The Conversation

Beyond flora and fauna: Why it's time to include fungi in global conservation goals

Written by Matt Kasson, Associate Professor of Mycology and Plant Pathology, West Virginia University

Decomposers at work: Shelf fungi feeding on a rotting log.Craig Joiner/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

It’s no secret that Earth’s biodiversity is at risk. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 26% of all mammals, 14% of birds and 41% of amphibians are currently threatened worldwide,...

Hydropower's future is clouded by droughts, floods and climate change – it's also essential to the US electric grid

Written by Caitlin Grady, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute, Penn State

Lake Powell's water level has been falling amid a two-decade drought. The white 'bathtub ring' on the canyon walls marks the decline.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The water in Lake Powell, one of the nation’s largest reservoirs, has fallen so low amid the Western drought that federal officials are resorting to emergency measures to avoid...

It's impossible to determine your personal COVID-19 risks and frustrating to try – but you can still take action

Written by Malia Jones, Scientist in Health Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Before the pandemic, an intergenerational tea party wouldn't have seemed a risky proposition.fotostorm/E+ via Getty Images

“How risky is being indoors with our 10-year-old granddaughter without masks? We have plans to have birthday tea together. Are we safe?”

That question, from a woman named Debby in California, is just one of hundreds...

Fewer donors say they're willing to give to a charity when it supports immigrants – especially if they're undocumented

Written by Joannie Tremblay-Boire, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland

A woman and her child seek help from CASA, an immigrants rights group, in Maryland in 2019.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

About 45 million Americans are immigrants, a near-record 14% of the population. Among them are, according to government estimates, 11.4 million who are undocumented.

Overall, immigrants are slightly more likely to...

Less than 1% of abortions take place in the third trimester – here’s why people get them

Written by Katrina Kimport, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, more people could find themselves needing a third-trimester abortion.RgStudio/E+ via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

People seek third-trimester abortions for two main reasons: because they learn new information – such as about the health of the fetus...

Why Indigenous communities need a seat at the table on climate

Written by Ray Minniecon, NAIITS Indigenous Elder, NAIITS

Drought in Navajo Nation. Indigenous people around the world are dealing with many environmental problems, such as access to water.Spencer Platt/Getty Images News

There’s growing recognition that Indigenous communities are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and that traditional ecological knowledge is vital to adapting...

In Midwestern schools, LGBTQ teachers face discrimination, hate and their own fears

Written by Ferial Pearson, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, University of Nebraska Omaha

Teachers and their supporters demonstrate in St. Paul, Minn., in March 2022.Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The national debate about LGBTQ issues in schools has come to the Midwest. In the wake of the passage of Florida’s so-called “don’t say gay” law, more than a dozen other states –...

What is the Lag BaOmer pilgrimage?

Written by Joshua Shanes, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, College of Charleston

Ultra-Orthodox Jews gather at the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai at Mount Meron in northern Israel on April 29, 2021, as they celebrate the Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer. Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images

The annual Lag BaOmer pilgrimage to Mount Meron in Israel – which in 2022 falls on Wednesday night, May 18 – until recently has...

How media reports of 'clashes' mislead Americans about Israeli-Palestinian violence

Written by Maha Nassar, Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Arizona

When does a 'clash' become an 'assault'?AP Photo/Maya Levin

Israeli police attacked mourners carrying the coffin of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 13, 2022, beating pallbearers with batons and kicking them when they fell to the ground.

Yet those who skimmed the headlines of initial reports from several U.S. media...

Just how accurate are rapid antigen tests? Two testing experts explain the latest data

Written by Nathaniel Hafer, Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School

Once in short supply, rapid antigen tests are now available throughout the U.S.Boy_Anupong/Moment via Getty Images

As of May 2022, the U.S. is experiencing another uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases. High rates of infection in Europe and Asia, along with the continued emergence of new sub-variants, such as omicron BA.4 and BA.5, raise concerns...