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Urban wildfires disrupt streams and their tiny inhabitants − losing these insects is a warning of bigger water problems

  • Written by Lauren Magliozzi, Researcher in Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
imageAsh from fires often washes into streams, where it can wreak havoc on ecosystems.Lauren Magliozzi, CC BY-ND

A tiny, vibrant world thrives along the rocky bottom of most streams. As sunlight filters through the water, mayfly nymphs, no larger than your fingernail, cling to algae-coated cobbles. Their brushlike mouthparts scrape the greenish coating,...

Read more: Urban wildfires disrupt streams and their tiny inhabitants − losing these insects is a warning of...

In domestic violence cases, police are more likely to make arrests when pets are abused, too

  • Written by Lynn Addington, Professor, Department of Justice, Law & Criminology, American University
imagePeople abused by intimate partners regularly cite fear for their pet's safety as a primary reason they do not leave an abusive situation.Sjale/ Illustration: iStock / Getty Images Plus

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. households have at least one pet, and almost all see their pet as a family member.

Unfortunately, in homes where violence occurs, pets can...

Read more: In domestic violence cases, police are more likely to make arrests when pets are abused, too

People with physical and mobility disabilities need to work out, but there are a lot of obstacles in their way

  • Written by Alexandra Jamieson, Research Scientist of Biomedical Technologies, University of Texas at Arlington
imageThe Movin' Mavs, the University of Texas at Arlington's championship-winning wheelchair basketball team, says their gym needs more adaptive exercise equipment. UTA Adaptive Sports Program, CC BY-ND

Although wheelchair users, visually impaired people and others with mobility and physical disabilities need consistent exercise, it’s often hard...

Read more: People with physical and mobility disabilities need to work out, but there are a lot of obstacles...

South Sudan’s long-delayed election will be a landmark moment − but economic decline and political strife put vote at risk

  • Written by Abigail Kabandula, Post-doctoral fellow in global governance and Director of Africa Center, University of Denver
imageSouth Sudanese voters are slated to go to the polls in December. But will they?AP Photo/Sam Mednick

Elections are pivotal milestones in post-conflict countries – and nowhere is voter anticipation felt more keenly than in South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation.

The country, which won independence in 2011 after a long conflict with...

Read more: South Sudan’s long-delayed election will be a landmark moment − but economic decline and political...

Kamala’s kicks, Tim’s lids, and the red ties that bind Trump and Vance – what’s behind the fashion choices of each candidate

  • Written by Deirdre Clemente, Associate Professor of History, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
imageA man holds up a Converse Chuck Taylor – Kamala Harris' favorite footwear – during the vice president's campaign rally on Aug. 9, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

With Election Day approaching, candidates are courting voters with everything they’ve got: targeted ads, texts, taunts and stump speeches.

As a fashion...

Read more: Kamala’s kicks, Tim’s lids, and the red ties that bind Trump and Vance – what’s behind the fashion...

‘Coconut farmers for Harris,’ influencers and vertical signs – Smithsonian curators’ encounters at the Democratic National Convention

  • Written by Claire Jerry, Political History Curator, Smithsonian Institution
imageVertical signs with key messages are a long-standing tradition at Democratic conventions.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

At the 2024 Democratic National Convention alongside politicians and delegates from across the country are political history curators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, who are collecting what museum...

Read more: ‘Coconut farmers for Harris,’ influencers and vertical signs – Smithsonian curators’ encounters at...

Polaris Dawn mission to Earth’s orbit will test SpaceX’s capabilities for a commercial space program

  • Written by Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University
imageSpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission aims to test newly designed spacesuits. SpaceX, CC BY-NC-ND

SpaceX’s upcoming Polaris Dawn mission aims to be historic in more ways than one. Polaris Dawn plans to not only orbit Earth higher than any astronauts have in more than 50 years but to also feature the first private spacewalk.

The mission was expected...

Read more: Polaris Dawn mission to Earth’s orbit will test SpaceX’s capabilities for a commercial space program

4 ways Wissahickon Valley Park makes Philly more resilient against climate change

  • Written by Hilton Oyamaguchi, Assistant Professor of Biology, Chestnut Hill College
imageThe urban forest can be a refuge on hot summer days.Mark Makela/Getty Images

Spanning 2,000 acres with more than 50 miles of trails, Wissahickon Valley Park in northwest Philadelphia offers a variety of recreational opportunities, from hiking and biking to bird watching and picnicking.

We are a professor of history who co-authored a book on the...

Read more: 4 ways Wissahickon Valley Park makes Philly more resilient against climate change

The Polaris Dawn mission to Earth’s orbit will test SpaceX’s capabilities for a commercial space program

  • Written by Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University
imageSpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission aims to test newly designed spacesuits. SpaceX, CC BY-NC-ND

SpaceX’s upcoming Polaris Dawn mission aims to be historic in more ways than one. Polaris Dawn plans to not only orbit Earth higher than any astronauts have in more than 50 years but to also feature the first private spacewalk.

It’s expected to...

Read more: The Polaris Dawn mission to Earth’s orbit will test SpaceX’s capabilities for a commercial space...

No, the world isn’t heading toward a new Cold War – it’s closer to the grinding world order collapse of the 1930s

  • Written by David Ekbladh, Professor of History, Tufts University
imageThe breakdown of global order in the 1930s resulted in totalitarian leaders pulling the strings.Philippe Clément/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The past decade and a half has seen upheaval across the globe. The 2008 financial crisis and its fallout, the COVID-19 pandemic and major regional conflicts in Sudan, the Middle East,...

Read more: No, the world isn’t heading toward a new Cold War – it’s closer to the grinding world order...

More Articles ...

  1. How organized labor shames its traitors − the story of the ‘scab’
  2. US is unlikely to stop giving military aid to Israel − because it benefits from it
  3. What links aging and disease? A growing body of research says it’s a faulty metabolism
  4. Gift card scams generate billions for fraudsters and industry as regulators fail to protect consumers − and how one 83-year-old fell into the ‘fear bubble’
  5. Why gift cards fall into a gap in the 2-tier banking regulation system − and a brief history of why that gap exists
  6. From thoughts to words: How AI deciphers neural signals to help a man with ALS speak
  7. ‘Time poverty’ can keep college students from graduating − especially if they have jobs or children to care for
  8. Italian teenager Carlo Acutis’ upcoming canonization reflects the Vatican’s desire to appeal to a new generation of Catholics
  9. Can a political party get any attention when its rival holds a national convention? Yes, but it’s not easy
  10. How debt and taxes conspired to rob Nairobi’s slum-dwelling youth of the promise of a better life
  11. Treating Nord Stream blasts as a whodunit misses the point – and plays into Russia’s plan to distract and divide
  12. Want to fight gender inequality? A review of data from 118 counties shows that development aid works
  13. Want to fight gender inequality? A review of data from 118 countries shows that development aid works
  14. As human population grows, people and wildlife will share more living spaces around the world
  15. Thwaites Glacier won’t collapse like dominoes as feared, study finds, but that doesn’t mean the ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is stable
  16. Rural voters don’t necessarily love Walz, despite the camo hat and small-town upbringing
  17. Squid have tiny teeth in their suckers − scientists could use their unique properties to make self-healing materials
  18. Space missions are getting more complex − lessons from Amazon and FedEx can inform satellite and spacecraft management in orbit
  19. China leans into using AI − even as the US leads in developing it
  20. America’s Iran policy is a failure − piecemeal deterrence and sanctions can go only so far
  21. Democratic Party’s embrace of organized labor in 2024 elections has long roots that had started to wither
  22. Los Angeles is in a 4-year sprint to deliver a car-free 2028 Olympics
  23. Politicians step up attacks on the teaching of scientific theories in US schools
  24. Do Charli XCX’s and Kid Rock’s endorsements make a difference? 19% of young people admit they might
  25. AI pioneers want bots to replace human teachers – here’s why that’s unlikely
  26. Blood sugar fluctuations after eating play an important role in anxiety and depression
  27. The mystic and the mathematician: What the towering 20th-century thinkers Simone and André Weil can teach today’s math educators
  28. Readers prefer to click on a clear, simple headline − like this one
  29. 75 years ago, the KKK and anti-communists teamed up to violently stop a folk concert in NY
  30. Does Democratic VP candidate Walz swear too damn much?
  31. Sharks are taking a bite out of anglers’ catch in the Gulf of Mexico, but culling isn’t likely to help
  32. Biden administration’s negotiated price cuts for 10 common prescription drugs likely to save Medicare billions, beginning in 2026
  33. Why don’t more politicians retire? A medical anthropologist explains how the US could benefit from a mandatory retirement age
  34. Could we use volcanoes to make electricity?
  35. Ancient Rome had ways to counter the urban heat island effect – how history’s lessons apply to cities today
  36. Astronomers have warned against colonial practices in the space industry − a philosopher of science explains how the industry could explore other planets without exploiting them
  37. Anthropology students present their research in poetry, plays and op-eds in this course
  38. Who is the ‘Laughing Buddha’? A scholar of East Asian Buddhism explains
  39. Banana apocalypse, part 2 – a genomicist explains the tricky genetics of the fungus devastating bananas worldwide
  40. US voters say they’re ready for a woman president − but sexist attitudes still go along with opposition to Harris
  41. Editing fetal genomes is on the horizon − a medical anthropologist explains why ethical discussions with the target communities should happen sooner rather than later
  42. His crayon is purple – but is Harold a Black boy?
  43. Most young voters support Kamala Harris − but that doesn’t guarantee they will show up at the polls
  44. Complicated app settings are a threat to user privacy
  45. West Nile virus season returns − a medical epidemiologist explains how it’s transmitted and how you can avoid it
  46. Hard-to-treat traumas and painful memories may be treatable with EMDR – a trauma therapist explains why it is gaining popularity
  47. US has its first national strategy to reduce plastic pollution − here are 3 strong points and a key issue to watch
  48. US military presence in Syria carries substantial risks, but so does complete withdrawal
  49. What is mpox? A microbiologist explains what’s known about this smallpox cousin
  50. In praise of the weird