The Conversation

Turning diamonds' defects into long-term 3-D data storage

Written by Siddharth Dhomkar, Postdoctoral Associate in Physics, City College of New York

Diamonds are a data storers' best friend?Diamond image via www.shutterstock.com

With the amount of data storage required for our daily lives growing and growing, and currently available technology being almost saturated, we’re in desparate need of a new method of data storage. The standard magnetic hard disk drive (HDD) – like...

Three reasons the US doesn't have universal health coverage

Written by Timothy Callaghan, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University

Amidst the partisan rancor and the unusual tilt toward questions on civility during the second and third presidential debates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump drew the attention of health experts when they articulated their path forward for health policy in America.

Responding to questions about the lack of affordability in the Affordable Care...

Here's how the next president could work with Congress to fix Obamacare

Written by J.B. Silvers, Professor of Health Finance, Case Western Reserve University

As we all know by now, The Donald wants to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act while Hillary wants to fix it. But what does that mean, and how would they do it?

The first question is what exactly do they want to repeal or fix. The ACA seems to have evolved into a great political Rorschach test somewhat devoid of real content but relying on...

Preserving fright, one haunted house at a time

Written by Joel Zika, Lecturer In Visual Communication Design, Deakin University

A virtual reality scene – one for each eye – of a haunted ride.Joel Zika, CC BY-NC

I vividly remember my first haunted house ride – it was at the local fairgrounds, just a temporary carnival truck, more façade than ride. I must have been about seven or eight, and I insisted on bringing along a flashlight. I was quite a...

What's at risk if scientists don't think strategically before talking politics

Written by John Besley, Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, Michigan State University

Scientists have a lot to contribute – and a lot to lose. Mic image via www.shutterstock.com.

Earlier this fall, the nonpartisan nonprofit ScienceDebate.org released Donald Trump’s and Hillary Clinton’s responses to a set of questions about science policy. Shortly after, a group of 375 scientists wrote an open letter focused...

Here's why our next president should block AT T's Time Warner tie-up

Written by Richard Lachmann, Professor of Sociology, University at Albany, State University of New York

AT&T’s plan to buy Time Warner for US$85.4 billion is only the latest of a string of mega corporate mergers that have been announced in recent years.

That deal would combine the second-largest U.S. cellphone carrier with one of the biggest content producers in the world, with cable networks including HBO, TBS and CNN, as well as Warner...

In a post-truth election, clicks trump facts

Written by Matthew Jordan, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Pennsylvania State University

Digital media has feasted off Donald Trump's lies.Nick Lehr/The Conversation, CC BY-SA

One thing about the 2016 presidential race is undeniable: Donald Trump has lied or misled at an unprecedented level. Over 70 percent of his statements, according to Politifact, are “mostly false,” “false” or “pants on fire...

Trump's wall ignores the economic logic of undocumented immigrant labor

Written by Lise Nelson, Associate Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Associate Professor of Geography, Pennsylvania State University

In the final weeks of his campaign, Donald Trump has reiterated his call to build a wall between Mexico and the United States. A Pew Research survey shows his supporters are united by, perhaps more than any other issue, anti-immigrant sentiment.

To him, like many of his supporters, this wave of invading “criminals” supported and abetted...

Americans and Russians see the world differently, and that's hurting Syrians

Written by Laura Roselle, Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies, Elon University

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry recently said that he sometimes feels like he’s living in a “parallel universe” compared to his Russian counterpart when it comes to Syria.

This parallel universe can be explained by analyzing the strategic narratives of the United States and Russia since the end of the Cold War.

My forthcoming...

Alcoholism research: A virus could manipulate neurons to reduce the desire to drink

Written by Yifeng Cheng, Ph.D. Candidate, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Texas A&M University

Heavy drinking can cause brain changes that make you want to drink more. Alcohol shots image via www.shutterstock.com.

About 17 million adults and more than 850,000 adolescents had some problems with alcohol in the United States in 2012. Long-term alcohol misuse could harm your liver, stomach, cardiovascular system and bones, as well as your brain....