The Conversation - Your brain, with a chip

Bringing AI up to speed – autonomous auto racing promises safer driverless cars on the road

Madhur Behl, University of Virginia

Artificial intelligence systems that can handle the pressure of high-speed auto racing could lead to driverless vehicles that can safely manage the morning commute.

We designed wormlike, limbless robots that navigate obstacle courses − they could be used for search and rescue one day

Tianyu Wang, Georgia Institute of Technology; Christopher Pierce, Georgia Institute of Technology

Robots often have a hard time navigating through debris, but robots designed based on worms and snakes could move around obstacles faster, thanks to an idea called mechanical intelligence.

Don’t let ‘FDA-approved’ or ‘patented’ in ads give you a false sense of security

Michael Mattioli, Indiana University

Most people don’t know what these labels really mean − and advertisers take advantage of that fact.

Revving up tourism: Formula One and other big events look set to drive growth in the hospitality industry

Rachel J.C. Fu, University of Florida

With big events drawing a growing share of of tourism dollars, F1 offers a potential glimpse of the travel industry’s future.

Real-world experiments in messaging show that getting low-income people the help they need is more effective when stigma is reduced

Jessica Lasky-Fink, Harvard Kennedy School; Elizabeth Linos, Harvard Kennedy School

The stigma around poverty and government benefits can make those initiatives less effective.

Immigrants do work that might not otherwise get done – bolstering the US economy

Ramya Vijaya, Stockton University

Despite widespread fears about immigrants being a burden, even those arriving as asylum applicants are more likely to work than the US-born population.

Mayorkas impeached: Is Congress on a witch hunt? 5 ways to judge whether oversight is legitimate or politicized

Claire Leavitt, Smith College

With its impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the House exercised its oversight power. How can you tell if it was it a legitimate use of that power?

Who will be picked for vice president? Let’s discuss who’s qualified for the job

Christopher Devine, University of Dayton

Media coverage of vice presidential candidates tends to focus on who can help win the election rather than who is qualified to help govern once in office.

Back in the day, being woke meant being smart

Ronald E. Hall, Michigan State University

Conservative politicians have launched attacks against the use of the word “woke.” If they knew the history of the word, they might stop wasting their time.

Recognizing when someone is having a seizure – and how you can help during those first critical moments

Jacob Pellinen, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

What you don’t do: Don’t shout at them, don’t put things in their mouth and don’t let them get near things that are sharp or hard in case of a fall.

Wildlife selfies harm animals − even when scientists share images with warnings in the captions

Andrea l. DiGiorgio, Princeton University

The caption may say that only scientists and trained professionals should handle wild animals, but viewers remember the image, not the words.

Kelvin Kiptum: the Kenyan runner who redefined what it takes to win marathons

Wycliffe W. Njororai Simiyu, Stephen F. Austin State University

His sudden death at 24 has shone a light on what a talent and hard worker he was, and what he represented.

Our robot harvests cotton by reaching out and plucking it, like a lizard’s tongue snatching flies

Saving the news media means moving beyond the benevolence of billionaires

Are you really in love? How expanding your love lexicon can change your relationships and how you see yourself