The Conversation

Why sleep experts say it's time to ditch daylight saving time

Written by Michael S. Jaffee, Vice Chair, Department of Neurology, University of Florida

"Spring forward, fall back": The clock goes back one hour on Nov. 1.billberryphotography via Getty Images

For most of the U.S., the clock goes back one hour on Sunday morning, Nov. 1, the “fall back” for daylight saving time. Many of us appreciate the extra hour of sleep.

But for millions, that gain won’t counter the inadequate...

On Twitter, bots spread conspiracy theories and QAnon talking points

Written by Emilio Ferrara, Associate Professor of Computer Science; USC Viterbi School of Engineering; Associate Professor of Communication, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Are you being deceived by a robot?Alina Kvaratskhelia/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Americans who seek political insight and information on Twitter should know how much of what they are seeing is the result of automated propaganda campaigns.

Nearly four years after my collaborators and I revealed how automated Twitter accounts were distorting online...

People's bodies now run cooler than 'normal' – even in the Bolivian Amazon

Written by Michael Gurven, Professor of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara

Tsimane children look out over the Maniqui River, in the Bolivian Amazon.Michael Gurven, CC BY-ND

Feeling under the weather? Chances are you or your doctor will grab a thermometer, take your temperature and hope for the familiar 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) everyone recognizes as “normal.”

But what is normal and why does...

For a growing number of evangelical Christians, Trump is no longer the lesser of two evils

Written by Stewart Clem, Assistant Professor of Moral Theology, Aquinas Institute of Theology

A moral minority of evangelicals are moving away from Trump.Scott McIntyre/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

It has long been taken for granted that the majority of evangelical Christians in the United States will vote for Donald Trump.

That may well be the case. But there are recent signs that fewer evangelicals will support Trump this time...

Cigarette smoke can reprogram cells in your airways, causing COPD to hang on after smoking ends

Written by Bradley Richmond, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States.Pascal Kiszon via Getty Images

Smoking is the most common cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an often fatal respiratory condition that afflicts millions of Americans. But for many patients living with COPD, stopping smoking isn’t the...

Achieving COVID-19 herd immunity through infection is dangerous, deadly and might not even work

Written by Steven Albert, Professor and Chair of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Pittsburgh

Under relaxed public health restrictions, deaths will spike far before herd immunity is achieved.AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

White House advisers have made the case recently for a “natural” approach to herd immunity as a way to reduce the need for public health measures to control the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic while still keeping people safe. This...

Scientists at work: Sloshing through marshes to see how birds survive hurricanes

Written by Scott Rush, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Mississippi State University

A clapper rail with a fiddler crab in its bill.Michael Gray, CC BY-ND

When storms like Huricane Zeta menace the Gulf Coast, residents know the drill: Board up windows, clear storm drains, gas up the car and stock up on water, batteries and canned goods.

But how does wildlife ride out a hurricane? Animals that live along coastlines have evolved to...

Americans living and serving overseas could tilt the 2020 election – if only they voted

Written by Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

Military voters can register to vote using their permanent U.S. address or, in some states, their parents' address.Official Army Photo/Dustin Senger

U.S. citizens who live abroad are a largely untapped voter pool big enough to decide the presidency.

In the 2000 contested presidential election, Republican candidate George W. Bush’s campaign...

No, President Trump, suburbia is no longer all white — and Black suburbanites are more politically active than their neighbors

Written by Ernest B. McGowen III, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

Trump's view of suburbia reflects a 1950s exclusively white place.Debrocke/ClassicStock/Getty Images

President Donald Trump has tweeted up a storm about how his Democratic challenger Joe Biden wants to “abolish suburbs” and institute programs that would bring impoverished criminals into the suburbs, where they will destroy the “sub...

Where’s the sea ice? 3 reasons the Arctic freeze is unseasonably late and why it matters

Written by Mark Serreze, Research Professor of Geography and Director, National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Boulder

Arctic sea ice levels have been falling for several decades.GraphicaArtis/Getty Images

With the setting of the sun and the onset of polar darkness, the Arctic Ocean would normally be crusted with sea ice along the Siberian coast by now. But this year, the water is still open.

I’ve watched the region’s transformations since the 1980s as...