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Why do presidential inaugurations matter?

  • Written by Dimitris Xygalatas, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut
imageAn important ceremony: the U.S. Capitol during President Donald Trump's 2017 inauguration.AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

As one president’s term ends and another begins, there is a ceremony. Its importance is one of symbolism rather than substance. The Constitution is clear: On Jan. 20, there will be a transfer of power. There is no mention of an...

Read more: Why do presidential inaugurations matter?

What does the vice president do?

  • Written by Joshua Holzer, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Westminster College
imageIt's a top government job, but what does being vice president mean?AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

On Jan. 20, Kamala Harris will become vice president of the United States – the first woman, the first person of South Asian descent, and the first African American to do so. Harris will also become the first vice president to have graduated from a his...

Read more: What does the vice president do?

Is COVID-19 infecting wild animals? We're testing species from bats to seals to find out

  • Written by Jonathan Runstadler, Professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University
imageA wild mink in Utah was the first wild animal in the U.S. found with COVID-19.Peter Trimming via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have found coronavirus infections in pet cats and dogs and in multiple zoo animals, including big cats and gorillas. These infections have even happened when staff were using...

Read more: Is COVID-19 infecting wild animals? We're testing species from bats to seals to find out

Trump sees power as private property – a habit shared by autocrats throughout the ages

  • Written by Fernanda G Nicola, Professor of Law, American University
imageLord of all he surveys?Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

Shortly before crowds of his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, Donald Trump implored them to “take back our country.” His words echoed a long history of authoritarians who have attempted to privatize power and turn it into personal property.

Taking back what is yours would...

Read more: Trump sees power as private property – a habit shared by autocrats throughout the ages

Tooth or consequences: Even during a pandemic, avoiding the dentist can be bad for your oral health

  • Written by Andrew J. Corsaro, Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Dentistry, University of Florida
imageYour dentist should wear appropriate personal protective equipment. LukaTDB via Getty Images

Dental care remains critical for tens of millions of Americans, even during the pandemic. More than one-quarter of U.S. adults live with untreated tooth decay, with nearly half of adults over 30 showing signs of gum disease. And nearly 1 in 4 adults report...

Read more: Tooth or consequences: Even during a pandemic, avoiding the dentist can be bad for your oral health

For these students, using data in sports is about more than winning games

  • Written by Felesia Stukes, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Johnson C. Smith University
imageThe 'DATA Bulls' use computer science skills to create data analytics for college sports teams. Felesia Stukes, Author provided

When professional sports teams use big data and analytics, their objective is to improve player performance and win more games.

That approach is paying off in a major way.

For instance, after the Golden State Warriors became...

Read more: For these students, using data in sports is about more than winning games

My research helped uncover a long-lost right-wing provocateur – but then I turned away from her work

  • Written by Carole Sargent, Literary Historian; Founding Director of the Office of Scholarly Publications, Georgetown University
imageAn example of 18th-century right-wing conservative commentary: 'The New Atalantis.'Transliteracies Project

Years ago I discovered a shocking early English political satirist when a professor urged me not study her. Dismissing what I assumed was his liberal bias, I claimed bipartisan curiosity and dove in anyway. You could say I fell for the...

Read more: My research helped uncover a long-lost right-wing provocateur – but then I turned away from her work

Biden can transform the US from a humanitarian laggard into a global leader – here's how

  • Written by Edward R. Carr, Professor and Director, International Development, Community, and Environment, Clark University
imageUntil now the U.S. hasn't coordinated its disaster aid and development spending.Jekesai Njikizana/AFP via Getty Images

Even after the Trump administration’s repeated efforts to slash foreign aid and global partnerships, the United States remains the world’s largest source of official development assistance for low-income countries.

Still,...

Read more: Biden can transform the US from a humanitarian laggard into a global leader – here's how

Cheaper solar power means low-income families can also benefit – with the right kind of help

  • Written by Galen Barbose, Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
imageSolar power is becoming more common for households at all income levels. These homes in Richmond, California, went solar with the help of GRID Alternatives.GRID Alternatives, CC BY-ND

Until recently, rooftop solar panels were a clean energy technology that only wealthy Americans could afford. But prices have dropped, thanks mostly to falling costs...

Read more: Cheaper solar power means low-income families can also benefit – with the right kind of help

Zoom work relationships are a lot harder to build – unless you can pick up on colleagues' nonverbal cues

  • Written by Nancy R. Buchan, Associate Professor of International Business, University of South Carolina
imageUsing nonverbal cues like hand gestures can help make communicating over video more effective. Ariel Skelley/DigitalVision via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Workers who communicate with their colleagues mainly through videoconferencing are far less effective at building relationships...

Read more: Zoom work relationships are a lot harder to build – unless you can pick up on colleagues'...

More Articles ...

  1. Figs show that nonnative species can invade ecosystems by forming unexpected partnerships
  2. Biden has a congressional shortcut to cancel Trump’s regulatory rollbacks, but it comes with risks
  3. How to stay safe with a fast-spreading new coronavirus variant on the loose
  4. More health inequality: Black people are 3 times more likely to experience pulse oximeter errors
  5. Trump supporters seeking more violence could target state capitols during inauguration – here's how cities can prepare
  6. A white supremacist coup succeeded in 1898 North Carolina, led by lying politicians and racist newspapers that amplified their lies
  7. What is the 'boogaloo' and who are the rioters who stormed the Capitol? 5 essential reads
  8. Does 'deplatforming' work to curb hate speech and calls for violence? 3 experts in online communications weigh in
  9. How the Ebenezer Baptist Church has been a seat of Black power for generations in Atlanta
  10. Neighborhoods with MLK streets are poorer than national average and highly segregated, study reveals
  11. Why the news media may not want to share Capitol riot images with the police
  12. Symbols of white supremacy flew proudly at the Capitol riot – 5 essential reads
  13. White supremacists who stormed US Capitol are only the most visible product of racism
  14. How Trump's language shifted in the weeks leading up to the Capitol riot – 2 linguists explain
  15. Nonprofits helped organize the pro-Trump rally before the Capitol siege – but they probably won't suffer any consequences
  16. The Capitol siege recalls past acts of Christian nationalist violence
  17. Cities can help migrating birds on their way by planting more trees and turning lights off at night
  18. That time private US media companies stepped in to silence the falsehoods and incitements of a major public figure ... in 1938
  19. Francis Galton pioneered scientific advances in many fields – but also founded the racist pseudoscience of eugenics
  20. What you need to know about the new COVID-19 variants
  21. Trump's Twitter feed shows 'arc of the hero,' from savior to showdown
  22. The far-right rioters at the Capitol were not antifa – but violent groups often blame rivals for unpopular attacks
  23. The simple reason West Virginia leads the nation in vaccinating nursing home residents
  24. The great polio vaccine mess and the lessons it holds about federal coordination for today's COVID-19 vaccination effort
  25. Capitol siege raises questions over extent of white supremacist infiltration of US police
  26. The perils of associating 'white' with 'privilege' in the classroom
  27. The Confederate battle flag, which rioters flew inside the US Capitol, has long been a symbol of white insurrection
  28. Does reopening schools cause COVID-19 to spread? It's complicated
  29. Mega Millions jackpot is $750 million – where does all the lottery tax revenue really go?
  30. The price of a drug should be based on its therapeutic benefits – not just what the market will bear
  31. Americans have unrealistic expectations for a COVID-19 vaccine
  32. Is impeaching President Trump 'pointless revenge'? Not if it sends a message to future presidents
  33. Misogyny in the Capitol: Among the insurrectionists, a lot of angry men who don't like women
  34. Federal financial aid for college will be easier to apply for – and a bit more generous
  35. The scent of sickness: 5 questions answered about using dogs – and mice and ferrets – to detect disease
  36. Dostoevsky warned of the strain of nihilism that infects Donald Trump and his movement
  37. How explainable artificial intelligence can help humans innovate
  38. What is a protein? A biologist explains
  39. At impeachment hearing, lawmakers will deliberate over a deadly weapon used in the attack on Capitol Hill – President Trump's words
  40. Why the flag of South Vietnam flew at US Capitol siege
  41. Anti-nutrients – they're part of a normal diet and not as scary as they sound
  42. How can America heal from the Trump era? Lessons from Germany's transformation into a prosperous democracy after Nazi rule
  43. I spoke to 99 big thinkers about what our 'world after coronavirus' might look like – this is what I learned
  44. Through her divisive rhetoric, Education Secretary DeVos leaves a troubled legacy of her own
  45. Big Tech's rejection of Parler shuts down a site favored by Trump supporters – and used by participants in the US Capitol insurrection
  46. How self-proclaimed 'prophets' from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for the Jan. 6 events at the US Capitol
  47. Biden plans to fight climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before
  48. A brief history of the term ‘president-elect’ in the United States
  49. Executions don't deter murder, despite the Trump administration's push
  50. Apollo landers, Neil Armstrong's bootprint and other human artifacts on Moon officially protected by new US law