The Conversation

Long after Indigenous activists flee Russia, they continue to face government pressure to remain silent

Written by Laura A. Henry, Associate Professor of Government and Legal Studies, Bowdoin College

Pavel Sulyandziga, a Russian Indigenous activist, poses with his family in 2017 in Yarmouth, Maine, where he awaits a decision on political asylum. Derek Davis/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Pavel Sulyandziga, an Indigenous activist and member of the Udege people of Russia’s far eastern region, arrived in the United States in...

What social robots can teach America's students

Written by Gerald K. LeTendre, Professor of Educational Administration, Penn State

Some researchers predict social robots will become common in K-12 classrooms.selimaksan/E+ Collection/Getty Images

How would you feel if your child were being tutored by a robot?

Social robots – robots that can talk and mimic and respond to human emotion – have been introduced into classrooms around the world. Researchers have used them...

Congress is failing to deliver on its promise of billions more in research spending, threatening America's long-term economic competitiveness

Written by Jason Owen-Smith, Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan

Federal funding was essential to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.AP Photo/Vincent Thian

The battle to keep the government open may feel just like the crisis of the day. But these fights pose immediate and long-term risks for the U.S.

The federal government spends tens of billions of dollars every year to support fundamental scientific...

Miami residents believe Biscayne Bay is 'healthy,' despite big declines in water quality and biodiversity, new study finds

Written by Julia Wester, Lecturer in Ecosystem Science and Policy, University of Miami

Biscayne Bay is home to more than 30 endangered or at-risk species.Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Residents of Miami-Dade County appreciate Biscayne Bay for its ecological, cultural, recreational and economic offerings, but they see the estuary as “moderately healthy” – despite a significant decline in water...

How to prevent America's aging buildings from collapsing – 4 high-profile disasters send a warning

Written by Abieyuwa Aghayere, Professor of Structural Engineering, Drexel University

This six-story apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, had clear signs of trouble before it partially collapsed in May 2023.AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Four recent catastrophic building collapses and a near miss are raising concerns about the state of America’s aging buildings and questions about who, if anyone, is checking their safety.

Many...

Your fingerprint is actually 3D − research into holograms could improve forensic fingerprint analysis

Written by Partha Banerjee, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Dayton

Fingerprints have been used as unique identifiers for decades. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

When you use your fingerprint to unlock your smartphone, your phone is looking at a two-dimensional pattern to determine whether it’s the correct fingerprint before it unlocks for you. But the imprint your finger leaves on the surface of the button is...

Your body already has a built-in weight loss system that works like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – food and your gut microbiome

Written by Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington

Weight loss pills aren't a replacement for a healthy diet and lifestyle.JW LTD/Stone via Getty Images

Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are weight loss and diabetes drugs that have made quite a splash in health news. They target regulatory pathways involved in both obesity and diabetes and are widely considered breakthroughs for weight loss and blood...

1 good thing about the Iowa caucuses, and 3 that are really troubling

Written by Stephen J. Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and Director, Center for Leadership and Media Studies, University of Mary Washington

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears at a Fox News town hall in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 10, 2024. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Every four years, the Iowa caucuses find new ways to become a problematic part of the presidential nomination process. Democrats have abandoned the Iowa-first tradition, at least for 2024, but Republicans...

What if every germ hit you at the exact same time? An immunologist explains

Written by Joseph Larkin III, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida

Your immune system encounters a legion of potential pathogens every day.Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision 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.

What would happen if all the diseases in the world hit us at the exact same...

Ethiopia's deal with Somaliland upends regional dynamics, risking strife across the Horn of Africa

Written by Alemayehu Weldemariam, Ph.D. Fellow, Center for Constitutional Democracy, Indiana University

A Somali soldier controls the crowd at a protest in the capital Mogadishu on Jan.3, 2024.AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh

The Horn of Africa ushered in the new year with news of a deal that would ensure that diplomatic relations in the region got off to a bumpy start in 2024. Ethiopia, it was announced on Jan. 1, had signed a memorandum of understanding...