The Conversation - Hollowing out downtown San José

US losing Fitch’s top AAA credit rating may portend future economic weakness

Hakan Yilmazkuday, Florida International University

The rating agency demoted the US government’s creditworthiness to AA+, its second-highest ranking, on Aug. 1, 2023.

Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? A nutritionist explains the science behind ‘functional’ foods

Janet Colson, Middle Tennessee State University

Functional foods − which should not be confused with ‘superfoods’ − possess specific components that contribute to better health.

‘Uncivil obedience’ becomes an increasingly common form of protest in the US

Kristina M. Lee, University of South Dakota

Distinct from civil disobedience, this legal strategy demands complete compliance with the law – even when there are loopholes that the laws’ creators didn’t intend.

Beyoncé has a prenup − but do you need one if you’re not a millionaire?

Allison Anna Tait, University of Richmond

A prenuptial agreement can help millennial couples navigate concerns about student debt in their marriage.

Maui’s deadly wildfires burn through Lahaina – it’s a reminder of the growing risk to communities that once seemed safe

Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University

Human exposure to wildfires in the US more than doubled in the past two decades. A climate scientist looks at who is at risk and why.

Elon Musk aims to turn Twitter into an ‘everything app’ – a social media and marketing scholar explains what that is and why it’s not so easy to do

Kristen Schiele, University of Southern California

Everything apps offer a wide range of features, combining social media with personal finances. But creating the perfect everything app is no easy task.

Lab-grown ‘ghost hearts’ work to solve organ transplant shortage by combining a cleaned-out pig heart with a patient’s own stem cells

Doris Taylor, University of New Hampshire

Scientist Doris Taylor explains how she and her team are creating bioengineered human hearts in their lab with the goal of one day eliminating the need for heart transplants.

Heritage algorithms combine the rigors of science with the infinite possibilities of art and design

Audrey G. Bennett, University of Michigan; Ron Eglash, University of Michigan

By bridging culture and computation, heritage algorithms challenge the myth of ‘primitive cultures’ and forge a new understanding of science and art.

The fast, furious, and brutally short life of an African male lion

Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Griffith University; Duan Biggs, Northern Arizona University; Peter Lindsey, Griffith University

From the moment a male lion is born it faces a gauntlet of challenges, ranging from snakebite to infanticide.

Looking back toward cosmic dawn − astronomers confirm the faintest galaxy ever seen

When Confederate-glorifying monuments went up in the South, voting in Black areas went down

Prostate cancer treatment is not always the best option – a cancer researcher walks her father through his diagnosis