The Conversation - Sexist voters hurt Harris' chances

Why don’t more politicians retire? A medical anthropologist explains how the US could benefit from a mandatory retirement age

Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Many Americans seem to prefer to keep working well past retirement age, but it’s not clear whether the choice is motivated by the need to keep earning money or the desire to continue being productive.

Biden administration’s negotiated price cuts for 10 common prescription drugs likely to save Medicare billions, beginning in 2026

Simon F. Haeder, Texas A&M University

People ages 65 and up will likely reap significant out-of-pocket savings on prescription drugs when the negotiated prices take effect. But other benefits could pay bigger dividends in the long run.

Banana apocalypse, part 2 – a genomicist explains the tricky genetics of the fungus devastating bananas worldwide

Li-Jun Ma, UMass Amherst

Fusarium oxysporum can infect over 120 plant species. Whether it destroys Cavendish bananas as it did their predecessor depends on the agricultural industry and consumers.

Astronomers have warned against colonial practices in the space industry − a philosopher of science explains how the industry could explore other planets without exploiting them

Mary-Jane Rubenstein, Wesleyan University

Space may be considered the final frontier, but the US was once a frontier, too. How can space industry leaders avoid repeating practices that led to colonialism in the 18th century and beyond?

Ancient Rome had ways to counter the urban heat island effect – how history’s lessons apply to cities today

Brian Stone Jr., Georgia Institute of Technology

As summer temperatures rise, finding ways to build cities that don’t hold in the heat and can provide some cooling is increasingly important.

Could we use volcanoes to make electricity?

David Kitchen, University of Richmond

We don’t generate power directly from volcanoes, but the presence of volcanoes is a sign that there are good geothermal resources underground that can be tapped.

Who is the ‘Laughing Buddha’? A scholar of East Asian Buddhism explains

Megan Bryson, University of Tennessee

The ‘Laughing Buddha’ shows how people have adapted Buddhism to different cultural and historical contexts.

Anthropology students present their research in poetry, plays and op-eds in this course

Roxanne Varzi, University of California, Irvine

Students can play to their strengths in this anthropology course designed to teach them how to present research findings in ways other than a peer-reviewed paper.

Thailand’s democracy has taken another hit, but the country’s progressive forces won’t be stopped

Adam Simpson, University of South Australia

The new People’s Party is offering a much more democratic vision for Thailand – and it should fare very well at the next elections.

Could dinosaurs still exist somewhere in the world? A paleontologist explains

3 of Jane Austen’s 6 brothers engaged in antislavery activism − new research offers more clues about her own views

Most young voters support Kamala Harris − but that doesn’t guarantee they will show up at the polls