Iowa caucus: What’s next for campaign staff?

+ Knocking wood + Woodpeckers’ brains [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 1 February 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair [Naomi Schalit] A note from... Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Society Monday’s Iowa caucus, the first major contest in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, will finally take place after a long campaign that began for some candidates back in early 2019. But for every candidate who is the focus of the campaign, there’s an army of staffers both behind and in front of them, organizing events, signing up supporters, drafting remarks, driving around the state. [Those campaign workers face uncertainty as much as the candidates do](, reports political scientist Barbara Trish, who has spent months interviewing campaign staff. “The question of just what will happen to them after the Feb. 3 caucuses wafts through the air, carrying with it a subtle message about the state of democratic politics,” she writes. Also this week we featured stories about the folklore of [knocking on wood for luck](, why [woodpeckers don’t get concussions]( and how unlikely it is you’ll [accidentally harass someone](. Seth Barnes, a staffer for Democratic presidential hopeful Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, makes calls to potential voters, Jan. 29, 2020. KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images [Iowa caucuses: It’s not just candidates who face uncertainty – it’s their campaign workers, too]( Barbara A. Trish, Grinnell College What will happen to campaign workers after the Feb. 3 caucuses? It's a question that's in the cold Iowa air, carrying with it a subtle message about the state of democratic politics. Knocking on wood may be a holdover from the pagan days of Europe, when tree spirits were believed to bring luck. saiful bahri 46/Shutterstock.com [Why we knock on wood]( Rosemary V. Hathaway, West Virginia University The curious history of a ritual meant to ward off bad luck. Male pileated woodpecker. FotoRequest/Shutterstock.com [How do woodpeckers avoid brain injury?]( Joanna McKittrick, University of California San Diego; Jae-Young Jung, University of California, San Francisco Pecking holes in a solid wood tree trunk would give you a headache, if not serious brain damage. What special assets allow a woodpecker to do it? - [The Kobe legacy: Should the NBA let high school players skip college?]( Nicole Kraft, The Ohio State University Unlike when Kobe Bryant went straight from high school to the NBA, future superstars must now spend at least one year in college or overseas. A sports scholar explains how that could soon change. - [Humans are hardwired to dismiss facts that don’t fit their worldview]( Adrian Bardon, Wake Forest University Whether in situations relating to scientific consensus, economic history or current political events, denialism has its roots in what psychologists call 'motivated reasoning.' - [Worried about accidentally harassing a woman? Don’t be]( Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon The backlash has given way to a simmering male anxiety that an innocuous comment could lead to a sexual harassment accusation. - [Modern tomatoes are very different from their wild ancestors – and we found missing links in their evolution]( - [Teaching kids how to make guitars can get them hooked on engineering]( - [I track murder cases that use the ‘gay panic defense,’ a controversial practice banned in 9 states]( - [Despite defeats, the Islamic State remains unbroken and defiant around the world]( - [Hate cancel culture? Blame algorithms]( - [Has Trump proposed a Middle East peace plan – or terms of surrender for the Palestinians?]( - [Fracking has led to a ‘bust’ for Pennsylvania school district finances]( - [Harvey Weinstein’s ‘false memory’ defense is not backed by science]( - [Islamophobia in the US did not start with Trump, but his tweets perpetuate a long history of equating Muslims with terrorism]( - [What is white-nose syndrome in bats?]( [Do you think the public needs trustworthy information? Help us reach more people]( [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111