The Conversation

The math on why the Trump administration's fuel standards report is seriously flawed

Written by Christopher R. Knittel, Professor of Applied Economics and Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, MIT Sloan School of Management

Conflicting fuel standard reports from the Trump and Obama administrations disagree by billions of dollars. nata-lunata/shutterstock.com

Fuel economy standards are an important way for the U.S. to combat climate change. However, a 2018 study conducted by the Trump administration proposes hitting the pause button on regulations, potentially leaving...

Why you should give your grandparents a 3D printer for Christmas

Written by Joshua M. Pearce, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University

3D printed adaptive aids can cut costs by more than 94 percent.J.M. Pearce, CC BY-ND

Senior citizens might really like – and use – a 3D printer. That’s the surprising, and money-saving, conclusion of a new study I co-authored: 3D printers can save arthritis patients money by more cheaply manufacturing plastic gadgets that help...

China's win-at-all-costs approach suggests it will follow its own dangerous path in biomedicine

Written by Hallam Stevens, Associate Professor of History, Nanyang Technological University

Megacity Shenzhen, as seen from Hong Kong, is a center for Chinese finance and tech.AP Photo/Kin Cheung

The world was shocked by Chinese scientist He Jiankui’s recent claim that he’d brought to term twin babies whose genes – inheritable by their own potential descendants – he had modified as embryos. The genetic edit, He...

Why the Texas ruling on Obamacare is on shaky legal ground

Written by Simon F. Haeder, Assistant Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University

Austin, Texas contractor Mike Hewitt, who depends on insurance provided by the Affordable Care Act. A Texas judge ruled Dec. 14, 2018 that the law is unconstitutional.Eric Gay/AP Photo

A Texas judge has ruled that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. For now, his decision has no immediate effect except to toss another fire bomb at a law...

Can your heart grow three sizes? A doctor reads 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

The Grinch as depicted in the recently released movie 'The Grinch.'Illumination Entertainment

At the beginning of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the green, pot-bellied, feline-faced Grinch is a bitter, foul-tempered misanthrope whose heart is “two sizes too small.” In the middle of the story, he plots to...

Is the FDA being Grinch-like in raising concerns about raw cookie dough?

Written by Brian Zikmund-Fisher, Associate Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, Associate Director of the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan

"Don't do it!" said FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb of eating raw cookie dough. Sandy Morelli/Shutterstock.com

For many people, the holiday ritual of baking cookies isn’t complete without also eating some of the raw dough. In my family, questions like “Who gets to lick the beaters?” and “Can I grab a piece of dough?”...

Cómo alentar a las niñas a estudiar carreras científicas y matemáticas: 7 estrategias

Written by Jilana Boston, Ph.D. Student in Cognitive Development, New York University

Main Standfirst: Según los investigadores, los estereotipos negativos sobre la capacidad de las niñas para estudiar carreras científicas podrían desanlentarlas de estudiar estas.Rawpixel.com/www.shutterstock.com

Las mujeres permanecen muy poco representadas en carreras de ciencias, tecnología, ingeniería y...

As hunting declines, efforts grow to broaden the funding base for wildlife conservation

Written by Lincoln Larson, Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University

Mallard pair at the at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ron Holmes/USFWS

Hunting is a seasonal ritual for more than 11 million Americans in fall and winter. For those whose quarry includes ducks, geese or other waterfowl, one essential item is a Federal Duck Stamp – one of the most innovative and...

What the US could learn from Thailand about health care coverage

Written by Joseph Harris, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Boston University

The open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) draws to a close on Dec. 15. Yet, recent assaults on the ACA by the Trump administration stand in marked contrast to efforts to expand access to health care and medicine in the rest of the world. In fact, on Dec. 12, the world observed Universal Coverage Day, a day celebrated by the...

Trump administration ban on NIH use of fetal tissue should worry all scientists

Written by Carolyn Coyne, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh

Researchers studying Alzheimer's disease use fetal tissue for their experiments.Atthapon Raksthaput/Shutterstock.com

Throughout history, politicians have restricted or outright banned certain areas of scientific or medical research based on moral or ethical grounds. In some cases, these measures were justified and prevented unethical human or animal...