The Conversation

Researchers identified over 5,500 new viruses in the ocean, including a missing link in viral evolution

Written by Guillermo Dominguez Huerta, Science Consultant in Microbiology, The Ohio State University

There are even more types of viruses in the ocean than researchers once thought.newannyart/iStock via Getty Images Plus

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

The big idea

Diagram of the biological classification system, showing phylum is a broad grouping.VectorMine/iStock via Getty Images Plus

An analysis of the genetic...

COVID-19: Mental health telemedicine was off to a slow start – then the pandemic happened

Written by Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University

For decades, doctors and patients have used telemedicine. But it gained wider use when the COVID-19 pandemic led to canceled appointments and closed clinics.verbaska_studio/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 brought rising levels of stress, anxiety and depression. But stay-at-home orders and a national emergency prompted...

'Is It Cake?' feeds viewers visual catharsis for uncertain times

Written by Maggie Cao, David G. Frey Assistant Professor of Art History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Burger or baked good?Netflix

I doubt that even Netflix expected “Is It Cake?” to be such a hit.

The premise, if you haven’t already binged the TV series, involves professional bakers trying to fool judges by creating cakes that don’t look like dessert but instead appear to be everyday commodities – purses, toys, fast...

Bird flu is killing millions of chickens and turkeys across the US

Written by Yuko Sato, Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University

Avian flu spreads quickly through domestic poultry flocks.Lance Cheung, USDA/Flickr

An outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in chicken and turkey flocks has spread across 24 U.S. states since it was first detected in Indiana on Feb. 8, 2022. Better known as bird flu, avian influenza is a family of highly contagious viruses that are not...

Helping Ukrainians means listening to their needs – 3 lessons for aid groups from Syria's war

Written by Kimberly Howe, Assistant Research Professor of International Relations, Tufts University

Millions of Syrians remain displaced from the conflict that began in 2011.Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images

The massive flow of international support for Ukraine since Russia first invaded in February 2022 includes billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid from dozens of countries.

We hope that the Russia-Ukraine war does not last as...

The forgotten story of Black soldiers and the Red Ball Express during World War II

Written by Matthew Delmont, Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History, Dartmouth College

Shown here in May 1945, these black soldiers were attached to the 666th Quartermaster Truck Company that was part of the Red Ball Express.National Archives

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had a problem. In June 1944, Allied forces had landed on Normandy Beach in France and were moving east toward Nazi Germany at a clip of sometimes 75 miles (121...

How QR codes work and what makes them dangerous – a computer scientist explains

Written by Scott Ruoti, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Tennessee

QR codes are visual patterns that store data smartphones can read.AP Photo/Vincent Yu

Among the many changes brought about by the pandemic is the widespread use of QR codes, graphical representations of digital data that can be printed and later scanned by a smartphone or other device.

QR codes have a wide range of uses that help people avoid...

Mental health problems come with an added 'cost' of poorer cognitive function – a neuropsychologist explains

Written by Amitai Abramovitch, Associate Professor of Psychology, Texas State University

The cognitive difficulties that accompany mental health disorders can potentially lead to misdiagnoses and improper treatment. Elva Etienne/Moment via Getty Images

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

The big idea

All types of mental disorders come with a hidden cost in the form of cognitive dysfunction, including...

Russia is sparking new nuclear threats – understanding nonproliferation history helps place this in context

Written by Nina Srinivasan Rathbun, Professor of international relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A caution sign marks the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Richland, Wash., where plutonium for nuclear weapons was made.Jeff T. Green/Getty Images

During the 1960s, the Soviet Union and the United States came close to war over the Soviet’s attempt to install nuclear weapons in Cuba, 90 miles off the Florida coast.

People in the U.S. feared...

Rape by Russian soldiers in Ukraine is the latest example of a despicable wartime crime that spans the globe

Written by Mia Bloom, Professor and International Security Fellow at New America, Georgia State University

Rapes, torture and killings have all been reported from Bucha, Ukraine, where soldiers and investigators look at charred bodies lying on the ground.AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd

Shocking images from Bucha and elsewhere in Ukraine revealed what many suspected, that Russian soldiers were apparently committing war crimes. An image of dead naked women under a...