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4 unexpected places where adults can learn science

  • Written by Jill Zarestky, Assistant Professor of Education, Colorado State University
imageMany national parks offer lecture series, nature walks and hands-on science projects for the public. fstop123/E+ Collection via Getty Images

Modern society benefits when people understand science concepts. This knowledge helps explain how cryptocurrency works, why climate change is happening or how the coronavirus is transmitted from person to...

Read more: 4 unexpected places where adults can learn science

Why so many unions oppose vaccine mandates – even when they actually support them

  • Written by Jeffrey Hirsch, Professor of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
imageThe Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving is paying the price for ignoring New York City's vaccinate mandate – and his union's decision to allow it.AP Photo/Elise Amendola

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, labor unions have been among the strongest advocates for workplace safety measures.

So it came as a surprise to many that some unions...

Read more: Why so many unions oppose vaccine mandates – even when they actually support them

School surveillance of students via laptops may do more harm than good

  • Written by Nir Kshetri, Professor of Management, University of North Carolina – Greensboro
imageSchool laptop surveillance systems monitor students even when they're not in school.Jacques Julien/Getty Images

Ever since the start of the pandemic, more and more public school students are using laptops, tablets or similar devices issued by their schools.

The percentage of teachers who reported their schools had provided their students with such...

Read more: School surveillance of students via laptops may do more harm than good

$1.2T infrastructure plan offers lucrative target for fraud

  • Written by Jetson Leder-Luis, Assistant Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston University
imageThe Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge was part of Boston's Big Dig, which was infamous for its cost overruns.AP Photo/Steven Senne

Lawmakers passed the US$1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill on Nov. 5, 2021, with negotiations still ongoing over Democrats’ $1.75 trillion plan to expand the social safety net and tackle climate change.

T...

Read more: $1.2T infrastructure plan offers lucrative target for fraud

Are people lying more since the rise of social media and smartphones?

  • Written by David Markowitz, Assistant Professor of Social Media Data Analytics, University of Oregon
imageSome forms of technology seem to facilitate lying more than others.solitude72/iStock via Getty Images

Technology has given people more ways to connect, but has it also given them more opportunities to lie?

You might text your friend a white lie to get out of going to dinner, exaggerate your height on a dating profile to appear more attractive or...

Read more: Are people lying more since the rise of social media and smartphones?

The view from inside the Glasgow climate summit: A focus on faster policy changes as talks intensify – amid grandstanding and anger outside

  • Written by Rachel Kyte, Dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University
imageCountries facing existential risks from climate change, like the Maldives, are demanding faster action and financing to help them survive.UNFCCC

Young people poured into the streets of Glasgow on Nov. 5 and 6, 2021, angry and impatient as the first week of the U.N. climate summit ended. Their anger is matched by anxiety in the conference halls as...

Read more: The view from inside the Glasgow climate summit: A focus on faster policy changes as talks...

An insider’s look at the Glasgow climate summit – talks intensify, amid grandstanding and anger outside

  • Written by Rachel Kyte, Dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University
imageCountries facing existential risks from climate change, like the Maldives, are demanding faster action and financing to help them survive.UNFCCC

Young people poured into the streets of Glasgow on Nov. 5, 2021, angry and impatient as the first week of the U.N. climate summit ended. Their anger is matched by anxiety in the conference halls as the...

Read more: An insider’s look at the Glasgow climate summit – talks intensify, amid grandstanding and anger...

The new Global Methane Pledge can buy time while the world drastically reduces fossil fuel use

  • Written by Jeff Nesbit, Research Affiliate, Yale Program on Climate Change Communications, Yale University
imageU.S. President Joe Biden and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry spoke at the announcement of the Global Methane Pledge.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

There were four big announcements during the first week of COP26, the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow: on coal, finance, methane and deforestation. Of those four, the global methane pledge...

Read more: The new Global Methane Pledge can buy time while the world drastically reduces fossil fuel use

What Paul McCartney's 'The Lyrics' can teach us about harnessing our creativity

  • Written by Edward Wasserman, Professor of Experimental Psychology, University of Iowa
imageFor Paul McCartney, songwriting involved a convergence of memory, experience and happenstance.Evening Standard/Getty Images

In his new book “The Lyrics,” Paul McCartney divulges the origins of 154 of his most significant and enduring songs.

Although each song’s provenance is unique, the compendium is an unprecedented resource for...

Read more: What Paul McCartney's 'The Lyrics' can teach us about harnessing our creativity

Do flies really throw up on your food when they land on it?

  • Written by Ravindra Palavalli-Nettimi, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Florida International University
imageA fly regurgitating digestive juices.Carlos Ruiz, CC BY-NDimage

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.

Do flies really throw up on my food when they land on it? – Henry E., age 10, Somerville, Massachusetts

Imagine you’re at a...

Read more: Do flies really throw up on your food when they land on it?

More Articles ...

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  2. How one atheist laid the foundation of contemporary Hindu nationalism
  3. Bridges, bike lanes, electric car chargers and more: 5 essential reads on the infrastructure bill
  4. Congress passes $1T infrastructure bill – but how does the government go about spending that much money?
  5. East Coast flooding is a reminder that sea level is rising as the climate warms – here's why the ocean is pouring in more often
  6. Suburban voters responded to GOP culture war pitch in Virginia governor's race, and showed all politics are now national
  7. Wages up as Americans are encouraged back to work and into the office – 3 takeaways from the latest jobs report
  8. The US was not prepared for a pandemic – free market capitalism and government deregulation may be to blame
  9. Is COVID-19 here to stay? A team of biologists explains what it means for a virus to become endemic
  10. US Muslims gave more to charity than other Americans in 2020
  11. Matching tweets to ZIP codes can spotlight hot spots of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
  12. A new, lower threshold for lead poisoning in children means more kids will get tested – but the ultimate solution is eliminating lead sources
  13. Librarians help students navigate an age of misinformation – but schools are cutting their numbers
  14. Forests can't handle all the net-zero emissions plans – companies and countries expect nature to offset too much carbon
  15. Supreme Court appears to suggest right to guns at home extends to carrying them in public too
  16. Lessons from the Virginia governor's race: Pay attention to voters' concerns instead of making it all about national politics
  17. Another problem with daylight saving time: It raises your risk of hitting deer on the road
  18. Another problem with daylight saving time: The time change raises your risk of hitting deer on the road
  19. Racial discrimination is linked to suicidal thoughts in Black adults and children
  20. Netflix's 'Midnight Mass' joins a long line of horror that plays with Catholic beliefs
  21. What American schools can learn from other countries about civic disagreement
  22. Few foundations give groups they support decision-making power on funding priorities
  23. Why voters rejected plans to replace the Minneapolis Police Department – and what's next for policing reform
  24. Why are medieval weapons laws at the center of a US Supreme Court case?
  25. The Fed tapers its support for bond markets and the economy – 5 questions answered about what that means
  26. Climate change is a justice issue – these 6 charts show why
  27. Preventing future pandemics starts with recognizing links between human and animal health
  28. Unlike the US, Europe is setting ambitious targets for producing more organic food
  29. Veterans Day: How crosses and mementos help these Marines remember fallen comrades
  30. What is herd immunity? A public health expert and a medical laboratory scientist explain
  31. Small-town Pride celebrations emerge -- and show that LGBTQ life in America is flourishing outside of cities
  32. Why vaccine doses differ for babies, kids, teens and adults – an immunologist explains how your immune system changes as you mature
  33. Women are more competitive when they’re given an option to share winnings – a research finding that may help close the gender pay gap
  34. What the 100 nonprofits that raised the most money in 2020 indicate about charity today
  35. 6 priorities could deliver energy breakthroughs at the Glasgow climate summit – there's progress on some of them already
  36. 6 priorities could deliver energy breakthroughs at the Glasgow climate summit – there's progress on some already
  37. Many scientists are atheists, but that doesn't mean they are anti-religious
  38. How photos of Afghan suffering shown over and over perpetuate inequality and harm
  39. Facebook has a misinformation problem, and is blocking access to data about how much there is and who is affected
  40. The slippery slope of using AI and deepfakes to bring history to life
  41. Why are investors so cocky? They often have a biased memory – and selectively forget their money-losing stocks
  42. Go ahead, enjoy your memes – they really do help ease pandemic stress
  43. University of Florida bans professors from giving expert testimony against state -- a scholar explains the academic freedom issues
  44. The COVID-19 pandemic increased eating disorders among young people – but the signs aren't what parents might expect
  45. The science everyone needs to know about climate change, in 6 charts
  46. Gun rights at the Supreme Court: justices will consider if the fundamental right to keep a gun at home applies to carrying weapons in public
  47. COVID-19 threatens the already shaky status of arts education in schools
  48. A small telescope past Saturn could solve some mysteries of the universe better than giant telescopes near Earth
  49. You know how to identify phishing emails – a cybersecurity researcher explains how to trust your instincts to foil the attacks
  50. Cliches may grate like nails on a chalkboard, but one person's cliche is another's sliced bread