The Conversation

Foods high in added fats and refined carbs are like cigarettes – addictive and unhealthy

Written by Ashley Gearhardt, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan

You might like both, but guess which has addictive properties.Peter Dazeley/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Every year millions of Americans try to cut down on ultra-processed foods – industrial formulations that are typically high in added fat, refined carbohydrates or both. Think cookies, cakes, potato chips and pizza.

For many, the desire...

Mapping how the 100 billion cells in the brain all fit together is the brave new world of neuroscience

Written by Yongsoo Kim, Associate Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State

Research groups supported by the U.S. BRAIN Initiative recently released the most comprehensive map of cell types in the motor cortex of humans, monkeys and mice.Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

The brain plays an essential role in how people navigate the world by generating both thought and behavior. Despite being one of the most vital...

Trouble on the Belarus-Poland border: What you need to know about the migrant crisis manufactured by Belarus' leader

Written by Tatsiana Kulakevich, Assistant Professor of Instruction at SIGS, Research Fellow, Affiliate Faculty at the Institute on Russia, University of South Florida

Hopes for a better future?Maxim Guchek/BELTA/AFP via Getty Images

Using migrants as pawns is perhaps nothing new. But rarely do you have a situation in which one country encourages a migrant crisis on its own border for nakedly geopolitical reasons.

That is what appears to be happening at the Poland-Belarus border, where violence has broken out betwe...

Entrepreneurship classes aren't just for business majors

Written by Lisa Bosman, Assistant Professor of Technology Leadership and Innovation, Purdue University

An entrepreneurial mindset can help arts and humanities majors succeed in the gig economy.Valentin Russanov/E+ Collection via Getty Images

Colleges are returning to normal operations, and many have begun to offer in-person classes once again. But are they prepared to teach students how to navigate post-pandemic life? Or how to get a job in an...

5 ways to break into the video game industry

Written by André Thomas, Associate Professor of Game Design, Texas A&M University

Video games are part of a multibillion-dollar industry in which lucrative employment opportunities abound.SDI Productions via Getty Images

When you break out the game console to play a video game like NBA2K, chances are the biggest decision you’ll have to make is which player or team you want to be. But have you ever considered becoming one...

What Americans hear about social justice at church – and what they do about it

Written by R. Khari Brown, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Wayne State University, Wayne State University

Politics, social justice and faith come together each week in many religious leaders' sermons. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

On June 5, 2020, it had been just over a week since a white Minnesota police officer, Derek Chauvin, killed George Floyd, an unarmed, African American man. Protests were underway outside Central United Methodist Church, an...

Joe Exotic channels the spirit of America's 19th-century tiger kings

Written by Madeline Steiner, Post-Doctoral Fellow of History, University of South Carolina

Big cat showmen have long sought to distance themselves from allegations of animal abuse.Universal History Archive/Getty Images

“I am never gonna financially recover from this,” grumbles Joe Exotic, the subject of Netflix’s “Tiger King” documentary series.

Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage,...

US vaccine rollout was close to optimal at reducing deaths and infections, according to a model comparing 17.5 million alternative approaches

Written by Audrey L. McCombs, PhD. Candidate in Ecology and Statistics, Iowa State University

In the U.S., people were placed into four groups for vaccine access.AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s plan for who gets vaccines and in what order saved nearly as many lives and prevented nearly as many infections as a...

A lab-stage mRNA vaccine targeting ticks may offer protection against Lyme and other tick-borne diseases

Written by Andaleeb Sajid, Staff Scientist, National Institutes of Health

As the rate of tick-borne diseases rises, vaccines that stop ticks in their tracks could be an essential preventive tool.rbkomar/Moment via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

A new laboratory-stage mRNA vaccine that teaches the immune system to recognize the saliva from tick bites could...

After COP26, the hard work begins on making climate promises real: 5 things to watch in 2022

Written by Rachel Kyte, Dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University

John Kerry, the U.S. presidential special envoy for climate, surrounded by other negotiators during COP26.UNFCCC, CC BY-NC-SA

How much the world achieved at the Glasgow climate talks – and what happens now – depends in large part on where you live.

In island nations that are losing their homes to sea level rise, and in other highly...