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Top 10 reads of 2022 -

7-9 minutes

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The Conversation






Is it better to cool your house all day, or adjust the A/C setting on your way out the door? Westend61 via Getty Images

Does turning the air conditioning off when you’re not home actually save energy? Three engineers run the numbers

Aisling Pigott, University of Colorado Boulder; Jennifer Scheib, University of Colorado Boulder; Kyri Baker, University of Colorado Boulder

Energy modeling software provides insight into whether letting your A/C relax while you’re gone all day will save you energy – and money.

The Clinton-era ban on assault weapons ushered in a period of fewer mass shooting deaths. AP Photo/Dennis Cook

Did the assault weapons ban of 1994 bring down mass shootings? Here’s what the data tells us

Michael J. Klein, New York University

Analysis of the 10 years in which the US banned sales of assault weapons shows that it correlates with a drop in mass shooting deaths – a trend that reversed as soon as the ban expired.


A growing number of women give birth at Catholic hospitals, where they do not receive the same reproductive health options – including birth control – provided at other hospitals

Maria Gallo, The Ohio State University

Many people do not realize they are delivering at a Catholic hospital, and others may not have a choice. But where one receives care has a profound impact on the birth control options they’re offered.


What the Bible actually says about abortion may surprise you

Melanie A. Howard, Fresno Pacific University

Faith can inform opinions about abortion on both sides of the political debate, but the Bible itself says nothing directly about the topic, a biblical scholar explains.

The IRS already has all your income tax data – so why do Americans still have to file their taxes?

Beverly Moran, Vanderbilt University

A tax expert explains why the US continues to use such a complex and costly income tax system.


Want to master Wordle? Here’s the best strategy for your first guess

Derek Horstmeyer, George Mason University

Whether you want to win with as few guesses as possible, or you just want to figure out the right word before running out of turns, a scholar offers some tips.

Why can’t we throw all our trash into a volcano and burn it up?

Emily Johnson, US Geological Survey

Volcanoes might seem like nature’s incinerators, but using them to burn up trash would be dangerous and disrespectful to indigenous people who view them as sacred.


How Brad Pitt’s green housing dream for Hurricane Katrina survivors turned into a nightmare

Judith Keller, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

So much went wrong with the homes built by the Make It Right Foundation that its low-income homebuyers were deprived of the financial security they were promised.

I no longer grade my students’ work – and I wish I had stopped sooner

Elisabeth Gruner, University of Richmond

Grades don’t actually measure learning, and they can increase students’ stress and decrease their motivation. A college professor explains an alternative to grading students’ work.


How the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed a surprisingly bright, complex and element-filled early universe – Podcast

Daniel Merino, The Conversation; Nehal El-Hadi, The Conversation

It has been one year since the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope and six months since the first pictures were released. Astronomers are already learning unexpected things about the early universe.

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