The Conversation

Electrolyte beverages can help your body stay balanced − but may worsen symptoms if you’re sick

Written by Bryn Beeder, Visiting Instructor in Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health, Miami University

Lots of athletes choose electrolyte beverages during their workouts. PhotoAlto/Sandro Di Carlo Darsa via Getty Images

For generations, Gatorade and similar electrolyte beverages have been helpful tools for athletes seeking a competitive edge.

In 1965, Dr. Robert Cade and a team of scientists at the University of Florida College of Medicine created...

Luce, a cartoon mascot for Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee, appeals to a younger generation while embracing time-honored traditions

Written by Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emerita, College of the Holy Cross

The Vatican introduces Luce at the Lucca Comics and Game convention in 2024.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKiGMGkc0xk screenshot via Wikimedia.com, CC BY

Luce, the anime-inspired official mascot for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee, whose name means “light” in Italian, has been getting a lot of attention on social media. Some...

Why is obesity linked to irregular heart rhythms? Researchers found 1 potential mechanism

Written by Arvind Sridhar, Postdoctoral Scholar in Cardiology, University of Illinois Chicago

A sudden onset of irregular heart rhythms can be disorienting.wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, is an irregular heart rhythm that increases a person’s risk of stroke, heart failure and even premature death.

While many risk factors contribute to A-fib, one stands out for its growing prevalence worldwide:...

Learning your political opponents don’t actually hate you can reduce toxic polarization and antidemocratic attitudes

Written by Michael Pasek, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago

Many Americans seem to think their political rivals have a lower opinion about them than they actually do.Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock via Getty Images

Americans recently endured another grueling election season, offering plenty of reminders of just how polarized the U.S. has become.

Consider, for example, the fact that President Donald Trump survived...

Lessons from ‘stop and frisk’ can help Philly police use drones to improve safety without compromising civil liberties

Written by Robert Kane, Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, Drexel University

Aerial view of South Philadelphia neighborhood.halbergman/E+ Collection via Getty Images

Philadelphia’s plans to expand its use of police-operated drones signals a pivotal shift in how the city seeks to protect – and surveil – its citizens.

According to the city’s Citizen Police Oversight Commission, the Philadelphia Police...

Trump promises to end birthright citizenship and shut down the border – a legal scholar explains the challenges these actions could face

Written by Jean Lantz Reisz, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, Co-Director, USC Immigration Clinic, University of Southern California

Vice President JD Vance, President Donald Trump and their families attend the inaugural parade in Washington on Jan. 20, 2025. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

During his first day in office on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a slew of executive orders on immigration that would make it harder for refugees, asylum seekers and others...

Trump’s Jan. 6 pardon order ‘flies in the face of the facts’ of violent insurrection, retired federal judge explains

Written by John E. Jones III, President, Dickinson College

Rioters scale a wall of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

In the first hours of his second term, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly everyone convicted of crimes associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol – including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio – and commuted the...

Trump’s executive orders can make change – but are limited and can be undone by the courts

Written by Sharece Thrower, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives for inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, January 20, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Before his inauguration, Donald Trump promised to issue a total of 100 or so executive orders once he regained the presidency. These orders are expected to reset government policy on everything...

Neighbors and strangers pulled together to help LA fire survivors – 60 years of research shows these unsung heroes are crucial to disaster response

Written by Tricia Wachtendorf, Professor of Sociology and Director, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware

Neighbors fill and pass a bucket of pool water to help extinguish a spot fire in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2025.Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Image

As wildfires swept through neighborhoods on the outskirts of Los Angeles in January 2025, stories about residents there helping their neighbors and total strangers began...

Amid LA fires, neighbors helped each other survive – 60 years of research shows how local heroes are crucial to disaster response

Written by Tricia Wachtendorf, Professor of Sociology and Director, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware

Neighbors fill and pass a bucket of pool water to help extinguish a spot fire in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2025.Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Image

As wildfires swept through neighborhoods on the outskirts of Los Angeles in January 2025, stories about residents there helping their neighbors and total strangers began...