What senators do for voters after hard-fought races

What’s at stake this Election Day – 7 essential reads

Amy Lieberman, The Conversation

Voter demographics and policy priorities are two recurrent, big issues on Election Day – but shifts in election administration and voting laws are new challenges influencing the midterms.

How a divided America, including the 15% who are ‘MAGA Republicans,’ splits on QAnon, racism and armed patrols at polling places

Garen Wintemute, University of California, Davis

What deep-dive polls reveal at the political landscape of America as the 2022 midterm election approaches.

Why some people think fascism is the greatest expression of democracy ever invented

Mark R Reiff, University of California, Davis

Some fascists claim that democracy and fascism have the same goal – to give effect to the will of the people. But who the people are is where the ideologies divide.

3 things a climate scientist wants world leaders to know ahead of COP27

Andrew King, The University of Melbourne

Our planet is undeniably in crisis and desperately needs COP27 to succeed. Without concrete action, we are condemning today’s children to a harsher future.

What makes someone Indigenous?

Torivio Fodder, University of Arizona

Geographic, cultural and political identity are all part of being Indigenous.

Pickleball’s uphill climb to mainstream success

Josh Woods, West Virginia University

Headlines about pickleball’s exploding popularity abound. But the less visible social undercurrents of an emerging sport ultimately shape its long-term future.

What is affirmative action, anyway? 4 essential reads

Jeff Inglis, The Conversation; Jamaal Abdul-Alim, The Conversation

Scholars explain what affirmative action is – and isn’t – as well as what its effects are, and why, among others, the military has supported it for decades.

Fundraisers who appeal to donors’ fond memories by evoking their emotions may get larger gifts – new research

Michael Kurtz, Lycoming College

Asking alumni to reflect on ‘a person or event in their past that had particularly benefited them since graduating’ resulted in larger gifts.

What is inflammation? How the body responds to everything from stings to vaccination and why it can wrong

Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina; Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina

Inflammation is a complicated and important part of how the immune system responds to threats to the body. But when the inflammatory response goes awry, it can lead to serious problems.

Ye and Adidas break up: Why brand marriages sometimes go bad

Pankhuri Malhotra, University of Oklahoma

While corporate partnerships can be ‘win-win’ arrangements, sometimes they don’t work out – especially when values don’t align.

Newly discovered species of bacteria in the microbiome may be a culprit behind rheumatoid arthritis

Mass migration from Twitter is likely to be an uphill battle – just ask ex-Tumblr users

A blood test that screens for multiple cancers at once promises to boost early detection