New research suggests Neanderthals may have regularly eaten maggots as part of their diet, potentially explaining the high nitrogen levels found in their remains.
The Conversation
Neanderthals likely ate fermented meat with a side of maggots
New research highlights the prevalence of maggots as an easily obtained, nutrient-rich supplement of ancient hominin diets.
Americans generate 2.7 million tons of e-waste annually, but only 15% gets recycled. New microwave technology could recover these valuable materials more efficiently – and also help address U.S. supply shortages. An engineering professor explains:
The Conversation
Critical minerals don’t belong in landfills – microwave tech offers a cleaner way to reclaim them from e-waste
Inside every smartphone and laptop are tiny specks of valuable materials, many of which are still lost even when you take your old electronics to a...
The Trump administration's tactics to suppress dissent go beyond traditional censorship. A First Amendment expert examines how the government can silence opinions it dislikes without direct bans.
The Conversation
3 ways the government can silence opinions it disagrees with, without using censorship
The Trump administration isn’t resorting to official censorship. Instead, it’s using less blatant – and more effective – ways to suppress d...
The left and right sides of your brain hear language differently, with implications for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and schizophrenia.
The Conversation
Your left and right brain hear language differently − a neuroscientist explains how
Left and right brains hear speech differently, yet how this divide forms was unclear − until mouse studies showed each hemisphere runs on its own...
When vaccine rates drop, outbreaks rise – not just because of misinformation, but because of how people weigh personal vs. collective risk. Game theory explains why these rational choices can lead to public #health failure.
The Conversation
Game theory explains why reasonable parents make vaccine choices that fuel outbreaks
Vaccine hesitancy isn’t a moral failure – it’s a property of a system in which people must balance personal and collective interests.
Always labeling things as good or bad? That habit might be shrinking your world. Drop the snap judgments. Choose “interesting” instead.
The Conversation
Stop the ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ snap judgments and watch your world become more interesting
Instant evaluations narrow your perspective and limit your mind’s potential to connect and engage with other aspects of your experiences.
Big Tech’s #AI boom is spiking power demand – and you could be paying for it. Utilities are striking secret deals with Big Tech to power data centers, pushing billions in costs onto regular ratepayers.
The Conversation
How your electric bill may be paying for big data centers’ energy use
If state regulators allow utilities to follow the standard approach of splitting the costs of new infrastructure among all consumers, the public wi...
Tires (not straws) are a top source of microplastic #pollution. As they wear down, toxic particles wash from roads into waterways and harm wildlife. But scientists have found a cheap fix: biofilters made from wood chips and plant waste.
The Conversation
One of the biggest microplastic pollution sources isn’t straws or grocery bags – it’s your tires
Rain storms wash those tire shards into streams and ultimately into lakes and oceans. That’s bad news for fish and other aquatic life.
If the pool smells like chlorine ... you're not swimming in cleanliness, you're marinating in other people’s sweat and pee.
The Conversation
How germy is the public pool? An infectious disease expert weighs in on poop, pee and perspiration – and the deceptive smell of chlorine
Most pool-related illnesses won’t kill you, but no one wants to spend their vacation or a week of beautiful summer days in the bathroom.
Why are so many Americans tuning out politics? They’re exhausted. A neuroscientist explains:
The Conversation
A nation exhausted: The neuroscience of why Americans are tuning out politics
Political polarization and people not being exposed to other perspectives online are two major factors that contribute to Americans feeling exhaust...
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