The Conversation

Going underground: Ukraine's subterranean fighters highlight the benefit -- and long history -- of tunnels in warfare

Written by Paul J. Springer, Professor of Comparative Military Studies, Air University

Ukrainian fighters entering a tunnel.Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

Faced with the prospect of sending Russian troops into subterranean combat, Vladimir Putin demurred. “There is no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground,” he told his defense minister on April 21, 2022, ordering him to cancel a planned storming...

Linking protected areas from Yellowstone to the Yukon shows the value of conserving large landscapes, not just isolated parks and preserves

Written by Charles C. Chester, Lecturer in Environmental Studies, Brandeis University

Fresh grizzly bear tracks in Yellowstone National Park.Jacob W. Frank, NPS/Flickr

As human development spreads ever farther around the world, very few large ecosystems remain relatively intact and uninterrupted by highways, cities or other human-constructed obstacles. One of the largest exceptions is the Yellowstone to Yukon region, or Y2Y, which...

How Robert Langer, a pioneer in delivering mRNA into the body, failed repeatedly but kept going: 'They said I should give up, but I don't like to give up'

Written by Robert Langer, Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Robert LangerPat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The mRNA vaccines developed against COVID-19 owe a lot to the work of Robert Langer, a pioneer in the delivery of mRNA. Langer, who is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology David H. Koch Institute Professor and director of the Langer Lab, helped lay the foundation for the underlying...

Even once female Ukrainian refugees reach safety, they face new burdens as single heads of household

Written by Dilek Cindoglu, Professor of Sociology, Fulbright Fellow, Georgetown University

A Ukrainian family crosses into Slovakia on Feb. 25, 2022. PETER LAZAR/AFP via Getty Images

Russia’s war on Ukraine is, in many ways, a war on women. The fact that most women do not fight on the battlefield does not mean that their war experiences are less traumatic than male soldiers’ realities.

Most of the 5 million Ukrainian refugees...

The dietary supplement you're taking could be tainted with prescription medications and dangerous hidden ingredients, according to a new study

Written by C. Michael White, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

Tainted dietary supplements could lead to harmful drug interactions. Smileus/iStock via Getty Images Plus

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

The big idea

Many over-the-counter dietary supplement products – particularly those used for sexual enhancement and weight loss – are tainted with undisclosed...

Elon Musk won't have a board to watch him when he takes Twitter private – does that matter?

Written by Michael Withers, Associate Professor of Business, Texas A&M University

Twitter will soon be without the benefits – and problems – of a public board of directors.A-Digit/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

It appears Twitter’s board of directors finally warmed to Elon Musk’s hostile bid and agreed to a sale – but not before it took a severe beating from the Tesla and SpaceX...

Elon Musk's plans for Twitter could make its misinformation problems worse

Written by Anjana Susarla, Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

Elon Musk's moment of triumph is a moment of uncertainty for the future of one of the world's leading social media platforms.AP Photo/John Raoux

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, acquired Twitter in a US$44 billion deal on April 25, 2022, 11 days after announcing his bid for the company. Twitter announced that the public company will...

When parents turn children into weapons, everybody loses

Written by Jennifer Harman, Associate Professor of Applied Social and Health Psychology, Colorado State University

One form of domestic abuse involves a parent breaking their child's connection with the other parent.Mikhail Seleznev/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Domestic abuse can involve one parent using a child as a weapon against the other parent, which harms the child in immense ways. My research has identified how these dynamics play out and examines the...

How do keys open locks?

Written by Scott Craver, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Binghamton University, State University of New York

The depths of the valleys on a key act like a code that must match the lock.Robin Smith/The Image Bank via Getty Images

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 are keys made, and how do they open locks? – Noli, age 12,...

Ovarian cancer is not a silent killer – recognizing its symptoms could help reduce misdiagnosis and late detection

Written by Barbara Goff, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington

Ovarian cancer is more likely to be cured with early diagnosis.Pornpak Khunatorn/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Ovarian cancer is the most deadly of gynecologic tumors. Fewer than 40% of those diagnosed with ovarian cancer are cured, and approximately 12,810 people in the U.S. die from the disease every year.

For the past 25 years, scientists have...