The Conversation - What a smaller China means

Inflation hasn’t increased US food insecurity overall, according to our new tracker

Sam Polzin, Purdue University; Jayson Lusk, Purdue University

A little more than 1 in 10 Americans can’t get enough to eat – around the same share of the country that was experiencing food insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The weaponization of the federal government has a long history

Ken Hughes, University of Virginia

The House GOP is scrutinizing federal investigators for alleged abuses of power. But will they probe abuses that may have been committed by members of their own party?

Matteo Messina Denaro: arrest of mafia boss after 30 years on the run is the end of an era – but not the end of the Cosa Nostra

Felia Allum, University of Bath

The mafia boss is the last known face of the Cosa Nostra crime syndicate. But his capture represents the end of an era, not the end of the mafia in Sicily.

‘The shoes needing filling are on the large side of big’ – Jacinda Ardern’s legacy and Labour’s new challenge

Richard Shaw, Massey University

Leaving on her own terms may be Jacinda Ardern’s final triumph, and one more part of a rich, complex political legacy.

Cold weather brings itchy, irritated, dry and scaly skin – here’s how to treat eczema and other skin conditions and when to see a doctor

Sonal Choudhary, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences; Jeffrey Chen, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences

Although most skin conditions aren’t dangerous, they can be painful, irritating and frustrating to deal with.

Prince Harry’s portrayal of war in ‘Spare’ is making headlines – but combat decision-making is more complex than his words suggest

Neil Shortland, UMass Lowell

An expert in military decision-making explains the real-life consequences of war and the long-term psychological toll that endures.

Installing solar-powered refrigerators in developing countries is an effective way to reduce hunger and slow climate change

Abay Yimere, Tufts University

Many developing nations have little cold storage and lose much of their perishable food before it gets to markets. Climate-friendly refrigeration can provide huge environmental and social benefits.

Climate change trauma has real impacts on cognition and the brain, wildfire survivors study shows

Jyoti Mishra, University of California, San Diego

A new neuropsychology study on California wildfire survivors found chronic cognitive problems in addition to anxiety and PTSD.

How ChatGPT robs students of motivation to write and think for themselves

Naomi S. Baron, American University

People who have used AI to help with writing report a loss of pride and ownership in what they produce.

How Edgar Allan Poe became the darling of the maligned and misunderstood

Scott Peeples, College of Charleston

Is the writer’s appeal less about the power and complexity of his prose, and more about the view of him as a perennial underdog?

Allegations that the charity George Santos claims to have run was fake highlight how scams divert money from worthy causes

This lunar year will be the Year of the Rabbit or the Year of the Cat, depending on where you live

Stopping the cancer cells that thrive on chemotherapy – research into how pancreatic tumors adapt to stress could lead to a new treatment approach