The Conversation

Heteronormativity in health care is harmful for LGBTQ+ patients – and a source of tension for queer and trans doctors

Written by William Robertson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Memphis

Expectations of prejudice and discrimination can lead LGBTQ+ patients to avoid seeking health care.Nadzeya Haroshka/iStock via Getty Images

Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community have long experienced prejudice in medical settings. This can range from microaggressions, such as comments that a patient doesn’t...

Companies that frack for oil and gas can keep a lot of information secret – but what they disclose shows widespread use of hazardous chemicals

Written by Vivian R. Underhill, Postdoctoral Researcher in social Science and Environmental Health, Northeastern University

A deep injection well used for disposal of fracking wastewater in Kern County, Calif.Citizens of the Planet/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

From rural Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, more than 17 million Americans live within a mile of at least one oil or gas well. Since 2014, most new oil and gas wells have been fracked.

Frack...

Migrant deaths in Mexico put spotlight on US policy that shifted immigration enforcement south

Written by Raquel Aldana, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Diversity and Professor of Law, University of California, Davis

Mourners gather outside a detention center in Ciudad Juarez.David Peinado/picture alliance via Getty Images

The fire-related deaths of at least 39 migrants in a detention facility in Ciudad Juarez, just across the U.S. border with Mexico, will likely be found to have had several contributing factors.

There was the immediate cause of the blaze, the...

Trump's indictment stretches US legal system in new ways – a former prosecutor explains 4 key points to understand

Written by Jeffrey Bellin, Mills E. Godwin, Jr., Professor of Law, William & Mary Law School

A supporter of former President Donald Trump protests the indictment announcement near Mar-a-Lago, Fla., on March 31, 2023. Chandan Khan/AFP via Getty Images

When former President Donald Trump turns himself over to authorities in New York on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, and is arraigned, the charges on which a Manhattan grand jury indicted him will...

Declines in math readiness underscore the urgency of math awareness

Written by Manil Suri, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Math scores plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic. What will it take to raise them back up?Ridofranz / iStock / Getty Images Plus

When President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Math Awareness Week in April 1986, one of the problems he cited was that too few students were devoted to the study of math.

“Despite the increasing...

Eating disorders among teens have more than doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic – here's what to watch for

Written by Sydney Hartman-Munick, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, UMass Chan Medical School

The traditional assumption that eating disorders primarily affect affluent white women has led to stigma, stereotyping and misunderstanding. toondelamour/E+ via Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with worsening mental health among teens, including increasing numbers of patients with eating disorders. In fact, research indicates...

This course uses science fiction to understand politics

Written by Nicole Pankiewicz, Assistant Professor of Political Science, College of Coastal Georgia

Science fiction offers a glimpse of what governments of the world are – and can become.agsandrew via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“Politics and Science Fiction”

What prompted the idea for the course?

While watching...

FDA approval of over-the-counter Narcan is an important step in the effort to combat the US opioid crisis

Written by Lucas Berenbrok, Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh

The use of naloxone administered by nasal spray can be a lifesaving drug with minimal side effects.TG23/iStock via Getty Images Plus

On March 29, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan for over-the-counter sale. Narcan is the 4-milligram nasal spray version of naloxone, a medication that can quickly counteract an opioid...

Nashville attack renews calls for assault weapons ban – data shows there were fewer mass shooting deaths during an earlier 10-year prohibition

Written by Michael J. Klein, Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, New York University

Gun control activists rally in Nashville, Tenn.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The shooting deaths of three children and three adults inside a Nashville school has put further pressure on Congress to look at imposing a ban on so-called assault weapons. Such a prohibition would be designed cover the types of guns that the suspect legally...

Ancient DNA is restoring the origin story of the Swahili people of the East African coast

Written by Chapurukha Kusimba, Professor of Anthropology, University of South Florida

How are people today related to those who lived centuries ago in the Swahili civilization? The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

The legacy of the medieval Swahili civilization is a source of extraordinary pride in East Africa, as reflected in its language being the official tongue of Kenya, Tanzania and even inland...