Who will lower drug prices – Harris or Trump?

Big lithium plans for Imperial Valley, one of California’s poorest regions, raise a bigger question: Who should benefit?

Manuel Pastor, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Chris Benner, University of California, Santa Cruz

The promised ‘white gold rush’ would extract lithium alongside geothermal power production. The mineral is used in EV batteries, but even this less-polluting mining raises local health concerns.

Hurricanes don’t stop at the coast – these mountain towns know how severe inland flood damage can be, and they’re watching Helene

Craig E. Colten, Louisiana State University

In the mountains, heavy downpours can be devastating, washing out roads and homes and triggering landslides.

How the US government can stop ‘churches’ from getting treated like real churches by the IRS

Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, University of Notre Dame

New developments, including the increasing diversity of faith communities and the advent of worship through streamed services, have rendered the IRS definition of a church outdated.

Grocery stores that donate expiring food − instead of price discounting or discarding − make higher profits

John Lowrey, Northeastern University

Supply chain improvements could help lower the food insecurity rate and reduce food waste while boosting profits for retailers.

Post-election violence is possible in US, political scientist says − and it could be worse than Jan. 6

Alexander Cohen, Clarkson University

Trump’s incendiary election denial is ramping up as the 2024 election nears, and more Americans than ever believe that ‘patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.’

The audacity of Kamala Harris’ laughter – and the racist roots of Trump’s derision

Betsy Huang, Clark University

American writer Ralph Ellison provided a sharp analysis of the subversive power of Black laughter in 1930s America.

Who is Tim Walz? Understanding the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party can help make sense of the VP candidate

Gabriel Paxton, Boston University

Walz, who is set to debate JD Vance on Oct. 1, comes from a particular kind of progressive politics in the Midwest, united under the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

Fungal infections known as valley fever could spike this fall - 3 epidemiologists explain how to protect yourself

Jennifer Head, University of Michigan; Alexandra K. Heaney, University of California, San Diego; Simon Camponuri, University of California, Berkeley

Cases of valley fever are typically most prevalent in California’s Central Valley and southern Arizona, but they have been increasing in California’s central and southern coastal areas.

Bees have irrational biases when choosing which flowers to feed on − just like human shoppers do

Claire Therese Hemingway, University of Tennessee

Context, perceptions and expectations affect the choices both bees and people make.

Airdropping vaccines to eliminate canine rabies in Texas – two scientists explain the decades of research behind its success

Rodney E. Rohde, Texas State University; Charles Rupprecht, Auburn University

Two rabies epidemics in animals spurred a state health emergency in Texas and a program that oversees annual mass wildlife vaccination. Millions of doses have been distributed since the ‘90s.

Why do people still back Trump, after everything? 5 things to understand about MAGA supporters’ thinking

Mixed emotions – neuroscience is exploring how your brain lets you experience two opposite feelings at once

Diet-related diseases are the No. 1 cause of death in the US – yet many doctors receive little to no nutrition education in med school