US Edition - Today's top story: Online mental healthcare is here to stay: Here's how to navigate your options and find the right clinician September 1, 2026 US Edition   Top headlines Floods disrupt pilgrimage to mountain sacred to several faiths Pennsylvania’s data center crackdown follows national backlash Are humans ready to meet ET – if we find life beyond Earth? Lead story If you’ve sought out a therapist, psychiatrist or other mental health clinician lately, you may have noticed that things have changed pretty dramatically over the past few years. Before 2020, perhaps 2% of people who got mental health treatment did so online. But these days, about half get at least some of their care that way. The move to online mental health treatment, spurred by rule changes adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, has made it much easier for people who could not previously access care to do so, according to Shari Harding, an associate professor of nursing at UMass Chan Medical School and a mental health nurse practitioner. “Online mental health visits literally meet you where you are – whether in the comfort of your home, a parked car or a quiet space on your break at work,” she writes. And they “can be just as effective as traditional in-person visits.” But navigating this new landscape can feel overwhelming. Harding offers a road map with practical tips, from feeling out whether the clinician you’re seeing is a good fit to determining whether you’ll be able to keep getting your medications prescribed online. [ Sign up for our weekly Global Economy & Business newsletter, with expert perspectives from around the world. ]   Alla Katsnelson Health Editor   Virtual access to mental healthcare is now very common, but figuring out how to choose a provider can be confusing. Alisa Zahoruiko/iStock via Getty Images Plus Online mental healthcare is here to stay: Here’s how to navigate your options and find the right clinician Shari Harding, UMass Chan Medical School Clear communication is the secret sauce to safe and effective treatment. Ethics + Religion Floods in Nepal-Tibet disrupt pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a sacred mountain with centuries of evolving tradition Catherine Hartmann, University of Wyoming Hindus know it as the dwelling place of Shiva, Tibetan Buddhists as the abode of Demchog, and Jains as the site where Rishabhanatha, their first spiritual teacher, achieved liberation. Science + Technology Many space missions are searching for life beyond Earth – but are we prepared for the fallout if they succeed? Margaret E. Kosal, Georgia Institute of Technology; Dayana Alagirova, Georgia Institute of Technology; Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano, Nanyang Technological University Historical events hold lessons about collaboration and competition in space that could inform how experts plan for the discovery of life beyond Earth. What is public interest technology? An expert on data and policy explains how it helps people in need Rayid Ghani, Carnegie Mellon University Public interest technology ensures that public policies are implemented in ways that change people’s lives. Environment + Energy The greenest building is the one still standing after a disaster Fernanda Cruz Rios, Drexel University A ‘green’ building has to last for its intentionally small carbon footprint to pay off. That includes surviving flood, storm or wildfire damage. Data center projects in Pennsylvania face stronger local scrutiny after Shapiro’s executive order Michael Helbing, Penn State The Environmental Rights Amendment of the PA Constitution guarantees the right to clean air, pure water and to the preservation of the aesthetic values of the environment. Politics + Society How students at Colorado State helped teach their community to stop talking past each other and manage complex problems Martin Carcasson, Colorado State University Research shows that humans are susceptible to simple stories and biased toward arguments that fit their current perspectives. Here’s how to confront those tendencies. Economy + Business White House ballroom cleared for now, but question remains: Can president legally use donations to build it? Ellen P. Aprill, University of California, Los Angeles Uncle Sam may receive charitable gifts, but that doesn’t give presidents free rein on how to spend those funds. International John Iliffe: the historian who changed how Africa’s past was understood Derek R. Peterson, University of Michigan John Iliffe was interested in evidence and interpretation, not theoretical abstraction. Podcast