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The Conversation

Corals are starting to bleach as global ocean temperatures hit record highs

  • Written by Ian Enochs, Research Ecologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
imageMass coral bleaching in 2014 left the Coral Reef Monitoring Program monitoring site at Cheeca Rocks off the Florida Keys a blanket of white.NOAA

The water off South Florida is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) in mid-July, and scientists are already seeing signs of coral bleaching off Central and South America. Particularly concerning is how...

Read more: Corals are starting to bleach as global ocean temperatures hit record highs

Curing America's loneliness epidemic would make us healthier, fitter and less likely to abuse drugs

  • Written by Clay Marsh, Chancellor and Executive Dean for Health Sciences, West Virginia University
imageLoneliness increases the risk of chronic disease and mental health challenges.An Kirillova/500px Prime via Getty Images

A national healthadvisory issued by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on May 3, 2023, sheds light on the urgent public health issues of loneliness and isolation.

The report reflects Dr. Murthy’s personal and professional...

Read more: Curing America's loneliness epidemic would make us healthier, fitter and less likely to abuse drugs

Drugs and religion have been a potent combination for millennia, from cannabis at ancient funerary sites to psychedelic retreats today

  • Written by Gary Laderman, Goodrich C White Professor of Religion, Emory University
imageGetting high to get spiritual insight isn't a new pursuit.bestdesigns/iStock via Getty Images

Psychedelics are all the rage. Well-known figures like quarterback Aaron Rodgers, singer Miley Cyrus and boxer Mike Tyson testify to their transformative impact. Less visible consumers are “microdosing” or signing up for retreats with shamanic...

Read more: Drugs and religion have been a potent combination for millennia, from cannabis at ancient funerary...

Is the US being hypocritical in taking years to destroy its chemical weapons, while condemning other nations for their own chemical weapons programs? A political philosopher weighs in

  • Written by Michael Blake, Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington
imageTechnicians working to destroy the United States' chemical weapons stockpile at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot on June 8, 2023, in Pueblo, Colo. AAP Photo/David Zalubowski

The United States has finished destroying the last of its stock of chemical weapons, marking the end of a 26-year period during which it frequently condemned other states for...

Read more: Is the US being hypocritical in taking years to destroy its chemical weapons, while condemning...

Female physicists aren't represented in the media – and this lack of representation hurts the physics field

  • Written by Carl Kurlander, Senior Lecturer, Film and Media Studies, University of Pittsburgh
imageLise Meitner, in the front row, sits alongside many male colleagues at the Seventh Solvay Physics Conference in 1933. Corbin Historical via Getty Images

Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated movie “Oppenheimer,” set for release July 21, 2023, depicts J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. But...

Read more: Female physicists aren't represented in the media – and this lack of representation hurts the...

A new, thin-lensed telescope design could far surpass James Webb – goodbye mirrors, hello diffractive lenses

  • Written by Daniel Apai, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona
imageA light, cheap space telescope design would make it possible to put many individual units in space at once.Katie Yung, Daniel Apai /University of Arizona and AllThingsSpace /SketchFab, CC BY-ND

Astronomers have discovered more than 5,000 planets outside of the solar system to date. The grand question is whether any of these planets are home to life....

Read more: A new, thin-lensed telescope design could far surpass James Webb – goodbye mirrors, hello...

A new, thin-lensed telescope design could far surpass James Webb – goodbye mirrors, hello diffractive lenses

  • Written by Daniel Apai, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona
imageA light, cheap space telescope design would make it possible to put many individual units in space at once.Katie Yung, Daniel Apai /University of Arizona and AllThingsSpace /SketchFab, CC BY-ND

Astronomers have discovered more than 5,000 planets outside of the solar system to date. The grand question is whether any of these planets are home to life....

Read more: A new, thin-lensed telescope design could far surpass James Webb – goodbye mirrors, hello...

Children, like adults, tend to underestimate how welcome their random acts of kindness will be

  • Written by Margaret Echelbarger, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)
imageLittle thoughtful gestures can make someone's day.alashi/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

From expressing gratitude to surprising someone with a mug of hot chocolate on a cold day, adults tend to underestimate how positively others will respond to their random acts...

Read more: Children, like adults, tend to underestimate how welcome their random acts of kindness will be

Classic literature still offers rich lessons about life in the deep blue sea

  • Written by Jonathan Bate, Foundation Professor of Environmental Humanities, Arizona State University
imageNovels about underwater adventures offer a glimpse at oceanic life.fotograzia via Getty Images

When OceanGate, the deep-sea exploration enterprise, created a promotional video for its ill-fated US$250,000-per-head trip to see the wreck of the Titanic, it told prospective passengers to “Get ready for what Jules Verne could only imagine –...

Read more: Classic literature still offers rich lessons about life in the deep blue sea

Strep throat can easily be confused with throat infections caused by viruses – here are a few ways to know the difference

  • Written by Allen Shaughnessy, Professor of Family Medicine, Tufts University
imageStrep is most common in children between the ages of 5 and 15.aquaArts studio/E+ via Getty Images

“My sore throats, you know, are always worse than anybody’s.”

So declares Mary to Anne in “Persuasion,” Jane Austen’s 1817 book. Most of us can relate to this feeling. There is no such thing as “just a sore...

Read more: Strep throat can easily be confused with throat infections caused by viruses – here are a few ways...

More Articles ...

  1. Sawfish, guitarfish and more: Meet the rhino rays, some of the world's most oddly shaped and highly endangered fishes
  2. Liberal CEOs were more likely to exit Russia following its invasion of Ukraine than more conservative corporate leaders
  3. The 21st Century Cures Act requires that patients receive medical results immediately – and new research shows patients prefer it that way
  4. What's on the agenda as Biden heads to NATO summit: 5 essential reads as Western alliance talks expansion, Ukraine
  5. Tuberculosis on the rise for first time in decades after COVID-19 interrupted public health interventions and increased inequality
  6. Kakhovka Dam breach in Ukraine caused economic, agricultural and ecological devastation that will last for years
  7. Why putting off college math can be a good idea
  8. China's ties to Cuba and growing presence in Latin America raise security concerns in Washington, even as leaders try to ease tensions
  9. Science activism is surging – which marks a culture shift among scientists
  10. Aging is complicated – a biologist explains why no two people or cells age the same way, and what this means for anti-aging interventions
  11. Police treatment in black and white – report on Minneapolis policing is the latest reminder of systemic racial disparities
  12. _E. coli_ is one of the most widely studied organisms – and that may be a problem for both science and medicine
  13. Christians in Pakistan risk greater persecution from blasphemy laws, while living in poverty
  14. Astro-tourism – chasing eclipses, meteor showers and elusive dark skies from Earth
  15. Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – who is at risk might surprise you
  16. The Global South is on the rise – but what exactly is the Global South?
  17. Why are some Beanie Babies worth more than others? Prices for collectibles are about supply and demand
  18. A business can decline service based on its beliefs, Supreme Court rules – but what will this look like in practice?
  19. Now that President Biden's student loan cancellation program has been canceled, here's what's next
  20. Cambodia PM Hun Sen will shut down opposition on election day – even if he can no longer threaten voters on Facebook
  21. A subtle symphony of ripples in spacetime – astronomers use dead stars to measure gravitational waves produced by ancient black holes
  22. 'We the People' includes all Americans – but July 4 is a reminder that democracy remains a work in progress
  23. Military academies can still consider race in admissions, but the rest of the nation's colleges and universities cannot, court rules
  24. What Beijing's muted response to Wagner mutiny tells us about China-Russia relations – and what it doesn't
  25. Locally transmitted malaria in the US could be a harbinger of rising disease risk in a warming climate – 5 questions answered
  26. From Stonewall to Pride, the fight for equal rights has been rooted in resistance led by Black transwomen
  27. Inside the grogue wars of Cabo Verde
  28. By 'helping' wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here's why you should keep your distance
  29. Visual misinformation is widespread on Facebook – and often undercounted by researchers
  30. Is it legal to sell human remains?
  31. 3 myths about immigration in America
  32. A 2003 Supreme Court decision upholding affirmative action planted the seeds of its overturning, as justices then and now thought racism an easily solved problem
  33. IceCube neutrino detector in Antarctica spots first high-energy neutrinos emitted in our own Milky Way galaxy
  34. Researchers can learn a lot with your genetic information, even when you skip survey questions – yesterday's mode of informed consent doesn't quite fit today's biobank studies
  35. Yes, debates do help voters decide – and candidates are increasingly reluctant to participate
  36. Bridge collapses, road repairs, evacuations: How transportation agencies plan for large-scale traffic disruptions
  37. Meltwater is hydro-fracking Greenland’s ice sheet through millions of hairline cracks – destabilizing its internal structure
  38. Think being a NASCAR driver isn't as physically demanding as other sports? Think again
  39. US agencies buy vast quantities of personal information on the open market – a legal scholar explains why and what it means for privacy in the age of AI
  40. Ringworm fungal infections are common in the US and are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment – 6 questions answered
  41. English dialects make themselves heard in genes
  42. Americans in former Confederate states more likely to say violent protest against government is justified, 160 years after Gettysburg
  43. What is the difference between nationalism and patriotism?
  44. Putin's Ukraine war keeps yielding dividends -- but not for him
  45. A trauma-focused therapy is helping Ukrainian children besieged by war – a clinical psychologist explains how it could bring resilience to kids around the world
  46. Lab-grown meat techniques aren't new – cell cultures are common tools in science, but bringing them up to scale to meet society's demand for meat will require further development
  47. States are weakening their child labor restrictions nearly 8 decades after the US government took kids out of the workforce
  48. Do you crush microbes when you step on them?
  49. Taking students to the range to learn about gun culture firsthand
  50. BMI alone will no longer be treated as the go-to measure for weight management – an obesity medicine physician explains the seismic shift taking place