The Conversation

Individual donors provide only a small slice of university research funding – but Jeffrey Epstein’s ties with academics show why screening matters

Written by Brian Herman, Vice President for Research, University of Minnesota

The recent release of Jeffrey Epstein's emails shows a wide net of contacts – including academics at prominent universities. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Yale University, Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles are among the schools that have recently placed professors on leave, seen faculty resign or made...

Menstrual pads and tampons can contain toxic substances – here’s what to know about this emerging health issue

Written by Jenni Shearston, Assistant Professor of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder

Studies have found small amounts of toxic heavy metals and other potentially harmful substances in some menstrual pads and tampons.zoranm/E+ via Getty Images

About half of the global population menstruates at some point in their lives. Disposable products, such as tampons and pads, are some of the most popular products used around the globe to...

Colorado has high levels of radon, which can cause lung cancer – here’s how to lower your risk

Written by Jan Lowery, Professor of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer for people who have never used tobacco.Francesco Scatena/iStock via Getty Images

In Colorado, as of 2025, about 500 people a year die from lung cancer as the result of radon gas exposure. Nationally, the number of lung cancer deaths attributed to radon is about 21,000 per year.

Radon is present...

Trump administration axed nutrition education program that saved more money than it cost, even as government encourages healthier eating

Written by Diane Cress, Associate Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, Wayne State University

If the government had found a way to save US$10 for every dollar it spent helping low-income people get healthier, wouldn’t it make sense for it to keep doing that?

Well, that’s exactly what the U.S. government did when it piloted the SNAP-Ed program in 1977. This U.S. Department of Agriculture program persisted for nearly 50 years...

Probability underlies much of the modern world – an engineering professor explains how it actually works

Written by Zachary del Rosario, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Olin College of Engineering

Probability can explain why a coin flip has a 50/50 chance of landing heads versus tails, but it also can be used for more powerful applications. Monty Rakusen/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Probability underpins AI, cryptography and statistics. However, as the philosopher Bertrand Russell said, “Probability is the most important concept in...

I’m a philosopher who tries to see the best in others – but I know there are limits

Written by Mark Schroeder, Professor of Philosophy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Interpreting someone's thoughts or actions can mean balancing their agency against the good. Kateryna Kovarzh/iStock via Getty Images

Understanding one another can be hard. There is a big difference between someone snapping at you out of contempt, and calling you out for a mistake because they believe in you and know you can do better. One of these...

Last nuclear weapons limits expired – pushing world toward new arms race

Written by Matthew Bunn, Professor of the Practice of Energy, National Security and Foreign Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Russian ballistic missiles roll in Red Square during a Victory Day military parade.AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

For the first time in more than half a century, there are no binding restraints on the buildup of the largest nuclear forces on Earth. The New START treaty expired on Feb. 5, 2026, ending the last agreed limits on U.S. and Russian...

‘Learning to be humble meant taming my need to stand out from the group’ – a humility scholar explains how he became more grounded

Written by Barret Michalec, Research Associate Professor of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University

A need to be seen as the biggest fish may stem from pride and insecurity.ballyscanlon via Getty Images

“Humble” is not a word my colleagues would use to describe me, especially early in my career.

In fact, when word got around that I was researching humility, I suspect more than a few choked on their coffee.

And even though I have...

Why Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgment’ endures

Written by Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emerita, College of the Holy Cross

Michelangelo's 16th-century fresco 'The Last Judgment.' Sistine Chapel collection via Wikimedia Commons

Michelangelo’s fresco of “The Last Judgment,” covering the wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, is being restored. The work, which started on Feb. 1, 2026, is expected to continue for three months.

The...

The greatest risk of AI in higher education isn’t cheating – it’s the erosion of learning itself

Written by Nir Eisikovits, Professor of Philosophy and Director, Applied Ethics Center, UMass Boston

Will AI hollow out the pipeline of students, researchers and faculty that is the basis of today’s universities?Hill Street Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Public debate about artificial intelligence in higher education has largely orbited a familiar worry: cheating. Will students use chatbots to write essays? Can instructors tell?...