The Conversation

Evangelicals in Brazil see abuse of God's earth as a sin – but will they fight to save the Amazon?

Written by Amy Erica Smith, Associate Professor of Political Science as well as Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean's Professor, Iowa State University

Trees that survived a forest fire stand amid smoldering smoke in the Vila Nova Samuel region of Brazil, Aug. 25, 2019. AP Photo/Eraldo Peres

When the Brazilian city of São Paulo abruptly went dark at midday on Aug. 19, there was talk of the Apocalypse – not all of it in jest.

In fact, meteorologists explained, unusual wind patterns had...

Many states now require anti-bullying training that includes a focus on LGBTQ students - but risks remain

Written by Daniel A Cinotti, Associate Professor of School Counseling and Director of Counseling Programs, New York Institute of Technology

Tyler Clementi's 2010 death inspired anti-bullying efforts.AP Photo/Mel Evans

Dharun Ravi spent spent weeks gossiping with his friends about the sexual orientation of his freshman roommate at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Initially, he texted and used social media.

His roommate, Tyler Clementi, eventually learned that Ravi had...

To solve the hidden epidemic of teen hunger, we should listen to teens who experience it

Written by Stephanie Clintonia Boddie, Assistant Professor of Church and Community Ministries, Baylor University

Millions of America's youth experience food insecurity.pathdoc/Shutterstock.com

For many young people, the toughest choice they will ever have to make about food is what to eat at home or what to choose from a menu.

But for Texas high schoolers Tamiya, Juliana, Trisha, Cara and Kristen, the choices they have to make about food are more difficult....

Battlefields around the world are finding new purpose as parks and refuges

Written by Todd Lookingbill, Associate Professor of Geography and the Environment, University of Richmond

Antietam National Battlefield, Pennsylvania, site of a savage Civil War battle on Sept. 17, 1862.NPS

The horrors of war are all too familiar: lives lost, homes destroyed, entire communities forced to flee. Yet as time passes, places that once were sites of death and destruction can become peaceful natural refuges.

One of the deadliest battles...

Health care workers wanted: A veteran needs you to work at a VA hospital

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

Vietnam veteran Marvin Nolin of Dover, Tenn., visits the Poppy Wall of Honor on the National Mall in Washington, Friday, May 24, 2019.Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

Flying home from Florida recently, I was seated across the aisle from an elderly man wearing a hat identifying himself as a Marine. His wife sat next to him and helped him store his cane in...

Before you decide to work in college, ask yourself these questions

Written by Laura Perna, Professor of Higher Education, University of Pennsylvania

Working in college helps pay the bills, but working too many hours can bring some ill effects, research shows.GaudiLab

For many undergraduates, working for pay during the academic year is a necessary part of the college experience. If they don’t work while enrolled, they may not have the money needed to pay tuition and other fees, keep a roof...

Curious Kids: What is a whistleblower?

Written by Sarah Webber, Associate Professor of Accounting, University of Dayton

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, right, on Capitol Hill in Washington, in February . 2016.AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

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.

What is a whistleblower? Sofia V., 13, Alexandria, Virginia

Have you ever seen a referee...

American youth don't know much about the juvenile justice system

Written by Tammy Chang, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, University of Michigan

About 1.6 million minors are arrested in the U.S. every year.chatiyanon/Shutterstock.com

Young people in the U.S. who end up in the juvenile justice system often leave the system much worse than when they entered.

But American youth know little to nothing about the juvenile justice system that would determine their future if they were ever accused...

NASA's TESS spacecraft is finding hundreds of exoplanets – and is poised to find thousands more

Written by Daniel Apai, Associate Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona

This artist's impression shows a view of the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the solar system. NASA/ESO/M. Kornmesser

Within just 50 light-years from Earth, there are about 1,560 stars, likely orbited by several thousand planets. About a thousand of these extrasolar planets – known as...

Does the Civil Rights Act protect LGBT workers? The Supreme Court is about to decide

Written by Julie Manning Magid, Professor of Business Law, Indiana University

The complicated history of the Civil Rights Act in the U.S. is about to get even more so.

In 1964, the act – specifically, Title VII of the act – made it illegal for employers to discriminate based on race, religion and sex, among other things.

In October 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court heard three cases that raise the question whether the...