The Conversation

North America’s summer of wildfire smoke: 2023 was only the beginning

Written by Charles O. Stanier, Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa

Canada’s seemingly endless wildfires in 2023 introduced millions of people across North America to the health hazards of wildfire smoke. While Western states have contended with smoky fire seasons for years, the air quality alerts across the U.S. Midwest and Northeast this summer reached levels never seen there before.

The smoke left the air...

Trump's mug shot is now a means of entertainment and fundraising − but it will go down in history as an important cultural artifact

Written by Jonathan Finn, Professor of Communication Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University

One of the most anticipated events in the summer of 2023 was former President Donald Trump’s mug shot.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s office released Trump’s mug shot on Aug. 24, 2023, a little more than one week after a grand jury in Georgia indicted the former president and 18 associates for alleged attempts to overturn the...

Overly flexible connective tissue causes problems in joints and throughout the body − and is often missed by doctors

Written by Leslie Russek, Professor Emeritus of Physical Therapy, Clarkson University

Extreme flexibility can be an asset, but in some people it can be a liability.Lintao Zhang/Staff via Getty Images Sport

Connective tissue is found throughout the human body, within and between structures as varied as muscles, nerves and internal organs. Like an elaborate web, it holds everything together – providing the body shape and...

White men have controlled women’s reproductive rights throughout American history – the post-Dobbs era is no different

Written by Rodney Coates, Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Miami University

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, after participating in an abortion rights sit-in on July 19, 2022, in Washington.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

More than a year after the Supreme Court ended federal protection for abortion rights in the United States, disagreements over abortion bans continue to reverberate around the country. Candidate...

United Auto Workers strike – if it happens – should channel the legacy of Walter Reuther, who led the union at the peak of its power

Written by Marick Masters, Professor of Business and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

UAW President Walter Reuther, center, shakes hands with a Ford executive after agreeing on a three-year contract in 1967.Bettmann via Getty Images

The United Auto Workers are engaged in high-stakes labor negotiations that could lead to the union’s first simultaneous strike against all of Detroit’s Big Three automakers: General Motors,...

Michael Oher, Mike Tyson and the question of whether you own your life story

Written by Jorge L. Contreras, James T. Jensen Endowed Professor for Transactional Law and Director, Program on Intellectual Property and Technology Law, University of Utah

Michael Oher and his family celebrate his selection by the Baltimore Ravens at the 2009 NFL Draft. Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

What if you overcame a serious illness to go on to win an Olympic medal? Could a writer or filmmaker decide to tell your inspiring story without consulting you? Or do you “own” that story and control how it...

Space junk in Earth orbit and on the Moon will increase with future missions − but nobody's in charge of cleaning it up

Written by Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona

An artist's rendering of debris floating through Earth's orbit. Petrovich9/iStock via Getty Images

There’s a lot of trash on the Moon right now – including nearly 100 bags of human waste – and with countries around the globe traveling to the Moon, there’s going to be a lot more, both on the lunar surface and in Earth’s...

Trans students benefit from gender-inclusive classrooms, research shows – and so do the other students and science itself

Written by Sarah Eddy, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University

Teaching sex and gender more accurately can counter gender stereotypes and encourage all students to study STEM.Iurii Krasilnikov/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Across the U.S., legislators are debating how and when sex and gender should be discussed in the classroom and beyond. Specifically, these bills are considering whether anything beyond male...

How to get federal disaster aid: FEMA is running out of money, but these strategies can help survivors of Hurricane Idalia and the Maui fires get aid faster

Written by Latisha Nixon-Jones, Associate Professor of Law, Jacksonville University

Hurricane Idalia inundated parts of Tarpon Springs, Fla., and other coastal communities on Aug. 30, 2023.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

As questions loom over the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s ability to fund disaster recovery efforts, people whose homes were damaged or destroyed by recent wildfires and storms are trying to make their way...

Peruvian writers tell of a future rooted in the past and contemporary societal issues

Written by Rocio Quispe Agnoli, William J. Beal Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University

An artist's vision of a future underwater Lima, Peru, graces the cover of the short story collection 'Llaqtamasi.'Art by Juan Diego León via Pandemonium Editorial

The Aymara people of the Andean Highlands speak of “qhipa pacha,” a phrase that refers to the future as a direction one walks to backward. They believe in looking to...