The Conversation

Yoga: Modern research shows a variety of benefits to both body and mind from the ancient practice

Written by Herpreet Thind, Associate Professor of Public Health, UMass Lowell

Yoga mixes physical exercise with meditation and breathing techniques.10,000 Hours/Digital Vision via Getty Images

The popularity of yoga has grown tremendously in the past decade. More than 10% of U.S. adults have practiced yoga at some point in their lives. Yoga practitioners spend on average US$90 a month, and the yoga industry is worth more...

Device transmits radio waves with almost no power – without violating the laws of physics

Written by Joshua R. Smith, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington

This experimental setup shows an ultra-low-power wireless communications device that could one day be used in tiny remote sensors.Zerina Kapetanovic, CC BY-ND

A new ultra-low-power method of communication at first glance seems to violate the laws of physics. It is possible to wirelessly transmit information simply by opening and closing a switch...

How some enslaved Black people stayed in Southern slaveholding states – and found freedom

Written by Viola Franziska Müller, Postdoctoral researcher and lecturer in history, University of Bonn

Black fugitives fleeing slavery on the Underground Railroad,Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

For generations, the Underground Railroad has been the quintessential story of resistance against oppression.

Yet, the story is incomplete.

What is far less known is that the majority of enslaved people who fled Southern slavery before the 186...

New passport rankings show that the world is opening up – but not for everyone

Written by Patrick Bixby, Associate Professor of English, Arizona State University

Muslim pilgrims go through passport control in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on June 5, 2022, prior to the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. Amer Hilabi/AFP via Getty Images

Salman Rushdie, the celebrated Anglo-Indian writer, once declared that the “most precious book” he possessed was his passport.

Rushdie had already published...

Lots of people believe in Bigfoot and other pseudoscience claims – this course examines why

Written by Craig A. Foster, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, State University of New York College at Cortland

Don't believe the hype about Bigfoot, a flat Earth or ancient aliens.Collage from Getty Images sources, CC BY-ND

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course

“Psychology of Pseudoscience”

What prompted the idea for the course?

While teaching a course...

Parsing which foods are healthy and which are less so isn't always straightforward – a new rating system aims to demystify the process

Written by Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean of Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University

The new system generally gives higher scores to fruits, vegetables and minimally processed foods.RapidEye/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Many people aim to start the year off with healthier food choices. But how do you choose between seemingly similar foods, snacks or beverages? How does a bagel with cream cheese compare to toast topped with avocado,...

Horror and anguish are playing out on repeat following the latest mass shooting – and the mental health scars extend far beyond those directly affected

Written by Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University

The mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, Calif., is the latest in an endless string of gun violence tragedies. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Yet another community is stricken with grief in the wake of the horrific shooting at Monterey Park, California, on Jan. 21, 2023, that left 10 people dead and 10 more wounded. Families and friends of the...

Cheap sewer pipe repairs can push toxic fumes into homes and schools – here's how to lower the risk

Written by Andrew J. Whelton, Professor of Civil, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Director of the Healthy Plumbing Consortium and Center for Plumbing Safety, Purdue University

With many CIPP repairs, this isn't just steam.Andrew Whelton/Purdue University

Across the U.S., children and adults are increasingly exposed to harmful chemicals from a source few people are even aware of.

It begins on a street outside a home or school, where a worker in a manhole is repairing a sewer pipe. The contractor inserts a resin-soaked...

As US-EU trade tensions rise, conflicting carbon tariffs could undermine climate efforts

Written by Noah Kaufman, Research Scholar in Climate Economics, Columbia University

The U.S. and EU are headed in different directions with tariffs, including on steel. David McNew/Getty Images

Rising trade tensions between the U.S. and the European Union, two of the most important global leaders when it comes to climate policy, could undermine key climate initiatives of both governments and make it harder for the world to put the...

How has the inside of the Earth stayed as hot as the Sun's surface for billions of years?

Written by Shichun Huang, Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee

The slice you see cut out of the Earth reveals its core, depicted here in bright yellow.fhm/E+ via Getty Images

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 does the inside of the Earth stay boiling hot for billions of years? Henry,...