A new study shows that highlighting shared values and common goals can significantly increase the acceptance of civic organizations that are often seen as controversial and delegitimized for challenging the status quo. The research tested different messaging strategies on more than 1,600 Jewish Israeli participants, using real-world examples from a delegitimized prominent NGO. Messages that focused on widely supported activities—like providing services to marginalized communities—or that framed the organization as part of a shared value-based identity led to greater perceived legitimacy. The findings offer a practical and research-backed approach for protecting democratic discourse in polarized societies.

Vast, quasi-circular features on Venus’ surface may reveal that the planet has ongoing tectonics, according to new research based on data gathered more than 30 years ago by NASA’s Magellan mission. Published in Science Advances, the new study details newly discovered signs of activity at or beneath the surface shaping many of Venus’ coronae, features that may also provide a unique window into Earth’s past. This work marks the most recent instance of scientists returning to Magellan data to find that Venus exhibits geologic processes that are more Earth-like than originally thought.