The Conversation - What does ‘peace’ mean to Israelis?

Biden executive order on sensitive personal information does little for now to curb data market – but spotlights the threat the market poses

Anne Toomey McKenna, University of Richmond

The dangers posed by the largely unregulated commercial data market prompted the Biden administration to try to prevent adversarial countries from exploiting Americans’ sensitive personal data.

Why do bees have queens? 2 biologists explain this insect’s social structure – and why some bees don’t have a queen at all

Phil Starks, Tufts University; Aviva Liebert, Framingham State University

A queen’s main job in the hive is to lay eggs and pass genes on to offspring. But many bee species do just fine without queens or big colonies.

Nikki Haley, hanging on through Super Tuesday, says Trump is weak because he’s not getting as many votes as he should − she’s wrong

Huchen Liu, University of Nebraska Omaha

Nikki Haley claims Donald Trump is running as a quasi-incumbent and should be doing much better against her than he is. That’s wishful thinking, says a political scientist.

A far-right political group is gaining popularity in Germany – but so, too, are protests against it

Julie VanDusky, Boise State University

Hundreds of thousands of people in Germany are taking to the streets to push back against the far-right, nationalist policies of the AfD, which currently holds 11% of the seats in parliament.

Estimated 2.5 million people displaced by tornadoes, wildfires and other disasters in 2023 tell a story of recovery in America and who is vulnerable

Tricia Wachtendorf, University of Delaware; James Kendra, University of Delaware

Census data and research show all things are not equal in disaster displacement, as two experts in disaster recovery explain.

Could the days of ‘springing forward’ be numbered? A neurologist and sleep expert explains the downside to that borrowed hour of daylight

Beth Ann Malow, Vanderbilt University

Americans have long been divided over adopting permanent standard versus permanent daylight saving time. But support for permanent standard time grew dramatically between 2021 and 2024.

Commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force is expanding predecessor’s vision of chaos in the Middle East

Javed Ali, University of Michigan

Esmail Ghaani took control of the unconventional warfare wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps following the killing of predecessor Qassem Soleimani.

How much does a government shutdown hurt the economy? Depends how long it lasts

Scott R. Baker, Northwestern University

As Democrat and Republican leaders negotiate a potential spending deal to fund the government, the partial shutdown of 2013 offers some clues about the economic impact should they fail.

Community-based entrepreneurs are leading the way in solving the local news crisis

Dan Kennedy, Northeastern University

As digital news pioneers observed, ‘local doesn’t scale.’ Any solution to the local news crisis is going to involve reporters and editors who are creative and smart about what works for their readers.

From ‘Jaws’ to ‘Schindler’s List,’ John Williams has infused movie scores with adventure and emotion

Arthur Gottschalk, Rice University

Composer and conductor John Williams has shown for more than 60 years how music can take movies to new heights.

How non-English language cinema is reshaping the Oscars landscape

Kerry Hegarty, Miami University

Non-English language cinema – previously seen by niche audiences – is increasingly finding acceptance and recognition, reflecting the many demographic changes taking place within the academy.

Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including with significant drops in IQ scores

What does a state’s secretary of state do? Most run elections, a once-routine job facing increasing scrutiny

What is bioengineered food? An agriculture expert explains