The Conversation

Nitazenes are a powerful class of street drugs emerging across the US

Written by Christopher P. Holstege, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Virginia

Nitazenes, like this powder sample, are a class of synthetic opioids more potent than morphine and fentanyl.Joe Lamberti/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Two deaths in Boulder County, Colorado, in 2023 are the latest in the U.S. to be blamed on the powerful class of synthetic opioids called nitazenes. Most health systems cannot detect...

Gold, silver and lithium mining on federal land doesn’t bring in any royalties to the US Treasury – because of an 1872 law

Written by Sam Kalen, Associate Dean and Professor of Law, University of Wyoming

Aerial view of the Pinto Valley copper mine, located on private and U.S. national forest lands in Gila County, Ariz.Wild Horizon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

When Congress opened U.S. public lands for mining in 1872, the nation was less than a century old. Miners used picks, shovels and pressurized water hoses to pry loose valuable...

Several companies are testing brain implants – why is there so much attention swirling around Neuralink? Two professors unpack the ethical issues

Written by Nancy S. Jecker, Professor of Bioethics and Humanities, School of Medicine, University of Washington

Brain-computer interfaces have the potential to transform some people's lives, but they raise a host of ethical issues, too.Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

Putting a computer inside someone’s brain used to feel like the edge of science fiction. Today, it’s a reality. Academic and commercial groups are testing...

Don’t let ‘FDA-approved’ or ‘patented’ in ads give you a false sense of security

Written by Michael Mattioli, Professor of Law and Louis F. Niezer Faculty Fellow, Indiana University

Is that really a stamp of approval?iStock/Getty Images Plus

If you’ve ever reached for a bottle of moisturizer labeled “patented” or “FDA approved,” you might want to think twice. In a recent study of hundreds of advertisements, I found that supplements and beauty products often misleadingly use these terms to suggest...

We designed wormlike, limbless robots that navigate obstacle courses − they could be used for search and rescue one day

Written by Tianyu Wang, Ph.D. Student in Robotics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Limbless robots may not need lots of complex algorithms when they have mechanical intelligence. Tianyu Wang

Scientists have been trying to build snakelike, limbless robots for decades. These robots could come in handy in search-and-rescue situations, where they could navigate collapsed buildings to find and assist survivors.

With slender, flexible...

Bringing AI up to speed – autonomous auto racing promises safer driverless cars on the road

Written by Madhur Behl, Associate Professor of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, University of Virginia

An autonomous race car built by the Technical University of Munich prepares to pass the University of Virginia's entrant.Cavalier Autonomous Racing, University of Virginia, CC BY-ND

The excitement of auto racing comes from split-second decisions and daring passes by fearless drivers. Imagine that scene, but without the driver – the car alone,...

Real-world experiments in messaging show that getting low-income people the help they need is more effective when stigma is reduced

Written by Jessica Lasky-Fink, Research Director of the People Lab, Harvard Kennedy School

Stigma tied to poverty can create a barrier to the very help people need. @felipepelaquim for Unsplash.com, CC BY-SA

There are pervasive stereotypes that Americans who are low income and access government assistance are lazy, lack a work ethic and are even morally inferior. This stigma has been shown to have many negative consequences.

But until...

Revving up tourism: Formula One and other big events look set to drive growth in the hospitality industry

Written by Rachel J.C. Fu, Chair & Professor of Dept. of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management | Director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute | Affiliate Professor of Dept. of Information Systems and Operations Management, University of Florida

Sergio Perez of Oracle Red Bull Racing, right, and Charles Leclerc of the Scuderia Ferrari team compete in the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 19, 2023.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

In late 2023, I embarked on my first Formula One race experience, attending the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix. I had never been to an F1 race; my interest was...

Back in the day, being woke meant being smart

Written by Ronald E. Hall, Professor of Social Work, Michigan State University

Demonstrators march on Jan. 1, 1934, in Washington against the unjust trials of nine Black men falsely accused of raping two white women. Bettmann/Getty Images

If Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had his way, the word “woke” would be banished from public use and memory.

As he promised in Iowa in December 2023 during his failed presidential...

Who will be picked for vice president? Let’s discuss who’s qualified for the job

Written by Christopher Devine, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Dayton

Former president Donald Trump speaks as potential vice presidential hopefuls Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott look on. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The November presidential election might seem far away, but it’s time for the veepstakes – already. You know, that favorite game of pundits, politicos and political...