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Why Putin has such a hard time accepting Ukrainian sovereignty

  • Written by Jacob Lassin, Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Arizona State University
imageVladimir Putin at a concert in March 2021 marking the seventh anniversary of its annexation of Crimea.Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Image

Ukraine is again looking warily over its eastern border as Russia threatens its territorial integrity.

In recent weeks, a buildup of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border has rattled Western leaders fearful of an...

Read more: Why Putin has such a hard time accepting Ukrainian sovereignty

Nickel oxide is a material that can 'learn' like animals and could help further artificial intelligence research

  • Written by Shriram Ramanathan, Professor of Materials Engineering, Purdue University
imageNickel oxide, the gray-and-black-striped material, demonstrates unique properties when exposed to hydrogen.Purdue University/Kayla Wiles, CC BY-ND

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

The big idea

A unique material, nickel oxide demonstrates the ability to learn things about its environment in a way that emulates the...

Read more: Nickel oxide is a material that can 'learn' like animals and could help further artificial...

Millions more Americans now have the right to vote in non-English languages

  • Written by Gabe Osterhout, Research Associate, Idaho Policy Institute, Boise State University
imageMany Americans need election materials provided in languages other than English.AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

As Americans and their elected representatives debate who should be allowed to vote and what rules should govern eligibility and registration, one key issue isn’t getting much attention: the ability for people to vote in languages other than...

Read more: Millions more Americans now have the right to vote in non-English languages

Home for the holidays and worried about an older relative? Make observations, not assumptions

  • Written by Laurie Archbald-Pannone, Associate Professor of Medicine, Geriatrics, University of Virginia
imageIf you're worried about older loved ones' ability to care for themselves, try starting a conversation with nonjudgmental questions.MoMo Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images

With the second holiday season of the pandemic upon us, many people will have the opportunity to rejoin family and friends for celebrations. The pandemic has kept many of...

Read more: Home for the holidays and worried about an older relative? Make observations, not assumptions

2021’s climate disasters revealed an east-west weather divide, with one side of the country too wet, the other dangerously dry

  • Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton
imageWildfires that swept through Sequoia National Forest in California in September 2021 were so severe they killed ancient trees that had adapted to survive fires.AP Photo/Noah Berger

Alongside a lingering global pandemic, the year 2021 was filled with climate disasters, some so intense they surprised even the scientists who study them.

Extreme...

Read more: 2021’s climate disasters revealed an east-west weather divide, with one side of the country too...

Devastating Colorado fires cap a year of climate disasters in 2021, with one side of the country too wet, the other dangerously dry

  • Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton
imageWildfires that swept through Sequoia National Forest in California in September 2021 were so severe they killed ancient trees that had adapted to survive fires.AP Photo/Noah Berger

Alongside a lingering global pandemic, the year 2021 was filled with climate disasters, some so intense they surprised even the scientists who study them.

Extreme...

Read more: Devastating Colorado fires cap a year of climate disasters in 2021, with one side of the country...

Mechanical forces in a beating heart affect its cells' DNA, with implications for development and disease

  • Written by Corey Neu, Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
imageContracting heart cells exert forces on their genetic material that affect how they develop.Benjamin Seelbinder, CC BY-ND

Sometimes cells can forget what type of cell they are and stop functioning correctly. This commonly happens in cancer, in which mature cells lose aspects of their identity and become more susceptible to begin dividing...

Read more: Mechanical forces in a beating heart affect its cells' DNA, with implications for development and...

How do fireworks work? A pyrotechnics chemist explains the science behind the brilliant colors and sounds

  • Written by Paul E. Smith, Lecture Demonstrator for Chemistry, Purdue University
imageColors, sparks, booms and whistles all require different pyrotechnic recipes.chensiyuan/WikimediaCommons, CC BY-SA

For many people around the world, the very first moments of the new year will be filled with the sounds and colorful light shows of fireworks. From loud bangs to long whistles, bright reds to pale blues, there are thousands of...

Read more: How do fireworks work? A pyrotechnics chemist explains the science behind the brilliant colors and...

The best way to follow through on your New Year's resolution? Make an 'old year's resolution'

  • Written by Mark Canada, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Indiana University Kokomo
imageMore often than not, the best-laid plans for the new year go awry.Nora Carol Photography/Getty Images

If you’ve made a New Year’s resolution, your plot for self-improvement probably kicks into gear sometime on Jan. 1, when the hangover wears off and the quest for the “new you” begins in earnest.

But if research on habit...

Read more: The best way to follow through on your New Year's resolution? Make an 'old year's resolution'

Manchin killed Build Back Better over inflation concerns – an economist explains why the $2 trillion bill would be unlikely to drive up prices

  • Written by Michael Klein, Professor of International Economic Affairs at The Fletcher School, Tufts University
imageManchin withdrew his support for Build Back Better. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

One of Sen. Joe Manchin’s main concerns in deciding to pull his support for President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan is that it would drive up inflation, which is currently rising at the fastest pace in four decades.

On Dec. 19, 2021, the West Virginia...

Read more: Manchin killed Build Back Better over inflation concerns – an economist explains why the $2...

More Articles ...

  1. Don't care about the Build Back Better Act? Hearing people's personal stories might change that
  2. What's the point of holiday gifts?
  3. Genomic sequencing: Here's how researchers identify omicron and other COVID-19 variants
  4. Facebook became Meta – and the company's dangerous behavior came into sharp focus in 2021: 4 essential reads
  5. To get people the help they need from the government, postcards may be the answer
  6. Family rifts affect millions of Americans – research shows possible paths from estrangement toward reconciliation
  7. Are parents criminally responsible for the actions of their child? In the Oxford shooting case, prosecutors say yes
  8. What's the record for how long it's ever rained without stopping?
  9. UN fails to agree on 'killer robot' ban as nations pour billions into autonomous weapons research
  10. People who are bad with numbers often find it harder to make ends meet – even if they are not poor
  11. The magnificent history of the maligned and misunderstood fruitcake
  12. Kim Jong Un’s decade in power: Starvation, repression and brutal rule – just like his father and grandfather
  13. bell hooks will never leave us – she lives on through the truth of her words
  14. The US is making plans to replace all of its lead water pipes from coast to coast
  15. A Persian festival, Yalda, celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, with pomegranates, poetry and sacred rituals
  16. Taking out a student loan for your child can hurt your own financial well-being
  17. Convenient but susceptible to fraud: Why it makes sense to regulate charitable crowdfunding
  18. The 'runner's high' may result from molecules called cannabinoids – the body's own version of THC and CBD
  19. How to help those who have lost loved ones to suicide cope with grief during the holidays
  20. Sold-out supplies, serving a public need and other adventures of doing science during a pandemic – 4 researchers share their experiences
  21. 'Twas the night before Christmas' helped make the modern Santa – and led to a literary whodunit
  22. Why spending $2 trillion on child care, health care and fighting climate change won't make inflation any worse than it already is
  23. Mistletoe – famous for stolen holiday kisses – is a parasite that steals water and nutrients from other plants
  24. Surveys of scientists show women and young academics suffered most during pandemic and may face long-term career consequences
  25. It's all in the flag: Bussa's Rebellion and the 200-year fight to end British rule in Barbados
  26. Latest trials confirm the benefits of MDMA – the drug in ecstasy – for treating PTSD
  27. The best way to protect personal biomedical data from hackers could be to treat the problem like a game
  28. Brain wrinkles and folds matter – researchers are studying the mechanics of how they form
  29. Hurricane-force wind gusts in Colorado, dust storms in Kansas, tornadoes in Iowa in December – here's what fueled a day of extreme storms
  30. How effective are vaccines against omicron? An epidemiologist answers 6 questions
  31. What is the Fed taper? An economist explains
  32. What is the Fed taper? An economist explains how the Federal Reserve withdraws stimulus from the economy
  33. COVID-19 vaccines for children: How parents are influenced by misinformation, and how they can counter it
  34. How the Native American population in the US increased 87% says more about whiteness than about demographics
  35. I'm a Black woman and the metaverse scares me – here’s how to make the next iteration of the internet inclusive
  36. Cellphone bans in the workplace are legal and more common among blue-collar jobs – they also might be a safety risk
  37. To tree, or not to tree? How Jewish-Christian families navigate the 'December Dilemma'
  38. How Mrs. Claus embodied 19th-century debates about women's rights
  39. Mourning after mass shootings isn't enough – a sociologist argues that society's messages about masculinity need to change
  40. Pandemic, war and environmental disaster push scientists to deliver quick answers – here's what it takes to do good science under pressure
  41. 2021 Arctic Report Card reveals a (human) story of cascading disruptions, extreme events and global connections
  42. Vast majority of American workers like their jobs – even as a record number quit them
  43. Smoke, heat and stress: A snapshot from Southern California of life in an altered climate
  44. US prep schools held student exchanges with elite Nazi academies
  45. 'Strangers in their own land': Iraqi Yazidis and their plight, 7 years on from genocide
  46. What partnership looks like in Mormon marriages is shifting – slowly
  47. Orthodox Jewish women's leadership is growing – and it's not all about rabbis
  48. Comic book introduces kids to key concepts and careers in cybersecurity
  49. Blocking an immune system molecule in mice may help prevent long-term disabilities after traumatic brain injury
  50. Tornadoes and climate change: What a warming world means for deadly twisters and the type of storms that spawn them