The Conversation - Can Swift sweep up the votes for Biden?

New neurotechnology is blurring the lines around mental privacy − but are new human rights the answer?

Laura Y. Cabrera, Penn State

More invasive devices have prompted new debates about privacy and freedom. But it’s important to keep in mind that other technologies already sense and shape our thoughts, a neuroethicist argues.

Training an animal? An ethicist explains how and why your dog − but not your frog − can be punished

Jon Garthoff, University of Tennessee

Questions about how to ethically train different kinds of pets depend on the nature of those animals’ inner lives and their abilities to learn.

From throwing soup to suing governments, there’s strategy behind climate activism’s seeming chaos − here’s where it’s headed next

Shannon Gibson, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

With international climate talks failing to make progress fast enough, activists are shifting their emphasis to local battles − in the streets, political arenas and courtrooms.

Does Trump actually have to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll? Not immediately, at least

Jayne Ressler, Brooklyn Law School

Before Donald Trump delivers any amount of monetary damages to E. Jean Carroll, he could engage in a long appeals process.

A former federal judge explains what it’s like to be on the bench in a high-profile trial like those involving Donald Trump’s criminal charges

John E. Jones III, Dickinson College

The retired judge says the judiciary doesn’t ‘do justice’ but follows the law and the facts, which doesn’t always mean a sympathetic or compassionate ending.

An independent commission is racing to redraw Detroit’s voting maps under a federal court order − but the change may not elect more Black candidates

Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson, Wayne State University; Lyke Thompson, Wayne State University

The commission has tight deadlines to finalize new maps. 2 voting rights experts explain the messy situation.

3 years on from coup, economic sanctions look unlikely to push Myanmar back to democracy

Charmaine Willis, Skidmore College; Keith A. Preble, Miami University

Economic proscriptions by the US and EU are hampered by lack of support among Myanmar’s major trading partners in the region.

Grammy Awards: Africa finally has its own category – but at what cost?

Eric Charry, Wesleyan University

African artists with major US industry support have the advantage - now more than ever.

Orbital resonance − the striking gravitational dance done by planets with aligning orbits

Chris Impey, University of Arizona

Orbital resonance is kind of like musical harmony, but systems that display it are far more rare than songs with harmonic melodies.

How can I get ice off my car? An engineer who studies airborne particles shares some quick and easy techniques

Suresh Dhaniyala, Clarkson University

When you’re running late in the winter, you don’t want to have to spend time scraping frost off your windshield. Try some expert-recommended techniques instead.

Students with disabilities often left on the sidelines when it comes to school sports

Megan MacDonald, Oregon State University

Although disabled students are supposed to have equal access to school sports, questions remain about whether they participate at the same rate as their nondisabled peers.

Billy Joel is back for an encore − but why did he wait so long to turn the lights back on?

Ryan Raul Bañagale, Colorado College

In 1993, Joel sang, ‘These are the last words I have to say.’ What changed?

For 150 years, Black journalists have known what Confederate monuments really stood for

A newly identified ‘Hell chicken’ species suggests dinosaurs weren’t sliding toward extinction before the fateful asteroid hit

Why treason is a key topic in Trump’s 14th Amendment appeal to the Supreme Court

The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz

Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation

Here’s the first question of this week’s edition:

While appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 31, what did Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg say to the families of online child abuse victims?

1. A. "I hear the hurt in your voices, and I want you to know that it's valid"
2. B. "We're here for you"
3. C. "I’m sorry for everything you have all been through"
4. D. "It’s complicated"

Test your knowledge