The Conversation

Mitochondria mutation mystery solved: Random sorting helps get rid of duds

Written by Arunas L. Radzvilavicius, Postdoctoral Researcher of Evolutionary Biology, University of Pennsylvania

When a cell divides, mitochondria are randomly allotted to the resulting new cells.Odra Noel. Wellcome Images, CC BY-NC

You probably know about the 23 pairs of chromosomes safely stowed in your cells’ nuclei. That’s where the vast majority of your genes can be found. But there are 37 special genes — a very tiny fraction of the...

Want to fight crime? Plant some flowers with your neighbor

Written by Marc A Zimmerman, Professor, University of Michigan

Flint, Mich., has one of the highest crime rates in the country for a city of its size. One neighborhood has found a novel way to fight back.Carlos Osorio/AP Images

Neighborhoods struggling with physical decline and high crime often become safer simply when local residents work together to fix up their neighborhood.

My colleagues and I at the Univers...

How energy storage is starting to rewire the electricity industry

Written by Eric Hittinger, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Rochester Institute of Technology

Grid-scale energy storage systems may make it easier to rely completely on renewable energy.petrmalinak/Shutterstock.com

The market for energy storage on the power grid is growing at a rapid clip, driven by declining prices and supportive government policies.

Based on our research on the operation and costs of electricity grids, especially the benefi...

School resource officers can prevent tragedies, but training is key

Written by Elizabeth Englander, Professor of Psychology, and the Director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC), Bridgewater State University

Police in front of Great Mills High School, the scene of a shooting on March 20, 2018, in Great Mills, Md.Alex Brandon/AP

Despite legitimate concerns about the effects of placing school resource officers in the nation’s schools, the reality is having these officers on a school’s campus can literally save lives and avert tragedy.

That...

Public support for animal rights goes beyond keeping dogs out of overhead bins

Written by Garrett M. Broad, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham University

Dogs can become as close to you as any other person – but are they 'legal persons'?Olena Yakobchuk/Shutterstock.com

A French bulldog named Kokito recently died aboard a United Airlines plane after a flight attendant ordered his owner to place him in an overhead bin.

Public outrage ensued. Proposed bipartisan legislation, now pending in the...

Red state, blue state: How colors took sides in politics

Written by David Scott Kastan, George M. Bodman Professor of English, Yale University

For decades, each party simply used a combination of red, white and blue. palbrigo/shutterstock.com

When Americans hear some pundits projecting a “blue wave” in the 2018 midterm elections, they understand that this is a prediction of a big Democratic victory. Blue of course symbolizes the Democratic party, while red represents the GOP.

T...

How do forensic engineers investigate bridge collapses, like the one in Miami?

Written by Martin Gordon, Professor of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology

What caused this bridge to collapse?AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

On March 15, a 950-ton partially assembled pedestrian bridge at Florida International University in Miami suddenly collapsed onto the busy highway below, killing six people and seriously injuring nine. Forensic engineers are taking center stage in the ongoing investigation to find out what...

I treat patients on Medicaid, and I don't see undeserving poor people

Written by Audrey M Provenzano, General Internist, Instructor of Medicine, Harvard University

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin with President Trump on Jan. 11, 2018, a day before Trump gave the go-ahead for Medicaid work requirements.AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

As more states join Kentucky in trying to impose work requirements for people who receive Medicaid, I could not help but think of a patient of mine whom I’ll call Linda.

Linda is a healthy...

Regulating Facebook won't prevent data breaches

Written by William H. Dutton, Professor of Media and Information Policy, Michigan State University

Facebook already controls how its users' data can be gathered and shared. It's university ethics boards that need to join the digital age. Shutterstock

After revelations that political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica allegedly appropriated Facebook user data to advise Donald Trump’s 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, many are calling for...

After Tempe fatality, self-driving car developers must engage with public now or risk rejection

Written by Andrew Maynard, Director, Risk Innovation Lab, Arizona State University

An autonomous vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian on March 18.ABC-15.com via AP

On Sunday evening, March 18, an Uber SUV hit and killed a pedestrian in the Arizona city of Tempe. In a place where vehicle-related pedestrian fatalities are unfortunately a regular occurrence, this shouldn’t have stood out as particularly unusual. But what...