The Conversation

Asteroid dust brought back to Earth may explain where our water came from with hydrogen clues

Written by Maitrayee Bose, Assistant Professor of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University

Planetary scientists believe that Earth was formed by the conglomeration of meteorites and comets -- which also brought water.Festa/SHutterstock.com

Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, and scientists argue that the planet’s interior also contains a lot of water. But where did all this water come from?

I and my postdoc Zili...

Is the Assange indictment a threat to the First Amendment?

Written by Ofer Raban, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Oregon

A British court on Wednesday sentenced Julian Assange to almost a year in prison for jumping bail.

That’s not the end of Assange’s legal problems: On May 2, Assange, the co-founder of WikiLeaks, will appear at a London court in relation to his requested extradition to the U.S.

The American government has many reasons to dislike Assange,...

Why abusive husbands kick dogs but angry neighbors poison them

Written by Laura A. Reese, Professor of Political Science and Director of Global Urban Studies Program, Michigan State University

Breaking down the numbers on animal neglect.Sergio Foto/shutterstock.com

Volunteering with animal rescue and shelter organizations in Detroit brought me face to face with many manifestations of animal cruelty: dogs left outside and frozen in their yards; dogs with chain link collars embedded in their necks; cats that had gaping wounds full of...

From Paris to Boston, the crucial role of fire chaplains

Written by Wendy Cadge, Professor of Sociology and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University

Chaplain of the Paris Fire Department, Jean-Marc Fournier.AP Photo/Thibault Camus

Chaplain of the Paris Fire Brigade, Jean-Marc Fournier, is credited with saving several items of great significance – such as the crown of thorns – from the Cathedral of Notre Dame as it burned.

Previously a military chaplain in Afghanistan, Fournier also...

A 'coup des gens' is underway – and we're increasingly living under the regime of the algorithm

Written by Simon Gottschalk, Professor of Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

It's almost impossible for users to detect which information is being collected, who's collecting it and what they do with it.Sarawut sriphakdee/Shutterstock.com

I recently attended a large meeting of faculty to discuss graduate students’ evaluation, recruitment and retention.

“Let the data drive your goals,” one of the speakers...

Prescription for journalists from journalists: Less time studying Twitter, more time studying math

Written by John P. Wihbey, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Innovation, Northeastern University

Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office, April 14, 2019.AP/Evan Vucci

You hear a lot of heated claims and baseless generalities these days about what’s wrong with the news media.

What’s seldom heard is what the underlying data indicate about true problem areas and where journalists need to improve.

News reporting requires doing a...

Why Florida's new voting rights amendment may not be as sweeping as it looks

Written by Victoria Shineman, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh

Florida enfranchisement leader Desmond Meade registered to vote in January 2019.AP Photo/John Raoux

Florida used to have the nation’s strictest disenfranchisement law for people convicted of crimes classified as felonies.

In most states, voting rights are automatically restored after a person is released from prison, or after they finish...

Why some doctors are prescribing a day in the park or a walk on the beach for good health

Written by Jay Maddock, Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M University

Hanauma Bay, Hawaii. Jason Maddock, CC BY-SA

Taking a walk on a wooded path, spending an afternoon in a public park, harvesting your backyard garden and even looking at beautiful pictures of Hawaii can all make us feel good. Certainly, for many of us, it’s beneficial to have time outside in natural environments. Being cooped up inside can...

Brain over body: Hacking the stress system to let your psychology influence your physiology

Written by Vaibhav Diwadkar, Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University

Researchers imagine tapping into your body's reactions to extreme cold to reap psychological benefits.Ratushniak/Shutterstock.com

There are people who show incredible resistance to extremes of temperature. Think of Buddhist monks who can calmly withstand being draped in freezing towels or the so-called “Iceman” Wim Hof, who can remain su...

US, Russia, China race to develop hypersonic weapons

Written by Iain Boyd, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan

A new-generation weapon, in white, launches from an older one, the B-52 bomber.Mike Cassidy/U.S. Air Force

Russia and China have recently touted their progress in developing hypersonic vehicles, which fly much faster than the speed of sound, which is 767 mph. Hypersonic missiles are rocket-boosted to high altitude and may be launched from land, sea...