The Conversation

2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: a turning point in the war on cancer

Written by Duane Mitchell, Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Florida

James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo win the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their foundational work on cancer immunotherapy.The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Kyoto University, CC BY-SA

There are moments in the history of scientific achievement that benchmark the end of an era and the beginning of a new phase of...

Kavanaugh sexual assault hearing evokes early Soviet mock trials

Written by Erica Stone Drennan, Ph.D. Candidate in Russian Literature, Columbia University

Across the world, allegations of sexual assault have hinged on women's credibility.Michael Reynolds/Pool Photo via AP

Before last week’s Senate judiciary hearing into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was scheduled, Republican Senator John Cornyn complained that the proceedings would amount to a “sh...

Heat is a serious threat to dairy cows – we're finding innovative ways to keep them cool

Written by Alycia Drwencke, Graduate Student, University of California, Davis

Cooling dairy cows with fans and misters at Pacheco Dairy in Kerman, Calif., during a heat wave in 2006. AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian

California is the nation’s top milk-producing state and home to nearly 1.8 million dairy cows. California is also hot, especially for cows, which have trouble keeping cool when the weather gets warm. And when cows...

Why we're training the next generation of lawyers in big data

Written by Anne Tucker, Associate Professor of Law, Georgia State University

Man and machine.Africa Studio/shutterstock

Artificial intelligence is transforming the traditional delivery of legal services.

In general terms, the set of tools broadly called “legal analytics” promises to do two things: increase the efficiency of tasks that once required substantial time and human effort, and mine masses of data to...

Safe, efficient self-driving cars could block walkable, livable communities

Written by Daniel Piatkowski, Assistant Professor of Community and Regional Planning, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

When cyclists take over road lanes, self-driving cars will operate less efficiently.Can Balcioglu/Shutterstock.com

Almost exactly a decade ago, I was cycling in a bike lane when a car hit me from behind. Luckily, I suffered only a couple bruised ribs and some road rash. But ever since, I have felt my pulse rise when I hear a car coming up behind my...

The Catholic Church resists change – but Vatican II shows it's possible

Written by Melissa Wilde, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania

Pope Francis has asked the heads of every bishops’ conference around the world to gather for a summit in February to discuss the issue of sexual abuse in the church.

Even as the pope takes these steps, debates continue about what he knew and whether there was a better way of dealing with the perpetrators of abuse. There have been many...

Brett Kavanaugh goes to the movies

Written by Marsha Gordon, Professor of Film Studies, North Carolina State University

Scenes from 'Grease 2' that may have garnered laughs in the 1980s are cringe-worthy by today's standards.Paramount Pictures

I’m a film studies professor, so when I first saw an image of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s June 1982 calendar, I immediately noticed his movie plans.

In between exams, a beach trip, basketball camp and...

Kids with cellphones more likely to be bullies – or get bullied. Here are 6 tips for parents

Written by Elizabeth Englander, Professor of Psychology, and the Director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC), Bridgewater State University

Cellphones carry certain risks for elementary school students.Rido/www.shutterstock.com

Each year, more parents send their young child to elementary school equipped with a smartphone.

For instance, the percentage of third-graders who reported having their own cellphone more than doubled from 19 percent in 2013 to 45 percent in 2017. Similar...

Ruth Bader Ginsburg helped shape the modern era of women's rights – before she went on the Supreme Court

Written by Jonathan Entin, Professor Emeritus of Law and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Case Western Reserve University

Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg paying a courtesy call on Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., left, and Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., in June 1993, before her confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. AP/Marcy Nighswander

As the debate about the treatment of women rages across the United States, one Supreme Court nominee arrived at her confirmation...

Most men do not perpetrate sexual violence against women

Written by Joan M. Cook, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University

Most men are not sexual predators and enjoy the closeness of the people they love. Pink Panda/Shutterstock.com

With at least three women accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, and the 81-year-old comedian Bill Cosby sentenced Sept. 25 to three to 10 years in prison for sexual assault, it might seem like predatory men...