The Conversation

Hundreds of hungry mosquitoes, a student volunteer and a mesh suit helped us figure out how these deadly insects reach their targets

Written by David Hu, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biology, Adjunct Professor of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Trajectories of mosquitoes flying around a human target.David L. Hu, Georgia Tech

“Four minutes is too long.”

Some of Chris Zuo’s itchy results after his session with the mosquitoes.David L. Hu

That’s the note undergraduate Chris Zuo sent me along with photos of countless mosquito bites on his bare skin. This full-body...

How hatred of Jews became a common ground for Islamic terrorists and left-wing extremists, fueling domestic terrorism

Written by Arie Perliger, Director of Security Studies and Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, UMass Lowell

A woman gathers children as law enforcement responds at a Michigan synagogue after an assailant drove a vehicle into the building on March 12, 2026. AP Photo/Corey Williams

Every major escalation in the Middle East sends shock waves far beyond the region. In the United States, those shock waves arrive not as distant tremors but as catalysts for...

More and more teachers and students are using AI – even though it might do more harm than good

Written by Tal Slemrod, Associate Professor of Special Education, California State University, Chico

An estimated 85% of K-12 public school teachers recently reported that they used AI during the 2024-2025 school year. ismagilov/iStock/Getty Images Plus

K-12 teachers and students across the country are increasingly using AI in and out of classrooms, whether it is teachers turning to AI to refine lesson plans or students asking AI to help them...

What’s the equivalent of a wheelchair for a person with schizophrenia? How psychiatric rehabilitation brings community into care

Written by Adrienne Lapidos, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Michigan

Including employment support in psychiatric care can improve quality of life.Maskot/Getty Images

Imagine your dream is to get a job at the local library. You have a love for people and for books. You also have schizophrenia, a psychiatric disability that makes life in the community more challenging.

You often have extreme psychological experiences....

Power outages can threaten the lives of medical device users – knowing who is most at risk will help cities respond

Written by Matthew D. Dean, Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine

Many older adults rely on electric-powered medical equipment, such as portable oxygen and nebulizers that help them breathe.Westend61 via Getty Images

When the power goes out and stays off for hours, the result can be more than just a hassle – for millions of Americans who rely on medical equipment, losing electricity can become a medical...

Pittsburgh spends millions on juvenile detention – research points to cheaper, more effective alternatives

Written by Jeffrey Shook, Professor of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh

More than a third of people in state prisons have served time in a juvenile facility, according to The Sentencing Project.SAKDAWUT14/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Data released in January 2026 to Allegheny County officials offers a clear look at who is being held at Highland Detention Center – and how much it costs taxpayers. The numbers show...

What an ancient Chinese philosopher can teach us about Americans’ obsession with college rankings

Written by Stephen Chen, Associate Professor of Psychology, Wellesley College

A visitor looks at calligraphy by Luo Sangui of the Daodejing, the classic Daoist text, during the Nanjing 2014 Grand Art Exhibition in Nanjing, China. Visual China Group via Getty Images

Each March, many of the country’s most selective colleges and universities release their admissions decisions, reviving debates over the roles of race, wealt...

Millions of CT scans are done every year – most leave important data behind

Written by Peter Gunderman, Assistant Clinical Professor of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University

CT scans hold a wealth of information about a patient's health that often gets overlooked.Morsa Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Recently, a patient came to the hospital where I work with a persistent cough. Their doctor had ordered a CT scan – a type of imaging that creates detailed cross-sectional pictures of the body’s interior...

Pete Hegseth is working hard to make sure the public hears only good news about Iran war

Written by Kathy Kiely, Professor and Lee Hills Chair of Free Press Studies, University of Missouri-Columbia

The Trump administration doesn't like the free press's coverage of the Iran war.MirageC/Getty

Martha Gellhorn stowed away on a hospital ship to become the only woman journalist to land on Normandy Beach on D-Day. She carried stretchers before writing her harrowing account of the invasion.

The New Yorker’s famously epicurean writer A.J....

Going nuclear? Why a growing number of Washington’s allies are eyeing an alternative to US umbrella

Written by Amy McAuliffe, Visiting Distinguished Professor of the Practice, University of Notre Dame

American allies contemplate a post-U.S. nuclear umbrella future.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Canadians are openly discussing the merits and risks of pursuing a nuclear weapon. Europeans are similarly considering a nuclear deterrent for the bloc. In South Korea, public support for a nuclear weapon is at its highest level on record, and even in Japan some...