The Conversation

98% of emperor penguin colonies could be extinct by 2100 as ice melts – can Endangered Species Act protection save them?

Written by Stephanie Jenouvrier, Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Penguins are at risk as a warming climate affects sea ice in Antarctica.Raimund Linke/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Emperor penguins thrive on Antarctica’s coastlines in icy conditions any human would find extreme. Yet, like Goldilocks, they have a narrow comfort zone: If there’s too much sea ice, trips to bring food from the ocean...

Expansion of Second Chance Pell Grants will let more people in prison pursue degrees

Written by Andrea Cantora, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Baltimore

Research shows providing a college education to inmates increases their chances of finding work upon release. Tara Bahrampour/The Washington Post via Getty Images

When the Obama administration launched the Second Chance Pell program in 2016, the idea was to provide incarcerated people the chance to get a college education despite a longstanding...

Declined invitations go over more graciously when lack of money is cited instead of lack of time – new research

Written by Grant Donnelly, Assistant Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State University

Be careful how you decline wedding invitations.Jitalia17/iStock via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Declining an invitation by saying “I don’t have time” leads the person you rejected to feel undervalued and upset, making them trust you less and hurting the relationship,...

House committee investigating Capitol insurrection has a lot of power, but it's unclear it can force Trump to testify

Written by Kirsten Carlson, Associate Professor of Law and Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

(L-R) Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) during a meeting on July 27, 2021, of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. CapitolAndrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images

In the intensely partisan atmosphere surrounding the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the...

Sunny with a chance of sneezing – I'm building a tool to forecast pollen levels that will help allergy sufferers know when it's safe to go outside

Written by Fiona Lo, Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington

Advance warning of high pollen levels could help people plan their activities to avoid allergies.Dobrila Vignjevic/E+ via Getty Images

Do flowers blossoming in spring make you miserable? Are you sworn enemies with fall bloomers like ragweed? If you suffer from pollen allergies, imagine the usefulness of a reliable pollen forecast that could help...

What are dark patterns? An online media expert explains

Written by Jasmine McNealy, Assistant Professor of Telecommunication, University of Florida

It's not you; many e-commerce websites are difficult to use by design.fizkes/iStock via Getty Images

Dark patterns are design elements that deliberately obscure, mislead, coerce and/or deceive website visitors into making unintended and possibly harmful choices.

Dark patterns can be found in many kinds of sites and are used by several kinds of...

Climate change is already disrupting US forests and coasts – here's what we're seeing at 5 long-term research sites

Written by Michael Paul Nelson, Professor of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, Oregon State University

Scientists have been consistently documenting environmental changes at research sites like this one in the Cascade Mountains for decades.US Forest Service

Record-breaking heat waves and drought have left West Coast rivers lethally hot for salmon, literally cooked millions of mussels and clams in their shells and left forests primed to burn. The...

5 simple tips for parents who will still be co-teachers when kids go back to school

Written by Lorrie Webb, Department Chair and Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, Texas A&M-San Antonio

Parents and caregivers may need to continue in the role of education facilitator and technology specialist this fall. Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

COVID-19 undoubtedly changed K-12 classrooms for the near future.

When school resumes in the fall, even if education returns to pre-pandemic “normal” – with students...

How years of fighting every wildfire helped fuel the Western megafires of today

Written by Susan J. Prichard, Research Scientist of Forest Ecology, University of Washington

The Cedar Creek Fire burns in Washington's Methow Valley in late July 2021.Jessica Kelley

After so many smoke-filled summers and record-setting burns, residents of Western North America are no strangers to wildfires. Still, many questions are circulating about why forest fires are becoming larger and more severe – and what can be done about...

4 ways extreme heat hurts the economy

Written by Derek Lemoine, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Arizona

Corn yields can suffer in high heat. AP Photo/Seth Perlman

Summer 2021 will likely be one of the hottest on record as dozens of cities in the West experience all-time high temperatures. The extreme heat being felt throughout many parts of the U.S. is causing hundreds of deaths, sparking wildfires and worsening drought conditions in over a dozen...