geophysicists Nolan Roth of The Ohio State University and Penn State’s Tieyuan Zhu showed how engineers can use these “thunderquakes” and the underground sensors found in everyday fiber optic cables – the kind that carry internet service – to map the rock and hidden structures, such a sinkholes, in the ground beneath their feet. Their innovative method of seismic imaging can find weak areas where developers might want to rethink construction plans. Roth, who also studied astrobiology, sees the potential for its use beyond Earth, as well. [ Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter. ]   Stacy Morford Senior Environment + Energy Editor   As lightning lights up apartment buildings, the thunder creates useful vibrations. Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images Using thunderquakes to X-ray Earth – a new study shows urban seismology in action Nolan Roth, The Ohio State University; Tieyuan Zhu, Penn State With the help of thunderstorms and everyday fiber-optic cables, these scientists are revealing a hidden world underground. Ethics + Religion Many Americans are moving away from congregations, but not necessarily from religion – movies, plays, art and social media fill the gap Laura Yares, Michigan State University; Sharon Avni, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY To understand what religion looks like in 21st-century America, researchers may need to ask different questions. Most Westerners know Buddhism through meditation, but everyday Buddhist life looks quite different in Thai temples Brooke Schedneck, Rhodes College Thai Buddhism involves daily rituals and collective acts of worship, unlike the individual-focused emphasis on meditation often found in Western Buddhist communities. Environment + Energy Fish DNA in Ozark streams reveals region’s complex geologic history David Duvernell, Missouri University of Science and Technology A fish-finding expedition not only detects unexpected species but also uncovers a living link to Missouri’s geological past. Science + Technology Cancer vaccines could transform treatment and prevention – but misinformation about mRNA vaccines threatens their potential Dannell D. Boatman, West Virginia University False claims that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines cause cancer could, ironically, lead to worse cancer outcomes by undermining a promising tool to prevent and treat it. How do ice cubes cool a drink? Matthew Koss, College of the Holy Cross Energy transfer is the secret ingredient that makes iced tea a particularly refreshing drink on a hot day. Arts + Culture Just as the world appears to be losing its appetite for books, William T. Vollmann pens a 3,000-page novel Christopher Coffman, Boston University His latest – and possibly last – book tackles America’s foreign policy before and after 9/11. Could it also serve as an antidote to the fragmented attention and political duplicity of our current moment? International Zambia’s messy but decisive election: government shows strength; democracy shows weakness Michael Wahman, The University of Texas at Austin; Lindsay Favero, Michigan State University How the re-elected government uses its new dominance will influence Zambian politics well beyond this election. Trending on site Darline Graham’s inherited Senate seat revives the ‘widow’s mandate’ with a sibling twist Antarctic krill fishing is now concentrated in the exact pattern conservation rules were designed to prevent Quitting alcohol changes the brain and can increase the risk of compulsive drinking – new research in mice Reader Comment It’s probably not completely binary, but beliefs could be categorized as decorative or nondecorative (i.e., important). Both types may or may not map to reality. Surely the majority of tolerant individuals can disagree about decorative beliefs without dire consequences. It is the disagreements about nondecorative stuff, like climate change, that we need to concentrate on. — John McConnell