The Conversation

Peer review is in crisis, but should be fixed, not abolished

Written by Tricia Serio, Professor and Department Head in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona

More is less in the world of research publications.Desktop image via www.shutterstock.com.

This year three Nobel Prize-winning biologists broke with tradition and published their research directly on the internet as so-called preprints. Their motivation? Saving time.

Traditionally, scientific studies are published in peer-reviewed journals, which...

Understanding the four types of AI, from reactive robots to self-aware beings

Written by Arend Hintze, Assistant Professor of Integrative Biology & Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University

Robots will need to teach themselves.Robot reading via shutterstock.com

The common, and recurring, view of the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence research is that sentient and intelligent machines are just on the horizon. Machines understand verbal commands, distinguish pictures, drive cars and play games better than we do. How much...

Supreme Court case could expose Indian tribes to new legal risks

Written by Matthew L.M. Fletcher, Professor of Law & Director of the Indigenous Law & Policy Center, Michigan State University

The Mohegan Tribe Community Center and Government Building in Uncasville, Connecticut.U.S. Department of Agriculture, CC BY

Accidents happen. And sometimes those accidents involve the employees of Indian tribes. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case that will rule on the the limits of legal immunity of tribes and their employees. Although...

Testing of backlogged rape evidence leads to hundreds of convictions

Written by Rachel Lovell, Senior Research Associate, Case Western Reserve University

Hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits, also known as sexual assault kits (SAKs), languish in evidence storage facilities across the U.S. This backlog denies justice to victims and allows rapists the opportunity to continue to harm others.

Based on research from Case Western Reserve University on Cuyahoga County’s (Ohio) backlogged rape...

What could the rest of the world do if Trump pulls the US out of the Paris Agreement on climate change?

Written by Henrik Selin, Associate Professor in the Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

News of Trump's election has had a deep impact on global climate talks now going on.IISD/ENB | Liz Rubin

Climate change negotiators from around the world – now meeting at the COP22 conference in Marrakech, Morocco – continue steadfastly with the task of putting meaning and action into the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement to bring down...

Climate change is affecting all life on Earth – and that's not good news for humanity

Written by Brett Scheffers, Assistant Professor, University of Florida

Researchers have found that dragonflies have become on average lighter-colored over the past half-century in response to higher temperatures. norio-nakayama/flickr, CC BY-SA

More than a dozen authors from different universities and nongovernmental organizations around the world have concluded, based on an analysis of hundreds of studies, that...

Voters' embarrassment and fear of social stigma messed with pollsters' predictions

Written by Aradhna Krishna, Dwight F Benton Professor of Marketing, University of Michigan

What if people don't tell pollsters the truth?Liar image via www.shutterstock.com.

The outcome of the presidential election shocked many people – and they pointed their fingers at misleading polls that didn’t do a great job predicting what actually happened.

On Election Day, analyst Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight predicted that Clint...

Caring for veterans: A privilege and a duty

Written by Sanjay Saint, George Dock Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan

Veterans Day had its start as Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I hostilities. The holiday serves as an occasion to both honor those who have served in our armed forces and to ask whether we, as a nation, are doing right by them.

In recent years, that question has been directed most urgently at Veterans Affairs hospitals. Some critics...

The perils of a life in isolation

Written by Frank T. McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, Knox College

'Alone' via www.shutterstock.com

Humans are hardwired to interact with others, especially during times of stress. On the other hand, when we go through a trying ordeal alone, a lack of emotional support and comradeship can increase our anxiety and hinder our ability to cope.

This message is forcefully driven home in the newly released thriller...

Janet Reno: Reflecting on America’s first female attorney general and her example of public service

Written by Jon L. Mills, Professor of Law, University of Florida

Some of today’s politicians seem to equate leadership with shouting, arrogance, cruelty and deception. Janet Reno, the first female U.S. attorney general and the second longest serving attorney general in history, was so honest she scared some politicians.

They called her blunt. They said sometimes she was not a team player. But she was...