The Conversation

As national political omens go, Republicans sought middle ground on abortion in Virginia − and still lost the state legislature

Written by Stephen J. Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the UMW Center for Leadership and Media Studies, University of Mary Washington

Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks during a rally in Leesburg, Va., on Nov. 6, 2023. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The election results in Virginia offer Republicans across the country one key lesson before the 2024 presidential election: Revise the GOP position on the critical issue of abortion.

Though not on the ballot, GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin had campaigned...

Exposing plants to an unusual chemical early on may bolster their growth and help feed the world

Written by Brad Binder, Professor of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee

'Priming' plants by exposing them to certain chemicals while they're seeds can affect their growth later in life. AP Photo/Gerry Broome

Just like any other organism, plants can get stressed. Usually it’s conditions like heat and drought that lead to this stress, and when they’re stressed, plants might not grow as large or produce as...

Chechnya's boss and Putin’s foot soldier: How Ramzan Kadyrov became such a feared figure in Russia

Written by Anya Free, Faculty Associate of History, Arizona State University

Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov have a personal relationship based on mutual dependence.Mikhail Metzel/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, recently authorized police to shoot to kill pro-Palestinian protesters who might take to the streets of Chechnya. The orders came in the wake of an antisemi...

Cranberries can bounce, float and pollinate themselves: The saucy science of a Thanksgiving classic

Written by Serina DeSalvio, Ph.D. Candidate in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University

Cranberries grow on vines in sandy bogs and marshes.Lance Cheung, USDA/Flickr

Cranberries are a staple in U.S. households at Thanksgiving – but how did this bog dweller end up on holiday tables?

Compared to many valuable plant species that were domesticated over thousands of years, cultivated cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) is a young...

Why more food, toiletry and beauty companies are switching to minimalist package designs

Written by Lan Anh Nu Ton, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Texas Christian University

Siggi's Dairy keeps its yogurts simple with white packaging, black text and a dab of color to indicate the flavor.Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

For decades, marketers of consumer goods designed highly adorned packages, deploying bold colors, snazzy text, cartoons and illustrations to seize the attention of shoppers. Conventional wisdom held that...

How animals get their skin patterns is a matter of physics – new research clarifying how could improve medical diagnostics and synthetic materials

Written by Ankur Gupta, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Color patterns seen in fish and other animals evolved to serve various purposes.Lagunatic Photo/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Patterns on animal skin, such as zebra stripes and poison frog color patches, serve various biological functions, including temperature regulation, camouflage and warning signals. The colors making up these patterns must be...

International reaction to Gaza siege has exposed the growing rift between the West and the Global South

Written by Jorge Heine, Interim Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, Boston University

Dark clouds over the United Nations in New York.Adam Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

The lopsidedness was stark: 120 countries voted in favor of a resolution before the United Nations on Oct. 26, 2023, calling for a “humanitarian truce” in the war in Gaza. A mere 14 countries voted against it.

But the numbers tell only half the story;...

We blurred the gender of soccer players and had people rate their performances − with surprising results

Written by Carlos Gómez González, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Zurich

Would people still call a women's soccer match boring if they didn't know the players' genders?isitsharp/E+ via Getty Images

During the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the telecommunications company Orange ran a powerful TV ad. It depicts the graceful agility and dramatic goal-scoring shots from French national players such as Antoine Griezmann,...

In Gaza, the underground war between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters in the tunnels is set to begin

Written by Brian Glyn Williams, Professor of Islamic History, UMass Dartmouth

A Hamas fighter steps out of a tunnel during a 2014 public demonstration of the group's military abilities.Yousef Masoud/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Israel Defense Forces have announced that they have reached the outskirts of Gaza City and are expecting to enter the city soon.

When that happens, Israeli troops will begin a...

Want a healthier lawn? Instead of bagging fall leaves, take the lazy way out and get a more environmentally friendly yard

Written by Susan Barton, Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware

Autumn is the season to gaze at gorgeous leaves of gold, yellow and orange as they flutter from the trees and fall on our yards – but then, of course, comes the tedious task of raking them up and trying to decide what to do with them. SciLine interviewed Susan Barton, a professor of plant and soil sciences at the University of Delaware, who...