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Why do flocks of birds swoop and swirl together in the sky? A biologist explains the science of murmurations

  • Written by Tom Langen, Professor of Biology, Clarkson University
imageMurmurations can have as many as 750,000 birds flying in unison.mikedabell/iStock via Getty Imagesimage

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.


Why do flocks of birds swoop and swirl together in the sky? – Artie W., age 9, Astoria,...

Read more: Why do flocks of birds swoop and swirl together in the sky? A biologist explains the science of...

Smart devices spy on you – 2 computer scientists explain how the Internet of Things can violate your privacy

  • Written by Roberto Yus, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageAppliances that make your life easier could also put your privacy at risk.Eric Kayne/AP Images for Samsung

Have you ever felt a creeping sensation that someone’s watching you? Then you turn around and you don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Depending on where you were, though, you might not have been completely imagining it. There...

Read more: Smart devices spy on you – 2 computer scientists explain how the Internet of Things can violate...

What classic literature knows about refugees fleeing persecution and war

  • Written by Robert F. Barsky, Professor of Humanities, and Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University
imageA Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces member hugs a resident leaving his hometown following Russian artillery shelling in Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 9, 2022.AP Photo/Oleksandr Ratushniak

The United Nations has warned that the war in Ukraine could create “the biggest refugee crisis this century.” Two and a half...

Read more: What classic literature knows about refugees fleeing persecution and war

11 things you can do to adjust to losing that hour of sleep when daylight saving time starts

  • Written by Deepa Burman, Co-Director Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
imageThe time change can make you feel jet-lagged.Laura Olivas/Moment via Getty Images

As clocks march ahead and daylight saving time begins, there can be anxiety around losing an hour of sleep and how to adjust to this change.

Usually an hour seems like an insignificant amount of time, but even this minimal loss can cause problems. There can be significa...

Read more: 11 things you can do to adjust to losing that hour of sleep when daylight saving time starts

MLB's new collective bargaining agreement fails to address players' biggest grievances

  • Written by Victor Matheson, Professor of Economics and Accounting, College of the Holy Cross
imagePlayers voted to accept Major League Baseball's offer on a new labor deal, paving the way to end the 99-day lockout and salvage the season.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball,” second baseman Rogers Hornsby once said. “I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and...

Read more: MLB's new collective bargaining agreement fails to address players' biggest grievances

St. Brigid, the compassionate, sensible female patron saint of Ireland, gets a lot less recognition than St. Patrick

  • Written by Lisa Bitel, Professor of History & Religion, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
imageSt. Brigid of Kildare's shrine in Faughart, County Louth, Ireland.(Photo by RDImages/Epics/ Hulton Archive via Getty Images

On March 17, the world celebrates the feast day of St. Patrick, a zealous British bishop of the fifth century who became famous for spreading Christianity in Ireland. Patrick is Ireland’s main patron saint.

But as a medie...

Read more: St. Brigid, the compassionate, sensible female patron saint of Ireland, gets a lot less...

Oil price shocks have a long history, but today's situation may be the most complex ever

  • Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
imageGas prices at a Mobil gas station in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 8, 2022.AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

The world is in the grip of an oil price shock. In just a few months, prices have risen from US$65 a barrel to over $130, causing fuel costs to surge, inflationary pressure to rise and consumer tempers to flare. Even before Russia’s invasion of...

Read more: Oil price shocks have a long history, but today's situation may be the most complex ever

Ukraine war and anti-Russia sanctions on top of COVID-19 mean even worse trouble lies ahead for global supply chains

  • Written by Tinglong Dai, Professor of Operations Management & Business Analytics, Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University
imageSupply chains were already in disarray thanks to overcongested ports, as in Los Angeles.AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Francis Fukuyama, the American political scientist who once described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “end of history,” suggested that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might be called “the end of the end of...

Read more: Ukraine war and anti-Russia sanctions on top of COVID-19 mean even worse trouble lies ahead for...

Humanitarian corridors could help civilians safely leave Ukraine – but Russia has a history of not respecting these pathways

  • Written by Kirsten Gelsdorf, Professor of Practice and Director of Global Humanitarian Policy, Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia, University of Virginia

As Russia continues to target houses, apartment buildings, hospitalsand civilians in Ukraine, there are mounting calls from international aid groups to safely evacuate and protect Ukrainians caught in the war.

Simultaneously, rising numbers of people still in Ukraine are in desperate need of food, medical supplies, water and other lifesaving...

Read more: Humanitarian corridors could help civilians safely leave Ukraine – but Russia has a history of not...

The American founders could teach Putin a lesson: Provoking an unnecessary war is not how to prove your masculinity

  • Written by Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino
imageThere are lots of official photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin shirtless, including this one from August 2017.Alexey Nikolsky/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

President Vladimir Putin of Russia loves shows of machismo. He constantly pumps up his swagger. He is wont to disparage women. And he has repeatedly appeared on the public stage bare-cheste...

Read more: The American founders could teach Putin a lesson: Provoking an unnecessary war is not how to prove...

More Articles ...

  1. Organs from genetically engineered pigs may help shorten the transplant wait list
  2. Guns, not roses – here's the true story of penicillin’s first patient
  3. Why most teachers who say they plan to leave the profession probably won't do so anytime soon
  4. Endurance captain Frank Worsley, Shackleton's gifted navigator, knew how to stay the course
  5. Why stagflation is an economic nightmare – and could become a real headache for Biden and the Fed if it emerges in the US
  6. How a hurricane fueled wildfires in the Florida Panhandle
  7. Purim spiels: Skits and satire have brought merriment to an ancient Jewish holiday in America
  8. Would Putin use nuclear weapons? An arms control expert explains what has and hasn't changed since the invasion of Ukraine
  9. A wave of grassroots humanitarianism is supporting millions of Ukrainian refugees
  10. China's balancing act on Russian invasion of Ukraine explained
  11. Why daylight saving time is unhealthy – a neurologist explains
  12. Ukraine’s Twitter account is a national version of real-time trauma processing
  13. Russian church leader puts the blame of invasion on those who flout ‘God’s law,’ but taking biblical law out of its historical context doesn't work
  14. What's a natural burial? A Christian theologian explains
  15. Long COVID leaves newly disabled people facing old barriers – a sociologist explains
  16. Why some women are traveling to South Korea to find boyfriends
  17. Lungs have their own microbiome – and these microbes affect the success of bone marrow transplants in kids
  18. Why Apple, Disney, IKEA and hundreds of other Western companies are abandoning Russia with barely a shrug
  19. Supreme Court inches towards deciding whether state legislatures can draw congressional districts largely free of court oversight
  20. It's 'Ukraine,' not 'the Ukraine' – here's why
  21. Long before shots were fired, a linguistic power struggle was playing out in Ukraine
  22. The Ukrainian refugee crisis could last years – but host communities might not be prepared
  23. Is 'headline stress disorder' real? Yes, but those who thrive on the news often lose sight of it
  24. The US is banning Russian oil imports, but an embargo that includes European allies would have more impact
  25. Barbie doll that honors Ida B. Wells faces an uphill battle against anti-Blackness
  26. As war rages, some Ukrainians look to Mary for protection – continuing a long Christian tradition
  27. Criminal justice researcher examines the needs of marginalized groups that often go ignored
  28. Ukrainian refugees are welcomed with open arms – not so with people fleeing other war-torn countries
  29. How pet cancer data sheds light on human cancers – and speeds the development of new treatments
  30. Putin, Zelenskyy and Biden all have unique leadership styles
  31. In 2014, the 'decrepit' Ukrainian army hit the refresh button. Eight years later, it's paying off
  32. Support for democracy is waning across the Americas
  33. Canada has long feared the chaos of US politics
  34. Ukrainian war bonds: The American roots of a powerful financial and propaganda tool
  35. 3 things that influence college graduates from rural areas to return to their communities
  36. A brief history of Babi Yar, where Nazis massacred Jews, Soviets kept silence and now Ukraine says Russia fired a missile
  37. Even mild cases of COVID-19 can leave a mark on the brain, such as reductions in gray matter – a neuroscientist explains emerging research
  38. Why did Russia invade Ukraine?
  39. After Hollywood thwarted Anna May Wong, the actress took matters into her own hands
  40. Many Ukrainians face a future of lasting psychological wounds from the Russian invasion
  41. SEC is considering climate disclosure rules for US companies – and facing threats of lawsuits
  42. Deer have antlers, walruses have tusks – here’s why so few birds have weapons of their own
  43. SEC will consider climate disclosure rules for US companies on March 21 – it's already facing threats of lawsuits
  44. Battles over book bans reflect conflicts from the 1980s
  45. Russia is blocking Security Council action on the Ukraine war – but the UN is still the only international peace forum
  46. How do Russia's reasons for war stack up? An expert on 'just war' explains
  47. Russian troops fought for control of a nuclear power plant in Ukraine – a safety expert explains how warfare and nuclear power are a volatile combination
  48. Meet Russia’s oligarchs, a group of men who won't be toppling Putin anytime soon
  49. Economic sanctions may deal fatal blow to Russia's already-weak domestic opposition
  50. How Zelenskyy emerged as the antithesis of Putin and proved you don't need to be a strongman to be a great leader