The Conversation

How trafficked American guns fuel Mexico’s cartel violence – podcast

Written by Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

More than two thirds of guns recovered at Mexican crime scenes originate in the U.S. For decades, Mexico has struggled with staggering levels of gun violence fueled in large part by weapons trafficked across its northern border.

Now an investigation published by The Conversation has arrived at a new estimate of the scale of this illicit gun trade...

More Colorado workplaces are becoming safe places for employees in recovery

Written by Liliana Tenney, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Cliff and Cara Blauvelt, owners of Odie B's sandwich shops in Denver, have created a recovery-friendly workplace thanks in part to a program from the Colorado School of Public Health.Courtesy of BehindTheApronMedia

At Odie B’s, a sandwich shop in Denver, recovery from drug and alcohol use is part of daily operations.

“Seventy percent...

RFK Jr. says annual COVID-19 shots no longer advised for healthy children and pregnant women – a public health expert explains the new guidance

Written by Libby Richards, Professor of Nursing, Purdue University

Until now, the CDC has recommended that everyone ages 6 months and older get a yearly COVID-19 vaccine.Asiaselects via Getty Images

On May 27, 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer include the COVID-19 vaccine on the list of immunizations it...

3 things to watch as South Koreans head toward the polls following turbulent political period

Written by Jong Eun Lee, Assistant Professor, North Greenville University

South Koreans weigh their options at the end of a momentous election season. Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

On June 3, 2025, South Koreans will head to the polls to vote for a new president.

The election caps a particularly turbulent several months in the country’s politics that began with right-wing President Yoon Suk...

Guns bought in the US and trafficked to Mexican drug cartels fuel violence in Mexico and the migration crisis

Written by Sean Campbell, Investigative Journalist, The Conversation

The Mexican security forces tracking Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes – the leader of a deadly drug cartel that has been a top driver of violence in Mexico and narcotic addiction in America – thought they finally had him cornered on May 1, 2015.

Four helicopters carrying an arrest team whirled over the mountains near Mexico’s...

Billy Joel has excess fluid in his brain – a neurologist explains what happens when this protective liquid gets out of balance

Written by Danielle Wilhour, Assistant Professor of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Billy Joel was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus.Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, is a clear, colorless liquid that plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and function of your central nervous system. It cushions the brain and spinal cord, provides nutrients and removes waste products.

Despite its importance,...

Chronic stress contributes to cognitive decline and dementia risk – 2 healthy-aging experts explain what you can do about it

Written by Jennifer E. Graham-Engeland, Professor of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State

Social isolation is often stressful and can affect the aging brain.MixMedia/E+ via Getty Images

The probability of any American having dementia in their lifetime may be far greater than previously thought. For instance, a 2025 study that tracked a large sample of American adults across more than three decades found that their average likelihood of d...

Trump wants to cut funding to sanctuary cities and towns – but they don’t actually violate federal law

Written by Benjamin Gonzalez O'Brien, Associate Professor of Political Science, San Diego State University

While sanctuary policies for immigrants have grown in the U.S. since the 1980s, the Trump administration is the first to challenge them. Marcos Silva/iStock/Getty Images Plus

San Francisco, Chicago and New York are among the major cities – as well as more than 200 small towns and counties and a dozen states – that over the past 40...

The hidden power of cultural exchanges in countering propaganda and fostering international goodwill

Written by Nicholas J. Cull, Professor of Communication, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

The bluegrass group Della Mae plays at an orphanage in Kyrgyzstan on its State Department-sponsored American Music Abroad tour in 2012. Photo: Paul Rockower

At a time when China is believed to spend about US$8 billion annually sending its ideas and culture around the world, President Donald Trump has proposed to cut by 93% the part of the State...

Public health and private equity: What the Walgreens buyout could mean for the future of pharmacy care

Written by Patrick Aguilar, Professor of Practice of Organizational Behavior, Washington University in St. Louis

Pharmacies are more than just stores – they’re vital links between people and their health care.

One of us, Patrick, witnessed this firsthand in 2003 while working as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens in a midsize West Texas town. Each day involved handling hundreds of prescriptions as they moved through the system –...