The Conversation - A seat at the AI table

If anxiety is in my brain, why is my heart pounding? A psychiatrist explains the neuroscience and physiology of fear

Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University

Although emotions like fear and anxiety originate in your brain, they ultimately travel through your body and make your heart race and your stomach twist.

What is geospatial intelligence? A geographer explains the powerful melding of maps and data

Darren Ruddell, University of Southern California

The combination of data and maps is useful for a lot more than just helping you get from point A to point B. Think natural disasters, global supply chains and climate change.

Congress needs to pass 12 funding bills in 11 days to avert a shutdown – here’s why that isn’t likely

Raymond Scheppach, University of Virginia

Lawmakers have given themselves a virtually impossible task – and the stakes are high.

The US broke global trade rules to try to fix climate change – to finish the job, it has to fix the trade system

Noah Kaufman, Columbia University; Chris Bataille, Columbia University; Gautam Jain, Columbia University; Sagatom Saha, Columbia University

Joe Biden’s ‘buy American’ effort with EVs likely violated World Trade Organization rules that the US helped create. The US has an opportunity now to update the system – if it’s willing to take it.

Paper ballots are good, but accurately hand-counting them all is next to impossible

Barry C. Burden, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Hand-counting every ballot might sound like a great idea, but it’s both slower and less accurate than machine-counting votes.

I love swords, so I designed a course on how to use them to succeed in life

Lancing C. England, University of Tennessee

A former fencer who fell in love with the samurai sword explains how learning to wield the weapon can help people stave off trouble in other areas of life.

Saudi reforms are softening Islam’s role, but critics warn the kingdom will still take a hard line against dissent

Nathan French, Miami University

A scholar who has closely followed reforms that MBS has made to Wahhabism, an austere form of Islam, explains the changes taking place in the Saudi kingdom and their impact.

Climate change is destroying reefs, but the effects are more than ecological – coral’s been woven into culture and spirituality for centuries

Michele Currie Navakas, Miami University

Coral has been woven into traditions, art and even religion in communities around the world.

California and Florida grew quickly on the promise of perfect climates in the 1900s – today, they lead the country in climate change risks

Henry Knight Lozano, University of Exeter

From semitropical playgrounds to life-endangering climate risks: Going back over a century, California’s and Florida’s growth has been predicated on climate – and promises of the good life.

How video games like ‘Starfield’ are creating a new generation of classical music fans

J. Aaron Hardwick, Wake Forest University

The genre has long been viewed as too exclusive, too expensive and too stuffy. Thanks to video games, that’s starting to change.

Researchers dig deep underground in hopes of finally observing dark matter

Many people think cannabis smoke is harmless − a physician explains how that belief can put people at risk

How individual, ordinary Jews fought Nazi persecution − a new view of history