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What happens when your foot falls asleep?

  • Written by Zachary Gillen, Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology, Mississippi State University
imageThat pins-and-needles feeling can come from sitting in the same position for a while.Westend61 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.

What happens when your foot falls asleep? – Helen E., age 8, Somerville,...

Read more: What happens when your foot falls asleep?

6 big changes in standardized tests – including less focus on grading students and more on learning

  • Written by Stephen Sireci, Professor of Psychometrics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
imageToday's tests have more potential to facilitate student learning, rather than just monitor it.Paul Bersebach/Orange County Register via Getty Images

The standardized tests given to children in schools today are a lot different from those their parents might remember.

For example, students today might take a standardized test at home on a laptop or...

Read more: 6 big changes in standardized tests – including less focus on grading students and more on learning

Western fires are burning higher in the mountains and at unprecedented rates as the climate warms

  • Written by Mojtaba Sadegh, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Boise State University
imageHeat and dryness are leaving high mountain areas more vulnerable to forest fires. David McNew/Getty Images

The Western U.S. is experiencing another severe fire season, and a recent study shows that even high mountain areas once considered too wet to burn are at increasing risk as the climate warms.

With more than 5 million acres already burned by...

Read more: Western fires are burning higher in the mountains and at unprecedented rates as the climate warms

Jim Crow tactics reborn in Texas abortion law, deputizing citizens to enforce legally suspect provisions

  • Written by Stefanie Lindquist, Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science, Arizona State University
imageTexas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that effectively bans abortion in the state. AP Photo/Eric Gay

The new Texas law that bans most abortions uses a method employed by Texas and other states to enforce racist Jim Crow laws in the 19th and 20th centuries that aimed to disenfranchise African Americans.

Rather than giving state officials,...

Read more: Jim Crow tactics reborn in Texas abortion law, deputizing citizens to enforce legally suspect...

'Imagine' at 50: Why John Lennon's ode to humanism still resonates

  • Written by Phil Zuckerman, Professor of Sociology and Secular Studies, Pitzer College
imageFifty years ago, did John Lennon tell us not to pray?Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Fifty years ago, John Lennon released one of the most beautiful, inspirational and catchy pop anthems of the 20th century: “Imagine.”

Gentle and yet increasingly stirring as the song progresses, “Imagine” is unabashedly utopian and deeply...

Read more: 'Imagine' at 50: Why John Lennon's ode to humanism still resonates

Biden's pandemic plan overlooks mask mandates and vulnerable populations

  • Written by Julia Raifman, Assistant Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University
imagePresident Joe Biden addresses the nation on latest coronavirus plan.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

President Joseph Biden on Sept. 9, 2021, unveiled his revamped strategy to confront the pandemic, outlining an approach that focuses heavily on attempting to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans.

The new plan comes at a crucial time. The delta...

Read more: Biden's pandemic plan overlooks mask mandates and vulnerable populations

Over-the-counter rapid antigen tests can help slow the spread of COVID-19 -- here's how to use them effectively

  • Written by Zoë McLaren, Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageRapid antigen COVID-19 tests, designed for use at home, can show results in 15 minutes. Ellen Moran via Getty Images

The rise of the highly transmissible delta variantaround the U.S. has increased demand for rapid antigen COVID-19 tests that can be purchased from a pharmacy without a prescription, used at home, school or work and that give results...

Read more: Over-the-counter rapid antigen tests can help slow the spread of COVID-19 -- here's how to use...

How 'engagement' makes you vulnerable to manipulation and misinformation on social media

  • Written by Filippo Menczer, Luddy Distinguished Professor of Informatics and Computer Science, Indiana University
imagePeople tend to view social media posts more favorably when more people have liked, commented on or shared them, regardless of the quality of the posts.Sai Aung Main/AFP via Getty Images

Facebook has been quietly experimenting with reducing the amount of political content it puts in users’ news feeds. The move is a tacit acknowledgment that...

Read more: How 'engagement' makes you vulnerable to manipulation and misinformation on social media

How 'sissy men' became the latest front in China’s campaign against big tech

  • Written by Shuaishuai Wang, Lecturer of New Media and Digital Culture, University of Amsterdam
imageWorkers congregate in a meeting room at the headquarters of BlueCity, the parent company of Blued, China's most popular dating app for gay men.Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese government has recently taken action against what it calls “sissy men” – males, often celebrities, deemed too effeminate.

On Sept. 2，2021,...

Read more: How 'sissy men' became the latest front in China’s campaign against big tech

American Muslims are at high risk of suicide -- 20 years post-9/11, the links between Islamophobia and suicide remain unexplored

  • Written by Amelia Noor-Oshiro, PhD Candidate in Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
imageAmerican Muslims are two times as likely to attempt suicide compared to other major faith groups.MmeEmil/E+ via Getty Images

This year, 9/11 holds a dual significance for Americans across the country. It not only marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic events and lives lost since Sept. 11, 2001, but also National Suicide Prevention Awareness Week....

Read more: American Muslims are at high risk of suicide -- 20 years post-9/11, the links between Islamophobia...

More Articles ...

  1. 9/11 survivors' exposure to toxic dust and the chronic health conditions that followed offer lessons that are still too often unheeded
  2. How bans on mask mandates affect students with disabilities – 4 questions answered
  3. Biden's proposed tenfold increase in solar power would remake the US electricity system
  4. California recall: There's a method to what looks like madness
  5. SpaceX Inspiration4 mission will send 4 people with minimal training into orbit – and bring space tourism closer to reality
  6. Student loan debt is crushing Americans – 4 essential reads
  7. SpaceX Inspiration4 mission sent 4 people with minimal training into orbit – and brought space tourism closer to reality
  8. Firebrands: How to protect your home from wildfires' windblown flaming debris
  9. 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic – a retrospective in 7 charts
  10. Firebrands and protecting homes from wildfires: What everyone needs to know about flaming windblown debris
  11. Massive numbers of new COVID–19 infections, not vaccines, are the main driver of new coronavirus variants
  12. For engineers, asking for help at work is influenced by gender
  13. Minerals, drugs and China: How the Taliban might finance their new Afghan government
  14. How social media – aided by bots – amplifies Islamophobia online
  15. Buying groceries isn't a problem just for the poor – middle-class millennials like me with student debt have trouble too
  16. How to design a public play space where kids practice reading and STEM skills
  17. On 50th anniversary of Attica uprising, 4 essential reads on prisoners' rights today
  18. ¿Por qué se fortaleció la tormenta Ida en el Noreste tan rápido después de haberse debilitado?
  19. Government and charitable actions likely kept millions of Americans out of food insecurity during the pandemic
  20. Black Lives Matter: How far has the movement come?
  21. Packaging generates a lot of waste – now Maine and Oregon want manufacturers to foot the bill for getting rid of it
  22. What schools teach about 9/11 and the war on terror
  23. The science of product placements – and why some work better than others
  24. Data science education lacks a much-needed focus on ethics
  25. How threats of hellfire helped keep 'immodest' women in their place – from the ancient world to 'My Unorthodox Life'
  26. Who is Mullah Hasan Akhund? What does the Taliban's choice of interim prime minister mean for Afghanistan?
  27. Wildfire burn scars can intensify and even create thunderstorms that lead to catastrophic flooding – here's how it works
  28. How someone becomes a torturer
  29. Wildfire burn scars can intensify and even trigger thunderstorms, leading to catastrophic flooding – here's how
  30. Removing urban highways can improve neighborhoods blighted by decades of racist policies
  31. Why are planets round?
  32. Elon Musk’s Tesla Bot raises serious concerns – but probably not the ones you think
  33. Women face motherhood penalty in STEM careers long before they actually become mothers
  34. Netflix’s 'My Unorthodox Life' spurred ultra-Orthodox Jewish women to talk publicly about their lives
  35. When does life begin? There’s more than one religious view
  36. Medicine is an imperfect science – but you can still trust its process
  37. What young kids say worked -- and didn't work -- for them during virtual learning
  38. The women who appear in Dante's 'Divine Comedy' are finally getting their due, 700 years later
  39. The next attack on the Affordable Care Act may cost you free preventive health care
  40. Pandemic hardship is about to get a lot worse for millions of out-of-work Americans
  41. Can burying power lines protect storm-wracked electric grids? Not always
  42. At the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, ancient Greece and Rome can tell us a lot about the links between collective trauma and going to war
  43. How memories of Japanese American imprisonment during WWII guided the US response to 9/11
  44. Tattoos have a long history going back to the ancient world – and also to colonialism
  45. Slavery was the ultimate labor distortion – empowering workers today would be a form of reparations
  46. Al-Qaida, Islamic State group struggle for recruits
  47. Will having so many disasters happening at the same time affect donations? We asked an expert
  48. 5 reasons video games should be more widely used in school
  49. Dance and movement therapy holds promise for treating anxiety and depression, as well as deeper psychological wounds
  50. A subway flood expert explains what needs to be done to stop underground station deluges