The Conversation

A restart of nuclear testing offers little scientific value to the US and would benefit other countries

Written by Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress, Scientist-in-Residence and Adjunct Professor, Middlebury

Hundreds of nuclear weapons have been tested by the U.S. since WWII, but newer science has replaced the need for live detonations. Galerie Bilderwelt / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

July 15, 2020 marks 75 years since the detonation of the first nuclear bomb. The Trinity Test, in New Mexico’s Jornada del Muerto desert, proved that the design...

4 things students should know about their health insurance and COVID-19 before heading to college this fall

Written by Paul Shafer, Assistant Professor, Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University

College students should weigh their health insurance options if they take in-person classes this fall.Geber86/GettyImages

As colleges and universities decide whether or not to reopen their campuses this fall, much of the discussion has focused on the ethics behind the decision and the associated health risks of in-person instruction.

As a researcher...

Duckweed is an incredible, radiation-fighting astronaut food – and by changing how it is grown, we made it better

Written by Barbara Demmig-Adams, Professor of Plant Ecology and Molecular Biology, University of Colorado Boulder

The tiny floating duckweed plant is uniquely suited to meet the nutritional needs of astronauts.Dr. Jared J. Stewart, CC BY-ND

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

What’s the big idea?

Current industrialized food systems were optimized for a single goal – growing the maximum amount of food for the least...

Why does white always go first in chess?

Written by Daaim Shabazz, Associate Professor of International Business, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

The white-moves-first rule became standard in the late 1800s.Nupat Arjkla / EyeEm / Getty Images

Editor’s note: The recent protests over racism have rekindled a longstanding discussion about whether chess promotes white privilege with its rule that the first move always goes to the player with the white pieces. In this Q&A, Daaim Shabazz,...

An argument for gene drive technology to genetically control insects like mosquitoes and locusts

Written by Isobel Ronai, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Sydney

Swarms of locusts are seen on a tree in a residential area in the southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta on June 12, 2020. BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

The fate of society rests in part on how humans navigate their complicated relationship with insects – trying to save “good” insects and control “bad” ones. Some...

An argument for gene drive technology to genetically control populations of insects like mosquitoes and locusts

Written by Isobel Ronai, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Sydney

Swarms of locusts are seen on a tree in a residential area in the southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta on June 12, 2020. BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

The fate of society rests in part on how humans navigate their complicated relationship with insects – trying to save “good” insects and control “bad” ones. Some...

Why Buddhist monks collect alms and visit households even in times of social distancing

Written by Thomas Borchert, Professor of Religion, University of Vermont

Monks socially distancing as they go about their daily alms rounds while dressed in face masks as well as robes have become a common sight during the coronavirus pandemic in Thailand. Pictures in Thai media show the efforts monks and their lay supporters are making in maintaining social distance, as they carry on with the practice nonetheless.

I...

As coronavirus cases spike in the South, Northeast seems to have the pandemic under control - here's what changed

Written by Taison Bell, Physician and Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

Face masks and social distancing have become the norm in New York City.Noam Galai/Getty Images

“Hospital Capacity Crosses Tipping Point in U.S. Coronavirus Hot Spots” – Wall Street Journal

This is a headline I hoped to not see again after the number of coronavirus infections had finally started to decline in the Northeast and...

COVID-19 has resurrected single-use plastics – are they back to stay?

Written by Jessica Heiges, PhD Candidate in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley

Volunteers load plastic bags for a weekly food pantry service in Everett, Mass., May 10, 2020. Everett has some of the highest COVID-19 infections rates in the state.Joseph Prezioso /AFP via Getty Images

COVID-19 is changing how the U.S. disposes of waste. It is also threatening hard-fought victories that restricted or eliminated single-use...

Is bar soap as gross as millennials say? Not really, and we're all covered with microbes anyway

Written by Michelle Sconce Massaquoi, Doctoral Candidate in Microbiology, University of Oregon

One thing everyone agrees on: Hand-washing helps prevent the spread of the coronavirus.Getty Images / Isabel Pavia

Mask-wearing has divided the country, but hand-washing – one might think – is something virtually everyone would agree on. Hand-washing, after all, is one of the most critical parts of preventing the spread of infectious...