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How the Texas electricity system produced low-cost power but left residents out in the cold

  • Written by Theodore J. Kury, Director of Energy Studies, University of Florida
imageWaiting in line in freezing rain to fill propane tanks in Houston, Texas, Feb. 17, 2021.AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Americans often take electricity for granted – until the lights go out. The recent cold wave and storm in Texas have placed considerable focus on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the nonprofit corporation that...

Read more: How the Texas electricity system produced low-cost power but left residents out in the cold

One month in, how Biden has changed disaster management and the US COVID-19 response

  • Written by Brian J. Gerber, Associate Professor, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions and Co-Director, Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Arizona State University
imageThe National Guard joined forces with FEMA to launch a mass vaccination site in Los Angeles.Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

After one month in office, the Biden administration has fundamentally changed how the federal government responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In direct contrast to his predecessor, President Joe Biden is treating this as a...

Read more: One month in, how Biden has changed disaster management and the US COVID-19 response

How a mass suicide by slaves caused the legend of the flying African to take off

  • Written by Thomas Hallock, Professor of English, University of South Florida
imageLike the best myths, the tale of Igbo Landing and the flying African seems to transcend boundaries of time and space.Victor_Tongdee/iStock via Getty Images

In May 1803 a group of enslaved Africans from present-day Nigeria, of Ebo or Igbo descent, leaped from a single-masted ship into Dunbar Creek off St. Simons Island in Georgia. A slave agent...

Read more: How a mass suicide by slaves caused the legend of the flying African to take off

Americans still need a lifeline despite trillions in coronavirus aid

  • Written by Mary G. Findling, Research Associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
imageAmericas' financial desperation can be seen in the soaring demand for food assistance. AP Photo/John Minchillo

As Congress prepares another injection of COVID-19 aid for businesses and individuals, there’s been debate about whether it’s necessary on top of the US$3.5 trillion spent so far.

President Joe Biden had initially hoped to get...

Read more: Americans still need a lifeline despite trillions in coronavirus aid

I interviewed 48 bankrupt Americans – here's who they blame for their financial troubles

  • Written by Tess Wise, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Amherst College
imagePreventing home foreclosure is one reason middle-class people may declare Chapter 13 personal bankruptcy.fstop123/E+ via Getty Images

The people arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection had an 18% bankruptcy rate – twice as high as the national average – according to a Washington Post investigation. A quarter of the...

Read more: I interviewed 48 bankrupt Americans – here's who they blame for their financial troubles

Air filters can scrub out pollutants near highways, reduce blood pressure

  • Written by Doug Brugge, Professor and Chair of Public Health Science and Community Medicine, University of Connecticut
imageBusy highways are large sources of air pollution. Larry D. Moore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

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

The big idea

For people living near busy highways, using air filters indoors results in short-term improvements to blood pressure, according to a new study I co-authored.

Next to busy...

Read more: Air filters can scrub out pollutants near highways, reduce blood pressure

Election violence spiked worldwide in 2020 – will this year be better?

  • Written by Clayton Besaw, Research Affiliate and Senior Analyst, University of Central Florida
imageThe U.S. was one of 33 countries to experience election-related violence in 2020 – the worst year for peaceful elections ever. Brent Stirton/Getty Images

The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 shocked Americans and the world. But the U.S. was not alone in its rocky transfer of power: Last year saw more election-related violence than...

Read more: Election violence spiked worldwide in 2020 – will this year be better?

What belief in extraterrestrial visitors to Earth reveals about trust in elections

  • Written by Joshua Lambert, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs, University of Central Florida
imagePeople who believe aliens have visited Earth are less likely to trust the 2020 election results. Colin Anderson Productions pty ltd/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Partisanship is not enough to explain why so many Americans – mostly Republicansdistrust the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

As scholars in politicalbehavior and...

Read more: What belief in extraterrestrial visitors to Earth reveals about trust in elections

6 important truths about COVID-19 vaccines

  • Written by Sarah Lynch, Director of Skills Education and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Binghamton University, State University of New York
imageFor many, distinguishing between fact and fiction is difficult.Olemedia/E+ via Getty Images

One of the biggest barriers standing in the way of ending the pandemic isn’t medical or logistical. It’s the misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Demand for vaccine currently exceeds supply, but there are many people who are either unsure...

Read more: 6 important truths about COVID-19 vaccines

Black sororities have stood at the forefront of Black achievement for more than a century

  • Written by Tamara L. Brown, Executive Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of North Texas
imageAlpha Kappa Alpha sorority members at a get-out-the-vote event in 2020Octavio Jones/Getty Images

In her speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention Kamala Harris saluted seven women who “inspired us to pick up the torch and fight on.”

All but two of them, one of whom was her mother, belonged to Black sororities. Harris also...

Read more: Black sororities have stood at the forefront of Black achievement for more than a century

More Articles ...

  1. Debunking the myth of legislative gridlock
  2. Taking it to the street: Food vending during and after COVID-19
  3. How the National Guard became the go-to military force for riots and civil disturbances
  4. Faith in numbers: Behind the gender difference of nonreligious Americans
  5. Why Indian farmers' protests are being called a 'satyagraha' – which means 'embracing the truth'
  6. 5 ways for teachers to build a good rapport with their students online
  7. How many people get ‘long COVID’ – and who is most at risk?
  8. How the media may be making the COVID-19 mental health epidemic worse
  9. Power outages across the Plains: 4 questions answered about weather-driven blackouts
  10. 46,218 news transcripts show ideologically extreme politicians get more airtime
  11. 'Indian Country' is excited about the first Native American secretary of the interior – and the promise she has for addressing issues of importance to all Americans
  12. How public schools fail to recognize Black prodigies
  13. Private planes, mansions and superyachts: What gives billionaires like Musk and Abramovich such a massive carbon footprint
  14. Why herd immunity may be impossible without vaccinating children against COVID-19
  15. Indian farmers are a powerful force in Indian politics, and here's why their protests matter
  16. Bendable concrete and other CO2-infused cement mixes could dramatically cut global emissions
  17. Trump's acquittal is a sign of ‘constitutional rot’ – partisanship overriding principles
  18. Why the British abandoned impeachment – and what the US Congress might do next
  19. Single on Valentine's Day and happily so
  20. It's not just Trump – presidents and politicians have long shredded etiquette
  21. How the Affordable Care Act can keep people out of prison
  22. COVID-19 has made Americans lonelier than ever – here’s how AI can help
  23. Young Republicans split from Trump and GOP elders on US foreign policy: 3 charts
  24. How US Education Secretary nominee Miguel Cardona can stop the teacher shortage
  25. US-educated foreign soldiers learn 'democratic values,' study shows – though America also trains future dictators
  26. 'The Mauritanian' rekindles debate over Gitmo detainees' torture – with 40 still held there
  27. The $4 trillion economic cost of not vaccinating the entire world
  28. How Apple and Google let your phone warn you if you've been exposed to the coronavirus while protecting your privacy
  29. How the gay party scene short-circuited and became a moneymaking bonanza
  30. Should I stay or should I go? Here are the relationship factors people ponder when deciding whether to break up
  31. Así es como tus bacterias y microbios pueden salvarte de enfermedades como el COVID-19
  32. For the birds? Hardly! Valentine's Day was reimagined by chivalrous medieval poets for all to enjoy, respectfully
  33. Investors swoon over Bumble's IPO – but what exactly is an initial public offering?
  34. John Brown was a violent crusader, but he blazed a moral path that the cautious Lincoln followed to end slavery
  35. CDC says masks must fit tightly – and two are better than one
  36. Why you shouldn't eat out for Valentine's Day: An epidemiologist explains a few facts of life
  37. Bipartisanship in Congress isn't about being nice – it's about cold, hard numbers
  38. Polyamorous relationships under severe strain during the pandemic
  39. Public option in Biden plan could change the face of US health care
  40. New postage stamp honors Chien-Shiung Wu, trailblazing nuclear physicist
  41. We're building a vaccine corps of medical and nursing students – they could transform how we reach underserved areas
  42. The search for dark matter gets a speed boost from quantum technology
  43. Fighting school segregation didn't take place just in the South
  44. Liberals in Congress and the White House have faced a conservative Supreme Court before
  45. Tiny cacao flowers and fickle midges are part of a pollination puzzle that limits chocolate production
  46. Why are so many 12th graders not proficient in reading and math?
  47. Hundreds of fish species, including many that humans eat, are consuming plastic
  48. Sensores: así monitorean nuestros cuerpos y todo el mundo
  49. What the $25 billion the biggest US donors gave in 2020 says about high-dollar charity today
  50. Marjorie Taylor Greene and the death of the public political apology