The Conversation

A new way to identify a rare type of earthquake in time to issue lifesaving tsunami warnings

Written by Valerie Sahakian, Assistant Professor of Geophysics, University of Oregon

This unusual earthquake type generates an outsized tsunami. camila castillo/Unsplash, CC BY-ND

Just a few times in a century, somewhere on the globe, a rare “tsunami earthquake” occurs. These are mysterious because, while they’re just medium-sized as earthquakes go, they cause disproportionately large and devastating tsunamis....

How to write better pet adoption ads

Written by David Markowitz, Assistant Professor of Social Media Data Analytics, University of Oregon

Millions of shelter animals are adopted in the U.S. every year.hedgehog94/Shutterstock.com

About 1.5 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year because they weren’t adopted or had health problems that concerned potential owners.

Agencies often use “Adopt, Don’t Shop!” campaigns to encourage people to adopt...

Building a digital archive for decaying paper documents, preserving centuries of records about enslaved people

Written by Daniel Genkins, Postdoctoral Fellow in History, Vanderbilt University

Converting aging paper documents to digital archives can be a painstaking effort.Slave Societies Digital Archive, CC BY-ND

Paper documents are still priceless records of the past, even in a digital world. Primary sources stored in local archives throughout Latin America, for example, describe a centuries-old multiethnic society grappling with...

With the US and Iran on the brink of war, the dangers of Trump's policy of going it alone become clear

Written by Klaus W. Larres, Richard M. Krasno Distinguished Professor; Adjunct Professor of the Curriculum in Peace, War and Defense, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

President Donald Trump’s policy toward Iran is in deep crisis. The president’s approach has the support neither of America’s allies nor of its strategic rivals, China and Russia. And his policy – made even more confrontational by the shooting of a high-ranking Iranian official – has boxed him into a situation where,...

Why there's a separate World Chess Championship for women

Written by Alexey W. Root, Lecturer in Education, University of Texas at Dallas

Ju Wenjun, the reigning Women's World Chess Champion, will defend her title against Aleksandra Goryachkina, of Russia this month. Photo from an earlier encounter in September 2019.David Llada

Editor’s Note: The Women’s World Chess Championship match is from January 3-26, 2020. The first six games will be played in Shanghai, China and...

Lawyers are trying to scare you with Facebook ads

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

Facebook recently disabled some ads on its site making dubious claims about Truvada.AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Some ads can be more than misleading – they can put your health at risk.

Last year, ads paid for by law firms and legal referral companies started cropping up on Facebook. Typically, they linked Truvada and other HIV-prevention drugs...

Buyers should beware of organic labels on nonfood products

Written by Sarah Morath, Clinical Associate Professor of Law and Director of Lawyering Skills and Strategies, University of Houston

Be skeptical of organic claims on cleaning products and other nonfood goods.Pinkasevich/Shutterstock

Product labels offer valuable information to consumers, but manufacturers can misuse them to increase profits. This is particularly true for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic label.

Two recent decisions by the U.S. Federal Trade...

Unrest in Latin America makes authoritarianism look more appealing to some

Written by Paula Armendariz Miranda, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Minnesota

A demonstrator protesting new austerity measures in Ecuador confronts armed police officers during clashes in Quito, Ecuador, Oct. 11, 2019. AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa

Months of sustained, sometimes violent anti-government protest in South America may have increased popular support for authoritarianism.

That’s the startling finding of a...

Want to know what will happen in 2020? Look to state polls for the answer

Written by Daniel R. Birdsong, Lecturer in Political Science, University of Dayton

Before an election the media closely follows polls.Rob Crandall/Shutterstock.com

Public opinion polls are ingrained in American politics. It seems like every day there is a new poll about the presidential election or impeachment or whether the public feels that the United States is on the right track.

As the presidential primary season begins in...

5 things you can do to make your microbiome healthier

Written by Connie Rogers, Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences , Pennsylvania State University

Fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you and your gut microbes. Teri Virbickis/Shutterstock.com

It’s common for people to focus on their health at the start of the year. But few consider the well being of the microbes that live inside the human gut – the microbiome – which are vital to an individual’s good health.

How...