The Conversation

Should you wear a mask on a plane, bus or train when there's no mandate? 4 essential reads to help you decide

Written by Daniel Merino, Assistant Science Editor and Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast

It is now up to individuals whether to wear masks in airports and other mass transit areas.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

On April 18, 2022, a judge in Florida struck down the federal mandate requiring passengers on mass transit to wear masks. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends that passengers mask up while on planes,...

Why freezing the Arctic Council is bad news for global security

Written by Gabriella Gricius, Graduate Fellow with North American and Arctic Defense Security Network, PhD Candidate in Political Science, Colorado State University

Eight countries with territory in the Arctic make up the Arctic Council.Mike Swigunski/Unsplash, CC BY-ND

For the past quarter-century, the Arctic has been a unique zone of cooperation among the eight countries of the high north: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States. Even when relations between Moscow and...

Human rights declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, in countries from Angola to the US to New Zealand

Written by Stephen Bagwell, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Pro-democracy protesters are arrested by police in Hong Kong on May 24, 2020.Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images

Human rights activists and international leaders first warned in April 2020 that countries could use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to crack down on human rights.

Human rights refers to a wide range of political and social rights recog...

Beer and spirits have more detrimental effects on the waistline and on cardiovascular disease risk than red or white wine

Written by Brittany Larsen, Ph.D. Candidate in Neuroscience & Graduate Assistant, Iowa State University

Researchers are working to tease apart how various alcohol types contribute to weight gain and disease risk.pixhook/E+ via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Drinking beer and spirits is linked to elevated levels of visceral fat – the harmful type of fat that is associated with an...

When it comes to the rarest of diseases, the diagnosis isn't the answer – it's just the starting point

Written by Steven Walkley, Professor of Neuroscience, Pathology and Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

The National Institutes of Health estimates the existence of 7,000 rare diseases, with some affecting only a handful of people.Alan Phillips/E! via Getty Images

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith, we finally have an answer for you.” The couple, whose real names we are protecting for privacy, looked at me anxiously. I had been evaluating their young...

Biology with Tibetan Buddhist monks: What I'm taking back to my college classroom from teaching at a monastery

Written by Daniel Pierce, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Richmond

Tibetan monks at Sera Jey Monastery in Mysore, India, experience using microscopes for the first time.Courtesy of Dan Pierce, CC BY-NC-ND

It would be quite appropriate for a college professor to assume students know that a tree is alive and a rock is not.

Or would it?

For several summers, I have had the pleasure of teaching biology to Tibetan...

Students of color in special education are less likely to get the help they need -- here are 3 ways teachers can do better

Written by Mildred Boveda, Associate Professor of Special Education, Penn State

Conversations around race and disability often get left out of schools. FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images

When I was a special education teacher at Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Miami in 2010, my colleagues and I recommended that a Black girl receive special education services because she had difficulty reading. However, her mother disagreed. When I...

Marijuana: 4 essential reads on the uses, effects and potential of cannabis

Written by Leah Samuel, Health + Equity Editor

Health claims around CBD grew after the FDA approved a drug containing CBD to treat seizures from two rare forms of epilepsy.Olena Ruban/Moment via Getty Images

As states have legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational use, and federal law now allows sale of hemp-derived products, cannabis and its derivatives are getting more attention and...

Payment apps asking for specific tips before service annoy the heck out of users – but still generate bigger gratuities

Written by Alei Fan, Assistant Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University

Customers may prefer the old-fashioned tip jar. SDI Productions/iStock via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Asking customers to leave specific tip amounts before food is delivered or provided prompts larger gratuities but also leads to lower satisfaction – especially if the payment...

Jaguars could return to the US Southwest – but only if they have pathways to move north

Written by Ganesh Marin, Ph.D. Candidate in Wildlife Conservation and Management, University of Arizona

A jaguar in Brazil's Patanal region.Sergio Pitamitz /VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Jaguars are the only species of big cat found on the American continent. They range as far south as Argentina, and once roamed as far north as the Grand Canyon in the U.S. Today the northernmost breeding population is in the northwest Mexican state...