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The tricky ethics of Google's Project Nightingale, an effort to learn from millions of health records

  • Written by Cason Schmit, Assistant Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M University
Sharing electronic medical records broadly could identify trends as well as mistakes, but it also poses privacy concerns.Metamorworks/Shutterstock.com

The nation’s second-largest health system, Ascension, has agreed to allow the software behemoth Google access to tens of millions of patient records. The partnership, called Project...

Read more: The tricky ethics of Google's Project Nightingale, an effort to learn from millions of health...

Invasive grasses are fueling wildfires across the US

  • Written by Emily Fusco, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Burning invasive, nonnative grasses on federal land at Lower Table Rock, Oregon. BLM, CC BY

The Santa Ana winds that help drive fall and winter wildfires in California have died down, providing welcome relief for residents. But other ecological factors contribute to fires in ways that scientists are still discovering.

I study how human actions...

Read more: Invasive grasses are fueling wildfires across the US

Pregnant women have a higher risk of delivering early on unseasonably hot days

  • Written by Alan Barreca, Associate Professor of Environmental Economics, University of California, Los Angeles
Around 10 states in the U.S. have hit over 120 degrees Fahrenheit on their hottest days this year.VladisChern/Shutterstock.com

About a quarter of children in the United States are born two to three weeks before their due date, which qualifies them as “early term.” Pregnancies typically last 40 weeks, so you might think that being born...

Read more: Pregnant women have a higher risk of delivering early on unseasonably hot days

Eliminating food deserts won't help poorer Americans eat healthier

  • Written by Hunt Allcott, Associate Professor of Economics, New York University
We love junk food. Mumemories/Shutterstock.com

In the U.S., rich people tend to eat a lot healthier than poor people.

Because poor diets cause obesity, Type II diabetes and other diseases, this nutritional inequality contributes to unequal health outcomes. The richest Americans can expect to live 10-15 years longer than the poorest.

Many think that...

Read more: Eliminating food deserts won't help poorer Americans eat healthier

What's the value of your dog's life, and why it matters

  • Written by Simon F. Haeder, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Pennsylvania State University
Your lovable dog has a value of about $10,000, researchers suggest.Javier Brosch/Shutterstock.comr

Americans love their pets, spending more than US$70 billion last year on their beloved companions. This far exceeds the $7 billion spent on legal marijuana, and $32 billion on pizza, just for two examples.

Of the $70 billion, close to $20 billion pays...

Read more: What's the value of your dog's life, and why it matters

Christmas tree shopping is harder than ever, thanks to climate change and demographics

  • Written by James Robert Farmer, Associate Professor, Indiana University
Christmas trees at Twin H Tree Farms in Bloomington, Indiana.Indiana University/James Brosher, CC BY-ND

If you’re shopping for a live Christmas tree this year, you may have to search harder than in the past. Over the last five years Christmas tree shortages have been reported in many parts of the U.S.

One factor is that growers sold off land...

Read more: Christmas tree shopping is harder than ever, thanks to climate change and demographics

Curious Kids: How come Donald Trump won if Hillary Clinton got more votes?

  • Written by Sarah Burns, Associate Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology
Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in the 2016 election.a katz/Shutterstock.com

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.

How come Donald Trump won if Hillary Clinton got more votes? Ellen T., 8, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Many...

Read more: Curious Kids: How come Donald Trump won if Hillary Clinton got more votes?

Why does the US pay so much for the defense of its allies? 5 questions answered

  • Written by Michael E. Flynn, Associate Professor of Political Science, Kansas State University
The U.S. pays billions to maintain military bases in Japan and South Korea.BOATFOTO/Shutterstock.com

Since the start of Donald Trump’s run for the U.S. presidency in 2015, he has been critical of the amount of money U.S. allies contribute to their own defense.

Now, the Trump administration is demanding that Japan and South Korea pay more for...

Read more: Why does the US pay so much for the defense of its allies? 5 questions answered

Rating news sources can help limit the spread of misinformation

  • Written by Antino Kim, Assistant Professor of Operations and Decision Technologies, Indiana University
What kind of ratings works best?Pixel Embargo/Shutterstock.com

Online misinformation has significant real-life consequences, such as measles outbreaks and encouraging racist mass murderers. Online misinformation can have political consequences as well.

The problem of disinformation and propaganda misleading social media users was serious in 2016,...

Read more: Rating news sources can help limit the spread of misinformation

Rick Perry's belief that Trump was chosen by God is shared by many in a fast-growing Christian movement

  • Written by Brad Christerson, Professor of Sociology, Biola University
Energy Secretary Rick Perry speaks during an event about the environment at the White House on July 8, 2019, as President Trump looks on.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

In a recent interview with Fox News, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry stated that Donald Trump was chosen by God to be president. He said throughout history God had picked “imperfect...

Read more: Rick Perry's belief that Trump was chosen by God is shared by many in a fast-growing Christian...

More Articles ...

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  5. What the Trump administration gets right about hospital price transparency
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  8. 5 ways Trump and his supporters are using the same strategies as science deniers
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  10. You can join the effort to expose Twitter bots
  11. Why it seems like your friends have more to be thankful for
  12. Your big brain makes you human – count your neurons when you count your blessings
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  14. What to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers? Look to the French
  15. Jimmy Hoffa disappeared – and then his legacy took on a life of its own
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  18. Diabetic foot wounds kill millions, but high-tech solutions and teamwork are making a difference
  19. Political hashtags like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter make people less likely to believe the news
  20. Why a measured transition to electric vehicles would benefit the US
  21. 5 years after Islamic State massacre, an Iraqi minority is transformed by trauma
  22. Syria military presence risks US credibility with world community
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  26. Donors need to stop pressuring nonprofits to pinch pennies
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  28. New College Scorecard could help students choose better colleges, but there's still room to improve it
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  30. What can you learn from studying an animal's scat?
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  32. Brexit poses a dilemma for Northern Ireland's nationalists
  33. 2020 campaign shows the more women run, the more they are treated like candidates – not tokens
  34. How American anti-Semitism reflects the centuries-long struggle over the meaning of religious liberty
  35. Mothers in prison aren't likely to see their families this Thanksgiving – or any other day
  36. Protections against sexual misconduct on campus may end up stifling free speech
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  38. Cartel sieges leave Mexicans wondering if criminals run the country
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  49. Light versus dark – the color of the turkey meat is due to the job of the muscle
  50. How universal childhood trauma screenings could backfire