The Conversation

WHO approved a malaria vaccine for children – a global health expert explains why that is a big deal

Written by Dr Miriam K. Laufer, Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, Epidemiology and Public Health at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine

A helping hand in the fight against malaria.Patrick Meinhardt/Getty Images

The World Health Organization recommended its first malaria vaccine for children on Oct. 6, 2021 – a breakthrough hailed by the U.N. agency as a “historic moment.”

Approval of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, which goes by the name Mosquirix, provides a...

Biden restores protection for national monuments Trump shrank: 5 essential reads

Written by Jennifer Weeks, Senior Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation

The twin buttes that give Bears Ears National Monument in Utah its name are sacred places to many Indigenous Tribes and Pueblos.T. Schofield, iStock via Getty Images

On Oct. 7, 2021, the Interior Department announced that President Biden was restoring protection for three U.S. national monuments that the Trump administration sought to shrink...

Yes, the latest jobs data may look disappointing, but leisure and transportation sectors give reason for cheer

Written by Edouard Wemy, Assistant Professor of Economics, Clark University

After recent supply chain difficulties, is there smooth sailing ahead?Spencer Platt/Getty Images

On first glance, October’s jobs report may not be anything to cheer about. Released on Oct. 8, 2021, it shows that just 194,000 jobs were added in the month – well short of the 400,000-plus figure that many economists had predicted.

But when...

'Truth and Healing Commission' could help Native American communities traumatized by government-run boarding schools that tried to destroy Indian culture

Written by David R. M. Beck, Professor of Native American Studies, The University of Montana

A makeshift memorial for the Indigenous children who died more than a century ago while attending a boarding school, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File

The National Day of Remembrance for Native American children honors children who died years ago while attending the United States’ Indian boarding schools each...

Flu season paired with COVID-19 presents the threat of a 'twindemic,' making the need for vaccination all the more urgent

Written by Mark S Roberts, Distinguished Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Pittsburgh

A bad flu year on top of the pandemic could mean trouble for already-stressed hospitals.George Clerk/E+ Collection via Getty Images

As winter looms and hospitals across the U.S. continue to be deluged with severe cases of COVID-19, flu season presents a particularly ominous threat this year.

We are researchers with expertise in vaccination policy...

None of the 2021 science Nobel laureates are women – here's why men still dominate STEM award winning

Written by Mary K. Feeney, Professor and Lincoln Professor of Ethics in Public Affairs, Arizona State University

Frances Arnold received the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.© Nobel Media. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud

All of the 2021 Nobel Prizes in science were awarded to men.

That’s a return to business as usual after a couple of good years for female laureates. In 2020, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna won the chemistry prize for their work...

4 tips for choosing a good college – and getting accepted

Written by Timothy Poynton, Associate Professor of Counseling and School Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston

First-generation college students have less 'college knowledge' than students whose parents went to college.SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

With more than 2,800 four-year colleges and universities in the United States, finding the one that is right for you can feel overwhelming.

The task can be particularly hard for high school students who are...

Caring for the environment has a long Catholic lineage – hundreds of years before Pope Francis

Written by Joanne M. Pierce, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

Pope Francis has laid emphasis on protecting the environment, but he's not the only pope to speak about caring for nature. AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

Pope Francis led dozens of religious leaders Oct. 4, 2021 in issuing a plea to protect the environment, warning that “Future generations will never forgive us if we miss the opportunity to...

Perseverance’s first major successes on Mars – an update from mission scientists

Written by Melissa Rice, Associate Professor of Planetary Science, Western Washington University

Perseverance took a selfie next to its biggest accomplishment yet – the two small drill holes where the rover took samples of Martian rocks. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

In the short time since NASA’s Perseverance rover landed in Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, it’s already made history.

At the moment, Mars and the Earth are...

Land acknowledgments meant to honor Indigenous people too often do the opposite – erasing American Indians and sanitizing history instead

Written by Elisa J. Sobo, Professor and Chair of Anthropology, San Diego State University

A portion of a map that erases the borders Colonial powers drew, and shows instead the Indigenous territories, treaties and languages of North America.Native Land Digital, CC BY-SA

Many events these days begin with land acknowledgments: earnest statements acknowledging that activities are taking place, or institutions, businesses and even homes are...