The Conversation

Will anyone protect the Rohingya?

Written by Vincent A. Auger, Professor of Political Science, Western Illinois University

Since August, the Rohingya, an ethnic minority in Myanmar, has faced what a United Nations official called “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”

Recent reports describe a campaign by Myanmar security forces to drive the Rohingya from the country permanently. Hundreds of thousands have fled to camps in neighboring Bangladesh, creatin...

It's not just O'Reilly and Weinstein: Sexual violence is a 'global pandemic'

Written by Valerie Dobiesz, Emergency Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Director of External Programs STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation, Core Faculty Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University

The recent exposure of widespread sexual predation in the American media industry, from Harvey Weinstein to Bill O'Reilly, has elicited shock and sparked debate on violence against women in the United States.

Sexual harassment isn’t the exclusive domain of show biz big shots. It remains alarmingly prevalent nationwide, even as other crimes...

The mental health toll of Puerto Rico's prolonged power outages

Written by Shao Lin, Professor of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York

Plush toys, recovered from a flooded home, hang out to dry on a wrought iron gate in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.Ramon Espinosa/AP

More than a month has passed since Hurricane Maria’s initial landfall in Puerto Rico, but around 80 percent of the island still remains without power.

As residents grapple with the immediate damage, it’s...

Cosmic alchemy: Colliding neutron stars show us how the universe creates gold

Written by Duncan Brown, Professor of Physics, Syracuse University

Illustration of hot, dense, expanding cloud of debris stripped from the neutron stars just before they collided.NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab, CC BY

For thousands of years, humans have searched for a way to turn matter into gold. Ancient alchemists considered this precious metal to be the highest form of matter. As human knowledge...

How companies can learn to root out sexual harassment

Written by Katina Sawyer, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Villanova University

Sexual harassment scandals have altered and cut short many careers, including those of former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly (left), former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick (center) and late former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes.AP Photo

Fox News renewed its contract with former host Bill O'Reilly earlier this year despite knowing that he had just settled an...

California needs to rethink urban fire risk after wine country tragedy

Written by Max Moritz, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Wildland Fire, University of California, Berkeley

Picking up the pieces after fire devastated the city of Santa Rose, California. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

We recently witnessed the wind-driven Tubbs fire blast its way through densely urbanized neighborhoods in Northern California, causing dozens of fatalities and thousands of home losses. This tragic event easily ranks as the most catastrophic fire in...

A new clue into treatments for triple negative breast cancer, a mean disease

Written by Nikita Wright, Ph.D. Candidate, Biology, Georgia State University

African-American women are about three times more likely to be diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. mangostock/Shutterstock.com

When a woman finds a lump in her breast, her doctor’s first move is usually to recommend a biopsy – that is, to remove a small portion of the lump for analysis. If...

Rebooting the mathematics behind gerrymandering

Written by Moon Duchin, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Senior Fellow of Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University

How can geometry track with our political values?Pixabay, CC BY

On Oct. 3, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a major case about the Wisconsin State Assembly districts.

In the U.S., we elect members to the House of Representatives and to state legislatures in a way that depends heavily on how states are divided into geographical districts....

Is @realDonaldTrump addicted to Twitter?

Written by James A. Roberts, Professor of Marketing, Baylor University

Examining the president's Twitter activity.Screenshot, CC BY-ND

Is President Trump a Twitter addict? He may not know – but he could find out, as could members of the general public concerned about their own use of social media.

Addiction, whether it’s to drugs, alcohol, exercise, sex or social media, is best understood as continuing a...

Are religious people more moral?

Written by Dimitris Xygalatas, Assistant Professor in Anthropology, University of Connecticut

Dimitris Xygalatas, CC BY

Why do people distrust atheists?

A recent study we conducted, led by psychologist Will Gervais, found widespread and extreme moral prejudice against atheists around the world. Across all continents, people assumed that those who committed immoral acts, even extreme ones such as serial murder, were more likely to be atheists....