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Which of Trump's Supreme Court choices might be most reliably conservative?

  • Written by Matthew Dahl, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, University of Notre Dame
imagePresident Donald Trump has said he will name a Supreme Court nominee in the coming days.AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

As President Donald Trump looks to fill the Supreme Court seat left open by the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, he and other Republicans want to secure a reliable conservative majority on the nation’s highest court...

Read more: Which of Trump's Supreme Court choices might be most reliably conservative?

What makes hurricanes stall, and why is it so hard to forecast?

  • Written by Kimberly Wood, Assistant Professor of Meteorology, Mississippi State University
imageWhen Hurricane Dorian, seen here from the International Space Station, stalled over the Bahamas in September 2019, its winds, rain and storm surge devastated the islands.NASA

A lot can go wrong when hurricanes stall. Their destructive winds last longer. The storm surge can stay high. And the rain keeps falling.

During Hurricane Sally, Naval Air...

Read more: What makes hurricanes stall, and why is it so hard to forecast?

Homes in Black and Latino neighborhoods still undervalued 50 years after US banned using race in real estate appraisals

  • Written by Junia Howell, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh
imageReal estate prices are still related to a neighborhood's racial composition, despite laws prohibiting the explicit consideration of race in appraisals. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Racial inequality in home values is greater today than it was 40 years ago, with...

Read more: Homes in Black and Latino neighborhoods still undervalued 50 years after US banned using race in...

Dynamic tattoos promise to warn wearers of health threats

  • Written by Carson J Bruns, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
imageIn the not-too-distant future, tattoos could become medical diagnostic devices as well as body art.LightFieldStudios/iStock via Getty Images

In the sci-fi novel “The Diamond Age” by Neal Stephenson, body art has evolved into “constantly shifting mediatronic tattoos” – in-skin displays powered by nanotech robopigments....

Read more: Dynamic tattoos promise to warn wearers of health threats

Pandemic school funding debate in South Carolina rekindles Jim Crow-era controversy

  • Written by David W. Dangerfield, Assistant Professor of History, University of South Carolina Salkehatchie
imageFootball players from Lee Central High School in Bishopville, South Carolina, share a meal with players from the Robert E. Lee Academy. Lee County in South Carolina is still segregated.Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesimageSenator Strom Thurmond addresses a classroom in South Carolina, October 20, 1996.Alan Weiner/Liaison via Getty...

Read more: Pandemic school funding debate in South Carolina rekindles Jim Crow-era controversy

Microaggressions aren't just innocent blunders – new research links them with racial bias

  • Written by Jonathan Kanter, Director of the Center for the Science of Social Connection, University of Washington
imageThey're not just honest or ignorant mistakes, and they can poison an otherwise pleasant interaction.Hinterhaus Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images

A white man shares publicly that a group of Black Harvard graduates “look like gang members to me” and claims he would have said the same of white people dressed similarly. A white...

Read more: Microaggressions aren't just innocent blunders – new research links them with racial bias

How a pregnant mouse's microbes influence offspring's brain development – new study offers clues

  • Written by Helen Vuong, Postdoctoral Scholar of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles
imageThe microbes in the mother's gut can alter the number of neurons in the baby's brain and the connections they make.bestdesigns/Getty Images

When a fetus is developing in the mother’s womb, it is essential that the fetus receives the correct nutrients and protection during this critical developmental window. One element of this environment...

Read more: How a pregnant mouse's microbes influence offspring's brain development – new study offers clues

¿Por qué les encanta TikTok a los niños?

  • Written by Kevin Munger, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Social Data Analytics, Pennsylvania State University
imageJóvenes crean un video TikTok en Lituania.Photo by Alfredas Pliadis/Xinhua via Getty Images

TikTok, una plataforma de redes sociales dirigida a usuarios de teléfonos móviles jóvenes, fue la segunda aplicación más descargada del mundo en 2019 y la número uno en julio de 2020.

También se ha...

Read more: ¿Por qué les encanta TikTok a los niños?

How the coronavirus spreads through the air: 5 essential reads

  • Written by Stacy Morford, General Assignments Editor
imageWhen a person sneezes, tiny droplets, or aerosols, can linger in the air.Jorg Greuel via Getty Images

Scientists have been warning for months that the coronavirus could be spread by aerosols – tiny respiratory droplets that people emit when they talk or sneeze and that can linger in the air.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Read more: How the coronavirus spreads through the air: 5 essential reads

Pregnancy during a pandemic: The stress of COVID-19 on pregnant women and new mothers is showing

  • Written by Jennifer C. Ablow, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Oregon
imageCOVID-19 has drastically changed the hospital experience.Daniel Berehulak via Getty Images

Pregnancy is stressful, to say the least, but COVID-19 brings new challenges to parents of newborns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified pregnant women as a vulnerable population. If infected, they are more likely to be hospitalized...

Read more: Pregnancy during a pandemic: The stress of COVID-19 on pregnant women and new mothers is showing

More Articles ...

  1. Want the youth vote? Some college students are still up for grabs in November
  2. It's time for states that grew rich from oil, gas and coal to figure out what's next
  3. Revenue goals lurk behind decision to hold Big Ten college football games amid pandemic
  4. Unlike US, Europe picks top judges with bipartisan approval to create ideologically balanced high courts
  5. When noted journalists bashed political polls as nothing more than 'a fragmentary snapshot' of a moment in time
  6. A language generation program's ability to write articles, produce code and compose poetry has wowed scientists
  7. 3 research-based ways to cope with the uncertainties of pandemic life
  8. How and when will we know that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective?
  9. 3 ways a 6-3 Supreme Court would be different
  10. The case of Biden versus Trump – or how a judge could decide the presidential election
  11. Tips for living online – lessons from six months of the COVID-19 pandemic
  12. Pandemic crushes Guyana’s dreams of big oil profits as ‘resource curse’ looms over oil-producing nations
  13. How can smoke from West Coast fires cause red sunsets in New York?
  14. Retiring early can be bad for the brain
  15. Voting while God is watching – does having churches as polling stations sway the ballot?
  16. SARS-CoV-2 infection can block pain, opening up unexpected new possibilities for research into pain relief medication
  17. Que la pandemia no te impida observar el cielo estrellado y la Luna: aquí 5 opciones para hacerlo en casa
  18. Ginsburg's legal victories for women led to landmark anti-discrimination rulings for the LGBTQ community, too
  19. Scientists don't share their findings for fun – they want their research to make a difference
  20. Why you're getting so many political text messages right now
  21. US-China fight over fishing is really about world domination
  22. For many immigrant students, remote learning during COVID-19 comes with more hurdles
  23. What the Greek classics tell us about grief and the importance of mourning the dead
  24. Many colleges have gone test-optional – here's how that could change the way students are admitted
  25. Can Trump and McConnell get through the 4 steps to seat a Supreme Court justice in just 6 weeks?
  26. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is so intense, it just ran out of storm names – and then two more storms formed
  27. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is so intense, it just ran out of storm names
  28. Humans ignite almost every wildfire that threatens homes
  29. Video: Who should get a COVID-19 vaccine first?
  30. Keeping coronavirus vaccines at subzero temperatures during distribution will be hard, but likely key to ending pandemic
  31. Monarch butterflies' spectacular migration is at risk – an ambitious new plan aims to help save it
  32. COVID-19 vaccines: Open source licensing could keep Big Pharma from making huge profits off taxpayer-funded research
  33. The detection of phosphine in Venus' clouds is a big deal – here's how we can find out if it's a sign of life
  34. Timing, signatures and huge demand make mail-in voting difficult
  35. Trump's appeals to white anxiety are not 'dog whistles' – they're racism
  36. Why Teddy Roosevelt's warning to lay off a candidate's religious beliefs is still relevant today
  37. Good nutrition can contribute to keeping COVID-19 and other diseases away
  38. Federal Reserve hopes years of zero rates will spur inflation – but there are risks
  39. Wildfires can leave toxic drinking water behind – here's how to protect the public
  40. Pessimists have been saying America is going to hell for more than 200 years
  41. 6 ways mail-in ballots are protected from fraud
  42. Inclusion starts with better management – here's what employees say about making diversity work
  43. Poll workers on Election Day will be younger – and probably more diverse – due to COVID-19
  44. Presidential campaigns take flight in the age of the coronavirus
  45. American society teaches everyone to be racist – but you can rewrite subconscious stereotypes
  46. From Washington to Trump, all presidents have told lies (but only some have told them for the right reasons)
  47. How to keep teen boys happily singing – instead of giving up when their voices start to change
  48. Future teachers often think memorization is the best way to teach math and science – until they learn a different way
  49. Faked videos shore up false beliefs about Biden's mental health
  50. Teens want COVID-19 advice that gives them safe ways to socialize – not just rules for what they can’t do
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