The Conversation - Sobering numbers about slavery in war

Dr. Oz should be worried – voters punish ‘carpetbaggers,’ and new research shows why

Charles R. Hunt, Boise State University

In Pennsylvania, one Senate candidate is pounding the other for his lack of local roots. A political scientist studied accusations of carpetbagging – and found there is a home field advantage.

Advanced Placement courses could clash with laws that target critical race theory

Suneal Kolluri, University of California, Riverside

AP teachers could find themselves at odds with laws that restrict how they can teach about racism in America’s past.

Does turning the air conditioning off when you’re not home actually save energy? Three engineers run the numbers

Aisling Pigott, University of Colorado Boulder; Jennifer Scheib, University of Colorado Boulder; Kyri Baker, University of Colorado Boulder

Energy modeling software provides insight into whether letting your A/C relax while you’re gone all day will save you energy – and money.

What are wormholes? An astrophysicist explains these shortcuts through space-time

Dejan Stojkovic, University at Buffalo

An astrophysicist explains what wormholes are and how these theoretical space-time tunnels have popped up in the solutions to a set of decadesold equations.

Two surprising reasons behind the obesity epidemic: Too much salt, not enough water

Richard Johnson, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Studies show that most people who are overweight or obese are also chronically dehydrated.

Cell towers have come to symbolize our deep collective anxieties

Steven Jones, University of South Florida

Hiding in plain sight, they’re subtle reminders that we’re being watched, tracked, studied.

Dog owners take more risks, cat owners are more cautious – new research examines how people conform to their pets’ stereotypical traits

Lei Jia, Kent State University

A series of studies found that exposure to dogs leads people to make riskier financial decisions, while interactions with cats have the opposite effect.

To search for alien life, astronomers will look for clues in the atmospheres of distant planets – and the James Webb Space Telescope just proved it’s possible to do so

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

When COVID-19 or flu viruses kill, they often have an accomplice – bacterial infections