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The Conversation

Why we need to treat wildfire as a public health issue in California

  • Written by Faith Kearns, Academic Coordinator, California Institute for Water Resources, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Fires that affect populated areas raise different safety and public health issues than wildfires.AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Deadly fires across California over the past several years have shown how wildfire has become a serious public health and safety issue. Health effects from fires close to or in populated areas range from smoke exposure to...

Read more: Why we need to treat wildfire as a public health issue in California

Presidential 'debates' aren't debates at all – they're joint press conferences

  • Written by John P. Koch, Senior Lecturer and Director of Debate, Vanderbilt University

Democratic presidential contenders gather Tuesday evening in Ohio for the latest in a series of televised question-and-answer sessions in the lead-up to the 2020 primary season.

These sessions are called debates by their sponsors and the participants. But are they really?

Presidential debate scholars have long lamented that presidential debates are...

Read more: Presidential 'debates' aren't debates at all – they're joint press conferences

Blind people have increased opportunities, but employers’ perceptions are still a barrier

  • Written by Michele McDonnall, Research Professor and Director, Mississippi State University
A woman walking with a white cane, which has become a symbol of independence for people who are blind. Akemaster/Shutterstock.com

Communities across the world observe White Cane Day on Oct. 15 to recognize the contributions of people with blindness and low vision and to promote equal opportunities. The day was first observed in the U.S. in 1964,...

Read more: Blind people have increased opportunities, but employers’ perceptions are still a barrier

How to know which impeachment polls to believe – and which to skip

  • Written by Michael Traugott, Research Professor at the Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan
Senator Chuck Schumer holds up the White House transcript of a call between President Donald Trump and the president of Ukraine.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Pollsters are trying their best to track public opinion about the House Democrats’ decision to initiate an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.

Currently, it is doubtful the...

Read more: How to know which impeachment polls to believe – and which to skip

Curious Kids: How does a curveball curve?

  • Written by Jim Gregory, Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University
A pitcher tries to throw a ball past a batter. AP Images/Eric Gay

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

How does a curveball curve? – Marek Powell, age 12, Dorchester, Massachusetts

You may have seen a pitcher throw a curveball...

Read more: Curious Kids: How does a curveball curve?

Kurds targeted in Turkish attack include thousands of female fighters who battled Islamic State

  • Written by Haidar Khezri, Assistant Professor, University of Central Florida

Kurdish fighters under attack by Turkey have described President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria as a “stab in the back.”

Since bombing began on Oct. 9, Turkish military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria, Washington’s staunchest and most effective allies in...

Read more: Kurds targeted in Turkish attack include thousands of female fighters who battled Islamic State

Income-based repayment becoming a costly solution to student loan debt

  • Written by Robert Kelchen, Associate Professor of Higher Education, Seton Hall University
Student loan debt is approaching the $1.5 trillion mark.zimmytws/Shutterstock.com

When Congress established the income-driven repayment for federal student loans back in 2007, it was touted as a way to help student loan borrowers save money by capping monthly payments at a certain percentage of a borrower’s income.

Since then, student loan...

Read more: Income-based repayment becoming a costly solution to student loan debt

Blue light isn't the main source of eye fatigue and sleep loss – it's your computer

  • Written by Phillip Yuhas, Assistant Professor of Optometry, The Ohio State University
While blue light has been blamed for sleep loss, it's not the only bad light.Chaoss/Shuttterstock.com

Blue light has gotten a bad rap, getting blamed for loss of sleep and eye damage. Personal electronic devices emit more blue light than any other color. Blue light has a short wavelength, which means that it is high-energy and can damage the...

Read more: Blue light isn't the main source of eye fatigue and sleep loss – it's your computer

Voters often parrot the party line, even when polls suggest otherwise

  • Written by Justin Buchler, Associate Professor of Political Science, Case Western Reserve University
People line up to vote in the 2008 election in Arlington, Virginia.Rob Crandall/Shutterstock.com

As the 2020 election approaches, voters will see a variety of polls. Many of them will be misleading.

Over time, political science has learned which types of questions are informative and which are not, based on models of public opinion. But many of the...

Read more: Voters often parrot the party line, even when polls suggest otherwise

Why Barack Obama was particularly unsuited to live up to the ideals of the Nobel Peace Prize

  • Written by Nick Lehr, Arts + Culture Editor
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama board Air Force One en route to Oslo, Norway, to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2009.AP Photo/Susan Walsh

A decade ago, in October 2009, Barack Obama learned that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize. He was uncomfortable with the prize, saying that he didn’t feel that he deserved...

Read more: Why Barack Obama was particularly unsuited to live up to the ideals of the Nobel Peace Prize

More Articles ...

  1. Lithium ion Nobel Prize shows how individual brainstorms add up to world-transforming innovations
  2. Why don't more women win science Nobels?
  3. Turkish attack on Syria endangers a remarkable democratic experiment by the Kurds
  4. US will send migrants to El Salvador, a country that can't protect its own people
  5. Why more places are abandoning Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples' Day
  6. Could helmetless tackling training reduce football head injuries?
  7. Why ending the secrecy of 'confession' is so controversial for the Catholic Church
  8. Panama celebrates its black Christ, part of protest against colonialism and slavery
  9. Conservation policies threaten indigenous reindeer herders in Mongolia
  10. Computer science now counts as math credit in most states – is this a good idea?
  11. The Latin American left isn't dead yet
  12. For Russia, talk of Trump impeachment is the gift that keeps on giving
  13. Hurricane Michael recovery efforts point to the power of local generosity after overlooked disasters
  14. 6 ways to establish a productive homework routine
  15. Games blamed for moral decline and addiction throughout history
  16. Fast evolution explains the tiny stature of extinct 'Hobbit' from Flores Island
  17. Nobel Prize in Physics for two breakthroughs: Evidence for the Big Bang and a way to find exoplanets
  18. Workplace sex discrimination claims are common – but they're not making it into court
  19. Cómo los huracanes fuertes benefician a los peces caribeños
  20. Investigations usually hurt a president's public reputation – but Trump isn't usual
  21. Fundamentalism turns 100, a landmark for the Christian Right
  22. Discovery of how cells sense oxygen levels earns Nobel Prize
  23. Colt ends public sales of the AR-15, but gun-control advocates shouldn't celebrate
  24. Government restrictions on labeling products as 'meat' aren't likely to help anyone
  25. More mental health care won't stop the gun epidemic, new study suggests
  26. Strong family ties during teen years can help ward off depression in later life
  27. Growing the big one – 6 tips for your own prize-winning tomatoes
  28. Curious Kids: How deep is the ocean?
  29. Latin America shuts out desperate Venezuelans but Colombia's border remains open – for now
  30. The Supreme Court and refugees at the southern border: 5 questions answered
  31. How birth control pill prescriptions by a pharmacist could broaden access and keep costs down
  32. Trump’s America shines bright for Europe's radical New Right
  33. What's so wrong about lying in a job interview
  34. How the US could afford 'Medicare for all'
  35. Mining powers modern life, but can leave scarred lands and polluted waters behind
  36. People are increasingly interrupted at work, but it's not all bad
  37. New England power line corridors harbor rare bees and other wild things
  38. America now solves problems with troops, not diplomats
  39. 3 questions about vodka, answered
  40. Curious Kids: How do my eyes adjust to the dark and how long does it take?
  41. This year at the Supreme Court: Gay rights, gun rights and Native rights
  42. Trump's bad Nixon imitation may cost him the presidency
  43. What moons in other solar systems reveal about planets like Neptune and Jupiter
  44. Gandhi's 150th birthday: A little-remembered philosopher translated the Mahatma's ideas of nonviolence for Americans
  45. 3 reasons Forever 21’s bankruptcy doesn’t spell the end of brick-and-mortar retailing
  46. Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
  47. South America's second-largest forest is also burning – and 'environmentally friendly' charcoal is subsidizing its destruction
  48. How a 1905 debate about 'tainted' Rockefeller money is a reminder of ethical dilemmas today
  49. Cultural studies key to national security
  50. Harvard can use race as an admissions factor, at least for now