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Oil and gas communities are a blind spot in America’s climate and economic policies

Noah Kaufman, Columbia University

Limiting damage from climate change means cutting fossil fuel use. Many towns that rely heavily on oil and gas production aren’t prepared for that future, as a former economist at the White House explains.

Cats and dogs both like to play fetch − it’s rooted in their hunting instincts

Mikel Delgado, Purdue University; Judith Stella, Purdue University

About 80% of dogs and 40% of cats will fetch, a new study finds. Domestication turned these carnivores’ hunting methods into a game.

Utilities rely on dirty ‘peaker’ plants when power demand surges, but there are alternatives

Akshaya Jha, Carnegie Mellon University

As renewables account for a growing share of electricity supply, fossil fuel plants are increasingly used to balance fluctuations in renewable generation – emitting health-threatening pollutants.

Harris campaign tries to beat Trump at his own game − ridicule

Chris Lamb, Indiana University

Democrats are taking a new tone aimed at a particular weakness of Donald Trump: He hates being laughed at.

How much does aging affect mental acuity? It’s debatable

Donald Jurivich, University of North Dakota

Three keys to protecting an aging brain are physical activity, intellectual stimulation and annual screenings for dementia.

As Russell M. Nelson turns 100, a look back at one of the words that will define his legacy – and the controversial term’s 200-year history

Konden Smith Hansen, University of Arizona

Latter-day Saints’ attitudes toward the word ‘Mormon,’ often used to describe the church, have had highs and lows − like other Americans’ often-tense relationship with the faith.

As a high school teacher and as governor, Tim Walz has tapped the power of geographic information systems, or GIS, to solve complex problems

Marcia Moreno Báez, Tufts University; Rockford Weitz, Tufts University

Gov. Tim Walz used geographic information systems as a schoolteacher. How will that experience come into play if he and Kamala Harris win the White House in November?

Long COVID inflicts deep scars on the lungs, but targeting specific immune cells could reverse damage − new research in mice

Harish Narasimhan, University of Virginia

Researchers developed a new mouse model that replicates long COVID-19 more accurately than current models. Their findings could lead to new treatments.

The emotional toll of dating apps and why they’re no longer about finding love

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

Treena Orchard and Carolina Bandinelli talk to The Conversation Weekly podcast about how dating apps have changed expectations about the search for love.

Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits – ‘charisma’

Domesticating horses had a huge impact on human society − new science rewrites where and when it first happened

What is space made of? An astrophysics expert explains all the components – from radiation to dark matter – found in the vacuum of space