The Conversation

How to handle the return of a long-lost family member during the holidays

Written by Annmarie Cano, Professor of Psychology and Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Faculty Success, Wayne State University

The homecoming of estranged family members at the holidays can be joyous and taxing.Felipe Frazao/Shutterstock.com

Humans are social animals who crave connection with others. It’s a drive that seems hard-wired into our systems so that when we experience rejection or estrangement from others, the experience can feel much like physical pain.

The...

An economist's take on the Poland climate conference: The glass is more than half full

Written by Robert Stavins, Professor of Business and Government, Harvard University

Heads of delegations react at the end of the final session of the COP24 summit on climate change in Katowice, Poland, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018.AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski

The global climate change conference in Katowice, Poland, that wrapped up on Dec. 15 had a challenging mission. Three years ago in Paris, 196 countries and regions agreed to curb...

Cargo ships are emitting boatloads of carbon, and nobody wants to take the blame

Written by Henrik Selin, Associate Professor in the Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

Maritime shipping transports 90 percent of the goods traded around the world by volume. Moving large amounts of goods such as oil, computers, blue jeans and wheat across oceans drives the global economy, making it cheaper and easier to buy almost anything.

But hauling goods around by sea requires roughly 300 million tons of very dirty fuel,...

If you recycled all the plastic garbage in the world, you could buy the NFL, Apple and Microsoft

Written by Liberty Vittert, Visiting Assistant Professor in Statistics, Washington University in St Louis

A plastic waste dump. Mohameed Abdulraheem/shutterstock.com

This year, I served on the judging panel for The Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Year.

On Dec. 18, we announced the winner: 90.5 percent, the amount of plastic that has never been recycled. Okay – but why is that such a big deal?

Much like Oxford...

You can probably eat more Christmas cookies than you think - just take a look at the calorie guidelines

Written by Patricia Smith, Professor of Economics, University of Michigan

Go ahead Santa, take a cookie without guilt.sherwood/Shutterstock.com

It’s that time of year when cookies, cakes, candy and treats show up at work, home and every place in between.

As researchers who have investigated obesity, people’s body image, and fast food and other nutritional topics we often get questions from people concerned...

Advanced digital networks look a lot like the human nervous system

Written by Salvatore Domenic Morgera, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering, University of South Florida

Studying digital and biological connections can shed light on both fields.MY stock/Shutterstock.com

Parents have experienced how newborns grab their finger and hold tight. This almost instantaneous response is one of the sweetest involuntary movements that babies exhibit. The newborn’s nerves sense a touch, process the information and react...

How T.M. Landry College Prep failed black families

Written by H. Richard Milner IV, Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair of Education , Vanderbilt University

T.M. Landry College Prep co-founders Tracey and Michael Landry have stepped down from the school's board as authorities investigate a wide range of allegations against the school, from academic fraud to physical abuse.T.M. Landry College Prep

Of all the challenges that vex black parents, perhaps none is more frustrating than to be forced to send...

Shockwaves from French 'yellow vest' protests felt across Europe

Written by Garret Martin, Professorial Lecturer, American University School of International Service

Mostly peaceful demonstrations in Paris on Dec. 15 showed that recent concessions by President Emmanuel Macron have quieted – but not satisfied – the outraged French protesters whose weekend marches have gripped and unsettled the country.

France’s “yellow jacket” movement began in November with local protests against a...

Exorcisms have been part of Christianity for centuries

Written by S. Kyle Johnson, Doctoral Student in Systematic Theology, Boston College

A painting showing Saint Francis Borgia, a 16th century saint,, performing an exorcism.Francisco Goya

“The Exorcist,” a horror film released 45 years ago, is a terrifying depiction of supernatural evil. The film tells the story of a young American girl who is possessed by a demon and eventually exorcised by a Catholic priest.

Many...

Indian bill to 'protect' trafficking victims will make sex workers less safe

Written by Simanti Dasgupta, Associate Professor, University of Dayton

Hoping to protect women from sexual exploitation, Indian lawmakers are pushing a bill that amends the criminal code to harden legal and financial penalties for sex trafficking.

The “Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill,” which passed the lower house of India’s parliament in July 2018 and may...