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Happy Sunday – and welcome to the best of The Conversation.
Here is one of our recently published stories:
It’s finally summer. The pleasures of the season are here for the taking – my family is partial to hiking, kayaking and dining outdoors.
It’s all good except for tiny flying insects that bite. Flies and gnats are no fun, but mosquitoes are the worst of the bunch, because they spread disease as well as misery.
So I’m grateful for the research of Immo Hansen, Hailey Luker and their colleagues at the New Mexico State University Molecular Vector Physiology Laboratory who have have studied different types of mosquito repellents and their efficacy for over a decade.
Among other techniques, the scientists recruit volunteers to slather up with a mosquito-repelling cream or spray, stick their treated arm into a cage with 25 mosquitoes and wait for the first mosquito bite. As they explain in one of our readers’ picks last week, they’ve learned a lot about what treatments actually work – and which ones are a waste of money.
Later this week, we’ll bring you a professor of feminist philosophy writing about the "Barbie" movie, how exercise affects weight loss and affirmative action in Brazil.
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Emily Costello
Director of Collaborations + Local News
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Readers' picks
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A group of Anopheles mosquitoes taking a blood meal in an experiment conducted by the New Mexico State University Molecular Vector Physiology Lab.
Hansen MVP lab
Immo A. Hansen, New Mexico State University; Hailey A. Luker, New Mexico State University
Two mosquito physiology experts explain which repellents work better than others and how to protect yourself this summer.
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Daniel Apai, University of Arizona
Space telescopes are limited in size due to the difficulties and cost of getting into orbit. By revamping an old optical technology, researchers are working on a lightweight and thin telescope design.
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David Campbell, University of Notre Dame
The faith’s association with conservative politics has stayed strong for decades, but could become a liability, a political scientist argues.
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Thomas Zeitzoff, American University
Studies show, though, that voters don’t like all that nastiness.
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Susanne Wengle, University of Notre Dame; Vitalii Dankevych, Polissia National University
Breaching the Kakhovka Dam and reservoir had all the hallmarks of a scorched-earth strategy. Two expert observers of the Russia-Ukraine war explain this event’s destructive long-term effects.
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Editors' picks
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The progestin-only pill Opill could be available in early 2024.
Kwangmoozaa/iStock via Getty Images
Lucas Berenbrok, University of Pittsburgh; Marian Jarlenski, University of Pittsburgh
With the approval of the first over-the-counter oral contraceptive, pharmacists stand to play an ever-increasing role in helping expand access to reproductive health care in the post-Roe era.
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Angelica S. Gutierrez, Loyola Marymount University
Some colleges grant preferential treatment in the admission process to children of alumni. A researcher examines what’s behind people’s support for the practice.
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Tara Sonenshine, Tufts University
The NATO summit is a chance for world leaders to hash out difficult topics, like the war in Ukraine – and for the US to show off its leadership, writes a former diplomat.
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Paul G. Lewis, Arizona State University; Nicholas J. Marantz, University of California, Irvine
Small suburbs have a track record of blocking new housing. Two urban policy experts explain why that’s a problem and what metro areas could do about it.
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Andrew Edelblum, University of Dayton; Nathan B. Warren, BI Norwegian Business School
New research shows that frequent posters appear needy, which pushes up against the expectation that ‘real men’ be stoic and self-sufficient.
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News Quiz 🧠
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Test your knowledge with a weekly quiz drawn from some of our favorite stories. Questions this week on the NATO summit, dam removals, political insults, and a surprising fact about college dropouts.
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