The Conversation

Chemical regulation bill clears Congress, but will it protect the public?

Written by Noah M. Sachs, Professor of Law and Director, Robert M. Merhige Jr. Center for Environmental Studies, University of Richmond

What's in that bottle? And is it safe?www.shutterstock.com

In a major overhaul of U.S. regulation of toxic chemicals, Congress last week passed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the largest piece of environmental legislation passed in the United States since 1990. President Obama is expected to sign it into law...

Did Donald Trump kill the Tea Party?

Written by Robert Boatright, Associate Professor of Political Science, Clark University

Americans have been riveted by the 2016 presidential primaries and the media spectacle that has surrounded the Donald Trump campaign.

This excitement has not carried through to the down-ballot races. In fact, it has been a quiet primary season for candidates running for things other than president.

So far, 2016 has featured little national...

Why schools should provide one laptop per child

Written by Binbin Zheng, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University

Does technology help with learning?John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Follow, CC BY-SA

A recent international study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found no positive evidence of impact of educational technology on student performance.

It did not find any significant improvement in reading, math or science in...

Fentanyl: widely used, deadly when abused

Written by David A. Edwards, M.D. Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, Vanderbilt University

Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than heroin. Alcibiades via Wikimedia Commons

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid narcotic about 100 times as potent as morphine, continues to be in the news, as deaths from fentanyl overdose continue to rise and even more potent nonpharmaceutical forms become available on the street. It was the drug in Prince’s body...

What we can learn from an Indonesian ethnicity that recognizes five genders

Written by Sharyn Graham Davies, Associate Professor of Social Sciences, Auckland University of Technology

On June 13, when a judge in Oregon allowed a person to legally choose neither sex and be classified as “nonbinary,” transgender activists rejoiced. It’s thought to be the first ruling of its kind in a country that, until now, has required that people mark “male” or “female” on official identity documents.

Th...

Disrupting pro-ISIS online 'ecosystems' could help thwart real-world terrorism

Written by Neil Johnson, Professor of Physics, University of Miami

Schematic diagram of an aggregate made up of linked users, with the mathematical equation that describes this online pro-ISIS ecology.Neil Johnson, CC BY-ND

Supporters of the Islamic State, or ISIS, around the world gather online, becoming members of virtual communities in much the same way any of us might join online groups focused on some common...

Appeals court upholds net neutrality rules -- why you should care

Written by Amanda Lotz, Professor of Communication Studies and Screen Arts & Cultures, University of Michigan

The court ruling will keep all internet traffic treated equally.Laptop with arrows via shutterstock.com

If you like binge-watching Netflix, streaming audio or online gaming, then you should be celebrating this week. And if your business depends on reaching a wide audience online, you should join in. A federal appeals court decision this week means...

Orlando after tragedy: much more than world's theme park

Written by Jeff Kunerth, Visiting Instructor, Journalism, Nicholson School of Communication , University of Central Florida

Orlando has long been characterized as a place of transients, a perpetual churn of people moving in and out. Orlando is a stop, a stepping stone, not a destination. The city once even referred to its homeless as “transients” – as if they were something temporary, rather than permanent.

I certainly felt temporary when I took my...

Losing control: The dangers of killer robots

Written by Bonnie Docherty, Lecturer on Law, Senior Clinical Instructor at Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic, Harvard University

Should we act to prevent this from ever happening?Armed robot via shutterstock.com

New technology could lead humans to relinquish control over decisions to use lethal force. As artificial intelligence advances, the possibility that machines could independently select and fire on targets is fast approaching. Fully autonomous weapons, also known as...

How will we remember black women on the anniversary of the Charleston shooting?

Written by Chad Williams, Associate Professor of African and Afro-American Studies, Brandeis University

The men and women of a Bible study at Charleston, South Carolina’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church welcomed Dylann Roof into their circle on June 17, 2015. Then, after an hour of discussion and prayer, the 21-year-old white supremacist took out a gun and opened fire on them. Declaring his hatred of African-Americans, Roof...