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Some online conspiracy-spreaders don’t even believe the lies they’re spewing

  • Written by H. Colleen Sinclair, Associate Research Professor of Social Psychology, Louisiana State University
imageWhen people spread lies online, they may know they're sharing falsehoods.Timucin Taka/500 px via Getty Images

There has been a lot of research on the types of people who believe conspiracy theories, and their reasons for doing so. But there’s a wrinkle: My colleagues and I have found that there are a number of people sharing conspiracies...

Read more: Some online conspiracy-spreaders don’t even believe the lies they’re spewing

Trees’ own beneficial microbiome could lead to discovery of new treatments to fight citrus greening disease

  • Written by Kateel G. Shetty, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environment, Florida International University
imageCitrus is still big business in Florida, but the industry has taken a massive hit in recent decades.Joe Raedle/via Getty Images

Citrus trees showing natural tolerance to citrus greening disease host bacteria that produce novel antimicrobials that can be used to fight off the disease, our recent study shows. We found the trees at an organic farm in...

Read more: Trees’ own beneficial microbiome could lead to discovery of new treatments to fight citrus...

Nuclear rockets could travel to Mars in half the time − but designing the reactors that would power them isn’t easy

  • Written by Dan Kotlyar, Associate Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageNuclear-powered rockets could one day enable faster space travel. NASA

NASA plans to send crewed missions to Mars over the next decade – but the 140 million-mile (225 million-kilometer) journey to the red planet could take several months to years round trip.

This relatively long transit time is a result of the use of traditional chemical...

Read more: Nuclear rockets could travel to Mars in half the time − but designing the reactors that would...

Low pay, high staff turnover and employee burnout took a toll on social service nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic − new research

  • Written by Susan Neely-Barnes, Professor of Social Work, University of Memphis
imageProfessional caregivers do essential work but often earn low wages.FatCamera/E+ via Getty Images

Social service nonprofits had high rates of staff turnover and a hard time filling vacant positions in 2022 as the COVID-19 pandemic was ending.

Low salaries, inadequate benefits, staff burnout and a shortage of qualified job applicants were largely to...

Read more: Low pay, high staff turnover and employee burnout took a toll on social service nonprofits during...

As Yelp turns 20, online reviews continue to confound and confuse shoppers

  • Written by Ann Kronrod, Associate Professor of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, UMass Lowell
imagePeople have a tough time discerning a fake review from a real one.Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

For the past 20 years, Yelp has been providing a platform for people to share their experiences at businesses ranging from bars to barbershops. According to the company, in that time the platform has published 287 million...

Read more: As Yelp turns 20, online reviews continue to confound and confuse shoppers

Kamala Harris illustrates how complex identity is − and the pressure many multiracial people feel to put themselves in one ‘box’

  • Written by Wilson K. Okello, Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Black Study in Education Lab, Penn State
imageVice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, is often asked questions about her multiracial identity.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

People sometimes feel pressured to choose one identity over another. Kamala Harris, who is multiracial – her mother is from India and her father is a Black immigrant from Jamaica –...

Read more: Kamala Harris illustrates how complex identity is − and the pressure many multiracial people feel...

Iran’s strike on Israel was retaliatory – but it was also about saving face and restoring deterrence

  • Written by Aaron Pilkington, Fellow at the Center for Middle East Studies, University of Denver

Israel and Iran are at war. In truth, the two sides have been fighting for decades, but the conflict has played out largely under the cover of covert and clandestine operations.

The recent actions of both sides in this once “shadow war” have changed the nature of the conflict. It is not clear that de-escalation is on the horizon.

On Oct...

Read more: Iran’s strike on Israel was retaliatory – but it was also about saving face and restoring deterrence

Presidential immunity has clear limits, special counsel filing says, and Trump should be tried for efforts to overturn 2020 election

  • Written by Jennifer Selin, Associate Professor of Law, Arizona State University
imageWho will define the limits of the Oval Office occupant's immunity?AP Photo/Alex Brandon

A new filing by special counsel Jack Smith in the case he has brought against Donald Trump for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election provides greater detail and support for Smith’s argument that Trump, while president, committed...

Read more: Presidential immunity has clear limits, special counsel filing says, and Trump should be tried for...

Up against Hank Greenberg, baseball’s first Jewish superstar, antisemitism struck out

  • Written by Robert Gudmestad, Professor and Chair of History Department, Colorado State University
imageHank Greenberg hit 331 home runs with a batting average of .313 during his career.Sporting News via Getty Images

Hank Greenberg might be the best baseball player you’ve never heard of.

Greenberg was the first baseman for the Detroit Tigers during the 1930s and 1940s. His career was relatively short – 13 years – and interrupted by...

Read more: Up against Hank Greenberg, baseball’s first Jewish superstar, antisemitism struck out

Israeli actions have the cover of ‘moral hazard’ − a touch of ambiguity might give US pressure greater weight

  • Written by Charles Walldorf, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Wake Forest University
imageU.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 25, 2024.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Sometimes, superpowers have a hard time getting smaller allies to do what they want with the assistance they provide. Often, it is to the detriment of the larger power’s interests.

The United States has faced a fair bit of...

Read more: Israeli actions have the cover of ‘moral hazard’ − a touch of ambiguity might give US pressure...

More Articles ...

  1. Black Pentecostal and charismatic Christians are boosting their visibility in politics − a shift from the past
  2. Bottled up in the Black Sea: Russia is having a dreadful naval war, hindering its great power ambitions
  3. Latino voters are a growing force in Pennsylvania’s old industrial towns − and they could provide Harris or Trump with their margin of victory
  4. Centuries ago, the Maya storm god Huracán taught that when we damage nature, we damage ourselves
  5. In ‘Nobody Wants This,’ rom-com gets century-old tropes with a new twist – the cute rabbi
  6. UAW is threatening new, smaller strikes against Stellantis − while contending with pressure from a court-appointed monitor
  7. What to expect from federal judges appointed by Trump or Harris − based on what we’ve seen from Trump and Biden picks for the Supreme Court and lower courts
  8. While Republicans are downplaying abortion ahead of November, Democrats are leaning in on the issue
  9. More and more, business schools want to show they’re making a positive impact on society. But how should they measure it?
  10. Cities are clearing encampments, but this won’t solve homelessness − here’s a better way forward
  11. Gut microbe imbalances could predict a child’s risk for autism, ADHD and speech disorders years before symptoms appear
  12. Why CNN is changing up its polling for 2024
  13. Philly block parties can lead to small boosts in voter turnout, new research suggests
  14. Russia’s new ideological battlefield: The militarization of young minds
  15. Why are so many historically rare storms hitting the Carolinas? Geography puts these states at risk, and climate change is loading the dice
  16. Studying science fiction films can help students understand the power societies have to shape our lives
  17. Accept our king, our god − or else: The senseless ‘requirement’ Spanish colonizers used to justify their bloodshed in the Americas
  18. What the facial expressions of Tim Walz and JD Vance said about their nerves, embarrassment and pride
  19. America’s dad vs. the manosphere: Walz-Vance debate highlights two versions of masculinity
  20. Iran’s strikes on Israel are the latest sign that the conflict in the Middle East is spiraling, presenting rising global security threats
  21. Health risks are rising in mountain areas flooded by Hurricane Helene and cut off from clean water, power and hospitals
  22. Being ‘mindful’ about your bank account can bring more than peace of mind − a researcher explains the payoff
  23. Yes, calling someone ‘mentally disabled’ causes real harm
  24. Kamala Harris’ and Donald Trump’s records on abortion policy couldn’t be more different – here’s what actions they both have taken while in office
  25. Want to solve a complex problem? Applied math can help
  26. You can count female physics Nobel laureates on one hand – recent winners have wisdom for young women in the field
  27. Being bullied in high school can make teens less optimistic about the future
  28. Congress is trying to force carmakers to keep AM radio − it should also use this opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past
  29. Toxic chemicals from Ohio train derailment lingered in buildings for months – here’s what our investigation found in East Palestine
  30. NYC’s ‘Eric Adams Show’ heads for a final curtain, with echoes of another New Yorker more focused on style than policy
  31. Voters without kids are in the political spotlight – but they’re not all the same
  32. Trump and Harris have clashing records on clean energy, but the clean power shift is too broad for any president to control
  33. We studied 19,898 Kickstarter campaigns − and discovered that talking politics hurts fundraising
  34. Companies keep selling harmful products – but history shows consumers can win in the end
  35. In storms like Hurricane Helene, flooded industrial sites and toxic chemical releases are a silent and growing threat
  36. How the Taliban’s new ‘vice and virtue’ law erases women by justifying violence against them
  37. Is it bad to listen to music all the time? Here’s how tunes can help or harm
  38. Why trying to protect freedom may work better than campaigning to protect democracy
  39. Does Hezbollah represent Lebanon? And what impact will the death of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah have?
  40. Brown bananas, crowded ports, empty shelves: What to expect if there’s a big dockworkers strike in the US
  41. Brown bananas, crowded ports, empty shelves: What to expect with the US dockworkers strike
  42. What White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf can learn from the last team to lose 120 games
  43. Hurricane Helene power outages leave over 4 million in the dark – history shows poorer areas often wait longest for electricity to be restored
  44. Hurricane Helene power outages leave millions in the dark – history shows poorer areas often wait longest for electricity to be restored
  45. Autoworkers, Boeing machinists, cannabis drivers: Labor unions are mobilizing in new and old industries alike
  46. Rising electricity demand could bring Three Mile Island and other prematurely shuttered nuclear plants back to life
  47. Prepare your social media for the election − 3 tips to stay sane and connected without being overwhelmed
  48. Police stop more Black drivers, while speed cameras issue unbiased tickets − new study from Chicago
  49. Why some flowers are so pleasing for Hindu gods and goddesses
  50. Teachers feel most productive when they use AI for teaching strategies