The Conversation

Damage estimates for hurricanes like Dorian don't capture the full cost of climate change-fueled disasters

Written by Gary W. Yohe, Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University

Cars sit submerged in water from Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas.AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa

Scientists say climate change is causing powerful hurricanes like Dorian to increasingly stall over coastal areas, which leads to heavy flooding. Officials in the Bahamas feared “unprecedented” devastation after Dorian hovered over the islands...

Complex birdsongs help biologists piece together the evolution of lifelong learning

Written by Cristina Robinson, Ph.D. Candidate in Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University

Vocal learning in birds is a lot like how people learn language.Alexandra Giese/Shutterstock.com

Bonjour! Ni hao! Merhaba! If you move to a new country as an adult, you have to work much harder to get past that initial “hello” in the local language than if you’d moved as a child. Why does it take so much effort to learn a new...

The American Founders made sure the president could never suspend Congress

Written by Eliga Gould, Professor of History, University of New Hampshire

The signing of the U.S. Constitution.Architect of the Capitol

The British monarch has the right to determine when Parliament is in session – or, more to the point, when it is not.

Breaking with longstanding tradition, and possibly with the United Kingdom’s unwritten constitution, new Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked Queen Elizabeth II...

Stop calling it a choice: Biological factors drive homosexuality

Written by Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University

Biological factors shape sexual preference.Rawpixel.com/SHutterstock.com

Across cultures, 2% to 10% of people report having same-sex relations. In the U.S., 1% to 2.2% of women and men, respectively, identify as gay. Despite these numbers, many people still consider homosexual behavior to be an anomalous choice. However, biologists have documented...

7 tips on how to take better notes

Written by Kenneth A. Kiewra, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Research shows that students who take detailed notes do better in class.VGstockstudio/Shutterstock.com

In a graduate-level educational psychology course at Florida State University, my professor didn’t allow students to take notes. He reasoned that taking notes prevented students from reflecting on the lesson.

Yet, the professor also thought...

In a world of cyber threats, the push for cyber peace is growing

Written by Scott Shackelford, Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics; Director, Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance; Cybersecurity Program Chair, IU-Bloomington, Indiana University

A push for digital peace is growing around the world.Finchen/Shutterstock.com

Digital conflict and military action are increasingly intertwined, and civilian targets – private businesses and everyday internet users alike – are vulnerable in the digital crossfire. But there are forces at work trying to promote peace online.

It will be a...

Evolution doesn't proceed in a straight line – so why draw it that way?

Written by Quentin Wheeler, Senior Fellow for Biodiversity Studies, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Evolution has no final endpoint in mind.Uncle Leo/Shutterstock.comA high school marching band’s T-shirt places a horn-playing Homo sapiens at the end of the evolutionary process.Brian Kloppenburg, Jordan Summers, Main Street Logo

Evolution doesn’t follow a preordained, straight path. Yet images abound that suggest otherwise. From museum...

How American Christian media promoted charity abroad

Written by Heather D. Curtis, Associate Professor of Religion, Tufts University

An illustration from the Christian Herald showing famine-hit people in India.Courtesy of the Christian Herald Association, New York

Many religions urge their adherents to be charitable toward those in need.

Jesus directed his followers to sell their possessions and give alms to the poor. The Hebrew Bible instructed the Jews to provide generously...

How to address America's lead crisis and provide safe drinking water for all

Written by Qi Bing, Ph.D. Student in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy, University of California, Irvine

Warning signs in the Newark Health Department after the city learned that lead service lines to houses still were contaminating water. Seth Wenig/AP, CC BY-NC-ND

Since the Flint drinking water crisis erupted five years ago, Americans have realized that many cities and towns struggle to ensure safe water. Currently residents of Newark, New Jersey ar...

The test that could save the life of a long-time smoker you know

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death in the U.S. A test for long-time smokers might be able to detect lung cancer earlier, thereby saving lives. Lightspring/Shutterstock.com

A test called CT lung cancer screening could save the lives of tens of thousands of American smokers and former smokers every year, but only only 4% of those...