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Gaza's oldest mosque, destroyed in an airstrike, was once a temple to Philistine and Roman gods, a Byzantine and Catholic church, and had engravings of Jewish ritual objects

  • Written by Stephennie Mulder, Associate Professor of Art History, The University of Texas at Austin
imageThe Omari Mosque of Gaza.Mohammed Alafrangi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Omari Mosque in Gaza was largely destroyed by Israeli bombardment on Dec. 8, 2023. It was one of the most ancient mosques in the region and a beloved Gazan landmark.

The mosque was first built in the early seventh century and named after Islam’s second...

Read more: Gaza's oldest mosque, destroyed in an airstrike, was once a temple to Philistine and Roman gods, a...

DeSantis-linked super PAC broke new ground in pushing campaign finance rules in Iowa in support of a 2nd-place finish

  • Written by Barbara A. Trish, Professor of Political Science, Grinnell College
imageRepublican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis greets an audience in West Des Moines, Iowa, on caucus night on Jan. 15, 2024.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Never Back Down, the Ron DeSantis super PAC, played an outsized role in the Iowa caucuses campaign of the Florida governor. Its impact on the results, in which DeSantis came in second to former...

Read more: DeSantis-linked super PAC broke new ground in pushing campaign finance rules in Iowa in support of...

Iowa was different this time – even if the outcome was as predicted

  • Written by Timothy Hagle, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Iowa
imageFormer President Donald Trump speaks in Des Moines, Iowa, shortly after his victory in the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 15, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trounced, crushed, routed, dominated: Pick your verb to describe what former President Donald Trump did to his GOP rivals in the Jan. 15, 2024 Iowa caucus. The Conversation U.S. asked two scholars to...

Read more: Iowa was different this time – even if the outcome was as predicted

Long after Indigenous activists flee Russia, they continue to face government pressure to remain silent

  • Written by Laura A. Henry, Associate Professor of Government and Legal Studies, Bowdoin College
imagePavel Sulyandziga, a Russian Indigenous activist, poses with his family in 2017 in Yarmouth, Maine, where he awaits a decision on political asylum. Derek Davis/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Pavel Sulyandziga, an Indigenous activist and member of the Udege people of Russia’s far eastern region, arrived in the United States in...

Read more: Long after Indigenous activists flee Russia, they continue to face government pressure to remain...

What social robots can teach America's students

  • Written by Gerald K. LeTendre, Professor of Educational Administration, Penn State
imageSome researchers predict social robots will become common in K-12 classrooms.selimaksan/E+ Collection/Getty Images

How would you feel if your child were being tutored by a robot?

Social robots – robots that can talk and mimic and respond to human emotion – have been introduced into classrooms around the world. Researchers have used them...

Read more: What social robots can teach America's students

Congress is failing to deliver on its promise of billions more in research spending, threatening America's long-term economic competitiveness

  • Written by Jason Owen-Smith, Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan
imageFederal funding was essential to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.AP Photo/Vincent Thian

The battle to keep the government open may feel just like the crisis of the day. But these fights pose immediate and long-term risks for the U.S.

The federal government spends tens of billions of dollars every year to support fundamental scientific...

Read more: Congress is failing to deliver on its promise of billions more in research spending, threatening...

Miami residents believe Biscayne Bay is 'healthy,' despite big declines in water quality and biodiversity, new study finds

  • Written by Julia Wester, Lecturer in Ecosystem Science and Policy, University of Miami
imageBiscayne Bay is home to more than 30 endangered or at-risk species.Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Residents of Miami-Dade County appreciate Biscayne Bay for its ecological, cultural, recreational and economic offerings, but they see the estuary as “moderately healthy” – despite a significant decline in water...

Read more: Miami residents believe Biscayne Bay is 'healthy,' despite big declines in water quality and...

How to prevent America's aging buildings from collapsing – 4 high-profile disasters send a warning

  • Written by Abieyuwa Aghayere, Professor of Structural Engineering, Drexel University
imageThis six-story apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, had clear signs of trouble before it partially collapsed in May 2023.AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Four recent catastrophic building collapses and a near miss are raising concerns about the state of America’s aging buildings and questions about who, if anyone, is checking their safety.

Many...

Read more: How to prevent America's aging buildings from collapsing – 4 high-profile disasters send a warning

Your fingerprint is actually 3D − research into holograms could improve forensic fingerprint analysis

  • Written by Partha Banerjee, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Dayton
imageFingerprints have been used as unique identifiers for decades. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

When you use your fingerprint to unlock your smartphone, your phone is looking at a two-dimensional pattern to determine whether it’s the correct fingerprint before it unlocks for you. But the imprint your finger leaves on the surface of the button is...

Read more: Your fingerprint is actually 3D − research into holograms could improve forensic fingerprint...

Your body already has a built-in weight loss system that works like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – food and your gut microbiome

  • Written by Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington
imageWeight loss pills aren't a replacement for a healthy diet and lifestyle.JW LTD/Stone via Getty Images

Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are weight loss and diabetes drugs that have made quite a splash in health news. They target regulatory pathways involved in both obesity and diabetes and are widely considered breakthroughs for weight loss and blood...

Read more: Your body already has a built-in weight loss system that works like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro...

More Articles ...

  1. 1 good thing about the Iowa caucuses, and 3 that are really troubling
  2. What if every germ hit you at the exact same time? An immunologist explains
  3. Ethiopia's deal with Somaliland upends regional dynamics, risking strife across the Horn of Africa
  4. What enforcement power does the International Court of Justice have in South Africa's genocide case against Israel?
  5. How Ecuador went from being Latin America's model of stability to a nation in crisis
  6. US-UK airstrikes risk strengthening Houthi rebels' position in Yemen and the region
  7. Wayne LaPierre leaves a financial mess behind at the NRA − on top of the legal one that landed him in court
  8. Paraguay's Ciudad del Este: Efforts to force a busy informal commercial hub to follow global trade rules have only made life harder for those eking out a living
  9. Data brokers know everything about you – what FTC case against ad tech giant Kochava reveals
  10. Laundry is a top source of microplastic pollution – here's how to clean your clothes more sustainably
  11. Biden, like Trump, sidesteps Congress to get things done
  12. I wrote a play for children about integrating the arts into STEM fields − here's what I learned about encouraging creative, interdisciplinary thinking
  13. Gen Z and millennials have an unlikely love affair with their local libraries
  14. Not all carbon-capture projects pay off for the climate – we mapped the pros and cons of each and found clear winners and losers
  15. When can we stop worrying about rising prices? The latest inflation report offers no easy answers
  16. Church without God: How secular congregations fill a need for some nonreligious Americans
  17. Blizzards are inescapable − but the most expensive winter storm damage is largely preventable
  18. Tahoe avalanche: What causes seemingly safe snow slopes to collapse? A physicist and avid skier explains
  19. Tahoe avalanches: What causes innocent-looking snow slopes to collapse? A physicist and skier explains, with tips for surviving
  20. In the 'big tent' of free speech, can you be too open-minded?
  21. Iran terror blast highlights success – and growing risk – of ISIS-K regional strategy
  22. 7 strategies to help gifted autistic students succeed in college
  23. To protect endangered sharks and rays, scientists are mapping these species' most important locations
  24. Sellout! How political corruption shaped an American insult
  25. Otters, beavers and other semiaquatic mammals keep clean underwater, thanks to their flexible fur
  26. Martin Luther King Jr.'s moral stance against the Vietnam War offers lessons on how to fight for peace in the Middle East
  27. How we almost ended up with a bull's-eye bar code
  28. A Supreme Court ruling on fishing for herring could sharply curb federal regulatory power
  29. Republicans are pushing for drastic asylum changes – an immigration law scholar breaks down the proposal
  30. As Zepbound dominates headlines as a new obesity-fighting drug, a nutritionist warns that weight loss shouldn’t be the only goal
  31. Pope Francis called surrogacy 'deplorable' – but the reasons why women and parents choose surrogacy are complex and defy simple labels
  32. 'Thirst trap' and 'edgelord' were recently added to the dictionary – so why hasn't 'nibling' made the cut?
  33. From besting Tetris AI to epic speedruns – inside gaming’s most thrilling feats
  34. After an 80-year absence, gray wolves have returned to Colorado − here's how the reintroduction of this apex predator will affect prey and plants
  35. Cannabis products may harbor fungal toxins harmful to human health, but regulations are uneven or nonexistent
  36. Earth isn't the only planet with seasons, but they can look wildly different on other worlds
  37. A beginner's guide to sound baths − what they are, how to choose a good one and what the research shows
  38. Why don't fruit bats get diabetes? New understanding of how they've adapted to a high-sugar diet could lead to treatments for people
  39. 2023's billion-dollar disasters list shattered the US record with 28 big weather and climate disasters amid Earth's hottest year on record
  40. Why both Israel and Hezbollah are eager to avoid tit-for-tat attacks escalating into full-blown war
  41. Taiwanese election may determine whether Beijing opts to force the issue of reunification
  42. Plagiarism is not always easy to define or detect
  43. LGBTQ+ workers want more than just pride flags in June
  44. Take laughter, add tears − the secret recipe for the most-liked Super Bowl ads
  45. Voters don't always have final say -- state legislatures and governors are increasingly undermining ballot measures that win
  46. I set out to investigate where silky sharks travel − and by chance documented a shark's amazing power to regenerate its sabotaged fin
  47. What Taoism teaches about the body and being healthy
  48. Rabies is an ancient, unpredictable and potentially fatal disease − two rabies researchers explain how to protect yourself
  49. Trump’s arguments for immunity not as hopeless as some claim
  50. What happens to the ocean if we take out all the fish? A marine ecologist explains the complex roles fish play in their ecosystem