The Conversation

California wildfires pass 4 million acres burned, doubling previous record – that's a lot of toxic smoke

Written by Joshua S. Fu, John D. Tickle Professor of Engineering and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee

Wildfire smoke turned the San Francisco sky orange in the middle of the day in early September.Ray Chavez/Medianews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images

When you breathe in smoke from a wildfire, you’re probably inhaling more toxic chemicals than you realize.

Pollution from power plants and vehicles, pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals in...

Evolution on the smallest of scales smooths out the patchwork patterns of where plants and animals live

Written by Mark C. Urban, Director, Center of Biological Risk; Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

In the Pacific Northwest, even though there are huge variations in environment, the Douglas fir grows everywhere.NASA/NOAA

The Douglas fir is a tall iconic pine tree in Western North America forming a forest that winds unbroken from the Western spine of British Columbia all the way to the Mexican cordillera. The environmental conditions of Canada...

In the midst of deep grief, a scholar writes how Hindu rituals taught her how to let go

Written by Ketika Garg, Ph.D. student, University of California, Merced

Hindu cremation being performed on the banks of the River Ganges in Varanasi, India.Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images

Cultures have built elaborate rituals to help humans process the grief of losing someone.

Rituals can hold the core beliefs of a culture and provide a sense of control in an otherwise helpless situation. I came to understand this...

In the midst of deep grief, a scholar writes how Hindu rituals taught her to let go

Written by Ketika Garg, Ph.D. Student of Cognitive Science, University of California, Merced

Hindu cremation being performed on the banks of the River Ganges in Varanasi, India.Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images

Cultures have built elaborate rituals to help humans process the grief of losing someone.

Rituals can hold the core beliefs of a culture and provide a sense of control in an otherwise helpless situation. I came to understand this...

El colorante artificial podría usarse para desinfectar el aire del COVID-19

Written by Young Kim, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University

Un laboratorio de ingeniería biomédica en Estados Unidos ha desarrollado una forma de neutralizar potencialmente los virus que permanecen en el aire utilizando aerosoles de colorantes alimentarios.wwing/iStock/Getty Images Plus

El informe de investigación es una breve reseña sobre un trabajo académico interesante.

L...

What makes a 'good' patriot? Donald Trump may be surprised by an ethicist's answer

Written by Stewart Clem, Assistant Professor of Moral Theology, Aquinas Institute of Theology

Your country needs YOU to be a critical friend.Alex Wong/Getty Images

When President Donald Trump talks about “patriots” – and he does, a lot – he probably doesn’t have in mind a fictional Black American sailor sitting in a cafe in Wales, listening to locals sing folks songs.

But in Ralph Ellison’s short story...

How three prior pandemics triggered massive societal shifts

Written by Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College

A 19th-century engraving depicts the Angel of Death descending on Rome during the Antonine plague.J.G. Levasseur/Wellcome Collection, CC BY

Before March of this year, few probably thought disease could be a significant driver of human history.

Not so anymore. People are beginning to understand that the little changes COVID-19 has already ushered in...

Surprise medical bills increase costs for everyone, not just for the people who get them

Written by Erin Duffy, Post-doctoral research fellow, University of Southern California

About 12% of insurers’ U.S. spending on in- and out-of-network medical care goes to six types of providers that commonly submit surprise bills.Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Surprise medical billing is one of the most urgent topics in health care.

Too often after a hospital procedure or visit to an emergency room...

How 3 prior pandemics triggered massive societal shifts

Written by Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College

A 19th-century engraving depicts the Angel of Death descending on Rome during the Antonine plague.J.G. Levasseur/Wellcome Collection, CC BY

Before March of this year, few probably thought disease could be a significant driver of human history.

Not so anymore. People are beginning to understand that the little changes COVID-19 has already ushered in...

Could a few state legislatures choose the next president?

Written by Austin Sarat, Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty and Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

The Florida legislature could play a role in deciding the 2020 presidential election.AP Photo/Steve Cannon

State legislatures could face legal and perhaps even state constitutional crises after Election Day, if they’re pressured to change how they traditionally allocate electoral votes.

Recent media reports indicate that Trump’s campaign...