The Conversation - The science of sandcastles

With ‘bravery’ as its new brand, Ukraine is turning advertising into a weapon of war

Nadia Kaneva, University of Denver

Ukraine is partnering with an advertising company to produce an innovative nation branding campaign during a war. The campaign could have influence beyond how Ukraine and Russia conduct this war.

Poland’s warm welcome to about 2 million Ukrainian refugees draws global praise, but it might not be sustainable

Patrice McMahon, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

A scholar of humanitarianism sums up what she saw on the ground during a five-week research trip to Poznań, Lublin, Warsaw, Krakow and several smaller cities along the Poland-Ukraine border.

How to destroy a ‘forever chemical’ – scientists are discovering ways to eliminate PFAS, but this growing global health problem isn’t going away soon

A. Daniel Jones, Michigan State University; Hui Li, Michigan State University

PFAS can be filtered, but getting rid of the chemicals is a monumental challenge. A new breakthrough offers some hope.

Big new incentives for clean energy aren’t enough – the Inflation Reduction Act was just the first step, now the hard work begins

Daniel Cohan, Rice University

To put the $370 billion in subsidies to work, the US needs to build new infrastructure and manage a lot of regulatory hurdles.

College students are increasingly identifying beyond ‘she’ and ‘he’

Genny Beemyn, UMass Amherst

An analysis of college applications reveals that 3% of US students use pronouns other than the traditional “he” or “she” binary.

We praise people as ‘Good Samaritans,’ but there’s a complex history behind the phrase

Terry Giles, Gannon University

Samaritans still live in Israel, where they are often caught between Israeli and Palestinian identities.

What is listeria? A microbiologist explains the bacterium behind recent deadly food poisoning outbreaks

Yvonne Sun, University of Dayton

Listeria causes serious illness and food recalls nearly every year.

Will the Inflation Reduction Act actually reduce inflation? How will the corporate minimum tax work? An economist has answers

Nirupama Rao, University of Michigan

The new law will pay for increased spending in several ways, including a corporate minimum tax and funding tax code enforcement by the IRS.

Mystery crater potentially caused by relative of dinosaur-killing asteroid

The Mediterranean has experienced record sea temperatures this summer: this could devastate marine life

Don’t blame women for low libido. Sexual sparks fly when partners do their share of chores – including calling the plumber