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The Conversation

Men and women biased about studies of STEM gender bias – in opposite directions

  • Written by The Conversation
imageHow you assess the strength of gender bias research depends on your viewpoint.Glasses image via www.shutterstock.com

In 2012, an experiment on gender bias shook the scientific community by showing that science faculty favor male college graduates over equally qualified women applying for lab manager positions. Though the study was rigorous, many did...

Read more: Men and women biased about studies of STEM gender bias – in opposite directions

Meet Doc Savage, the most famous superhero you've never heard of

  • Written by The Conversation
imageDoc Savage, the Man of Bronze.House of Retro

His name is Clark and his father (later murdered) raised him to be a savior to humanity. He possesses superhuman strength and finely tuned senses. He is the world’s greatest detective, an inventor, chemist, surgeon and martial artist. Villains the world over want him dead, but through his...

Read more: Meet Doc Savage, the most famous superhero you've never heard of

Hydraulic fracturing components in Marcellus groundwater likely from surface operations, not wells

  • Written by The Conversation
imageA fracking well injects large volumes of water, chemicals and sand to fracture rock. 128012869@N08/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

US natural gas production increased by 42% between 2005 and 2014, largely due to recent advances in horizontal drilling and high volume hydraulic fracturing. One of the largest natural gas reservoirs in the US, the Marcellus...

Read more: Hydraulic fracturing components in Marcellus groundwater likely from surface operations, not wells

Brain activity is as unique – and identifying – as a fingerprint

  • Written by The Conversation
imageI knew that brain was yours.Emily S Finn, CC BY-ND

Each of us is unique, with our own strengths, weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. While this is a truism everyone grasps intuitively, it’s been difficult to determine if and how this individuality is reflected in brain activity.

To investigate, my colleagues and I looked at brain images from...

Read more: Brain activity is as unique – and identifying – as a fingerprint

Are some kids really smarter just because they know more words?

  • Written by The Conversation
imageWhy is there so much attention being paid to 'word gap'?Jeff Moore, CC BY-NC-ND

Why do rich kids end up doing better than poor kids in school? Of late, one common explanation for this has been the “word gap,” or the idea that poor children are exposed to significantly fewer words by age three than their wealthier peers.

As a former...

Read more: Are some kids really smarter just because they know more words?

Pathogen-carrying invasive fish from China threatens US waterways

  • Written by The Conversation
imageSmall but dangerous – and coming to the New World.Rodolphe Gozlan, Author provided

One little-known legacy of communist countries during the Cold War is invasive species. The accidental introduction in 1960 of the topmouth gudgeon from China into countries bordering the Black Sea, including Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, is a striking example.

S...

Read more: Pathogen-carrying invasive fish from China threatens US waterways

Why some religious Americans see same-sex marriage as a threat

  • Written by The Conversation
imageA protester holds a sign in support of Kim Davis, September 9 2015. Chris Tilley/REUTERS

The Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage drew such a strong reaction from every side that it seemed to reflect that Americans live in a country riven by irreconcilable theological values.

In arguing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy...

Read more: Why some religious Americans see same-sex marriage as a threat

Svetlana Alexievich captured the psyche – and trauma – of a Soviet people and nation

  • Written by The Conversation
imageNobel Prize for Literature winner Svetlana Alexievich.Reuters

Though Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich has been the recipient of multiple European book awards, her work has gone largely unrecognized in the United States. It’s probably due to the fact that she writes in Russian, and only four of her books have been translated into English.

N...

Read more: Svetlana Alexievich captured the psyche – and trauma – of a Soviet people and nation

TPP's new battle lines may pose threat to world's biggest trade deal

  • Written by The Conversation
imageHow is the trade battle stacking up?Chess board via www.shutterstock.com

At 5:00 am on October 5, after several all-night sessions ensconced in the Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, trade negotiators from the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and eight other Pacific Rim economies announced the completion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)....

Read more: TPP's new battle lines may pose threat to world's biggest trade deal

More Articles ...

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  5. What happens to men who stay abstinent until marriage?
  6. Denis Mukwege deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in Congo
  7. Chemistry Nobel DNA research lays foundation for new ways to fight cancer
  8. The universe’s most miraculous molecule
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  10. Want a 'free lunch'? Invest in America's infrastructure
  11. A carbon tax in waiting: we're not adapting as fast as climate is changing
  12. Arne Duncan's legacy: growing influence of a network of private actors on public education
  13. They won a Nobel for what? Why good science communication counts
  14. Is the Kunduz hospital strike a war crime? Don't jump to conclusions
  15. Why wearing sagging pants on a college campus becomes a criminal offense
  16. The new battleground for same-sex couples is equal rights for their kids
  17. The psychological origins of procrastination – and how we can stop putting things off
  18. Australia’s war on feral cats: shaky science, missing ethics
  19. We may have cinched TPP, but is US trade a lost cause?
  20. How neutrinos, which barely exist, just ran off with another Nobel Prize
  21. The secret Maoist Chinese operation that conquered malaria – and won a Nobel
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  27. Is the 2015 Nobel Prize a turning point for traditional Chinese medicine?
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  29. A somber message on World Teachers' Day 2015: our teachers are at risk
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  36. The University of Texas faculty are watching Oregon uneasily
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