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US losing Fitch's top AAA credit rating may portend future economic weakness

  • Written by Hakan Yilmazkuday, Professor of Economics, Florida International University
imageMoney doesn't grow on trees for governments either.imagedepotpro/E+ via Getty ImagesimageCC BY-ND

The formerly pristine reputation of the U.S. government’s debt lost a little more luster after another prominent rating agency demoted Uncle Sam from its AAA perch.

What does a downgrade of U.S. creditworthiness like this actually mean?

While the...

Read more: US losing Fitch's top AAA credit rating may portend future economic weakness

San Jose and the reemergence of the donut city

  • Written by Mark Davidson, Professor of Geography, Clark University
imageAmerican downtowns were facing headwinds even before the pandemic began.Mark Davidson, CC BY-ND

The specter of downtown decline is again haunting American cities.

After many decades of reinvestment and repopulation, some American downtowns are now showing signs of hollowing out again.

The COVID-19 pandemic certainly bears some of the blame.

The...

Read more: San Jose and the reemergence of the donut city

Beyoncé has a prenup − but do you need one if you're not a millionaire?

  • Written by Allison Anna Tait, Professor of Law, University of Richmond
imageA prenup allows couples to separate their debt from the debts of their spouse.Kevin Mazur via Getty Images

A prenuptial agreement can seem like something only high-profile people like Jeff Bezos – with his US$138 billion fortune to protect – actually need.

But prenups – contracts entered into before marriage that detail how assets...

Read more: Beyoncé has a prenup − but do you need one if you're not a millionaire?

'Uncivil obedience' becomes an increasingly common form of protest in the US

  • Written by Kristina M. Lee, Assistant Professor, University of South Dakota
imageProtesters in Utah demonstrate against a school district's ban on the Bible for having 'vulgarity and violence' unfit for young children.AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

When Utah legislators passed a bill requiring the review and removal of “pornographic or indecent” books in school libraries, they likely did not imagine the law would be used to...

Read more: 'Uncivil obedience' becomes an increasingly common form of protest in the US

Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? A nutritionist explains the science behind 'functional' foods

  • Written by Janet Colson, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, Middle Tennessee State University
imageWhile apples aren't considered a superfood, they are considered a functional food.Caterina Oltean/500px Prime via Getty Images

We’ve all heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but how true is that?

Apples are not high in vitamin A, nor are they beneficial for vision like carrots. They are not a great source of vitamin C and...

Read more: Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? A nutritionist explains the science behind...

Lab-grown ‘ghost hearts' work to solve organ transplant shortage by combining a cleaned-out pig heart with a patient’s own stem cells

  • Written by Doris Taylor, Regenerative Medicine Lecturer, University of New Hampshire
imageA 'ghost heart' is a pig's heart prepared so that it can be transplanted into people.Provided by Doris Taylor

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that 17.9 million people lose their lives to it each year, accounting for 32% of global deaths.

Doris Taylor is a scientist working in...

Read more: Lab-grown ‘ghost hearts' work to solve organ transplant shortage by combining a cleaned-out pig...

Elon Musk aims to turn Twitter into an 'everything app' – a social media and marketing scholar explains what that is and why it's not so easy to do

  • Written by Kristen Schiele, Associate Professor of Clinical Marketing, University of Southern California
imageEverything apps are designed to help you do, well, just about everything you do on a phone.Busakorn Pongparnit/Moment via Getty Images

Elon Musk’s recent rebranding of Twitter as X is a step toward the CEO’s goal of developing an “everything app.” Musk’s vision is for X to mark the spot for all your digital needs...

Read more: Elon Musk aims to turn Twitter into an 'everything app' – a social media and marketing scholar...

Maui's deadly wildfires burn through Lahaina – it's a reminder of the growing risk to communities that once seemed safe

  • Written by Mojtaba Sadegh, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Boise State University
imageFires burn in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 8, 2023.Zeke Kalua/County of Maui via AP

Wildfires, pushed by powerful winds, raced through Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 8 and 9, 2023, leaving a charred and smoldering landscape across the tourist town of about 13,000 residents that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. At least 99 people died, Hawaii...

Read more: Maui's deadly wildfires burn through Lahaina – it's a reminder of the growing risk to communities...

Air travel is in a rut – is there any hope of recapturing the romance of flying?

  • Written by Christopher Schaberg, Director of Public Scholarship, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
imageThe high-risk adventure of air travel has been subdued, yet today's long flights can paradoxically feel torturous.Christopher Schaberg, CC BY-SA

Amelia Earhart broke a transcontinental speed record 90 years ago, in July 1933, by flying her signature red Lockheed Vega from Los Angeles to New Jersey in just 17 hours, seven and a half minutes. Earlier...

Read more: Air travel is in a rut – is there any hope of recapturing the romance of flying?

AI can help forecast air quality, but freak events like 2023's summer of wildfire smoke require traditional methods too

  • Written by Joshua S. Fu, Chancellor's Professor in Engineering, Climate Change and Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee
imageThick smoke rolling in from Canada's 2023 wildfires was a wakeup call for several cities.Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

Wildfire smoke from Canada’s extreme fire season has left a lot of people thinking about air quality and wondering what to expect in the days ahead.

All air contains gaseous compounds and small particles. But as air...

Read more: AI can help forecast air quality, but freak events like 2023's summer of wildfire smoke require...

More Articles ...

  1. The heroic effort to save Florida’s coral reef from devastating ocean heat
  2. Babies almost all try crawling to get from Point A to Point B, but CDC says it's not a useful developmental milestone
  3. Researchers dig deep underground in hopes of finally observing dark matter
  4. A brief illustrated guide to 'scissors congruence' − an ancient geometric idea that’s still fueling cutting-edge mathematical research
  5. Women get far more migraines than men – a neurologist explains why, and what brings relief
  6. Despite giving students chances to cheat, unsupervised online exams gauge student learning comparably to in-person exams
  7. Through space and rhyme: How hip-hop uses Afrofuturism to take listeners on journeys of empowerment
  8. Donald Trump is right − he is getting special treatment, far better than most other criminal defendants
  9. Kamala Harris has tied the record for the most tie-breaking votes in Senate history – a brief overview of what vice presidents do
  10. Yellow jerseys of the fireline: A day fighting wildfires can require as much endurance as riding the Tour de France
  11. Medical exploitation of Black people in America goes far beyond the cells stolen from Henrietta Lacks that produced modern day miracles
  12. Zebrafish are a scientist's favorite for early-stage research – especially to study human blood disorders
  13. Re-imagining democracy for the 21st century, possibly without the trappings of the 18th century
  14. Contacting your legislator? Cite your sources – if you want them to listen to you
  15. US autoworkers may wage a historic strike against Detroit’s 3 biggest automakers – with wages at EV battery plants a key roadblock to agreement
  16. What's the difference between a startup and any other business?
  17. Trump may try to delay his first federal trial – it's a common legal strategy to fend off a criminal conviction
  18. Myanmar crisis highlights limits of Indonesia's 'quiet diplomacy' as it sets sights on becoming a 'great regional power'
  19. Ending affirmative action does nothing to end discrimination against Asian Americans
  20. The most serious Trump indictment yet – a criminal law scholar explains the charges of using ‘dishonesty, fraud and deceit’ to cling to power
  21. Trump indicted in Jan. 6 case – but his 3 upcoming trials may not keep him off the campaign trail
  22. A chatbot willing to take on questions of all kinds – from the serious to the comical – is the latest representation of Jesus for the AI age
  23. Trump facing multiple criminal charges, investigations: 44 articles explain what you need to know
  24. Sexual violence is a pervasive threat for female farm workers – here's how the US could reduce their risk
  25. Is Congress on a witch hunt? 5 ways to judge whether oversight hearings are legitimate or politicized
  26. Sinead O'Connor was once seen as a sacrilegious rebel, but her music and life were deeply infused with spiritual seeking
  27. Millions across the world live with low back pain, but addressing major risk factors like smoking, obesity and workplace ergonomics could curb the trend, research shows
  28. Why Dunkin' and Lego rebrands succeeded – but X missed the mark
  29. Giuliani claims the First Amendment lets him lie – 3 essential reads
  30. To get rid of hazing, clarify what people really think is acceptable behavior and redefine what it means to be loyal
  31. Just about anybody in America can officiate a wedding, thanks to the internet – and one determined preacher
  32. Alabama is not the first state to defy a Supreme Court ruling: 3 essential reads on why that matters
  33. Federal government is challenging Texas's buoys in the Rio Grande – here’s why these kinds of border blockades wind up complicating immigration enforcement
  34. Your genetic code has lots of 'words' for the same thing – information theory may help explain the redundancies
  35. I've taught in prisons for 15 years – here's what schools need to know as government funding expands
  36. Hypocrisy penalty: Investors especially hate companies that say they're good then behave badly – unless the money is good
  37. Progressives' embrace of Disney in battle with DeSantis over LGBTQ rights comes with risks
  38. Deaf rappers who lay down rhymes in sign languages are changing what it means for music to be heard
  39. 4 factors driving 2023's extreme heat and climate disasters
  40. Hunter Biden's plea agreement renegotiation is rare – a law professor explains what usually happens
  41. Sen. Tuberville's blockade of US military promotions takes a historic tradition to a radical new level – and could go beyond Congress' August break
  42. As witchcraft becomes a multibillion-dollar business, practitioners' connection to the natural world is changing
  43. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts uses conflicting views of race to resolve America's history of racial discrimination
  44. Where the government draws the line for Medicaid coverage leaves out many older Americans who may need help paying for medical and long-term care bills – new research
  45. Do smartphones belong in classrooms? Four scholars weigh in
  46. In search of the world's largest freshwater fish – the wonderfully weird giants lurking in Earth's rivers
  47. How well-managed dams and smart forecasting can limit flooding as extreme storms become more common in a warming world
  48. Women can now undertake Islamic pilgrimages without a male guardian in Saudi Arabia, but that doesn't mean they're traveling alone -- communities are an important part of the religious experience
  49. Horse health research will help humans stay healthy, too, with insights on reining in diabetes and obesity
  50. Laughter can communicate a lot more than good humor – people use it to smooth social interactions