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Why do astronomers look for signs of life on other planets based on what life is like on Earth?

  • Written by Cole Mathis, Assistant Professor of Complex Adaptive Systems, Arizona State University
imageHunting for life on other worlds isn't easy.Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Imagesimage

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Why do astronomers look for signs of life on other planets based on how life is on...

Read more: Why do astronomers look for signs of life on other planets based on what life is like on Earth?

Why the future of democracy could depend on your group chats

  • Written by Nathan Schneider, Assistant Professor of Media Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
imageIs your social media group a budding democracy or someone's fiefdom?John Trumbull's painting, Declaration of Independence, plus emoticons

I became newly worried about the state of democracy when, a few years ago, my mother was elected president of her neighborhood garden club.

Her election wasn’t my worry – far from it. At the time, I...

Read more: Why the future of democracy could depend on your group chats

Prenatal supplements fall woefully short in providing crucial nutrition during pregnancy – and most women don’t even know it

  • Written by Mary Scourboutakos, Family Medicine Resident and Nutrition Expert, Eastern Virginia Medical School
imagePrenatal supplements are not the insurance plan that many doctors believe them to be.SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

If there’s one thing doctors agree on, it’s that all of their pregnant patients should take prenatal supplements. As a result, about 3 in 4 expecting mothers follow their doctor’s advice.

But even though...

Read more: Prenatal supplements fall woefully short in providing crucial nutrition during pregnancy – and...

Who gets to decide what counts as ‘disorder’?

  • Written by Jess Reia, Assistant Professor of Data Science, University of Virginia
imagePolice drag away a tent from a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Irvine on May 15, 2024.Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

As a scholar of urban governance and data policy, I viewed the responses to protests on U.S. campuses as about more than threats to academic freedom and freedom of...

Read more: Who gets to decide what counts as ‘disorder’?

Yes, Donald Trump has a point about political prosecution

  • Written by Ronald Sievert, Senior Lecturer in Government, Texas A&M University
imageDonald Trump speaks to the media during a break in his criminal trial in New York on May 30, 2024.Michael M. Santiago/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The facts and the law behind New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s successful prosecution of Donald Trump could be argued at length. But as a government prosecutor for 30 years, I have been most...

Read more: Yes, Donald Trump has a point about political prosecution

Mexico poised to elect first female president: 3 essential reads on landmark vote

  • Written by Matt Williams, Senior International Editor
imageThe future is (probably) female.Julio Cesar Aguilar and Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images

Mexicans will go to the polls on June 2, 2024, to pick a president following an election campaign marred by violence and divisive political rhetoric.

Polls suggest that ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum will win, holding off rival Xóchitl...

Read more: Mexico poised to elect first female president: 3 essential reads on landmark vote

China turns to private hackers as it cracks down on online activists on Tiananmen Square anniversary

  • Written by Christopher K. Tong, Associate Professor of Asian Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageHackers-for-profit are assisting the Chinese government.Bill Hinton Photography via Getty Images

Every year ahead of the June 4 commemoration of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Chinese government tightens online censorship to suppress domestic discussion of the event.

Critics, dissidents and international groups anticipate an uptick in cyber...

Read more: China turns to private hackers as it cracks down on online activists on Tiananmen Square anniversary

Trump’s guilty verdict is not the end of the matter

  • Written by Donald Nieman, Professor of History and Provost Emeritus, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Donald Trump’s hush money trial has concluded with a guilty verdict on all 34 counts.

But that isn’t likely to be the end of the matter. The former president has had a symbiotic relationship with a legal system he frequently denounces but routinely uses to his advantage. That almost guarantees the case will continue to be part of his tal...

Read more: Trump’s guilty verdict is not the end of the matter

Does the US have a planned economy? You might be surprised

  • Written by Daniel Pellathy, University of Tennessee

During the Cold War, a heated debate arose over the role of economic planning. Did the “planned” economy of the USSR or the “free market” economy of the U.S. allocate resources more productively?

Arguments against planned economies centered on the limits of information processing, the feasibility of production forecasts and...

Read more: Does the US have a planned economy? You might be surprised

Engineering cells to broadcast their behavior can help scientists study their inner workings

  • Written by Scott Coyle, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
imageProtein wave oscillations open a window into living cells.Scott Coyle and Rohith Rajasekaran, CC BY-ND

Waves are ubiquitous in nature and technology. Whether it’s the rise and fall of ocean tides or the swinging of a clock’s pendulum, the predictable rhythms of waves create a signal that is easy to track and distinguish from other types...

Read more: Engineering cells to broadcast their behavior can help scientists study their inner workings

More Articles ...

  1. Internships are linked to better employment outcomes for college graduates – but there aren’t enough for students who want them
  2. Why is ‘moral equivalence’ such a bad thing? A political philosopher explains
  3. Millions of current smokers became addicted when they were teens – and nicotine marketing targets adolescents today just as it did decades ago
  4. ‘Born in the USA’ turns 40 − and still remains one of Bruce Springsteen’s most misunderstood songs
  5. Trump found guilty: 5 key aspects of the trial explained by a law professor
  6. Trump’s prosecution is unprecedented in US – but other countries have prosecuted former leaders
  7. Is collapse of the Atlantic Ocean circulation really imminent? Icebergs’ history reveals some clues
  8. Going to the boardroom from the classroom helps students learn how nonprofits work
  9. Does your service business need AI? Here are 4 rules to help you decide
  10. Drake’s beef with Kendrick Lamar isn’t nearly as important as his tiff with Tupac Shakur’s estate over using the dead rapper’s voice
  11. The rush to return humans to the Moon and build lunar bases could threaten opportunities for astronomy
  12. Eye exercises to improve sight – is there any science behind them? An ophthalmologist explains why you shouldn’t buy the hype
  13. AI is cracking a hard problem – giving computers a sense of smell
  14. Outside Supreme Court justice’s home, a Revolution-era flag, now a call for Christian nationalism
  15. Los científicos prevén un «Internet de los océanos», con sensores y vehículos autónomos capaces de explorar las profundidades marinas y vigilar sus constantes vitales
  16. Hurricanes don’t stop at the coast – these mountain towns know how severe inland flood damage can be, and they’re preparing
  17. I’m an astrophysicist mapping the universe with data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory − clear, sharp photos help me study energetic black holes
  18. A lesson on dissent from a Vietnam War protester who joined the US military – and then faced execution after his protest didn’t stop
  19. Colon cancer rates are rising in young Americans, but insurance barriers are making screening harder
  20. UK and US elections: 2 very different systems united by a common political language
  21. State laws threaten to erode academic freedom in U.S. higher education
  22. France’s headscarf ban in the 2024 Summer Olympics reflects a narrow view of national identity, writes a scholar of European studies
  23. State laws threaten to erode academic freedom in US higher education
  24. Avocados are a ‘green gold’ export for Mexico, but growing them is harming forests and waters
  25. What QAnon supporters, butthole sunners and New Age spiritualists have in common
  26. Iran’s intervention in Sudan’s civil war advances its geopolitical goals − but not without risks
  27. Risky business: Why executives keep finding themselves in political firestorms
  28. How the ‘model minority’ myth harms Asian Americans
  29. Americans break election ties in crazy ways − and jeopardize democracy in the process
  30. Quick adoption in 34 states of Erin’s Law to prevent child abuse shows power of one individual to make policy
  31. 2 knights, 1 horse − how a legendary Knights Templar symbol has puzzled and fascinated since the Middle Ages
  32. For American Jews, interfaith weddings are a new normal – and creatively weave both traditions together
  33. Understanding how ions flow in and out of the tiniest pores promises better energy storage devices
  34. Louisiana reclassifies abortion pills as controlled, dangerous substances − here’s what that means
  35. What to watch for in Trump trial’s closing arguments, from a law school professor who teaches and studies them
  36. Colorado takes a new – and likely more effective – approach to the housing crisis
  37. Animals self-medicate with plants − behavior people have observed and emulated for millennia
  38. Muslim women who are registered to vote are more likely to donate money and volunteer than nonvoters
  39. 6 ways to encourage political discussion on college campuses
  40. What Philadelphians need to know about the city’s 7,000-camera surveillance system
  41. I want to keep my child safe from abuse − but research tells me I’m doing it wrong
  42. How the 18th-century ‘probability revolution’ fueled the casino gambling craze
  43. Why the US government is trying to break up Live Nation Entertainment – a music industry scholar explains
  44. Why Poland’s new government is challenged by abortion
  45. How Detroit techno is preserving the city’s beating heart in the face of gentrification
  46. Hurricane forecast points to a dangerous 2024 Atlantic season, with La Niña and a persistently warm ocean teaming up to power fierce storms
  47. Most Israelis dislike Netanyahu, but support the war in Gaza – an Israeli scholar explains what’s driving public opinion
  48. A 25-year study reveals how empathy is passed from parents to teens to their future children
  49. Here’s how machine learning can violate your privacy
  50. Phone cameras can take in more light than the human eye − that’s why low-light events like the northern lights often look better through your phone camera