The Conversation - The real places that inspired 'Dune'

How parents can be held responsible for their children's shooting – James Crumbley convicted

Thaddeus Hoffmeister, University of Dayton

James and Jennifer Crumbley purchased a handgun for their son as a Christmas present. Ethan Crumbley used that gun to kill 4 of his high school classmates.

Trump wouldn’t be the first presidential candidate to campaign from a prison cell

Thomas Doherty, Brandeis University

Can you run for president from a prison cell? One man did in the 1920 election and got almost a million votes.

Did Biden really steal the election? Students learn how to debunk conspiracy theories in this course

David Cason, University of North Dakota

A scholar of history of education and American politics explains what is behind his course on conspiracy theories and how students learn to debunk fake ideas.

Pacemaker powered by light eliminates need for batteries and allows the heart to function more naturally − new research

Pengju Li, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering

Researchers designed an ultrathin pacemaker that can be implanted via minimally invasive techniques, potentially improving recovery time and reducing the risk of complications.

Astro-tourism − chasing eclipses, meteor showers and elusive dark skies from Earth

Vahe Peroomian, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

With a solar eclipse and several meteor showers coming up, an astronomy professor shares travel tips for viewing astronomical phenomena.

What is the ‘great replacement theory’? A scholar of race relations explains

Rodney Coates, Miami University

False ideas about the extinction of the white race, spread around the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gave rise to xenophobic and anti-immigration conspiracy theories.

Israel’s army exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox are part of a bigger challenge: The Jewish state is divided over the Jewish religion

Michael Brenner, American University

The Israel-Hamas war has fueled tensions around military exemptions, but the issue has long roiled Israeli politics.

Why do airlines charge so much for checked bags? This obscure rule helps explain why

Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University

The answer lies in the tax code.

The hostility Black women face in higher education carries dire consequences

Ebony Aya, Macalester College

Nine Black women who were working on or recently earned their PhDs told a researcher they felt isolated and shut out.

How meth became an epidemic in America, and what’s happening now that it’s faded from the headlines

Bryan Keogh, The Conversation

An anthropologist who wrote a book exploring meth’s impact on rural communities explains what drove the epidemic and how it’s changed.

Mike Tyson is getting back in the ring at 58 – what could go wrong?

Stephen Hughes, Anglia Ruskin University

A look at the physiology of the older pugilist.

Leprosy cases are rising in the US – what is the ancient disease and why is it spreading now?

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

Putin has no successor, no living rivals and no retirement plan – why his eventual death will set off a vicious power struggle

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

President Joe Biden said on March 8 that if legislation banning the social media app TikTok reached his desk, he would do what?

1. A. Sign it
2. B. Veto it
3. C. Confer with Chinese President Xi Jinping
4. D. Do the "Bounce When She Walk" dance in the Oval Office

Test your knowledge