Understanding how news works can short-circuit the connection between social media use and vaccine hesitancy

Researchers identified a connection between low levels of media literacy and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in people who consume their news via social media.

Saifuddin Ahmed, Assistant Professor of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University • conversation
Nov. 3, 2022 ~5 min

Women get fewer chances to speak on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, according to an AI-powered, large-scale analysis of interruptions

An analysis of hundreds of thousands of interactions on cable news programs shows that women interrupt more often than men – and it may be because they also have to fight for equal airtime.

Ashique KhudaBukhsh, Assistant Professor of Computing and Information Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology • conversation
Nov. 2, 2022 ~5 min


How unhealthy is red meat? And how beneficial is it to eat vegetables? A new rating system could help you cut through the health guidelines

Health guidelines can feel contradictory and hard to interpret. But a new star rating system should help consumers and policymakers better parse the evidence behind health risks and outcomes.

Jeffrey Stanaway, Assistant Professor of Global Health and Health Metrics Sciences, University of Washington • conversation
Oct. 21, 2022 ~6 min

A new type of material called a mechanical neural network can learn and change its physical properties to create adaptable, strong structures

Computer-based neural networks can learn to do tasks. A new type of material, called a mechanical neural network, applies similar ideas to a physical structure.

Ryan Hansen Lee, PhD Student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
Oct. 19, 2022 ~6 min

What is a wetland? An ecologist explains

The US Supreme Court opens its 2022-2023 term with a case that could greatly reduce federal protection for wetlands. Here is what makes these ecosystems valuable.

Jon Sweetman, Assistant Research Professor of Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State • conversation
Sept. 30, 2022 ~5 min

Ketamine paired with looking at smiling faces to build positive associations holds promise for helping people with treatment-resistant depression

In a new study, a single infusion of the antidepressant – along with repeated exposure to positive imagery – significantly reduced symptoms in depressed patients in a clinical trial.

Rebecca Price, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences • conversation
Sept. 22, 2022 ~6 min

What is proof-of-stake? A computer scientist explains a new way to make cryptocurrencies, NFTs and metaverse transactions

Ethereum, one of the world’s largest blockchains and host of decentralized finance, NFTs and billions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency, is poised to dramatically reduce its energy consumption.

Scott Ruoti, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Tennessee • conversation
Sept. 12, 2022 ~6 min

Meditation holds the potential to help treat children suffering from traumas, difficult diagnoses or other stressors – a behavioral neuroscientist explains

A new study provides the first glimpse into what happens in children’s brains as they meditate.

Hilary A. Marusak, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University • conversation
Sept. 8, 2022 ~5 min


People think they should talk less to be liked, but new research suggests you should speak up in conversations with strangers

The common advice to let the other person talk more might backfire if you want to make a positive first impression.

Quinn Hirschi, Principal Researcher at the Center for Decision Research, University of Chicago • conversation
Sept. 7, 2022 ~5 min

When abortion at a clinic is not available, 1 in 3 pregnant people say they will do something on their own to end the pregnancy

The fall of Roe v. Wade will result in more people deciding to privately end a pregnancy, a new study finds. But how often people will turn to safe versus unsafe options remains to be seen.

Lauren Ralph, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
Aug. 31, 2022 ~5 min

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