The Conversation

Space Blocs: The future of international cooperation in space is splitting along lines of power on Earth

Written by Svetla Ben-Itzhak, Assistant Professor of Space and International Relations, Air University

In the next decade, both a U.S.-led group and a collaboration between Russia and China aim to set up bases on the Moon.Theasis/iStock via Getty Images

Even during times of conflict on the ground, space has historically been an arena of collaboration among nations. But trends in the past decade suggest that the nature of cooperation in space is...

Can you truly own anything in the metaverse? A law professor explains how blockchains and NFTs don't protect virtual property

Written by João Marinotti, Associate Professor of Law, Indiana University

In 2021, an investment firm bought 2,000 acres of real estate for about US$4 million. Normally this would not make headlines, but in this case the land was virtual. It existed only in a metaverse platform called The Sandbox. By buying 792 non-fungible tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, the firm then owned the equivalent of 1,200 city blocks.

But...

Achoo! 5 essential reads for pollen season

Written by Jennifer Weeks, Senior Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation

Common hazel dispersing pollen in early spring. Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

As spring expands across North America, trees, shrubs and flowers are releasing pollen. This fine, powdery substance is produced by the male structures of cone-bearing and flowering plants. When it’s carried to the plants’ female structures...

Clarence Thomas and his wife's text messages highlight missing ethics rules at the Supreme Court

Written by Kevin Leske, Professor of Law, University of Dayton

Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sits with his wife, conservative activist Virginia Thomas, at an October 2021 event.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Time and time again, the nation’s highest court has come under fire for failing to manage potentially unethical behavior by its justices.

In the past, the Supreme Court of the United...

Many young French voters are approaching the presidential runoff with a shrug and vow to 'vote blank'

Written by Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Associate Professor of Critical Cultural & International Studies, Colorado State University

Decisions, decisions.Chesnot/Getty Images

The race for the presidential post in France began with 12 candidates. It will conclude on April 24 with the same choice that confronted voters five years earlier: the centrist Emmanuel Macron or the far-right Marine Le Pen.

Sequels tend to be less inspiring, and the election as a whole has failed to spark...

The pandemic's gardening boom shows how gardens can cultivate public health

Written by Alessandro Ossola, Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis

A man tends to his plot at a community garden in Santa Monica, Calif., in April 2020.Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

As lockdowns went into effect in the spring of 2020 to slow the spread of the coronavirus, reports emerged of a global gardening boom, with plants, flowers, vegetables and herbs sprouting in backyards and on...

Discovering new drugs is a long and expensive process – chemical compounds that dupe screening tools make it even harder

Written by Martin Clasby, Research Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan

Pan-assay interference compounds, or PAINS, often come up as false positives when researchers screen for potential drug candidates.unol/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Modern drug discovery is an expensive and complicated process. Hundreds of scientists and at least a decade are often required to produce a single medicine. One of the most critical...

Psychopaths can feel emotions and can be treated – don't believe what you see on crime shows

Written by Arielle Baskin-Sommers, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Yale University

Who really is a psychopath?Getty Images

On any given day, millions of Americans curl up to watch their favorite crime shows. Whether it is “FBI” on CBS, “Dexter” on Showtime, “Mindhunter” on Netflix, “Killing Eve” on BBC, reruns of “Law & Order,” or any of a myriad of other similar...

Should you wear a mask on a plane, bus or train when there's no mandate? 4 essential reads to help you decide

Written by Daniel Merino, Assistant Science Editor and Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast

It is now up to individuals whether to wear masks in airports and other mass transit areas.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

On April 18, 2022, a judge in Florida struck down the federal mandate requiring passengers on mass transit to wear masks. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends that passengers mask up while on planes,...

Why freezing the Arctic Council is bad news for global security

Written by Gabriella Gricius, Graduate Fellow with North American and Arctic Defense Security Network, PhD Candidate in Political Science, Colorado State University

Eight countries with territory in the Arctic make up the Arctic Council.Mike Swigunski/Unsplash, CC BY-ND

For the past quarter-century, the Arctic has been a unique zone of cooperation among the eight countries of the high north: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States. Even when relations between Moscow and...