The Conversation

The whip-poor-will has been an omen of death for centuries − what happened to this iconic bird of American horror?

Written by Jared Del Rosso, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology, University of Denver

An illustration, drawn and engraved, of an eastern whip-poor-will, by Richard Polydore Nodder.Florilegius/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

In one of the most haunting scenes of Stephen King’s 1975 novel “Salem’s Lot,” a gravedigger named Mike Ryerson races to bury the coffin of a local boy named Danny Glick. As night...

Tim Walz’s candidacy for vice president underscores the political power of teachers

Written by Christopher Chambers-Ju, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Arlington

As a former high school teacher, Tim Walz represents a rarity among politicos. PeopleImages/E+ via Getty Images

On July 25, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the American Federation of Teachers – the first labor union she addressed after announcing her candidacy for president.

Even though she was speaking to a roomful of teachers,...

Presidential election could help decide fate of the 70,000 Afghans living temporarily in the US

Written by Idean Salehyan, Professor of political science, University of North Texas

Afghan evacuees arrive at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., on Aug. 27, 2021. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

The Taliban, an ultraconservative Islamic political group, retook control of Kabul a little more than three years ago, dashing many Afghans’ hopes for a tolerant, democratic government.

As U.S. troops withdrew from...

Aurora and Springfield aren’t the first cities to become flash points in US immigration debate − here’s what happened in other places used as political soapboxes

Written by Miranda Cady Hallett, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Human Rights Center Research Fellow, University of Dayton

Many Americans had probably never heard of Aurora, Colorado, or Springfield, Ohio, before Donald Trump broadcast his false claims about these cities nationwide late in the 2024 presidential campaign.

First, in September 2024, the Republican presidential nominee claimed in a debate with Kamala Harris that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were stealing and...

Election officials are hard at work to deliver fair, secure and accurate elections – despite a constant flow of attacks

Written by Mitchell Brown, Professor of Political Science, Auburn University

Voting machines are tested at the Wake County Board of Elections on Sept. 17, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C. Allison Joyce/Getty Images

The 2024 election is rife with controversy, from the politics of the campaigns to the politics surrounding the administration of elections. Accusations of wrongdoing and ineptitude continue to plague election officials,...

‘Childless cat ladies’ have long contributed to the welfare of American children − and the nation

Written by Anya Jabour, Regents Professor of History, University of Montana

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, who never had children of her own, concentrated much of her activism on enriching the lives of American youth.Chicago History Museum/Getty Images

Parenting, single people and the U.S. birth rate have assumed a greater place in the 2024 presidential campaign than any race in recent memory.

Republican vice...

Wild animals can experience trauma and adversity too − as ecologists, we came up with an index to track how it affects them

Written by Xochitl Ortiz Ross, Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles

Marmots were the perfect test species for a wildlife adversity index. Xochitl Ortiz Ross

Psychologists know that childhood trauma, or the experience of harmful or adverse events, can have lasting repercussions on the health and well-being of people well into adulthood. But while the consequences of early adversity have been well researched in humans...

More kids than ever need special education, but burnout has caused a teacher shortage

Written by Kimber Wilkerson, Professor of Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Many special education teachers quit after less than five years on the job.10'000 Hours/Digital Vision via Getty Images

A growing number of students in public schools – right now, about 15% of them – are eligible for special education services. These services include specially designed instruction for students with autism, learning or...

Tracking vampire worms with machine learning − using AI to diagnose schistosomiasis before the parasites causing it hatch in your blood

Written by Trirupa Chakraborty, Ph.D. Candidate in Integrative Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh

Blood samples of patients infected with a parasitic worm that causes schistosomiasis contain hidden information that marks different stages of the disease. In our recently published research, our team used machine learning to uncover that hidden information and improve early detection and diagnosis of infection.

The parasite that causes...

Could fungi actually cause a zombie apocalypse?

Written by Matt Kasson, Associate Professor of Mycology and Plant Pathology, West Virginia University

A zombie cicada fungus, _Massospora cicadina_, has consumed the rear end of this periodical cicada, replacing it with a 'plug' of chalky spores.Matt Kasson, CC BY-ND

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.

Is a zombie apocalypse...