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The Conversation

What poll watchers can - and can’t - do on Election Day

The Conversation

Caitlin Clark, Christine Brennan and how racial stereotypes persist in the media’s WNBA coverage

A journalism scholar who studies women’s sports and fandom gives her take on the controversy involving a USA Today columnist's recent exchange with a WNBA player.
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Sand safety: What to know before digging tunnels or building sandcastles at the beach

If a hole in the sand is deep enough and collapses, it can be extremely difficult to escape.
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Pet-owners: watch out for foxtail seed pods that can harm your dog or cat this summer

Despite the cute name, these unassuming grass seed pod can pose a major threat to your pet’s health.
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Cicada broods map: See the states where billions of cicadas are emerging soon

From late April through June, the largest brood of 13-year cicadas will co-emerge with a midwestern brood of 17-year cicadas.
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What would happen if leap years didn't exist?

We're just a few days away from Leap Day, which for 2024 falls on Thursday, Feb. 29.
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How to make fireworks a little less scary for your pet

You may have been told to ignore your scared dog or cat, but that won't work. An animal science expert explains.
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Here's how to prevent foodborne illnesses from ruining your Thanksgiving

More than 1 million people in the U.S. get sick every year after eating food contaminated with salmonella.
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Day of the Dead is taking on Halloween traditions, but the sacred holiday is far more than a ‘Mexican Halloween’

Although Day of the Dead is a long-standing tradition in Mexico, the holiday wasn’t initially celebrated widely or publicly among Latinos in the U.S.
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How was Halloween invented?

Built from a hodgepodge of different parts, Halloween is one tradition that has been continually reinvented since its ancient origins.
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Here's why COVID may have hit some harder than others, or not at all for some

Researchers wanted to explore the reason why so many people tested positive for the virus without realizing they had it. They found an answer in genetics.
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America’s aging flood control infrastructure is failing – federal funding is coming, but too often new construction relies on old data

As federal funding rolls in, communities run the risk of spending millions of dollars on systems that weren’t built to handle the flood risks ahead.