The Conversation

Trump, Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi case: What would Obama have done?

Written by Steven Feldstein, Frank and Bethine Church Chair of Public Affairs & Associate Professor, School of Public Service, Boise State University

President Donald TrumpAP Photo/Evan Vucci

After weeks of ratcheting tension about who authorized the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Donald Trump sought to put an end to the debate.

He issued a blunt public statement asserting that “we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,”...

Rogue science strikes again: The case of the first gene-edited babies

Written by G. Owen Schaefer, Research Assistant Professor in Biomedical Ethics, National University of Singapore

Chinese scientists led by He Jiankui claimed they used CRISPR to modify human embryos that eventually were born as twin girls.AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

The idea of scientists tinkering with the genes of babies was once the provenance of science fiction, but now it’s entered the realm of reality: On Nov. 26, Chinese scientist He Jiankui...

The road to enhancement, via human gene editing, is paved with good intentions

Written by John Evans, Professor of Sociology, University of California San Diego

A Chinese scientist claims he edited the DNA of twin girls during an in vitro fertilization procedure. CI Photos / Shutterstock.com

It appears that researchers in China have facilitated the birth of the first “designer baby” – actually babies, twin girls who are supposedly genetically resistant to HIV. The scientist who created...

The key to fixing the gender gap in math and science: Boost women's confidence

Written by Lara Perez-Felkner, Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Sociology, Florida State University

Girls who are more confident in their math skills are more likely to pursue math-intensive degrees. Areipa.lt/shutterstock.com

The gender gap in math and science isn’t going away. Women remain less likely to enroll in math-heavy fields of study and pursue math-heavy careers. This pattern persists despite major studies finding no meaningful...

Why aren't there electric airplanes yet?

Written by Venkat Viswanathan, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

Building an electric airplane is very different from building an electric car or truck.Venkat Viswanathan, CC BY-ND

As electric cars and trucks appear increasingly on U.S. highways, it raises the question: When will commercially viable electric vehicles take to the skies? There are a number of ambitious efforts to build electric-powered airplanes,...

Kim Kardashian West and ecstasy: A reminder of the social dangers of the drug

Written by Joseph Palamar, Associate Professor of Population Health, New York University Langone Medical Center

Kim Kardashian West at the 50th anniversary of Cosmopolitan magazine, Oct. 12, 2015.Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock.com

Kim Kardashian West, who has a reputation for disdaining alcohol, discussed her past use of the drug ecstasy on a recent segment of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”

“I did ecstasy once, and I got married … I...

Living drugs: Engineering bacteria to treat genetic diseases

Written by Pedro Belda Ferre, Postdoctoral Scholar in Pediatrics, University of California San Diego

A capsule with a genetically engineered bacterium for therapeutic purposes.abrakadabra / Shutterstock.com

A pill containing millions of bacteria ready to colonize your gut might be a nightmare to many. But it may become an effective new tool for fighting disease.

In many inherited genetic diseases a mutated gene means that an individual cannot make...

Instagram posts suggest e-scooter companies like Bird aren't promoting safe riding to newbies

Written by Jon-Patrick Allem, Research Scientist, University of Southern California

Since emerging in the U.S. last year, electric scooters have become an increasingly popular way for people to travel short distances, thanks to their speed and convenience. But they’ve also generated controversy and concerns about their safety.

Recently, nine people who say they’ve been injured by e-scooters filed a class-action lawsuit...

Why Twitter's cute, heart-shaped 'like' button is not so harmless

Written by A. Trevor Sutton, Ph.D. Student in Doctrinal Theology, Concordia Seminary

Researchers have found people use the 'like' button on social media posts for many reasons.Worawee Meepian

Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s founder and CEO, was recently reported to have questioned how the site “incentivizes people to want (the number of likes on their posts) to go up.” He also said that “he was not a fan of the...

How local journalism can upend the 'fake news' narrative

Written by Damian Radcliffe, Caroline S. Chambers Professor in Journalism, University of Oregon

Local journalists are often the only journalists that most people will ever meet.teka12/Shutterstock.com

“For the first time media is the least trusted institution globally,” Edelman, the global PR and marketing firm concluded in its annual worldwide study on trust in institutions like the media, business and government.

These...