The Conversation

Partial mycoheterotrophs: The green plants that feed on fungi

Written by Nicole Hynson, Associate Professor of Botany, University of Hawaii

Some sneaky plants steal food instead of exclusively making their own.Charlie Jackson/flickr, CC BY

You probably learned this basic lesson of biology in elementary school: Plants are self-feeders. These so-called autotrophs use the sun’s energy and water to turn carbon dioxide from the air into food through the process known as...

Skipping a few thousand years: Rapid domestication of the groundcherry using gene editing

Written by Nathan T. Reem, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University

These fresh vegetables and fruits are the result of hundreds to thousands of years of plant breeding and selection. Irina Sokolovskaya / Shutterstock.com

Shopping in your supermarket’s produce section is like strolling through a museum of humanity’s greatest inventions. Perfect ears of golden sweet corn; tomatoes of different sizes,...

The counties where the anti-vaccine movement thrives in the US

Written by Peter J Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine

Thanks to nonmedical exemptions, vaccination rates are falling in some states.Zodiacphoto/shutterstock.com

As a pediatrician-scientist who develops new vaccines for neglected diseases, I spent most of my career in the Boston-Washington, D.C. corridor.

While working in the Northeast, I had heard a few things about the anti-vaccine movement. As both...

Can artisanal weed compete with 'Big Marijuana'?

Written by Ryan Stoa, Associate Professor of Law, Concordia University School of Law

Perhaps one day Humboldt pot will be as famous as Bordeaux wine. AP Photo/Richard Vogel

You’ve heard of Big Pharma and Big Tobacco. How about Big Marijuana?

The drug’s growing legalization is raising concerns among small-scale marijuana farmers and retailers that the corporatization of weed may be right around the corner.

For example,...

Will China help Trump denuclearize North Korea?

Written by Randy Kluver, Dean, Oklahoma State University

The US is not the only country with a stake in North Korea's denuclearization.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June pledged to work toward “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” by 2020, the White House hailed the agreement as “a tremendous moment for the world.”

The agreement came...

Trump's new Iranian oil sanctions may inflict pain at home without serving strategic objectives

Written by Gregory Brew, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Presidential History, Southern Methodist University

Iran's OPEC Governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, center.AP Photo/Anis Belghoul

The Trump administration has formally imposed new sanctions on Iran aimed at hindering Iran’s oil exports – a move that had been in the works for six months.

The U.S. government has also made a second, more surprising, announcement: It’s granting eight...

Move more, sit less – great advice, but how can we make time for exercise?

Written by David E. Conroy, Professor of Kinesiology and Human Development (Adjunct Professor of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University), Pennsylvania State University

It doesn't matter what exercise you choose, just move. robuart / SHutterstock.com

It’s that time again. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just released a new edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. That sound you hear is Americans collectively sighing.

Let’s be honest: Physical activity guidelines can...

Neuroscientists identify a surprising low-tech fix to the problem of sleep-deprived teens

Written by Adriana Galván, Professor of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

A good night's sleep comes down to a comfy place to rest your head.Marisa Harris/Unsplash, CC BY

Healthy sleep leads to healthy brains. Neuroscientists have gotten that message out. But parents, doctors and educators alike have struggled to identify what to do to improve sleep. Some have called for delaying school start times or limiting screentime...

Why space debris cleanup might be a national security threat

Written by Saadia Pekkanen, Professor of International Studies; Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Washington

Space debris in Earth orbit creates a dangerous obstacle course for satellites and astronauts. Dotted Yeti / Shutterstock.com

As an international relations scholar who studies space law and policy, I have come to realize what most people do not fully appreciate: Dealing with space debris is as much a national security issue as it is a technical one....

The world's plastic problem is bigger than the ocean

Written by Christopher J. Preston, Professor of Philosophy, The University of Montana

Plastic floats on and near the surface of the ocean.NOAA

As you read this, a strange object that looks like a 2,000-foot floating pool noodle is drifting slowly through the central north Pacific Ocean. This object is designed to solve an enormous environmental problem. But in so doing, it brings attention to a number of others.

There are an...