The Conversation

Restricting SNAP benefits could hurt millions of Americans – and local communities

Written by Cindy Leung, Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan

SNAP benefits help millions of families put food on the table.JACEK SKROK/Shutterstock.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying to restrict access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

SNAP is the primary way the government helps low-income Americans put food on the table. According to the government’s own...

Curious Kids: How does the stuff in a fire extinguisher stop a fire?

Written by Joseph Lanzafame, Senior Lecturer of Chemistry and Materials Science, Rochester Institute of Technology

Fighting fire during training session.Yutthaphong/Shutterstock.com

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.

Let’s talk fire! And extinguishers.

You need three ingredients to make fire: fuel (like wood or gasoline), oxygen and...

A Confederate statue graveyard could help bury the Old South

Written by Jordan Brasher, Doctoral Candidate in Geography, University of Tennessee

A damaged Confederate statue lies on a pallet in a warehouse in Durham, N.C. on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, after protesters yanked it off its pedestal in front of a government building. AP Photo/Allen Breed

An estimated 114 Confederate symbols have been removed from public view since 2015. In many cases, these cast-iron Robert E. Lees and Jefferson...

No, Lyme disease is not an escaped military bioweapon, despite what conspiracy theorists say

Written by Sam Telford, Professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Tufts University

Ticks could spread weaponized bacteria – but _B. burgdorferi_ that causes Lyme isn't one of them.Kelvin Ma/Tufts University, CC BY-ND

Could Lyme disease in the U.S. be the result of an accidental release from a secret bioweapons experiment? Could the military have specifically engineered the Lyme disease bacterium to be more insidious and...

Lead-based paint found in half of all inspected schools

Written by Marilynne R Wood, Professor, University of Toledo

Lead-based paint is being found in roughly half of schools that do inspections, a federal report reveals.Carlos Osario/AP

With all the emphasis that has been placed on making sure children are safe from the hazards of lead-based paint at home, similar efforts would seem just as important for America’s schools.

After all, outside of the home,...

From 'Pretty Little Liars' to 'The OC,' television producers need to stop encouraging teen drinking – here's how they can

Written by Cristel Antonia Russell, Professor of Marketing, American University Kogod School of Business

Teens who see drinking on TV are more likely to drink themselvesRawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com

Teen drinking is rampant on television these days.

From “Pretty Little Liars” to classic shows like “The O.C.,” you don’t have to look hard to find 16-year-olds sneaking a drink from a flask or getting drunk at a party.

The...

A World War II battle holds key lessons for modern warfare

Written by Benjamin Jensen, Associate Professor of International Relations, Marine Corps University; Scholar-in-Residence, American University School of International Service

Members of the 1st Marine Division land on Guadalcanal on Aug. 7, 1942.U.S. Marine Corps

Between Aug. 7, 1942, and Feb. 9, 1943, U.S. forces sought to capture – and then defend – the Pacific island of Guadalcanal from the Japanese military. What started as an amphibious landing quickly turned into a series of massive air and naval...

Shark Week looms, but don't panic

Written by Gavin Naylor, Director, Florida Program for Shark Research, University of Florida

It's OK, I'm a filter feeder: Whale shark off Indonesia.Marcel Ekkel/Flickr, CC BY

Sharks elicit outsized fear, even though the risk of a shark bite is infinitesimally small. As a marine biologist and director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, I oversee the International Shark Attack File – a global record of reported shark bites...

CBD and genetic testing provide hope for 'intractable' epilepsy in children

Written by Isabel Derera, Postdoctoral Scholar, Tufts University

A child with epilepsy during a seizure.www.shutterstock.com

It can start with a vacant stare, what appear to be muscle twitches or a full-blown seizure. But no matter how it begins, any time a child is diagnosed with epilepsy is often a frightening time for families.

About 470,000 children are living with epilepsy in the U.S. While there are over a...

How technology could be a solution to caregiver shortage for seniors

Written by Deborah Vollmer Dahlke, Adjunct Associate Professor, Texas A&M University

Seniors are embracing technology as a means of improving their health.Rocketclips, Inc./Shutterstock.com

Young people may roll their eyes at older people who can’t use technology as fast as they do, but it’s wrong to say that older Americans can’t use technology. Remember, a baby boomer, Tim Berners-Lee, invented the World Wide Web...