The Conversation

Deadly fungus Candida auris is spreading across US hospitals - a physician answers 5 questions about rising fungal infections

Written by Arif R. Sarwari, Professor of Infectious Diseases, West Virginia University

Candida auris is a fungal yeast that can infect humans.Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

In late March 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted the threat posed by a rapidly spreading fungus called Candida auris that is causing infections and deaths among hospital patients across the country. The...

Macaque monkeys shrink their social networks as they age – new research suggests evolutionary roots of a pattern seen in elderly people, too

Written by Erin Siracusa, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter

Older monkeys still hang out, just with a smaller circle of intimates.Lauren Brent, CC BY-ND

There are many changes that can come with old age – hair turns gray, eyesight isn’t quite what it used to be, mobility often becomes limited. But beyond these physiological changes, people also experience changes to their social world. As we...

Student reporters fill crucial gap in state government coverage

Written by Richard Watts, Senior Lecturer of Geography and Founder of the Center of Community News, University of Vermont

Devon Sanders, a statehouse reporter and student at the Lousiana State University Manship School of Mass Communication, interviewed State Rep. Katrina Jackson in 2018.Richard Watts, CC BY-ND

The local news business is in crisis. The nation is currently losing two community newspapers a week, on average, and 70 million Americans live in news deserts,...

Finland, NATO and the evolving new world order – what small nations know

Written by Ronald Suny, Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan

Finnish military personnel raise their country's flag at NATO headquarters in Brussels.Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

In the world of geopolitics, great powers make, break and play by their own rules. Smaller states largely have to make do with adjusting to the world as determined by others.

Which is why the decision by Finland &ndash...

One way to speed up clinical trials: Skip right to the data with electronic medical records

Written by Kevin Kip, Vice President of Clinical Analytics, University of Pittsburgh

It takes around 17 years for medical research to translate into clinical practice.shapecharge/E+ via Getty Images

Scientific knowledge, as measured by numbers of papers published, has been estimated to double every 17.3 years. However, it takes an average of about 17 years for health and medical research – going from basic lab studies on cell...

'Swarm' is a dark, satirical look at how the absence of meaningful relationships can spawn a serial killer

Written by Jenae Harris, Lecturer in Criminal Justice, Kennesaw State University

Dre finds comfort in the fantasy that she'll befriend her favorite pop star. Amazon Studios

Editor’s note: This article contains plot spoilers for “Swarm.”

“Swarm,” the new streaming series created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, centers on a deranged superfan named Dre who becomes a serial killer.

Dre longs to meet...

How white privilege plays into the first lady’s idea to invite runner-up Iowa to the White House

Written by Joseph N. Cooper, Endowed Chair of Sport Leadership and Administration, UMass Boston

LSU's Angel Reese, right, and LaDazhia Williams react during an NCAA Women's Final Four semifinals basketball game against Virginia Tech on March 31, 2023, in Dallas.AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

After Louisiana State University beat the University of Iowa for the women’s college basketball championship on April 2, 2023 – winning by 17 points...

Racist and sexist depictions of human evolution still permeate science, education and popular culture today

Written by Rui Diogo, Associate Professor of Anatomy, Howard University

Human evolution is typically depicted with a progressive whitening of the skin, despite a lack of evidence to support it.Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov/Wikimedia Commons

Systemic racism and sexism have permeated civilization since the rise of agriculture, when people started living in one place for a long time. Early Western scientists, such as...

Each generation in Northern Ireland has reflected on the 'troubles' in its own way – right up to 'Derry Girls'

Written by Joseph Patrick Kelly, Professor of Literature and Director of Irish and Irish American Studies, College of Charleston

A mural in Derry commemorating the TV show 'Derry Girls,' which follows the lives of teenagers growing up amid Northern Ireland's troubles.Dominic Bryan, CC BY-NC-ND

A 9-year-old boy lies on the floor of a working-class rowhouse in Belfast, Northern Ireland, wondrously watching American Westerns on TV. Outside, though, the world’s gone mad....

Lo que usted come puede reprogramar sus genes: un experto explica la ciencia emergente de la nutrigenómica

Written by Monica Dus, Associate Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan

Junto con las calorías y los nutrientes, los alimentos pueden influir en los diseños genéticos que determinan quién es usted.Maskot via Getty Images

La gente suele asociar la comida con el sustento, las calorías y la energía. Sin embargo, las evidencias científicas más recientes sugieren que...