Welcome to The Week's "What Next?" contest, an invitation to test your powers of imagination with challenges inspired by current events.
Click here for the results of the previous contest: Outdated theses
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RESULTS:
THE WINNER: Harvard Researchers of Facebook and Twitter Users Have Too Much Time on Their Hands, Yale Study Shows
Robert Burnett-Kurie, Manchester, OH
SECOND PLACE: People become Overweight When Tasty Food is Available in Large Quantities
Mary C. Furan, Albany, NY
THIRD PLACE: Politicians More Interested in Their Jobs than Effectively Governing Nation
Jared Brooks, Darien, IL
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
New Study Finds Humans Will Read Any Sentence That Begins, "New Study Finds"
Bob Linfors, Miami, FL
Harvard Research Finds that Most Studies Confirm Beliefs or Information Already Commonly Known
Brad Boskovic, Elmhurst, IL
People Don't Like Being Grabbed and Tickled on the Street by a Stranger, Even When You Tell Them You're Doing Research, Research Finds
Dallas Lea, Poughkeepsie, NY
Members of Group X Believe that Group X Deserves More Money
Zachary Anthony, St. Louis, MO
Strange Sounds Trigger Curiosity
Chris Elliott, Mercer Island, WA
Humans Prefer an Oxygenated Environment
Michael Eade, Garland, TX
No Matter How Persuasively Wealth is Described as Evil, People Still Pursue It
Tom Sheppard, Flat Rock, NC
People Get Older as Time Passes
Jerry Baronofsky, Brookline, MA
In The End, Everybody Dies
Martin Mechanick, Calabasas, CA
Government Over-Spending is Directly Proportional to Increases in National Debt
Clark Baird, Siloam Springs, AR
The Frequency One Sings Karaoke is Often Inversely Proportional to Talent
Raymond Smith, Lynn, MA
97.3% of Young Men Would Rather Have Sex than Cuddle
Russ Bensley, Homewood, IL
When a Sporting Event Ends, Fans of the Winning Team are Usually Happier than Fans of the Losing Team
Ken Kellam, Dallas, TX
More People are Using Smartphones than 50 Years Ago
Dustin Smith, Cambridge, MA
98% Of People Think Predicting the Weather is Impossible But Never Miss the Forecast
John Lynn, Pittsburgh, PA
New Study Indicated Men are Attracted to Pictures of Naked Women
Dennis Crowley, Roanoke, VA
A Mail Survey Finds that Luddites Shun Computers
Kathy El-Assal, Middletown, WI
Mirrors Tap Into Hardwired Human Vanity
Helen Crofoot, West Hills, CA
Playing Football Can Lead to Injuries, Finds AMA
Richard Skinner, Helotes, TX
Minnesota Twins Not Born at the Same Time
Wald Klimczyk, Janesville, WI
Recent Harvard Research Has Found that Taxes are Unpopular
Malia Zaidi, Pittsburgh, PA
The Majority of Persons Who Enter Contests Hope They Will Win
Louis Phillips, New York, NY
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5 thin-skinned cartoons about shooting the messengerCartoons Artists take on unfavorable weather, a look in the mirror, and more
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Is Trump's new peacemaking model working in DR Congo?Talking Point Truce brokered by the US president in June is holding, but foundations of a long-term peace have let to be laid
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Crossword: August 10, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
