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The math behind the perfect free throw

  • Written by Larry Silverberg, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University
Small differences account for a shooter's consistency.Aspen Photo/shutterstock.com

Some 20 years ago, my colleague Dr. Chau Tran and I developed a way to simulate the trajectories of millions of basketballs on the computer.

We went to the coaches and assistant coaches at North Carolina State University, where we are based, and told them we had this...

Read more: The math behind the perfect free throw

Can sound be used as a weapon? 4 questions answered

  • Written by Kevin Fu, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan
What happened to people inside this building, the U.S. Embassy in Havana?U.S. State Department

Editor’s note: Government and academic investigators continue to probe reports from Cuba that, starting in 2016 and continuing through 2017, U.S. and Canadian diplomats and tourists may have been subjected to a “sonic weapon,” damaging...

Read more: Can sound be used as a weapon? 4 questions answered

Nebraskans who support and oppose 'religious freedom' laws actually share many of the same values

  • Written by Emily Kazyak, Associate Professor of Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
In the case of wedding cake.AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Religious freedom legislation highlights political division in the U.S., pitting conservative Christians against LGBTQ people and their allies.

As sociologists who study sexuality and conservative Christianity in the U.S., we decided to investigate whether and why people support or oppose these...

Read more: Nebraskans who support and oppose 'religious freedom' laws actually share many of the same values

The US Census Bureau keeps confusing race and ethnicity

  • Written by Nancy López, Director, Institute for the Study of "Race" & Social Justice, University of New Mexico (UNM); Associate Professor, Sociology, UNM, University of New Mexico
What's your 'street race'?blvdone/shutterstock.com

If you were walking down the street, what race would strangers automatically assume you were?

“Street race” – what race you look like, based on your skin color, facial features and more – is an important aspect of a person’s experiences. For example, research shows...

Read more: The US Census Bureau keeps confusing race and ethnicity

From Smell-O-Vision to Astrocolor, the film industry's biggest innovation flops

  • Written by Leo Braudy, Leo S. Bing Chair in English and American Literature, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Moviegoers familiarize themselves with the joystick that will allow them to interact with the film 'I’m Your Man' during its premiere on Dec. 16, 1992.AP Photo/Richard Harbus

Editor’s note: IMAX is hugely popular, while virtual reality movies are gaining steam. But what about film inventions that never took off? When will they get their...

Read more: From Smell-O-Vision to Astrocolor, the film industry's biggest innovation flops

Encrypted smartphones secure your identity, not just your data

  • Written by Susan Landau, Professor of Computer Science, Law and Diplomacy and Cybersecurity, Tufts University
A smartphone is a digital form of ID for many apps and services.Iowa Department of Transportation

Smartphones store your email, your photos and your calendar. They provide access to online social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and even your bank and credit card accounts. And they’re keys to something even more private and precious...

Read more: Encrypted smartphones secure your identity, not just your data

How a nuclear attack on North Korea would add to global cancer epidemic

  • Written by Andrew Marks, Professor of Physiology, Columbia University Medical Center
Visitors to Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea at the border of North Korea and South Korea on Jan. 1, 2018. AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

With tensions high between the United States and North Korea, there is the possibility that the U.S. would launch a “tactical” nuclear strike in the Korean peninsula. There would be consequences far...

Read more: How a nuclear attack on North Korea would add to global cancer epidemic

African rhythms, ideas of sin and the Hammond organ: A brief history of gospel music's evolution

  • Written by Robert Stephens, Professor of World Music, University of Connecticut
A choir sings traditional gospel music.Staff Sgt. Bernardo Fuller

The enslaved Africans who first arrived in the British colony of Virginia in 1619 after being forcefully removed from their natural environments left much behind, but their rhythms associated with music-making journeyed with them across the Atlantic.

Many of those Africans came from...

Read more: African rhythms, ideas of sin and the Hammond organ: A brief history of gospel music's evolution

International adoptions have dropped 72 percent since 2005 – here’s why

  • Written by Mark Montgomery, Professor of Economics, Grinnell College

When Ethiopia stopped allowing its children to be adopted by foreign parents in January, it became the latest country to eliminate or sharply curtail the practice. In recent decades South Korea, Romania, Guatemala, China, Kazakhstan and Russia – all former leaders in foreign adoption – have also banned or cut back on international...

Read more: International adoptions have dropped 72 percent since 2005 – here’s why

Why deporting the 'Dreamers' is immoral

  • Written by Michael Blake, Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy, and Governance, University of Washington
Immigrants and activists demonstrate in front of the Republican Party headquarters in WashingtonAP Photo/Luis Alonso Lugo

On Feb. 26, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a federal judge’s order that the Trump administration continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

It was back in September 2017 that President Donald...

Read more: Why deporting the 'Dreamers' is immoral

More Articles ...

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  2. Garbage in, garbage out: Incinerating trash is not an effective way to protect the climate or reduce waste
  3. Why Trump may usher in the biggest gas tax hike ever
  4. 'Two societies, one black, one white' – the Kerner Commission's prophetic warnings
  5. If you want to know how to stop school shootings, ask the Secret Service
  6. How your brain is wired to just say ‘yes’ to opioids
  7. How Olympic athletes grapple with life once the thrill is gone
  8. Loneliness is bad for your health
  9. Understanding the US political divide, one word cloud at a time
  10. Why Trump's idea to arm teachers may miss the mark
  11. Mental illness and gun laws: What you may not know about the complexities
  12. Plague bacteria may be hiding in common soil or water microbes, waiting to emerge
  13. Here's how we can make going to college smoother for students who've been in foster care
  14. Washington has meddled in elections before
  15. Will Pyeongchang be able to avoid a post-Olympics day of reckoning?
  16. The NRA's journey from marksmanship to political brinkmanship
  17. How the firearms industry influences US gun culture, in 6 charts
  18. How working with men and boys could stop domestic violence
  19. Mad cows, Oprah Winfrey and communicating the science in a high-profile court case
  20. Why is breast cancer mortality higher for African-American women than for white women?
  21. This $75 million gift might make higher ed question its obsession with science and tech
  22. A former prosecutor reimagines how the criminal justice system can serve victims of domestic violence
  23. Is it wrong to ask your doctor for opioids?
  24. Operation Gunnerside: The Norwegian attack on heavy water that deprived the Nazis of the atomic bomb
  25. A record 29,000 Mexicans were murdered last year – can soldiers stop the bloodshed?
  26. Deported twice, man struggles to help his family survive
  27. Before the US approves new uranium mining, consider its toxic legacy
  28. Starting with Mother Nature's designs will speed up critical development of new antibiotics
  29. Before hitting the road, self-driving cars should have to pass a driving test
  30. Why this generation of teens is more likely to care about gun violence
  31. Why the 2020 census shouldn't ask about your citizenship status
  32. Why accountability efforts in higher education often fail
  33. When the media cover mass shootings, would depicting the carnage make a difference?
  34. College students may not be as heart-healthy as they think
  35. How Billy Graham's legacy lives on in American life
  36. Why school leaders fake academic success
  37. How airplane crash investigations can improve cybersecurity
  38. Why is there so little research on guns in the US? 6 questions answered
  39. To slow climate change, the US needs to address nuclear power's dismal economics
  40. What cybersecurity investigators can learn from airplane crashes
  41. The way humans point isn't as universal as you might think
  42. Trump's protectionism continues long history of US rejection of free trade
  43. Why is there a norovirus outbreak at the Winter Olympics? 4 questions answered
  44. 5 questions to ask your aging parents' doctors
  45. Alcohol probably makes it harder to stop sexual violence – so why aren't colleges talking about it?
  46. Parents need to start talking to their tweens about the risks of porn
  47. As the Trump administration retreats on climate change, US cities are moving forward
  48. The other feats US Olympians pull off
  49. North Korea's growing criminal cyberthreat
  50. The American public has power over the gun business – why doesn't it use it?