The Conversation

Warsaw Ghetto's defiant Jewish doctors secretly documented the medical effects of Nazi starvation policies in a book recently rediscovered on a library shelf

Written by Merry Fitzpatrick, Research Assistant Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University

The book includes haunting photos from inside the ghetto, along with its record of the medical effects of starvation.'Maladie de Famine," American Joint Distribution Committee

Exactly 80 years ago, a group of starving Jewish scientists and doctors in the Warsaw Ghetto were collecting data on their starving patients. They hoped their research would...

Why are drug names so long and complicated? A pharmacist explains the logic behind the nomenclature

Written by Jasmine Cutler, Assistant Professor of Pharmacotherapeutics, University of South Florida

Having multiple prescriptions is difficult enough to keep track of, let alone ones with complicated names.Hill Street Studios/Stone via Getty Images

At some point in your life, you’ll likely find yourself with a prescription from your doctor to fill. While it’s important to keep track of all the medications you’re taking, that can...

The westward spread of zebra and quagga mussels shows how tiny invaders can cause big problems

Written by Christine Keiner, Chair, Department of Science, Technology, and Society, Rochester Institute of Technology

A boat propeller encrusted with zebra mussels.NPS/Flickr

The zebra mussel has been a poster child for invasive species ever since it unleashed economic and ecological havoc on the Great Lakes in the late 1980s. Yet despite intensive efforts to control it and its relative, the quagga mussel, these fingernail-sized mollusks are spreading through U.S....

Heat risk and young athletes — rising temperatures lead to lawsuits and environmental injustice

Written by Jessica R. Murfree, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sport Management and ACES Faculty Fellow, Texas A&M University

Many young athletes spend hours in the hot sun every day.Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

At least 50 high school football players in the U.S. have died from heat stroke in the past 25 years. And high school athletes in other sports are not immune from the risks – female cross-country athletes are twice as likely to...

Behind the crisis in Sri Lanka – how political and economic mismanagement combined to plunge nation into turmoil

Written by Neil DeVotta, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Wake Forest University

The sun sets on Sri Lanka's protest movement (for now).Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images)

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa formally resigned on July 15, 2022, having earlier fled the country amid widespread protests in the Southern Asian nation.

The man who replaced him, Prime Minister and now interim President Ranil Wickremesinghe, is likewise...

When did the first fish live on Earth – and how do scientists figure out the timing?

Written by Isaac Skromne, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Richmond

Reconstruction of _Haikouichthys ercaicunensis_ based on fossil evidence.Talifero/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

How do you figure out how long ago fish were created? Hundreds of millions of years...

Political crowdfunding does more than raise money – it can also rile up opponents

Written by Sanorita Dey, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Crowdfunding can be a great way to raise money for political candidates and causes, but it can also have unintended consequences.Joos Mind/The Image Bank via Getty Images

The success of politicians in the U.S. largely depends on the amount of funding they receive from various sources. Although political action committees contribute considerably...

Children are bombarded with violence in the news – here's how to help them cope

Written by Nicole Martins, Associate Professor of Communication Science, Indiana University

With the ever-increasing media coverage of mass shootings in the U.S., even the youngest children are now repeatedly exposed to violent images on TV and online.Blend Images/Inti St Clair/Tetra Images via Getty Images

Over 100 mass shootings have taken place in the U.S. since the rampage in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. Not a single week in 2022 ha...

Lost touch with someone? Reach out – your friend will likely appreciate it more than you think

Written by Peggy Liu, Ben L. Fryrear Chair in Marketing and Associate Professor of Business Administration, University of Pittsburgh

People tend to underestimate how much a friend they've lost contact with would enjoy a simple note saying 'hi.'JGI/Tom Grill/Tetra Images via Getty Images

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

The big idea

The next time you wonder whether to reach out to a friend, family member, classmate or other person who’s...

Abortion funds may not be able to keep up with rising demands, as more people travel out of state for the procedure

Written by Gretchen E. Ely, Professor of Social Work, University of Tennessee

A sign reads 'I'm on your side' outside the Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, La., in April 2022. Francois Picard/AFP via Getty Images

Abortion providers in places like Pennsylvania and California are seeing an uptick in abortion patients traveling from other states, where the procedure is now banned or restricted.

The cost of getting an...