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The Conversation

Biobots arise from the cells of dead organisms − pushing the boundaries of life, death and medicine

  • Written by Peter A Noble, Affiliate Professor of Microbiology, University of Washington
imageBiobots could one day be engineered to deliver drugs and clear up arterial plaque.Kriegman et al. 2020/PNAS, CC BY-SA

Life and death are traditionally viewed as opposites. But the emergence of new multicellular life-forms from the cells of a dead organism introduces a “third state” that lies beyond the traditional boundaries of life and...

Read more: Biobots arise from the cells of dead organisms − pushing the boundaries of life, death and medicine

Responding to work emails after hours contributes to burnout, hostility

  • Written by Myoung-Gi Chon, Associate Professor of Communication and Journalism, Auburn University

Image it’s Friday evening. You’re about to watch a new Netflix drama, trying to unwind after a long week. Suddenly, your phone pings with a work email marked “urgent.” Your heart sinks; your stress levels rise. Even if you choose not to respond immediately, the damage is done. Work has again encroached on your personal life....

Read more: Responding to work emails after hours contributes to burnout, hostility

Free school meals are on the rise in the US − but that could change depending on who wins the 2024 presidential election

  • Written by Marlene B. Schwartz, Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut
imageMinnesota Gov. Tim Walz gets hugs from students after signing into law a measure that guarantees free school meals at all of the state's public and charter schools. Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via Getty Images

Should all U.S. public school students be able to eat breakfast and lunch at no cost, regardless of their family’s income? The...

Read more: Free school meals are on the rise in the US − but that could change depending on who wins the 2024...

East is East, West is West − and Turkey is looking to forge its own BRICS path between the two

  • Written by Jorge Heine, Interim Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, Boston University
imageWe're gonna need a bigger acronym.Mike Hutchings/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey tends to march to its own drum in international affairs.

Take the United Nations vote on Dec. 14, 2022, when the body’s General Assembly approved a resolution in favor of a New International Economic Order. Some 123 member states – largely the countries of...

Read more: East is East, West is West − and Turkey is looking to forge its own BRICS path between the two

Making fuels from plastics in Newaygo, Michigan, would be controversial – here’s why

  • Written by Anne McNeil, Professor of Chemistry and Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan
imagePlastic waste is accumulating fast, creating a problem of enormous proportions.Makiko Tanigawa/Getty

Humans generate a lot of plastic waste – more than 400 million metric tons a year.

To bring this fact a bit closer to home, the U.S. produced an average of 0.75 pounds (0.34 kilograms) of plastic waste per person each day in 2010, which is...

Read more: Making fuels from plastics in Newaygo, Michigan, would be controversial – here’s why

Kamala Harris’ message to women on ‘freedom’ helps explain why Black and white Christians are deeply divided over support for Donald Trump

  • Written by Youssef Chouhoud, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Christopher Newport University
imageSorority members listen as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris gives the keynote speech at the Zeta Phi Beta Grand Boulé in Indianapolis on July 24, 2024. Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Just days after President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race in July, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the annual...

Read more: Kamala Harris’ message to women on ‘freedom’ helps explain why Black and white Christians are...

Trump’s tax cuts led to a $20B reduction in charitable giving within a year

  • Written by Daniel Hungerman, Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame
imagePresident Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Republican lawmakers celebrate the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017.Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesimageCC BY-ND

Americans give about half a trillion dollars a year to charity. That money helps fund services for the homeless, fight diseases, run museums and other organizations...

Read more: Trump’s tax cuts led to a $20B reduction in charitable giving within a year

Fewer college students indicate they are nonbinary amid backlash

  • Written by Genny Beemyn, Director, Stonewall Center, UMass Amherst
imageNonbinary students may be wary of being 'out' on their college applications.Vladimir Vladimirov via Getty Images

The national backlash against trans and nonbinary young people may have led fewer nonbinary students to disclose their gender identity in their applications to college for this fall.

That is according to my analysis of how students who...

Read more: Fewer college students indicate they are nonbinary amid backlash

With China seeking AI dominance, Taiwan’s efforts to slow neighbor’s access to advanced chips needs support from the West

  • Written by Min-Yen Chiang, PhD student in political science , Georgia State University
imageTaiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te gives a speech at the CommonWealth Semiconductor Forum in 2023 in Taipei, Taiwan. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

Tensions between China, Taiwan and the U.S. aren’t limited to aerial military maneuvers and drills on the high seas. The shadow conflict is also playing out in the technological arena.

One of the...

Read more: With China seeking AI dominance, Taiwan’s efforts to slow neighbor’s access to advanced chips...

Coastal cities’ growing hurricane vulnerability is fed by both climate change and unbridled population growth

  • Written by Wanyun Shao, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Alabama
imageMany hurricane-prone Gulf Coast communities, like Fort Myers, Fla., have grown quickly in recent years.AP Photo/Steve Helber

Warm water in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico can fuel powerful hurricanes, but how destructive a storm becomes isn’t just about the climate and weather – it also depends on the people and property in...

Read more: Coastal cities’ growing hurricane vulnerability is fed by both climate change and unbridled...

More Articles ...

  1. Funny reviews help engage consumers, fueling impulse buys − to a point, study shows
  2. ‘Difficult’ children are only slightly more likely to have insecure attachments with parents
  3. Starting with a handshake, presidential debate between Harris and Trump then turns fierce, and pointed
  4. Official US poverty rate declined in 2023, but more people faced economic hardship
  5. Whales are recovering from near extinction, but industrial fishing around Antarctica competes for their sole food source
  6. I’ve visited the same Rocky Mountain subalpine meadow weekly for a decade of summers looking at plant-pollinator interactions – here’s what I learned
  7. Is weight loss as simple as calories in, calories out? In the end, it’s your gut microbes and leftovers that make your calories count
  8. How we discovered that people who are colorblind are less likely to be picky eaters
  9. A college course that’s a history of the future
  10. Medieval theology has an old take on a new problem − AI responsibility
  11. Elon Musk’s feud with Brazilian judge is much more than a personal spat − it’s about national sovereignty, freedom of speech and the rule of law
  12. Bobbleheads, Magic 8 Balls, chairs and other artifacts in the Smithsonian reveal the historical significance of presidential debates
  13. Politicians often warn of American decline – and voters often buy it
  14. How Democrats are making a mistake in rural America – by not showing up
  15. Found dead in the snow − how microbes can help pinpoint time of death for forensic investigations in frigid conditions
  16. Neutral news sources could exploit today’s polarized mediascape to boost revenue − here’s why they may choose not to
  17. How Russia employs ‘hard soft power’ to influence overseas media and sow dissent and fear among foreign populations
  18. FDA’s new regulations underscore the complexity around screening for women with dense breasts
  19. Under both Trump and Biden-Harris, US oil and gas production surged to record highs, despite very different energy goals
  20. Is it time to retire the ‘Arab-Israeli conflict’? Hostilities now extend beyond those boundaries
  21. Breast density and mammograms: New FDA rule will ensure all women have more information after cancer screenings
  22. Can schools stop students from praying?
  23. Putting a spiritual spin on my love affair with vinyl
  24. The Boeing Starliner has returned to Earth without its crew – a former astronaut details what that means for NASA, Boeing and the astronauts still up in space
  25. Tiny, compact galaxies are masters of disguise in the distant universe − searching for the secrets behind the Little Red Dots
  26. Georgia high school shooting shows how hard it can be to take action even after police see warning signs
  27. Space travel comes with risk − and SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than any private mission has before
  28. Crossing state lines to get an abortion is a new legal minefield, with courts to decide if there’s a right to travel
  29. Trump campaign violated rules in Arlington National Cemetery visit, cemetery legal expert explains
  30. As eastern equine encephalitis spreads, a neurologist explains how to stay safe during this latest outbreak of the ‘triple E’ virus
  31. Black church leaders brought religion to politics in the ‘60s – but it was dramatically different from today’s white Christian nationalism
  32. Kamala Harris’ purported Irish ancestry highlights complicated backstory of identity and enslavement
  33. Yellow food dye can make living tissue transparent − these methods could one day improve cancer treatment, blood draws and even tattoo removal
  34. US food insecurity rate rose to 13.5% in 2023 as government benefits declined and food prices soared
  35. El alegre léxico de la lengua española puede ayudar a resolver un misterio de salud llamado la paradoja hispana
  36. Oil and gas communities are a blind spot in America’s climate and economic policies
  37. Guilt over kids’ screen time is common, uncomfortable and can stress family relationships − but it can have a silver lining
  38. Harris campaign tries to beat Trump at his own game − ridicule
  39. Utilities rely on dirty ‘peaker’ plants when power demand surges, but there are alternatives
  40. As a high school teacher and as governor, Tim Walz has tapped the power of geographic information systems, or GIS, to solve complex problems
  41. As Russell M. Nelson turns 100, a look back at one of the words that will define his legacy – and the controversial term’s 200-year history
  42. How much does aging affect mental acuity? It’s debatable
  43. Cats and dogs both like to play fetch − it’s rooted in their hunting instincts
  44. Long COVID inflicts deep scars on the lungs, but targeting specific immune cells could reverse damage − new research in mice
  45. India’s new mega-dam will roil lives downstream with wild swings in water flow every day
  46. Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits – ‘charisma’
  47. No, local election officials can’t block certification of results – there are plenty of legal safeguards
  48. New NFL helmet accessory reduces concussions − but players and fans may not be ready to embrace safety over swag
  49. Preparing for a pandemic that never came ended up setting off another − how an accidental virus release triggered 1977’s ‘Russian flu’
  50. Humans infecting animals infecting humans − from COVID-19 to bird flu, preventing pandemics requires protecting all species