The Conversation

How to address America's lead crisis and provide safe drinking water for all

Written by Qi Bing, Ph.D. Student in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy, University of California, Irvine

Warning signs in the Newark Health Department after the city learned that lead service lines to houses still were contaminating water. Seth Wenig/AP, CC BY-NC-ND

Since the Flint drinking water crisis erupted five years ago, Americans have realized that many cities and towns struggle to ensure safe water. Currently residents of Newark, New Jersey ar...

The test that could save the life of a long-time smoker you know

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death in the U.S. A test for long-time smokers might be able to detect lung cancer earlier, thereby saving lives. Lightspring/Shutterstock.com

A test called CT lung cancer screening could save the lives of tens of thousands of American smokers and former smokers every year, but only only 4% of those...

Curious Kids: Why do we say 'OK'?

Written by Elly van Gelderen, Professor of English, Arizona State University

It's a simple word with a strange history.Andrii Oleksiienko/shutterstock.com

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Why do we say ‘OK’?

Of all the words in the English language, the word “OK” is pretty new:...

When religious ideology drives abortion policy, poor women suffer the consequences

Written by Gretchen E. Ely, Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Abortion rights supporters in Missouri take part in a protest, after state lawmakers passed rules aimed at closing Missouri's only abortion clinic, May 30, 2019.AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

In Northern Ireland, Catholics and Protestants are frequently segregated, with some neighborhoods divided by barbed wire fences, reflecting deep historical conflicts...

Colombia's peace process under stress: 6 essential reads

Written by Catesby Holmes, Global Affairs Editor, The Conversation US

Three years after negotiating a landmark peace agreement with the Colombian government, a top commander of the now defunct FARC guerrilla group has called for “a new stage in the armed struggle.”

In a 32-minute online video posted Aug. 29, FARC second-in-command Iván Márquez appeared with other rebels in fatigues to...

A new solution for America's empty churches: A change of faith

Written by Ashima Krishna, Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

A 2012 photograph of the Sunrise Church of Christ in Buffalo's East Side. The building has since been demolished.AP Photo/David Duprey

Over the past few decades, vacant and underutilized churches have become a familiar sight in American cities.

In some cases, a congregation or a religious governing body – say, a Catholic diocese – will...

Parents can help kids catch up in reading with a 10-minute daily routine

Written by Kindel Turner Nash, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Instilling a love of booksMonkey Business Images/Shuttertock.com

Because I conduct research about reading, parents often ask me the same question: “What can I do to help my child become a better reader?”

I always give them the same advice: “Read with your children. Enjoy books together, and whatever you do, don’t worry about...

Preparing for hurricanes: 3 essential reads

Written by Martin LaMonica, Deputy Editor, The Conversation

Shoppers prepare ahead of Hurricane Dorian in Pembroke, Florida. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

The National Hurricane Center forecast on Aug. 29 that Hurricane Dorian could make landfall this weekend and bring large amounts of rain, strong winds and potential flooding from storm surge.

Florida has declared a state of emergency and residents are preparing...

How do hospitals know what to do when hurricanes approach?

Written by Daniel B. Hess, Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

This file photo shows a building at the Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart hospital damaged from Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla. in Oct. 11, 2018.David Goldman/AP Photo

We all expect hospitals to be open and operating when we need them, but extreme weather events like hurricanes are a strain on resources and pose significant challenges for...

Surveying archaeologists across the globe reveals deeper and more widespread roots of the human age, the Anthropocene

Written by Ben Marwick, Associate Professor of Archaeology, University of Washington

People have been modifying Earth – as in these rice terraces near Pokhara, Nepal – for millennia.Erle C. Ellis, CC BY-ND

Examples of how human societies are changing the planet abound – from building roads and houses, clearing forests for agriculture and digging train tunnels, to shrinking the ozone layer, driving species extinct,...