The Conversation

Buddhist monks have reversed roles in Thailand – now they are the ones donating goods to others

Written by Brooke Schedneck, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Rhodes College

Buddhist monks pass packs of water after their devotees donated water to a temple in Bangkok.AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit

The offering of food and material goods to monks is an essential part of the daily practice of Buddhism in Thailand. The belief is that through the act of giving, lay Buddhists – followers of the faith who have not been...

Don't want federal agents in your city or town? Then protect federal property

Written by Frank V. Zerunyan, Professor of the Practice of Governance, University of Southern California

During a protest, federal police officials stand inside a fence at the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, July 25, 2020. (Photo by Ankur Dholakia / AFP via Getty Images

I recently visited Portland, Oregon, and saw the destruction around the federal courthouse there – walls defaced with graffiti, fences vandalized, and the remains of...

Video: What the huge COVID-19 testing undercount in the US means

Written by Melissa Hawkins, Professor of Public Health, Director of Public Health Scholars Program, American University

Health care workers use a nasal swab to test a person for COVID-19 in Pembroke Park, Florida.Joe Raedle / Getty Images News

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions recently published a study which estimated that the true number of people infected by COVID-19 could be six to 24 times higher than the...

Pompeo's plan for a hierarchy of human rights could serve to undermine them all – including religious freedom

Written by Shelley Inglis, Executive Director, University of Dayton Human Rights Center, University of Dayton

Critics have accused Mike Pompeo of sculpting policy out of his religious beliefs.Leah Millis/AFP via Getty Images

In pushing for religion to be given more prominence in U.S. foreign policy concerns, could Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be acting in bad faith?

That’s what many human rights groups believe. In a letter dated July 30, a coalition...

How gene editing a person's brain cells could be used to curb the opioid epidemic

Written by Craig W. Stevens, Professor of Pharmacology, Oklahoma State University

CRISPR/Cas is a tool for editing genes.STEVEN MCDOWELL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic cripples the economy and kills hundreds of people each day, there is another epidemic that continues to kill tens of thousands of people each year through opioid drug overdose.

Opioid analgesic drugs, like morphine and...

Why diversity training on campus is likely to disappoint

Written by Amna Khalid, Associate Professor of History, Carleton College

Diversity and inclusion training is often ineffective and short-lived. Image Source/GettyImages

U.S. colleges and universities will be embracing diversity training with renewed vigor this fall.

In response to the killing of George Floyd, the massive Black Lives Matter protests and pressure from students, dozens of colleges and universities have made...

Fight for economic equality is as old as America itself

Written by Daniel Mandell, Professor of History, Truman State University

In a 1775 cartoon, a British cartoonist mocks how wealthy elites were compelled by ordinary Americans to respect trade and price regulations.Philip Dawe/Wikimedia Commons

Americans are increasingly worried about the rising tide of economic inequality, as fewer control more wealth. For the origins of these concerns, commentators usually point to the...

Contaminación, el silencioso enemigo de la CDMX en la lucha contra el COVID-19

Written by Elena Delavega, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Memphis

La Ciudad de Mexico, 20 de mayo, 2018. AP Photo/Marco Ugarte

La Ciudad de México es un tazón de polvo, una megalópolis contaminada donde la respiración es difícil y la ropa recién lavada colgada para secarse se pone rígida por la noche. Incluso antes de que la pandemia de COVID-19 comenzara a golpear...

¿Crees que eres malo para las matemáticas? Puedes sufrir un 'trauma matemático'

Written by Jennifer Ruef, Assistant Professor of Education Studies, University of Oregon

Hasta los profesores de matemáticas aveces sufren un miedo debilitante a equivocarse con la materia.Robert Kneschke / EyeEm / Getty Images

Enseño a la gente a enseñar matemáticas, y llevo 30 años trabajando en este campo. A lo largo de esas décadas, he conocido a muchas personas que sufren diversos grados...

The loneliness of social isolation can affect your brain and raise dementia risk in older adults

Written by Karra Harrington, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Clinical Psychologist, Pennsylvania State University

In healthy older people, loneliness has a pattern of stress response similar to that of people who are under chronic stress. Justin Paget via Getty Images

Physical pain is unpleasant, yet it’s vital for survival because it’s a warning that your body is in danger. It tells you to take your hand off a hot burner or to see a doctor about...