The Conversation

Why is it so hard to close the racial health gap in the US?

Written by Shervin Assari, Research Investigator of Psychiatry and Public Health, University of Michigan

The racial health gap in the United States is well-documented. The gap starts with the infant mortality rate (11.1 blacks vs. 5.1 whites per 1,000) and extends to almost any health domain. Compared to whites, blacks live shorter and live fewer years free of illness. Blacks develop chronic disease on average one decade...

Five reasons why the North Dakota pipeline fight will continue in 2017

Written by Kyle Powys Whyte, Timnick Chair in the Humanities / Associate Professor of Philosophy and Community Sustainability, Michigan State University

In December, protesters in Standing Rock, North Dakota scored a big victory against a pipeline builder, yet the underlying problems have not been addressed.AP Photo/David Goldman

In December 2016, the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) denied an easement that would have permitted the company Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) to complete one of the final...

The challenge facing libraries in an era of fake news

Written by Donald A. Barclay, Deputy University Librarian, University of California, Merced

How can students think critically about information in today's age?UBC Library Communications/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Imagine, for a moment, the technology of 2017 had existed on Jan. 11, 1964 – the day Luther Terry, surgeon general of the United States, released “Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General...

Attackers can make it impossible to dial 911

Written by Mordechai Guri, Head of R&D, Cyber Security Research Center; Chief Scientist, Morphisec endpoint security, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

When calling these people, you want to be able to get through.Fairfax County, Virginia

It’s not often that any one of us needs to dial 911, but we know how important it is for it to work when one needs it. It is critical that 911 services always be available – both for the practicality of responding to emergencies, and to give people...

Is hunting moral? A philosopher unpacks the question

Written by Joshua Duclos, Ph.D. Candidate, Boston University

Three generations of a Wisconsin family with a nine-point buckWisconsin Department of Natural Resources/Flickr, CC BY-ND

Every year as daylight dwindles and trees go bare, debates arise over the morality of hunting. Hunters see the act of stalking and killing deer, ducks, moose and other quarry as humane, necessary and natural, and thus as ethical....

New study: Did America's growing diversity make voters more xenophobic?

Written by Allison Skinner, Psychology Researcher, University of Washington

Most whites would say they're okay with diversity. But is there a threshold?'Map' via www.shutterstock.com

Donald Trump’s presidential victory took many by surprise, and in the weeks since the election, political analysts have attempted to understand who voted for Trump and why election forecasts were so wrong. One might wonder how a country...

Dengue virus antibodies may worsen a Zika infection

Written by Sharon Isern, Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University

Revellers at a carnival in Sao Paulo wear mosquito masks in a reference to the _Aedes aegypti_ mosquito, which can spread dengue and Zika on February 4, 2016. Paulo Whitaker/Reuters

The World Health Organization declared in November that Zika was no longer a public health emergency of international concern.

That doesn’t mean concern over Zika...

The factories of the past are turning into the data centers of the future

Written by Graham Pickren, Assistant Professor of Sustainability Studies, Roosevelt University

At one time, Bibles and Sears catalogs were printed here. Now, this building is known as the Lakeside Technology Center, one of the largest data centers in the world.Teemu008/flicker

We live in a data-driven world. From social media to smart cities to the internet of things, we now generate huge volumes of information about nearly every detail of...

How does a US president settle on his science policy?

Written by Kelly Sims Gallagher, Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy and Director of Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School, Tufts University

A president's science advisor is traditionally a close confidant.AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

One of the president’s most important responsibilities is fostering science, technology and innovation in the U.S. economy. The relationship between science and policy runs in two directions: Scientific knowledge can inform policy decisions, and...

How the Berlin Christmas market terror attack affects Chancellor Merkel and Europe

Written by Johanna Schuster-Craig, Assistant Professor of German and Global Studies, Michigan State University

Italian police at a press conference after Berlin attacker was killed in Italy.AP Photo/Luca Bruno

Germany is recovering from one of the most deadly terrorist attacks since the 1980 bombing at Munich’s Oktoberfest.

On Dec. 19, 12 people were killed when Anis Amri, a Tunisian citizen who had claimed allegiance to the Islamic State, killed a Pol...