The Conversation

How social ties make us resilient to trauma

Written by Daniel P. Aldrich, Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Director, Security and Resilience Program, Northeastern University

Manchester, England, May 23, 2017, the day after the suicide attack at an Ariana Grande concert that left 22 people dead. AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

The May 22 suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester, England has claimed at least 22 lives. Once again we find ourselves mourning the loss of innocents and wondering how our societies can find...

How childhood trauma can affect mental and physical health into adulthood

Written by Shanta R. Dube, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Georgia State University

Childhood trauma can have an impact across generations.ambrozinio/Shutterstock

Editor’s Note: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This article is the first in a series exploring how research into adverse childhood experiences – or ACEs – is helping therapists, parents, educators and the medical community better understand the...

How Trump and Tom Price can kill Obamacare without the Senate

Written by Simon Haeder, Assistant Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University

Pres. Trump and HHS Secretary Tom Price in the Oval Office on March 24, 2017, the day the original version of the AHCA was pulled. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Senate leadership has indicated that passage of the American Health Care Act “will not be quick,” but it may not matter.

Individual insurance markets already are shaky, in limbo...

Getting ready for hurricane season: 6 essential reads

Written by Jennifer Weeks, Editor, Environment and Energy, The Conversation

All tropical cyclones in the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, with their locations shown at six-hour intervals and color representing maximum wind speed.Cyclonebiskit/Wikipedia

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories.

June 1 marks the start of Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November. While hurricanes can...

What is the Shia-Sunni divide?

Written by Ken Chitwood, Ph.D. Student, Religion in the Americas, Global Islam, University of Florida

The Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, when both Shia and Sunni Muslims come together to pray.Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA

In his address in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, May 21, while calling on Muslim leaders to lead the fight against terrorism, President Donald Trump identified Iran as a despotic state giving safe harbor and financing terror in the Middle...

Neuromechanics of flamingos' amazing feats of balance

Written by Lena Ting, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Medicine, Division of Physical Therapy, Emory University

How do they do while sleeping what we can barely do at all?Carlos Bustamante Restrepo, CC BY-NC-ND

If you’ve watched flamingos at the zoo – or if you’re lucky, in the wild – you’ve likely wondered how flamingos manage to sleep standing on one leg.

Of course, as humans, we think standing on one leg is hard because...

Helping military service members complete college

Written by Jonathan Smith, Assistant Professor of Economics, Georgia State University

Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com

Every year, over half a million military service members and veterans enroll in undergraduate institutions. Only about half leave with a certificate or degree.

Getting a college degree can help graduates get jobs and earn higher wages, but veterans and active military service members may face obstacles on their way to...

Trump budget would abandon public education for private choice

Written by Derek Black, Professor of Law, University of South Carolina

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and President Donald Trump participate in a round-table discussion during a visit to Saint Andrew Catholic School in Miami. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The Trump administration has announced its plan to transform education funding as we know it. The new budget proposal takes aim at a host of elementary, secondary and...

Trump's Saudi Arabia speech confirms massive shift in US foreign policy

Written by Dennis Jett, Professor of International Relations, Pennsylvania State University

President Donald Trump studiously avoided the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism” in his speech at the Arab Islamic American Summit in Saudi Arabia on May 21.

He instead accentuated the positive, calling the meeting a “historic and unprecedented gathering of leaders – unique in the history of nations” and stressing...

What is terrorism? What do terrorists want?

Written by Frederic Lemieux, Professor of the Practice and Faculty Director of the Master's in Applied Intelligence, Georgetown University

Editor’s note: The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack at the Manchester Arena that claimed at least 22 lives and hospitalized 59 more people. One victim was just eight years old. The mayor of Manchester called the attack “an evil act.”

Because the media often sensationalizes terrorism and authorities tend to...