The Conversation

The opioid epidemic: Six essential reads

Written by Jessie Schanzle, Desk Editor, Health and Medicine, The Conversation

How did we get here?Pills image via www.shutterstock.com.

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories related to opioids.

More people died from drug overdose in 2014 than in any other year, and six in 10 of those deaths involved an opioid, such as a painkiller or heroin.

Hillary Clinton has proposed a US$10 billion plan to...

Dear Donald Trump: I treat combat veterans with PTSD, and they are not weak

Written by Joan Cook, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University

Mr. Trump, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.

Well, not one person per se, but the thousands of veterans I’ve had the privilege to work with as a clinical psychologist over the past 20 years. They’ve served this country proudly – shouldering the responsibilities of the world while others went to college or into...

Terrorism fallout shelters: Is it time to resurrect nuclear civil defense?

Written by Timothy J. Jorgensen, Director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program and Associate Professor of Radiation Medicine, Georgetown University

Could we use Cold War fallout shelters?pigmonkey/flickr, CC BY-SA

Fifty-five years ago, on Oct. 6, 1961, President John F. Kennedy advised Americans to build an underground protective room, commonly known as a “fallout shelter,” in their homes.

At that time – the middle of the Cold War – the U.S. feared that a nuclear attack...

Hurricane Matthew approaches the eastern US: Six essential reads

Written by Martin LaMonica, Deputy Editor, Environment & Energy Editor, The Conversation

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of stories related to hurricanes and storms.

Mandatory evacuations have begun in coastal areas of Florida and other southern states as Hurricane Matthew continues its slow ascent from Haiti and Cuba toward the mainland U.S.

Even as we wait to see the effects from this category 4 hurricane, it’s...

What displaced Colombians living abroad think about the peace efforts

Written by Jeffrey D. Pugh, Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution, University of Massachusetts Boston

The peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group was rejected by less than a 0.5 percent margin in a referendum on Oct. 2.

This outcome shocked the world and defied the expectations of most external observers. The signed agreement to end the violence seemed all but complete, so...

What the Trump Foundation controversies reveal about the candidate and his business acumen

Written by Philip Hackney, James E. & Betty M. Phillips Associate Professor of Law, Louisiana State University

A surprising feature at the forefront of this year’s presidential election has been the philanthropic endeavors of the candidates.

The scrutiny of the Clinton Foundation is understandable given its large scale and worldwide focus. The attention surrounding Donald Trump’s charitable endeavors comes from different reasons: primarily a...

The Nobel Prize for Physics goes to topology – and mathematicians applaud

Written by Kevin Knudson, Professor of Mathematics, University of Florida

Math doesn't get its own Nobel, but is the foundation for much Prize-winning research.Tim Ereneta, CC BY-NC

David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz received the 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics for their work on exotic states of matter. They were inspired by the observation that some materials have unusual electrical properties –...

Why one-size-fits-all approach does not work for teacher quality

Written by Gerald K. LeTendre, Professor of Education, Pennsylvania State University

What is teacher quality?Jeremy Wilburn, CC BY-NC-ND

Most of us know the difference a good teacher makes in the life of a child. Many global institutions working to improve access to education, such as the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and Education International agree that “teacher quality” is...

In parts of the world, bride price encourages parents to educate daughters

Written by Natalie Bau, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Toronto

Cultural norms play an important role in determining whether girls will be send to schools.Global Partnership for Education - GPE , CC BY-NC-ND

Education is one of the engines of economic growth and development. More education leads to higher incomes. For individuals living in low-income countries, an additional year of education increases wages by...

Biofuels turn out to be a climate mistake – here's why

Written by John DeCicco, Research Professor, University of Michigan

Soybeans and corn are two of the most widely planted crops in the United States and the main feedstocks used to make biofuels.www.shutterstock.com

Ever since the 1973 oil embargo, U.S. energy policy has sought to replace petroleum-based transportation fuels with alternatives. One prominent option is using biofuels, such as ethanol in place of...