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Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S. Here are a few of our recently published stories:
Sometimes I feel like I’m buried in batteries – yet never seem to have the type I need when I need it. There are AAs and AAAs, a seemingly infinite variety of button batteries, lithium-ion rechargeables – and that’s just for starters. Advanced batteries of varying dimensions are being used in EVs, with solar cells and more.
What’s the deal with all these batteries? A colleague wondered the same thing during our daily news meeting and voila! A story was born – and, no surprise to me, it ended up being a hit with readers.
Wesley Chang, a mechanical engineer at Drexel who studies batteries and electrochemistry, explores their history, how they work and why they come in so many shapes and sizes. Spoiler alert: There’s no end, or conformity, in sight. We’ll take on your drawer of tangled power cords in the next installment.
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Wesley Chang, Drexel University
The reason batteries come in so many types has as much to do with history as innovation.
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Adi Foord, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Now out in space for more than two years, the James Webb Space Telescope is a stunningly sophisticated instrument.
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Dante Chinni, Michigan State University; Ari Pinkus, Michigan State University
For at least 50 years, pollsters have been asking Americans whether they think their country is on the right or wrong track. That question may have outlived its usefulness.
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Jordan Tama, American University School of International Service
Israel has historically made statements and taken actions to placate US anger without always following through. But will Biden’s threat to put conditions on aid force Israel to behave differently?
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Adia Harvey Wingfield, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
Diversity, equity and inclusion are good for the bottom line.
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Preminda Jacob, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Ahead of elections in India, a series of films that promote the ruling party’s right-wing ideology are seeking to influence voters. An art historian explains how the trend started.
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Dima Nazzal, Georgia Institute of Technology
The Palestinian enclave faces an interconnected series of crises that will amplify the human costs of conflict even when the bombing ends.
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Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
AI has the potential to diminish the human experience in several ways. One particularly concerning threat is to the ability to make thoughtful decisions.
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Courtney Graetzer, Vanderbilt University
Including the family in a patient’s treatment plan can help shorten hospital stays and assist in recovery. But caregivers often pay a price.
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Diana Azzam, Florida International University
Functional precision medicine works to take the guesswork out of deciding which drug to try next for patients with cancers that don’t respond to standard treatments.
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News Quiz 🧠
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Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation
Test your knowledge with a weekly quiz drawn from some of our favorite stories. Questions this week on sports, shockwaves, surgery and Starbucks.
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