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A quantum computing future is unlikely, due to random hardware errors

  • Written by Subhash Kak, Regents Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Oklahoma State University
Will quantum computers ever reliably best classical computers?Amin Van/Shutterstock.comArtist’s rendition of the Google processor.Forest Stearns, Google AI Quantum Artist in Residence, CC BY-ND

Google announced this fall to much fanfare that it had demonstrated “quantum supremacy” – that is, it performed a specific quantum...

Read more: A quantum computing future is unlikely, due to random hardware errors

Haitian migrants face deportation and stigma in hurricane-ravaged Bahamas

  • Written by Bertin M. Louis, Jr., Associate Professor of Anthropology and African American & Africana Studies, University of Kentucky
A man stands on the rubble of his home in the Haitian Quarter, after the passage of the Hurricane Dorian in Abaco, Bahamas, Sept. 16, 2019. AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa

Haiti wasn’t on Hurricane Dorian’s slow-moving path of destruction across the Caribbean in early September, but Haitians are suffering in the storm’s aftermath anyway.

In...

Read more: Haitian migrants face deportation and stigma in hurricane-ravaged Bahamas

The tricky ethics of Google's Project Nightingale, an effort to learn from millions of health records

  • Written by Cason Schmit, Assistant Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M University
Sharing electronic medical records broadly could identify trends as well as mistakes, but it also poses privacy concerns.Metamorworks/Shutterstock.com

The nation’s second-largest health system, Ascension, has agreed to allow the software behemoth Google access to tens of millions of patient records. The partnership, called Project...

Read more: The tricky ethics of Google's Project Nightingale, an effort to learn from millions of health...

Invasive grasses are fueling wildfires across the US

  • Written by Emily Fusco, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Burning invasive, nonnative grasses on federal land at Lower Table Rock, Oregon. BLM, CC BY

The Santa Ana winds that help drive fall and winter wildfires in California have died down, providing welcome relief for residents. But other ecological factors contribute to fires in ways that scientists are still discovering.

I study how human actions...

Read more: Invasive grasses are fueling wildfires across the US

Pregnant women have a higher risk of delivering early on unseasonably hot days

  • Written by Alan Barreca, Associate Professor of Environmental Economics, University of California, Los Angeles
Around 10 states in the U.S. have hit over 120 degrees Fahrenheit on their hottest days this year.VladisChern/Shutterstock.com

About a quarter of children in the United States are born two to three weeks before their due date, which qualifies them as “early term.” Pregnancies typically last 40 weeks, so you might think that being born...

Read more: Pregnant women have a higher risk of delivering early on unseasonably hot days

Eliminating food deserts won't help poorer Americans eat healthier

  • Written by Hunt Allcott, Associate Professor of Economics, New York University
We love junk food. Mumemories/Shutterstock.com

In the U.S., rich people tend to eat a lot healthier than poor people.

Because poor diets cause obesity, Type II diabetes and other diseases, this nutritional inequality contributes to unequal health outcomes. The richest Americans can expect to live 10-15 years longer than the poorest.

Many think that...

Read more: Eliminating food deserts won't help poorer Americans eat healthier

What's the value of your dog's life, and why it matters

  • Written by Simon F. Haeder, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Pennsylvania State University
Your lovable dog has a value of about $10,000, researchers suggest.Javier Brosch/Shutterstock.comr

Americans love their pets, spending more than US$70 billion last year on their beloved companions. This far exceeds the $7 billion spent on legal marijuana, and $32 billion on pizza, just for two examples.

Of the $70 billion, close to $20 billion pays...

Read more: What's the value of your dog's life, and why it matters

Christmas tree shopping is harder than ever, thanks to climate change and demographics

  • Written by James Robert Farmer, Associate Professor, Indiana University
Christmas trees at Twin H Tree Farms in Bloomington, Indiana.Indiana University/James Brosher, CC BY-ND

If you’re shopping for a live Christmas tree this year, you may have to search harder than in the past. Over the last five years Christmas tree shortages have been reported in many parts of the U.S.

One factor is that growers sold off land...

Read more: Christmas tree shopping is harder than ever, thanks to climate change and demographics

Curious Kids: How come Donald Trump won if Hillary Clinton got more votes?

  • Written by Sarah Burns, Associate Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology
Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in the 2016 election.a katz/Shutterstock.com

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.

How come Donald Trump won if Hillary Clinton got more votes? Ellen T., 8, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Many...

Read more: Curious Kids: How come Donald Trump won if Hillary Clinton got more votes?

Why does the US pay so much for the defense of its allies? 5 questions answered

  • Written by Michael E. Flynn, Associate Professor of Political Science, Kansas State University
The U.S. pays billions to maintain military bases in Japan and South Korea.BOATFOTO/Shutterstock.com

Since the start of Donald Trump’s run for the U.S. presidency in 2015, he has been critical of the amount of money U.S. allies contribute to their own defense.

Now, the Trump administration is demanding that Japan and South Korea pay more for...

Read more: Why does the US pay so much for the defense of its allies? 5 questions answered

More Articles ...

  1. Rating news sources can help limit the spread of misinformation
  2. Rick Perry's belief that Trump was chosen by God is shared by many in a fast-growing Christian movement
  3. Spinster, old maid or self-partnered – why words for single women have changed through time
  4. 'The Wall' cemented Pink Floyd's fame – but destroyed the band
  5. Treating HIV in the tiniest babies could have huge positive implications for their future
  6. How to pick the 'right' amount to spend on holiday gifts – according to an economist
  7. What the Trump administration gets right about hospital price transparency
  8. Students should learn about impeachment in school – here's how to make it work
  9. Are 'vaping' and 'e-cigarettes' the same, and should all these products be avoided?
  10. 5 ways Trump and his supporters are using the same strategies as science deniers
  11. Why support for the death penalty is much higher among white Americans
  12. You can join the effort to expose Twitter bots
  13. Why it seems like your friends have more to be thankful for
  14. Your big brain makes you human – count your neurons when you count your blessings
  15. Are you as grateful as you deserve to be?
  16. What to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers? Look to the French
  17. Jimmy Hoffa disappeared – and then his legacy took on a life of its own
  18. Medical errors still harm too many people but there are glimpses of real change
  19. How to tell if your digital addiction is ruining your life
  20. Diabetic foot wounds kill millions, but high-tech solutions and teamwork are making a difference
  21. Political hashtags like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter make people less likely to believe the news
  22. Why a measured transition to electric vehicles would benefit the US
  23. 5 years after Islamic State massacre, an Iraqi minority is transformed by trauma
  24. Syria military presence risks US credibility with world community
  25. Contrary to recent reports, Jupiter's Great Red Spot is not in danger of disappearing
  26. Thank fungi for cheese, wine and beer this holiday season
  27. Calling donors to thank them doesn't make them more likely to give again
  28. Donors need to stop pressuring nonprofits to pinch pennies
  29. How does a piece of bread cause a migraine?
  30. New College Scorecard could help students choose better colleges, but there's still room to improve it
  31. Kids may need more help finding answers to their questions in the information age
  32. What can you learn from studying an animal's scat?
  33. Israel’s West Bank settlements: 4 questions answered
  34. Brexit poses a dilemma for Northern Ireland's nationalists
  35. 2020 campaign shows the more women run, the more they are treated like candidates – not tokens
  36. How American anti-Semitism reflects the centuries-long struggle over the meaning of religious liberty
  37. Mothers in prison aren't likely to see their families this Thanksgiving – or any other day
  38. Protections against sexual misconduct on campus may end up stifling free speech
  39. Fight or switch? How the low-carbon transition is disrupting fossil fuel politics
  40. Cartel sieges leave Mexicans wondering if criminals run the country
  41. Do lockdown drills do any good?
  42. Americans bankrupted by health care costs: 4 questions answered
  43. Vitamin E and vaping injuries: What's safe in your diet is rarely safe in your lungs
  44. Gluten-sensitive liberals? Investigating the stereotype suggests food fads unite us all
  45. Documentary provides rare look at higher education in prison
  46. A major democracy fights to maintain the rule of law -- this time, it's Israel
  47. On TV, political ads are regulated – but online, anything goes
  48. Broken trust: How Iraqis lost their faith in Washington, long before the Kurds did
  49. Brain activity predicts which mice will become compulsive drinkers
  50. Light versus dark – the color of the meat is due to the job of the muscle