The Conversation

Ten years of Large Hadron Collider discoveries are just the start of decoding the universe

Written by Todd Adams, Professor of Physics, Florida State University

The activity during a high-energy collision at the CMS control room of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, at their headquarters outside Geneva, Switzerland. AP Photo

Ten years! Ten years since the start of operations for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), one of the most complex machines ever created. The LHC is the world’s...

Consejos para preparar almuerzos saludables para niños, sin estrés

Written by Molly Paulson, Clinical Instructor, Georgia State University

Un plato principal de carbohidratos y proteínas complejos es importante para el almuerzo de los niños; se puede complementar con frutas, vegetales y agua.baibaz/Shutterstock.com

Con el comienzo del curso escolar, es hora de comenzar a pensar cómo preparar el almuerzo que su hijo llevará a la escuela.

Para muchos padres...

How passports evolved to help governments regulate your movement

Written by John Torpey, Presidential Professor of Sociology and History, City University of New York

A security officer checks a traveler's passport.AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

The Trump administration is denying passports to U.S. citizens who live in Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to news reports.

The administration is accusing applicants of having inadequate documentation of their birth on U.S. soil, and refusing to issue them...

Key internet connections and locations at risk from rising seas

Written by Carol Barford, Associate Scientist; Director, Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The process of laying internet cables on the sea floor is particularly sensitive at the coastlines.Gail Johnson/Shutterstock.com

Despite whimsical ads about computing “in the cloud,” the internet lives on the ground. Data centers are built on land, and most of the physical elements of the internet – such as the cables that connect...

Canada will be part of Trump's new NAFTA – corporate lobbyists on both sides of the border will ensure it

Written by Christina Fattore, Associate Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University

The announcement last month that the U.S. and Mexico had reached an agreement to replace NAFTA without Canada surprised trade experts around the globe. A deadline of Aug. 31 was set for the Canadians to join or be left out in the cold – and hit with fresh tariffs.

The news was stunning because negotiators for all three countries had been...

Fossil fuel divestment debates on campus spotlight the societal role of colleges and universities

Written by Jennie C. Stephens, Dean’s Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy and Director, School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs, Northeastern University

Divestment rally at Harvard University, April 17, 2015.350.org, CC BY-NC-SA

As a new academic year begins after a summer of deadly heat waves, wildfires, droughts and floods, many college students and faculty are debating whether and how to get involved in climate politics.

Climate advocacy has become well established on U.S. campuses over the past...

Discovering the ancient origin of cystic fibrosis, the most common genetic disease in Caucasians

Written by Philip Farrell, Professor of Pediatrics and Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The airways inside the human lung.Magic mine/Shutterstock.com

Imagine the thrill of discovery when more than 10 years of research on the origin of a common genetic disease, cystic fibrosis (CF), results in tracing it to a group of distinct but mysterious Europeans who lived about 5,000 years ago.

CF is the most common, potentially lethal, inherited...

Teacher turnover is a problem – here's how to fix it

Written by Christopher Redding, Assistant Professor, University of Florida

Teacher turnover causes significant disruptions to the school year, researchers say.Rob Marmion/www.shutterstock.com

Each school year, a good portion of parents find out that their child’s teacher is leaving for a job at another school or a different kind of job all together. An average of 16 percent of public school teachers change schools...

Thousands of mental health professionals agree with Woodward and the New York Times op-ed author: Trump is dangerous

Written by Bandy X. Lee, Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University

Bob Woodward’s new book, “Fear,” describes a “nervous breakdown of Trump’s presidency.” Earlier this year, Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury” offered a similar portrayal.

Now, an op-ed in The New York Times by an anonymous “senior White House official” describes how deeply the troubles...

What the 25th Amendment says about presidents who are 'unable' to serve

Written by Brian Kalt, Professor of Law and Harold Norris Faculty Scholar, Michigan State University

The 25th Amendment defines what happens if a president is 'unable' to discharge his duties.

A stunning, unsigned op-ed in The New York Times reported on Sept. 5 that members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet discussed removing him from power by using the 25th Amendment, but decided against it to avoid causing a “constitutional...