The Conversation

Want to prevent lone wolf terrorism? Promote a 'sense of belonging'

Written by Robert F. Barsky, Professor of English and French Literatures, and Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University

This September, as they start the school year, French children aged 14 years old and upwards are going to get lessons on how to deal with a terrorism attack on their school. Meanwhile, the debate over the ban on wearing burkinis and whether they are, in the words of France’s prime minister, “a political sign of religious...

The U.S. wants Costa Rica to host refugees before they cross the border. Here's why

Written by Caitlin Fouratt, Professor of International Studies, California State University, Long Beach

San José, Costa Rica.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Violence in Central America continues to push its citizens to seek refuge.

In July, the U.S. government announced a plan for Costa Rica to temporarily host up to 200 refugees from Central America while they are processed for placement in the U.S. or elsewhere.

Violence is an ongoing problem in...

Obama's Hawaiian marine preserve: Massive potential, monumental challenges

Written by Char Miller, W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis, Pomona College

The endangered Hawaiian monk seal is one of the 7,000 species that gained a measure of protection. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CC BY

President Obama’s environmental record just went big. On August 26, he quadrupled the size of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the center of the Pacific Ocean, northwest of...

Is the Trans-Pacific Partnership dead? Seven essential reads

Written by Bryan Keogh, Editor, Economics and Business, The Conversation

President Obama plans to make a last-ditch push to get Congress to approve his signature Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal by urging senators to pass it in a lame-duck session after the election. The chances of that happening appear slim at best, however. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already indicated he won’t bring it...

Are US antitrust regulators giving Silicon Valley's 'free' apps a free pass?

Written by John Newman, Professor of Law, University of Memphis

Judging by the political winds, Silicon Valley seems headed for a showdown with antitrust regulators.

For the first time since 1988, the Democratic Party’s platform includes stronger antitrust enforcement, while leading liberals have singled out Google, Apple and Facebook for holding too much market power.

Republicans considered (but ultimately...

Curing health care with a dose of big data and common sense

Written by Marschall Runge, Dean, School of Medicine, University of Michigan

Doctors are learning new ways to help patients. From www.shuttertock.com

While commanding four vessels sailing between England and India in 1601, Captain James Lancaster performed one of the great experiments in medical history. Each of the seamen on just one ship – his own, of course – was required to sip three teaspoons of lemon juice...

The most important dam you probably haven't heard of

Written by Jennifer Drake, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Large dams are major nation-building projects. They harness power to generate energy, provide water for large-scale irrigation and can help control flooding. And politicians often describe them as symbols of national power and technical prowess.

The early 20th century is known as the “golden age” of dam building in the United States....

Why has Japan's massacre of disabled gone unnoticed? For answers, look to the past

Written by Rachel Adams, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University

Is there an ongoing ambivalence toward people living with disabilities?James Emery, CC BY

On July 26, 2016 a man wielding a knife broke into Tsukui Yamayuriena, a home for the disabled outside of Tokyo and brutally murdered 19 people as they slept, while injuring another 26. Afterwards, he turned himself in to a local police station, with the...

Guns in Donald Trump's America

Written by Jonathan M. Metzl, Director, Center for Medicine, Health, and Society; Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University

Donald Trump’s new outreach to “minority voters” is already showing signs of strain.

Soon after the shooting death of Nykea Aldridge, cousin of basketball star Dwyane Wade, Trump sent a controversial tweet:

Trump’s missive drew widespread condemnation for its opportunism and insensitivity, particularly in the context of...

Finding better ways to get hydrogen fuel from water

Written by Peter Byrley, Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical Engineering, University of California, Riverside

Hydrogen fueling stations like this could become more common if materials scientists and other researchers keep pushing for new breakthroughs.fueling station photo via shutterstock.com

With hydrogen power stations in California, a new Japanese consumer car and portable hydrogen fuel cells for electronics, hydrogen as a zero emission fuel source is...