The Conversation

Tobacco killed 500,000 Americans in 2020 – is it time to control cigarette-makers?

Written by Joshua M. Pearce, Wite Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Four Americans die every year for every one person employed in the U.S. tobacco industry.Julien Fourniol/Baloulumix via Getty Images

Tobacco use killed an estimated 500,000 Americans in 2020, about the same number the pandemic killed in one year. Although education efforts by government and nonprofits have helped to curb tobacco use, 14% of...

What's in a name for a vaccine campaign? Maybe the end of the pandemic

Written by Katherine A. Foss, Professor of Media Studies, Middle Tennessee State University

An unidentified doctor talks with a boy who holds a lollipop reward after participating in a measles vaccine research program in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, in 1963. NASA/PhotoQuest/Getty Images

Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. had received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine by March 1, and millions of others have spent hours online...

Why using reconciliation to pass Biden's COVID-19 stimulus bill violates the original purpose of the process

Written by Naomi Schalit, Senior Editor, Politics + Society, The Conversation US

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats meet with reporters before the House voted to pass a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package on Feb. 26, 2021. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Reconciliation – it’s a term federal budget experts would understand, but for the rest of us, it sounds like what you do with a family member...

Colleges confront their links to slavery and wrestle with how to atone for past sins

Written by Calvin Schermerhorn, Professor of History, Arizona State University

Students at Georgetown University protest in 2019, demanding the school make amends for its history with reparations. Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Colleges and universities across the U.S. have been taking a hard look at their ties to slavery.

This isn’t an entirely new phenomenon. Back in 2006, Brown University...

As death approaches, our dreams offer comfort, reconciliation

Written by Carine Mardorossian, Professor of English, University at Buffalo

As death approaches, relationships can be resurrected, love revived and forgiveness achieved.DeAgostini/Getty Images

One of the most devastating elements of the coronavirus pandemic has been the inability to personally care for loved ones who have fallen ill.

Again and again, grieving relatives have testified to how much more devastating their...

What the mythical figure of Şahmeran in Turkey represents and why activists use it

Written by Christiane Gruber, Professor of Islamic Art, University of Michigan

A pro-LGBTQ poster at Bosphorus University in Turkey with the image of the mythical creature Şahmeran.Via Twitter

At the center of recent protests over civil liberties and religious sensibilities in Turkey looms a half-woman, half-snake figure known as Şahmeran.

The mythical creature was included in a pro-LGBTQ poster on display at a...

What's really driving coal power's demise?

Written by David Drake, Assistant Professor of Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations Management, University of Colorado Boulder

The use of coal for electric power has been declining fast in the U.S.AP Photo/J. David Ake

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

The big idea

People often point to plunging natural gas prices as the reason U.S. coal-fired power plants have been shutting down at a faster pace in recent years. However, new research shows...

6 COVID-19 treatments helping patients survive

Written by William G. Bain, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh

New treatments target different stages of COVID-19, including before patients become sick enough to need a hospital.Juan Monino via Getty Images

A year ago, when U.S. health authorities issued their first warning that COVID-19 would cause severe “disruption to everyday life,” doctors had no effective treatments to offer beyond...

Why do flowers smell?

Written by Richard L. Harkess, Professor of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture, Mississippi State University

A floral scent can be enjoyable for a person, but it has an important job for the flower.Richard L. Harkess, CC BY-ND

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Why do flowers smell? – Henry E., Age 9, Somerville, Massachusetts

Imag...

What the Bible's approach to history can teach us about America's glory and shame

Written by Mark K. George, Professor of Bible and Ancient Systems of Thought, Iliff School of Theology

Trumpeting the past? The Bible has conflicting narratives over the conquest of CanaanWikimedia Commons

At a time when Americans are seemingly as polarized as ever over the present, the country’s past also appears to be up for debate.

The killing of George Floyd and the anti-racism protests it sparked and The New York Times’ 1619 Project,...