The Conversation

Mexican communities manage their local forests, generating benefits for humans, trees and wildlife

Written by David Bray, Professor of Earth and Environment, Florida International University

Jungle near the Palenque ruins, Chiapas, Mexico.Lawrence Murray/Flickr, CC BY

The United Nations is preparing to host pivotal conferences in the coming months on two global crises: climate change and biodiversity loss. As experts have pointed out, these issues are fundamentally, inescapably intertwined. In both cases, human activities are harming...

Big fires demand a big response: How 1910's Big Burn can help us think smarter about fighting wildfires and living with fire

Written by William Deverell, Professor of History, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Before satellites, fire crews watched for smoke from fire towers across the national forests.K. D. Swan, U.S. Forest Service

Over two days in the summer of 1910, wildfires roared across the bone-dry forests of the inland Northwestern U.S., the Rockies, and parts of British Columbia. Whole towns burned. The blazes scorched 3 million acres of forest,...

How civil rights activist Howard Fuller became a devout champion of school choice

Written by Jon Hale, Associate Professor of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Education reformer Howard Fuller has worked with GOP leaders in support of school vouchers.Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images

As a longtime civil rights activist and education reformer, Howard Fuller has seen his support for school choice spark both controversy and confusion. That’s because it aligns him with polarizing...

How lawyers could prevent America's eviction crisis from getting a whole lot worse

Written by Jennifer Prusak, Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University

A St. Louis woman is evicted from her home. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Lawyers may be the only thing standing in the way of eviction for millions of renters.

With the end of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium on Aug. 26, 2021, most landlords can now ask courts to evict tenants who haven’t been...

New Johnson Johnson data shows second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19 – but one dose is still strong against delta variant

Written by Maureen Ferran, Associate Professor of Biology, Rochester Institute of Technology

Public health officials have been waiting for good data before making any decisions about booster shots for people who received Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

On Sept 22, 2021, Johnson & Johnson released data that answers two questions many people have likely been wondering about its vaccine: How good is...

Tense decision-making as CDC joins FDA in recommending Pfizer booster shot for 65 up, people at high risk and those with occupational exposure to COVID-19

Written by Matthew Woodruff, Instructor of Human Immunology, Emory University

The FDA and CDC are recommending use of a third shot, or "booster dose" for certain groups of people in the U.S. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Following the recommendations of its vaccine advisory committee, the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization to Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for...

What goes into a disaster kit and go-bag? Here's a checklist for everything from hurricanes to wildfires and other storms

Written by Brett Robertson, Assistant Professor of Communication, University of South Carolina

Disasters can happen anywhere at any time. Be prepared.fstop123 via Getty Images

When disasters hit, they can mean days to weeks without power, and sometimes they allow just enough time to grab a bag of supplies and go. Now is the time to prepare, well before the disaster is on your doorstep.

I study ways to improve disaster communications....

What goes into a disaster kit and go-bag? Here's a checklist for wildfires, hurricanes and other storms

Written by Brett Robertson, Assistant Professor of Communication, University of South Carolina

Disasters can happen anywhere at any time. Be prepared.fstop123 via Getty Images

I study ways to improve disaster communications....

Fall is prime hurricane and wildfire season: Are your disaster kit and go-bag ready?

Written by Brett Robertson, Assistant Professor of Communication, University of South Carolina

Disasters can happen anywhere at any time. Be prepared.fstop123 via Getty Images

Another hurricane is brewing in the Atlantic, and dozens of large fires are burning in the U.S. West, including one threatening homes on the outskirts of Redding, California. When disasters hit, they can mean days to weeks without power, and sometimes they allow just...

Haitian migrants at the border: An asylum law scholar explains how US skirts its legal and moral duties

Written by Karen Musalo, Professor of International Law, University of California, Hastings

U.S. envoy resigned over "inhumane" treatment of Haitian migrantsAP Photo/Felix Marquez

The U.S.’s top envoy to Haiti resigned abruptly on Sept. 22, 2021, over the Biden administration’s “inhumane” treatment of Haitian migrants crossing the border via Mexico into Texas.

The resignation came amid debate over the U.S. decision...