Perspectives

Mathematicians work can help researchers understand how events might align in a way that leads to catastrophic failure, writes John Edward McCarthy.

While a highly qualified student applying to a dozen very selective universities will in all likelihood be accepted into at least one, the specific university they are admitted to may be the luck of the draw, writes Mark Rank.

‘Elsbeth’ takes a boilerplate police procedural and tosses in a character from another show entirely — with delightful results, writes Phillip Maciak.

Hannah Birnbaum, of Olin Business School, co-writes an article about recent research, which found that one reason why more people in advantaged groups don’t engage in allyship is because they underestimate how much their actions will be appreciated.

For all of us following our favorite teams, there’s always the tendency to blame a team’s exit from the NCAA tournament to bad luck. Statistically, though, the ball usually bounces true, writes Mark Rank.

Paige McGinley, in Arts & Sciences, writes on the “Human Ties” blog about Bayard Rustin’s behind-the-scenes role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington — and the significance of role-playing rehearsals to prepare protesters for what they would face during the Civil Rights Movement.

Now Congress has a choice: It can turn its back on Mars Sample Return or commit to funding the boldest robotic planetary science effort humanity has yet undertaken, writes Paul Byrne.

World War III was very likely averted as a result of a brief delay in time caused by a sailor who happened to be stuck in the right place at the right time, along with a second-in-command who, when given a few extra seconds, perceptively realized that the boat was not under attack, writes Mark Rank.

Reading works like “The Tale of Genji” is not only a way to immerse ourselves in the world of a medieval court, one where spirits roam freely, but a chance to see other ways of sorting human experience at work, writes Alessandro Poletto.

Gerald Early reviews the book “3 Shades of Blue” for the Wall Street Journal.