The Conversation - It's the ecology, stupid!

US attempt to ‘revitalize’ Palestinian Authority risks making the PA less legitimate, more unpopular

Dana El Kurd, University of Richmond

Israel has made it clear that Hamas should have no role in Gaza after the war. But seeking an alternative in the Palestinian Authority is fraught with problems.

3 things to watch for in Russia’s presidential election – other than Putin’s win, that is

Adam Lenton, Wake Forest University

While Putin is all but guaranteed to win, war fatigue, electoral engineering and extreme risk-aversion suggest that the Kremlin is anxious to get these elections over and done with.

How Haiti became a failed state

Nicolas Forsans, University of Essex

Haiti is facing a wave of chaos as gang violence grips the country.

Pennsylvania overhauled its sentencing guidelines to be more fair and consistent − but racial disparities may not disappear so soon

C. Clare Strange, Drexel University

The new guidelines are not intended to reduce punishment but aim to reduce disparities in punishment that are linked to race and ethnicity.

Yes, sexism among Republican voters helped sink Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign

Tatishe Nteta, UMass Amherst; Adam Eichen, UMass Amherst; Jesse Rhodes, UMass Amherst

Given her strengths and Donald Trump’s vulnerabilities, why did Nikki Haley fail to seriously challenge Trump’s dominant position in the GOP primaries? Sexism is part of the answer.

Growing secrecy limits government accountability

David Cuillier, University of Florida

After years of anecdotes, data provides a fuller picture of government agencies hiding their work from the public they ostensibly serve.

Solar power occupies a lot of space – here’s how to make it more ecologically beneficial to the land it sits on

Matthew Sturchio, Colorado State University

Solar development isn’t always good for the land, but pairing it with agriculture can produce multiple benefits.

NASA’s search for life on Mars: a rocky road for its rovers, a long slog for scientists – and back on Earth, a battle of the budget

Amy J. Williams, University of Florida

Determining whether or not life exists on another planet is an extraordinarily complicated – and expensive – scientific endeavor.

Salty foods are making people sick − in part by poisoning their microbiomes

Christopher Damman, University of Washington

Salt is an essential nutrient that has helped civilizations flavor and preserve their foods for millennia. Too much dietary salt, however, is linked to a host of health problems.

What is the Japanese ‘wabi-sabi’ aesthetic actually about? ‘Miserable tea’ and loneliness, for starters

Paul S. Atkins, University of Washington

‘Wabi’ and ‘sabi’ are Japanese words with long histories, but they are rarely used together in the way Western designers have come to use the term.

National parks teach students about environmental issues in this course

Seth T. Kannarr, University of Tennessee

Students are provided the opportunity to use America’s national parks as case studies for environmental issues and tough conversations in this course.

Chinese migration to US is nothing new – but the reasons for recent surge at Southern border are

Titanosaurs were the biggest land animals Earth’s ever seen − these plant-powered dinos combined reptile and mammal traits

I’m a political scientist, and the Alabama Supreme Court’s IVF ruling turned me into a reproductive-rights refugee