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Sourdough under the microscope reveals microbes cultivated over generations

  • Written by Daniel Veghte, Senior Research Associate Engineer, The Ohio State University
imageMicrobes make a home among the starch grains of your sourdough starter.Daniel Veghte, CC BY-SA

Sourdough is the oldest kind of leavened bread in recorded history, and people have been eating it for thousands of years. The components of creating a sourdough starter are very simple – flour and water. Mixing them produces a live culture where...

Read more: Sourdough under the microscope reveals microbes cultivated over generations

Electric vehicles are usually safer for their occupants – but not necessarily for everyone else

  • Written by Jingwen Hu, Research Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
imageA Tesla crash test car after a side impact.Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images

The future of automobiles is electric, but many people worry about the safety of today’s electric vehicles.

Public opinion about EV crash safety often hinges on a few high-profile fire incidents. Those safety concerns are arguably misplaced, and the...

Read more: Electric vehicles are usually safer for their occupants – but not necessarily for everyone else

US long-term care costs are sky-high, but Washington state’s new way to help pay for them could be nixed

  • Written by Marc Cohen, Mel King Fellow, MIT CoLab; Clinical Professor of Gerontology and Co-Director LeadingAge LTSS Center, UMass Boston
imageGetting a room in a nursing home comes with a sky-high price tag.Jeremy Poland/E+ via Getty Images

If you needed long-term care, could you afford it?

For many Americans, especially those with a middle-class income and little savings, the answer to that question is absolutely not.

Nursing homes charge somewhere around US$100,000 a year, while...

Read more: US long-term care costs are sky-high, but Washington state’s new way to help pay for them could be...

How famines are formed: In Gaza and elsewhere, an underlying pattern that can lead to hunger and death

  • Written by Paul Howe, Professor of the Practice, Tufts University

The United Nations’ latest report on hunger makes for grim reading. On April 24, 2024, the international body released its annual Global Report on Food Crises, showing that 281.6 million people faced acute hunger in 2023.

And indications for 2024 suggest worse may be to come. In March, the United Nations’ highest technical body for...

Read more: How famines are formed: In Gaza and elsewhere, an underlying pattern that can lead to hunger and...

International prosecution of Israeli or Hamas leaders wouldn’t bring quick justice − and even bringing them to court will be difficult

  • Written by Victor Peskin, Associate professor of politics and global studies, Arizona State University
imagePeople carrying Palestinian flags and banners gather in front of the International Criminal Court on Oct. 18, 2023. Abdullah Asiran/Anadolu via Getty Images

The International Criminal Court may issue arrest warrants for both Israeli and Hamas leaders, as a result of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israeli civilians and Israel’s...

Read more: International prosecution of Israeli or Hamas leaders wouldn’t bring quick justice − and even...

Teens see social media algorithms as accurate reflections of themselves, study finds

  • Written by Nora McDonald, Assistant Professor of Information Technology, George Mason University
imageTeens say 'for you' algorithms get them right.Photo illustration by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Social media apps regularly present teens with algorithmically selected content often described as “for you,” suggesting, by implication, that the curated content is not just “for you” but also “about you” – a...

Read more: Teens see social media algorithms as accurate reflections of themselves, study finds

Greater Detroit is becoming more diverse and less segregated – but Asians and Hispanics increasingly live in their own neighborhoods

  • Written by Grigoris Argeros, Associate Professor of Sociology, Eastern Michigan University
imageBetween 2010 and 2020, diversity increased in both Detroit city proper and its suburbs.ilbusca/via Getty Images

The Detroit metropolitan area is one of the most segregated areas in the United States.

But that is slowly starting to change for some racial groups.

The slow change is driven by the fact that the region became more racially and ethnically...

Read more: Greater Detroit is becoming more diverse and less segregated – but Asians and Hispanics...

Midwest tornadoes: What a decaying El Niño has to do with violent storms in the central US

  • Written by Jana Lesak Houser, Associate Professor of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, The Ohio State University

Dozens of tornadoes hit the central U.S. April 26-28, 2024, tearing through suburbs and small towns and damaging hundreds of homes from Oklahoma to Nebraska and Iowa.

Spring is tornado season in the U.S., but the tornadoes in Nebraska and Iowa were quite a bit farther north and east of what would be typical for tornadoes in late April, when tornado...

Read more: Midwest tornadoes: What a decaying El Niño has to do with violent storms in the central US

Japan’s diplomatic charm offensive in US aims to keep Washington in committed relationship

  • Written by Mary M. McCarthy, Professor of Political Science, Drake University
imageKanpai! Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is hoping the U.S.-Japan relationship doesn't lose its fizz.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

April 2024 proved to be a busy month in Japanese-U.S. diplomacy.

The month saw a state visit to the U.S. by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that included a White House sit-down with President Joe Biden on April 10. The...

Read more: Japan’s diplomatic charm offensive in US aims to keep Washington in committed relationship

Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed

  • Written by Dawn P. Coe, Associate Professor of Exercise Science, University of Tennessee
imageJamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, in yellow, holds the world's speed record for humans.AP Photo/David J. Phillipimage

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 are some people faster than others? – Jon, age 14, Macon, Georgia

Usain...

Read more: Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed

More Articles ...

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  2. College administrators are falling into a tried and true trap laid by the right
  3. Trust in the shadows: How loyalty fuels illicit economic transactions
  4. Cybersecurity researchers spotlight a new ransomware threat – be careful where you upload files
  5. Under the influence and under arrest − what happens if you’re drunk in the interrogation room?
  6. Philadelphia has a lot more deadly shootings than expected for a big city − and NYC is much safer, new study says
  7. Trump trial reveals details about how the former president thinks about, and exploits, the media
  8. Trump’s immunity arguments at Supreme Court highlight dangers − while prosecutors stress larger danger of removing legal accountability
  9. How bird flu virus fragments get into milk sold in stores, and what the spread of H5N1 in cows means for the dairy industry and milk drinkers
  10. The US is one of the least trade-oriented countries in the world – despite laying the groundwork for today’s globalized system
  11. Arizona’s 1864 abortion law was made in a women’s rights desert – here’s what life was like then
  12. Large retailers don’t have smokestacks, but they generate a lot of pollution − and states are starting to regulate it
  13. The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup
  14. The costs of workplace violence are too high to ignore
  15. Biden administration tells employers to stop shackling workers with ‘noncompete agreements’
  16. Banning TikTok won’t solve social media’s foreign influence, teen harm and data privacy problems
  17. IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects
  18. Celebrities routinely drop in on this Florida university’s hospitality course
  19. When the Supreme Court said it’s important to move quickly in key presidential cases like Trump’s immunity claim
  20. From shrimp Jesus to fake self-portraits, AI-generated images have become the latest form of social media spam
  21. What is ‘techno-optimism’? 2 technology scholars explain the ideology that says technology is the answer to every problem
  22. How trains linked rival port cities along the US East Coast into a cultural and economic megalopolis
  23. Do implicit bias trainings on race improve health care? Not yet – but incorporating the latest science can help hospitals treat all patients equitably
  24. Nearsightedness is at epidemic levels – and the problem begins in childhood
  25. Gender-nonconforming ancient Romans found refuge in community dedicated to goddess Cybele
  26. For millions of Americans, high-speed internet is unavailable or unaffordable − a telecommunications expert explains how to bring broadband to the places that need it the most
  27. Senate approves nearly $61B of Ukraine foreign aid − here’s why it helps the US to keep funding Ukraine
  28. Supreme Court appears open to Starbucks’ claims in labor-organizing case
  29. Should family members be in charge of family businesses? We analyzed 175 studies to understand when having a family CEO pays off
  30. What you eat could alter your unborn children and grandchildren’s genes and health outcomes
  31. Can states prevent doctors from giving emergency abortions, even if federal law requires them to do so? The Supreme Court will decide
  32. Teacher lawsuits over forced grade inflation won’t fix unfair grading – here’s what could
  33. Opening statements are the most important part of a trial – as lawyers in Trump’s hush money case know well
  34. Passover: The festival of freedom and the ambivalence of exile
  35. What I teach Harvard Law School students about opening arguments
  36. Cannabis legalization has led to a boom in potent forms of the drug that present new hazards for adolescents
  37. Chemical pollutants can change your skin bacteria and increase your eczema risk − new research explores how
  38. Transporting hazardous materials across the country isn’t easy − that’s why there’s a host of regulations in place
  39. What cities can learn from Seattle’s racial and social justice law
  40. The Anglican Communion has deep differences over homosexuality – but a process of dialogue, known as ‘via media,’ has helped hold contradictory beliefs together
  41. Death of Marine commander scarred by 1983 Beirut bombing serves as reminder of risks US troops stationed in Middle East still face
  42. EU migration overhaul stresses fast-track deportations and limited appeal rights for asylum seekers
  43. Are race-conscious scholarships on their way out?
  44. Why don’t female crickets chirp?
  45. UAW wins big at Volkswagen in Tennessee – its first victory at a foreign-owned factory in the American South
  46. TikTok fears point to larger problem: Poor media literacy in the social media age
  47. From sumptuous engravings to stick-figure sketches, Passover Haggadahs − and their art − have been evolving for centuries
  48. South Korean President Yoon faces foreign policy challenges after the National Assembly election
  49. How Trump is using courtroom machinations to his political advantage
  50. Are tomorrow’s engineers ready to face AI’s ethical challenges?