Science has always been marketed, from 18th-century coffeehouse demos of Newton’s ideas to today’s TikTok explainers - The Conversation

Gravity is best known as the force that pulls objects toward Earth, but its role extends far beyond falling apples. Across the universe, gravity acts as an invisible framework that influences how galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the largest cosmic structures form and evolve. For decades, however, astronomers have faced observations that do not seem to fit neatly with what can be seen. Some stars and galaxies move much faster than their visible mass appears capable of explaining. That mystery has led cosmologists such as University of Pennsylvania researcher Patricio A. Gallardo to investigate whether the laws of gravity established by Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein remain valid everywhere in the universe.

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's politics newsletter, Mass. Politics. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here. Welcome back to Mass. Politics, where we need a nap after publishing nine ballot question explainers. In this edition: ballot questions, ballot questions and ballot questions. How do I get my head around all nine ballot questions? The last time Massachusetts voters had to decide on this many ballot questions, the price of gas was close to $1 a gallon, home computers were a rarity and Bill Galvin was running for just his first term as secretary of state. So if nine ballot questions feel like a lot to manage, you’re not wrong, relatively speaking. (Just know it could have been worse. It could have been 12.)You’re also probably not alone. Celia Canavan, the executive director of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, says they’ve gotten an influx of questions this year about all the ballot measures. The questions aren’t just coming from daunted voters, but from the voter education group’s own advocates and members, who sought more training and resources on the ballot questions, given their volume and individual complexities.