Where legal, voting by those in prison is rare, study shows

The findings suggest voting by incarcerated people is unlikely to affect electoral outcomes, in contrast to some assumptions.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
Jan. 25, 2022 ~6 min

Net zero: UK government sued for weak strategy – so here's what makes a good climate change plan

Plan to cut emissions quickly, use offsets sparingly and set broader goals for improving society.

Kaya Axelsson, Net Zero Policy Engagement Fellow, University of Oxford • conversation
Jan. 21, 2022 ~8 min


Beavers offer lessons about managing water in a changing climate, whether the challenge is drought or floods

Beavers in our landscapes have great potential to provide small-scale adaptations to climate change – if humans can figure out how to live with them.

Christine E. Hatch, Professor of Geosciences, UMass Amherst • conversation
Jan. 20, 2022 ~9 min

The science of sugar: why we're hardwired to love it and what eating too much does to your brain – podcast

Plus, a lawyer explains the legal battle over Canada’s discriminatory First Nations child welfare system. Listen to The Conversation Weekly.

Gemma Ware, Editor and Co-Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation • conversation
Jan. 20, 2022 ~6 min

When should someone trust an AI assistant’s predictions?

Researchers have created a method to help workers collaborate with artificial intelligence systems.

Adam Zewe | MIT News Office • mit
Jan. 19, 2022 ~8 min

How well do explanation methods for machine-learning models work?

Researchers develop a way to test whether popular methods for understanding machine-learning models are working correctly.

Adam Zewe | MIT News Office • mit
Jan. 18, 2022 ~9 min

“Hey, Alexa! Are you trustworthy?”

The more social behaviors a voice-user interface exhibits, the more likely people are to trust it, engage with it, and consider it to be competent.

Adam Zewe | MIT News Office • mit
Jan. 14, 2022 ~8 min

New global survey looks at health, well-being

Researchers at Harvard, Baylor launch groundbreaking Global Flourishing Study.

Caitlin McDermott-Murphy • harvard
Jan. 11, 2022 ~6 min


When endangered species recover, humans may need to make room for them – and it's not always easy

It’s usually good news when a once-scarce species starts to recover – unless it starts getting in humans’ way. An ecologist explains how science can help predict unwelcome encounters.

Veronica Frans, PhD Student, Michigan State University • conversation
Jan. 6, 2022 ~9 min

A taste for sweet – an anthropologist explains the evolutionary origins of why you're programmed to love sugar

If you ever feel like you can’t stop eating sugar, you are responding precisely as programmed by natural selection. What was once an evolutionary advantage has a different effect today.

Stephen Wooding, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Heritage Studies, University of California, Merced • conversation
Jan. 5, 2022 ~9 min

/

92