Writers strikes reflects gig economy disruptions

Mindfulness, meditation and self-compassion – a clinical psychologist explains how these science-backed practices can improve mental health

Rachel Goldsmith Turow, Seattle University

Many studies show that consistent meditation practice lowers depression, anxiety and self-criticism.

Obesity in children is rising dramatically, and it comes with major – and sometimes lifelong – health consequences

Christine Nguyen, University of Southern California

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently released new obesity management guidelines in order to help address the growing obesity crisis in children.

Proud Boys members convicted of seditious conspiracy – 3 essential reads on the group and right-wing extremist white nationalism

Jeff Inglis, The Conversation

Who are the Proud Boys, what do they want and is there a path back into society for these extremists?

Biden’s dragging poll numbers won’t matter in 2024 if enough voters loathe his opponent even more

Charles R. Hunt, Boise State University

It doesn’t make for inspiring politics, but political scientists have determined that for candidates, it’s more valuable to have an unpopular opponent than to be personally popular yourself.

Can China broker peace in Yemen – and further Beijing’s Middle East strategy in the process?

Mahad Darar, Colorado State University

Yemen’s brutal civil war has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. But a recent Beijing-brokered rapprochement between two regional powers could unlock a path to peace.

Prom price index shows cost of celebration is getting relatively cheaper – even at a time of high inflation

Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University

Prom can be very expensive, but prices for clothes, photographers and other traditional gear haven’t climbed as much as everything else.

Reconstructing ancient bacterial genomes can revive previously unknown molecules – offering a potential source for new antibiotics

Christina Warinner, Harvard University; Alexander Hübner, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Pierre Stallforth, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

Ancient microbes likely produced natural products their descendants today do not. Tapping into this lost chemical diversity could offer a potential source of new drugs.

AI exemplifies the ‘free rider’ problem – here’s why that points to regulation

Tim Juvshik, Clemson University

As a society, everyone is motivated to regulate AI development. For individual companies, though, the opposite is true.

Cloud seeding can increase rain and snow, and new techniques may make it a lot more effective

Daniel Merino, The Conversation; Nehal El-Hadi, The Conversation

Cloud seeding – spraying materials into clouds to increase precipitation – has been around for nearly 80 years. But only recently have scientists been able to measure how effective it really is.

Gordon Lightfoot’s music raised awareness of Great Lakes maritime disasters

Sudan: the longer the conflict lasts, the higher the risk of a regional war

‘I’m always delivering food while hungry’: how undocumented migrants find work as substitute couriers in the UK