The Conversation

In planned EPA cuts, US to lose vital connection to at-risk communities

Written by Deborah Morrison, Professor of Advertising, University of Oregon

Activists, federal workers and union representatives rallied for environmental protection policies at the EPA. American Federation of Government Employees, CC BY

Recent headlines point to a relentless undoing of policy and process within the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Trump budget calls for slashing the EPA budget by an estimated 31...

Fracking comes to the Arctic in a new Alaska oil boom

Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Affiliate Faculty, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

Trans-Alaska Pipeline, northern Brooks Range, Alaska.U.S.Geological Survey/Flickr

Arctic lands and waters hold irresistible allure for global oil companies. Despite opposition from environmental groups and President Obama’s 2016 ban on drilling in federal Arctic waters, exploration in Alaska has revealed massive new volumes of oil.

This comes...

Venezuela has lost its democratic facade

Written by Laura Gamboa, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Utah State University

Although the Venezuelan government has become increasingly authoritarian since the early 2000s, last week was the first time it openly attacked democracy.

On March 29, the Venezuelan Supreme Court, controlled by the executive branch, took over the functions of the National Assembly. Although this is not the first time the Venezuelan government...

Is temptation such a bad thing?

Written by Mathew Schmalz, Associate Professor of Religion, College of the Holy Cross

What is the true nature of temptation?EightBitTony, CC BY-NC

The Washington Post recently published a profile on Karen Pence, the “prayer-warrior wife” of Vice President Mike Pence. The piece cited information on the Pences’ marriage: specifically that Mike Pence will not dine with a woman, or be present where alcohol is served,...

Don't believe everything you hear about pesticides on fruits and vegetables

Written by Michael P. Holsapple, Director and Endowed Chair of Center for Research on Ingredient Safety, Michigan State University

Three-quarters of Americans don't eat enough fruits and vegetables.Cropped from jwajennalex/flickr, CC BY

Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes another growing season. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help lower calorie intake; reduce risks for heart disease, obesity and Type 2 diabetes; and protect against certain...

Large-scale fracking comes to the Arctic in a new Alaska oil boom

Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Affiliate Faculty, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

Trans-Alaska Pipeline, northern Brooks Range, Alaska.U.S.Geological Survey/Flickr

This comes...

Is the Supreme Court acting less like a court?

Written by Daniel N. Rockmore, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Computational Science, and Computer Science, Dartmouth College

Have the Supreme Court's rulings changed over time?UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA

As the pinnacle of the judicial branch, the U.S. Supreme Court is necessarily involved in some of the highest-profile, most controversial and most political cases across the country. And it is one of the most widely respected government institutions in the country. Some of its...

Fishing for DNA: Free-floating eDNA identifies presence and abundance of ocean life

Written by Mark Stoeckle, Senior Research Associate in the Program for the Human Environment, The Rockefeller University

Fish leave bits of DNA behind that researchers can collect.Mark Stoeckle/Diane Rome Peebles images, CC BY-ND

Ocean life is largely hidden from view. Monitoring what lives where is costly – typically requiring big boats, big nets, skilled personnel and plenty of time. An emerging technology using what’s called environmental DNA gets...

Watching the planet breathe: Studying Earth's carbon cycle from space

Written by Berrien Moore III, Vice President, Weather & Climate Programs; Dean, College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences; Director, National Weather Center, University of Oklahoma

Average carbon dioxide concentrations, Oct. 1 - Nov. 11, 2014, measured by the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite.NASA

Carbon is a building block of life on our planet. It is stored in reservoirs on Earth – in rocks, plants and soil – in the oceans, and in the atmosphere. And it cycles constantly between these reservoirs.

Understand...

How workers – not companies – are bearing the growing burden of government

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Economist and Research Scientist, The Ohio State University

Tax day is here once more, and tens of millions of Americans will rush to file their income taxes by this year’s deadline of April 18 (rather than April 15 for a variety of reasons).

Although most of us probably identify the federal income tax with the revenue that ultimately fills the goverment’s coffers and allows it to spend our...