The Conversation

How many babies in the US are wanted? Why it's so hard to count unintended pregnancy

Written by Heather M. Rackin, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Louisiana State University

Demographers struggle to measure unintended fertility.Leah Kelley/pexels, CC BY

Do you know the story about your conception? I do. According to my parents, I was the “best mistake” they ever made. I wouldn’t suggest asking your parents, because you might hear something that you aren’t happy about. My parents’ answer...

Many native animals and birds thrive in burned forests, research shows

Written by Derek E. Lee, Associate Research Professor of Biology, Pennsylvania State University

A Northern Spotted Owl in Oregon's Deschutes National Forest.AP Photo/Don Ryan, File

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is blaming this summer’s large-scale wildfires on environmentalists, who he contends oppose “active management” in forests.

But the idea that wildfires should be suppressed by logging the forest is far too...

The lies we tell on dating apps to find love

Written by David Markowitz, Assistant Professor of Social Media Data Analytics, University of Oregon

The lies most people tell on dating apps do serve a purpose.Dado Photos

Nearly one-fourth of young adults are looking for love through dating websites or apps.

This relatively new form of courtship can give you access to a large pool of potential partners. It also presents a unique set of challenges.

For example, you’ve probably heard about...

Coffee farmers struggle to adapt to Colombia's changing climate

Written by Jessica Eise, Ross Fellow in the Brian Lamb School of Communication Doctoral Program, Purdue University

The fertile, mountainous terrain of Colombia’s coffee-producing central region is vulnerable to climate change impacts such as stronger storms and hotter temperatures.Eddy Milfort/flickr, CC BY-SA

In Colombia’s coffee-producing region of Risaralda, small trees run along the sharp incline of the Andes Mountains, carefully tended in tidy...

When losing one's research partner is like losing a part of oneself

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

Richard Thompson, the author's best friend.Joan Cook, CC BY-SA

“If you want to see Rich alive, now’s the time.” I sucked in air as I read the text from his wife.

I knew this was coming. But, I had been hoping for a miracle.

I met my friend Richard Thompson at a mental health grant-writing boot camp at Cornell Medical Center almost...

Venezuelan oil fueled the rise and fall of Nicaragua's Ortega regime

Written by Benjamin Waddell, Associate Professor of Sociology, Fort Lewis College

The downfall of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega has been dizzyingly fast.

In January 2018, he had the highest approval rating of any Central American president, at 54 percent. Today, Nicaraguans are calling for Ortega’s resignation.

Ortega, a former Sandinista rebel who previously ruled Nicaragua in the 1980s, first showed signs of...

China’s garbage ban upends US recycling – is it time to reconsider incineration?

Written by Thomas Kinnaman, Professor of Economics, Bucknell University

The market for plastic recycling is drying up, prompting a discussion over what to do with household waste.Steven Depolo, CC BY

China’s decision earlier this year to implement a ban on the import of 24 categories of recyclable materials, including many common plastics used in consumer goods, has shocked recycling systems across the world.

Surpl...

New antidote could prevent brain damage after chemical weapons attack

Written by Janice Chambers, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine; Director, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Mississippi State University

An old gas mask lies abandoned on the ground.By Khamidulin Sergey / shutterstock.com

Terror on a Tokyo subway, 1995; attacks on Syrian civilians, 2013 and 2017; assassinations in an airport in Kuala Lumpur, 2017; attempted assassination in London, 2018. Tremors, foaming at the mouth, seizures, respiratory shutdown, sometimes death. What do these...

Ban 'killer robots' to protect fundamental moral and legal principles

Written by Bonnie Docherty, Lecturer on Law and Associate Director of Armed Conflict and Civilian Protection, International Human Rights Clinic, Harvard Law School, Harvard University

The U.S. military is already testing a Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System.Lance Cpl. Julien Rodarte, U.S. Marine Corps

When drafting a treaty on the laws of war at the end of the 19th century, diplomats could not foresee the future of weapons development. But they did adopt a legal and moral standard for judging new technology not covered by...

Civil lawsuits are the only way to hold bishops accountable for abuse cover-ups

Written by Timothy D. Lytton, Distinguished University Professor & Professor of Law, Georgia State University

Victims or their family members react to a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation that identified more than 1,000 child victims of clergy sexual abuse. AP/Matt Rourke

Last week, a Pennsylvania grand jury documented 70 years of concerted efforts by Catholic bishops in that state to conceal more than 1,000 cases of child sexual abuse by priests...