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Salty foods are making people sick − in part by poisoning their microbiomes

  • Written by Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington
imageSalt has taken over many diets worldwide -- some more than others.ATU Images/The Image Bank via Getty Images

People have been using salt since the dawn of civilization to process, preserve and enhance foods. In ancient Rome, salt was so central to commerce that soldiers were paid their “salarium,” or salaries, in salt, for instance.

Salt...

Read more: Salty foods are making people sick − in part by poisoning their microbiomes

NASA’s search for life on Mars: a rocky road for its rovers, a long slog for scientists – and back on Earth, a battle of the budget

  • Written by Amy J. Williams, Assistant Professor of Geology, University of Florida

Is or was there life on Mars? That profound question is so complex that it will not be fully answered by the two NASA rovers now exploring it.

But because of the literal groundwork the rovers are performing, scientists are finally investigating, in-depth and in unprecedented detail, the planet’s evidence for life, known as its “biosigna...

Read more: NASA’s search for life on Mars: a rocky road for its rovers, a long slog for scientists – and back...

National parks teach students about environmental issues in this course

  • Written by Seth T. Kannarr, PhD Student in Geography, University of Tennessee
imageTKJohn Hudson Photography via Getty Imagesimage

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

Title of course:

Environmental Issues in National Parks

What prompted the idea for the course?

The University of Tennessee is a natural fit for this course, with the Great Smoky Mountains...

Read more: National parks teach students about environmental issues in this course

US attempt to ‘revitalize’ Palestinian Authority risks making the PA less legitimate, more unpopular

  • Written by Dana El Kurd, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond
imageU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meet on Nov. 30, 2023.Saul Loeb/Pool via AP

Gaza is still very much in the midst of war, yet discussion is turning to “the day after” the conflict – and who will govern the war-ravaged territory.

The Biden administration has said that a full...

Read more: US attempt to ‘revitalize’ Palestinian Authority risks making the PA less legitimate, more unpopular

In Kyrgyzstan, creeping authoritarianism rubs up against proud tradition of people power

  • Written by Keith Brown, Professor of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University
imagePresidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan loom over the people of Bishkek.Contributor/Getty Images

The people of Kyrgyzstan have a well-earned reputation for “street democracy.”

Since emerging from the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, citizens in the Central Asian republic have taken it upon...

Read more: In Kyrgyzstan, creeping authoritarianism rubs up against proud tradition of people power

Chinese migration to US is nothing new – but the reasons for recent surge at Southern border are

  • Written by Meredith Oyen, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageChinese migrants wait for a boat after having walked across the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama.AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko

The brief closure of the Darien Gap – a perilous 66-mile jungle journey linking South American and Central America – in February 2024 temporarily halted one of the Western Hemisphere’s busiest migration...

Read more: Chinese migration to US is nothing new – but the reasons for recent surge at Southern border are

Vaccine-skeptical mothers say bad health care experiences made them distrust the medical system

  • Written by Johanna Richlin, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Maine
imageWomen's own negative medical experiences influence their vaccine decisions for their kids.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Why would a mother reject safe, potentially lifesaving vaccines for her child?

Popular writing on vaccine skepticism often denigrates white and middle-class mothers who reject some or all recommended vaccines as hysterical, misinformed,...

Read more: Vaccine-skeptical mothers say bad health care experiences made them distrust the medical system

Are private conversations truly private? A cybersecurity expert explains how end-to-end encryption protects you

  • Written by Robin Chataut, Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity and Computer Science, Quinnipiac University
imageSeveral popular messaging apps, including Messenger, Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp, use end-to-end encryption. Open Rights Group/Flickr, CC BY-SA

Imagine opening your front door wide and inviting the world to listen in on your most private conversations. Unthinkable, right? Yet, in the digital realm, people inadvertently leave doors ajar,...

Read more: Are private conversations truly private? A cybersecurity expert explains how end-to-end encryption...

Should people suffering from mental illness be eligible for medically assisted death? Canada plans to legalize that in 2027 – a philosopher explains the core questions

  • Written by Maria Kulp, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Gonzaga University
imageIn advocates' eyes, expanding access to a medically assisted death helps people protect their autonomy at a crucial time.Eva HM/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Imagine that you have lived with an illness for years. The suffering this illness has caused is devastating – so much that you wish to die. You no longer feel like the person you were...

Read more: Should people suffering from mental illness be eligible for medically assisted death? Canada plans...

Why do trees need sunlight? An environmental scientist explains photosynthesis

  • Written by Rebekah Stein, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Quinnipiac University
imageThe reason trees need sunlight is the same reason their leaves are green. Scottb211/Flickr, CC BYimage

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 trees need sunlight? – Tillman, age 9, Asheville, North Carolina

Trees need...

Read more: Why do trees need sunlight? An environmental scientist explains photosynthesis

More Articles ...

  1. Ancient Rome successfully fought against voter intimidation − a political story told on a coin that resonates today
  2. Ramadan will be difficult for those in Gaza or other war zones – what does fasting mean for those who might be already starving?
  3. I’m a political scientist, and the Alabama Supreme Court’s IVF ruling turned me into a reproductive-rights refugee
  4. Is the National Guard a solution to school violence?
  5. How ‘hometown associations’ help immigrants support their communities in the US and back in their homelands
  6. The failures of ‘Oppenheimer’ and the ascent of the foreign film – 6 essential reads for the Oscars
  7. Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill, will be on shelves soon − here are some key things to know
  8. April’s eclipse will mean interruptions in solar power generation, which could strain electrical grids
  9. Teenagers often know when their parents are having money problems − and that knowledge is linked to mental health challenges, new research finds
  10. Asthma meds have become shockingly unaffordable − but relief may be on the way
  11. Immune cells can adapt to invading pathogens, deciding whether to fight now or prepare for the next battle
  12. What families need to know about how to safely store firearms at home
  13. UAW’s Southern strategy: Union revs up drive to get workers employed by foreign automakers to join its ranks
  14. Rare access to hammerhead shark embryos reveals secrets of its unique head development
  15. Centuries after Christine de Pizan wrote a book railing against misogyny, Taylor Swift is building her own ‘City of Ladies’
  16. Despite its big night at the Oscars, ‘Oppenheimer’ is a disappointment and a lost opportunity
  17. Biden defends immigration policy during State of the Union, blaming Republicans in Congress for refusing to act
  18. Detroiters more likely to support local solar power development if they think it reduces energy prices for their community
  19. Femicide in Italy: A modern phenomenon deeply rooted in country’s cultural past
  20. What is a frozen embryo worth? Alabama’s IVF case reflects bigger questions over grieving and wrongful death laws
  21. A Barbie dollhouse and a field trip led me to become an architect − now I lead a program that teaches architecture to mostly young women in South Central Los Angeles
  22. I watched Hungary’s democracy dissolve into authoritarianism as a member of parliament − and I see troubling parallels in Trumpism and its appeal to workers
  23. Titanosaurs were the biggest land animals Earth’s ever seen − these plant-powered dinos combined reptile and mammal traits
  24. High-energy laser weapons: A defense expert explains how they work and what they are used for
  25. Cherry blossoms – celebrated in Japan for centuries and gifted to Americans – are an appreciation of impermanence and spring
  26. How Florida’s home insurance market became so dysfunctional, so fast
  27. SEC approves first US climate disclosure rules: Why the requirements are much weaker than planned and what they mean for companies
  28. Sharks, turtles and other sea creatures face greater risk from industrial fishing than previously thought − we estimated added pressure from ‘dark’ fishing vessels
  29. Emotion-tracking AI on the job: Workers fear being watched – and misunderstood
  30. Oppenheimer feared nuclear annihilation – and only a chance pause by a Soviet submariner kept it from happening in 1962
  31. The Black history knowledge gap is widening – and GOP politicians are making it worse
  32. President Yoon is lauded in West for embracing Japan − in South Korea it fits a conservative agenda that is proving less popular
  33. Tattooing has held a long tradition in Christianity − dating back to Jesus’ crucifixion
  34. Reeling religion: From anime and sci-fi to rom-coms, films are full of faith in unexpected places
  35. How the Academy Awards became ‘the biggest international fashion show free-for-all’
  36. After Super Tuesday, exhausted Americans face 8 more months of presidential campaigning
  37. The Anthropocene is not an epoch − but the age of humans is most definitely underway
  38. Plight of migrant laborers killed, held hostage in Middle East exposes Israel’s reliance on overseas workforce
  39. Arctic rivers face big changes with a warming climate, permafrost thaw and an accelerating water cycle − the effects will have global consequences
  40. Donations by top 50 US donors fell again in 2023, sliding to $12B − Mike Bloomberg, Phil and Penny Knight, and Michael and Susan Dell led the list of biggest givers
  41. Michigan Gov. Whitmer proposes a caregiver tax credit − an idea many Americans support
  42. Hispanic health disparities in the US trace back to the Spanish Inquisition
  43. Lithium-ion batteries don’t work well in the cold − a battery researcher explains the chemistry at low temperatures
  44. How age-friendly universities can improve the second half of life
  45. Can witches fly? A historian unpacks the medieval invention − and skepticism − of the witch on a broomstick
  46. Scorsese’s gods of the streets: From ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ to ‘Silence,’ faith is rarely far off in his films
  47. Robber flies track their beetle prey using tiny microbursts of movement
  48. Bradley Cooper, Cillian Murphy and the myths of Method acting
  49. The Constitution sets some limits on the people’s choices for president - but the Supreme Court rules it’s unconstitutional for state governments to decide on Trump’s qualifications
  50. ¿Arrepentimiento transgénero? una investigación pone en duda los relatos sobre las cirugías de reasignación de sexo