The Conversation

Why it's offensive to offer a lamb dinner to the Hindu god Ganesha

Written by Jeffery D. Long, Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College

The Hindu god Ganesha.Anant Nath Sharma, CC BY-NC-ND

A recent ad from the meat industry in Australia, seeking to promote lamb as a food that people from a wide range of religious backgrounds can consume, has given offense to many Hindus in Australia and internationally.

In Australia, the ad prompted a complaint by the High Commission of India. In the...

Saving amphibians from a deadly fungus means acting without knowing all the answers

Written by Brittany A. Mosher, Postdoctoral Researcher, Colorado State University

A male boreal toad waits for opportunities to mate near a Colorado mountain lake. Brittany Mosher, CC BY-ND

The calls of frogs on warm nights in the spring are a welcome sound, telling listeners that the seasons are changing and summer is coming. Today, however, ponds that once echoed with the chirps, chuckles and calls of frogs and toads are...

How the latest effort to repeal Obamacare would affect millions

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

From left, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., hold a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

At the end of July, the nation held its collective breath as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) looked poised...

Flood insurance is broken. Here are some ways to fix it

Written by Robert W. Klein, Director, Center for RMI Research, Associate Professor, Risk Management and Insurance, Georgia State University

Immokalee, Florida sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Irma. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Hundreds of thousands of Americans whose homes were damaged or destroyed by flooding from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma don’t know how they will pay for repairs, rebuilding or replacement. Likewise, the nation as a whole needs a plan for fixing the deeply...

Science communicators must consider short-term objectives while keeping their eyes on the prize

Written by John C. Besley, Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations/Ellis N. Brandt Endowed Chair, Michigan State University

Planning a communication strategy isn't unethical.Have a nice day Photo/Shutterstock.com

Most scientists say they got into science to make the world a better place and recognize this means sharing what they learn with a range of other people. But deciding to engage also means deciding what to communicate, and it’s at this stage that things...

Trump speaks at the UN: 5 takeaways

Written by Simon Reich, Professor in The Division of Global Affairs and The Department of Political Science, Rutgers University Newark

Trump talks tough at the U.N. General Assembly.Reuters/Lucas Jackson

It is a short distance from Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue to the United Nations headquarters on First Avenue, but these are different worlds. Donald Trump’s native world is one of unilateralism and competition, with more than a hint of bravado and aggression. The U.N.‘s...

Some of the best parts of autonomous vehicles are already here

Written by Lee Vinsel, Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Virginia Tech

Don't overlook immediate safety in a search for something better.sraphotohut/Shutterstock.com

Fully automated cars are still many years away. Amid the government activity and potential for social benefits, it’s important not to lose sight of smaller improvements that could more immediately save lives and reduce injuries and economic costs of...

The most important ways parents can prepare children for school

Written by Allyssa McCabe, Professor of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Reading to children and talking to them about the story helps them love stories and become better readers. Slavic/www.shutterstock.com

With school starting, parents wonder what they can do to help their children succeed. Almost everyone knows that reading books with young children is important, and it is. But even more important is that we talk...

Why today's teens aren't in any hurry to grow up

Written by Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University

In the past, kids couldn't wait to get their driver's licenses. Now? Not so much.Jenn Huls

Teens aren’t what they used to be.

The teen pregnancy rate has reached an all-time low. Fewer teens are drinking alcohol, having sex or working part-time jobs. And as I found in a newly released analysis of seven large surveys, teens are also now less...

As a warming climate changes Kodiak bears' diets, impacts could ripple through ecosystems

Written by William Deacy, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Oregon State University

A brown bear snags a sockeye salmon in Alaska. In warm years, red elderberries ripen early and Kodiak bears leave streams full of salmon to eat them.Jonathan Armstrong, CC BY-ND

After several years of studying brown bear ecology on Alaska’s Kodiak Island, I grew used to walking up streams into scenes of carnage. Where bears had killed and...