The Conversation

Yes, websites really are starting to look more similar

Written by Sam Goree, PhD Student in Informatics, Indiana University

There's a creeping conformity taking place on the web.Mint Images via Getty Images

Over the past few years, articles and blog posts have started to ask some version of the same question: “Why are all websites starting to look the same?”

These posts usually point out some common design elements, from large images with superimposed text,...

How does a baby 'breathe' while inside its mom?

Written by Julie Pollock, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond

Her deep breath has to get to the baby.electravk/Moment via Getty Images

“Mothering” is synonymous with “nurturing,” probably because moms start providing for their kids even before they’re born.

A fetus relies on its mother to provide all the essentials. The placenta is key here; this organ develops in the uterus and...

Teenagers reveal what they really think of Donald Trump

Written by Aaron Metzger, Associate Professor of Psychology, West Virginia University

President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally in February.Mario Tama/Getty Images

Teenagers in the United States are informed about their political world and capable of effectively evaluating political leaders, including President Donald Trump.

This statement runs counter to stereotypes that adults tend to hold about teens. Ask most adults to...

Both conservatives and liberals want a green energy future, but for different reasons

Written by Deidra Miniard, PhD Student in Environmental Science, Indiana University

Wind turbines in the first rays of sunlight at the Saddleback Ridge Wind Project in Carthage, Maine, March 20, 2019.AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Political divisions are a growing fixture in the United States today, whether the topic is marriage across party lines, responding to climate change or concern about coronavirus exposure. Especially in a...

It’s Hurricane Preparedness Week, and communities aren't ready for both coronavirus and a disaster

Written by Mark Abkowitz, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Environmental Management Studies, Vanderbilt University

It's hard to avoid close contact during a hurricane evacuation and recovery.Mehdi Taamallah/AFP/Getty Images

Hurricane season is only weeks away, and many communities are only now considering how to handle a large-scale disaster on top of the coronavirus pandemic.

Forecasters are warning of a more active than usual Atlantic hurricane season, which...

Your genes could determine whether the coronavirus puts you in the hospital – and we're starting to unravel which ones matter

Written by Austin Nguyen, PhD Candidate in Computational Biology and Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University

The relationship between the coronavirus and human genetics is murky. fatido/E+ via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

When some people become infected with the coronavirus, they only develop mild or undetectable cases of COVID-19. Others suffer severe symptoms, fighting to breathe on a...

The mysterious disappearance of the first SARS virus, and why we need a vaccine for the current one but didn't for the other

Written by Marilyn J. Roossinck, Professor of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, Pennsylvania State University

Visitors look at new anti-SARS outfits for medical workers on display Thursday Nov. 6, 2003 in Shanghai, China, as the country braced for a resurgence. The disease never made a comeback.AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

Some people question why the current coronavirus has brought the world to standstill while a previous deadly coronavirus, SARS, did not.

Othe...

Coronavirus is giving smokers incentive to quit, and social distancing could help them do it

Written by Amy Harrington, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Research shows smoking or vaping can make coronavirus illnesses worse.krisanapong detraphiphat via Getty Images

The coronavirus pandemic is giving smokers more reasons to give up the habit, and it’s creating a unique window of opportunity to do so.

As a medical doctor working in addiction psychiatry, I work with a lot of patients who smoke or...

Exercise may help reduce risk of deadly COVID-19 complication: ARDS

Written by Zhen Yan, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Virginia

Exercise has many benefits, including boosting defenses against complications that occur during SARS-CoV-2 infections. Julien McRoberts / Getty Images

Scientists are constantly revealing newly discovered benefits of exercise. In experiments over the past 10 years, my research has found that exercise can help with a respiratory problem known as...

Global sea piracy ticks upward, and the coronavirus may make it worse

Written by Brandon Prins, Professor of Political Science & Global Security Fellow at the Howard Baker Center, University of Tennessee

Suspected pirates surrender to the U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of Somalia in 2009.LCDR Tyson Weinert/U.S. Coast Guard

In early April, eight armed raiders boarded the container ship Fouma as it entered the port of Guayaquil, Ecuador. They fired warning shots toward the ship’s bridge, boarded the ship and opened several shipping containers,...