The Conversation

High-priced specialty drugs: Exposing the flaws in the system

Written by Sharona Hoffman, Professor of Health Law and Bioethics, Case Western Reserve University

Speciality drug prices are so high priced that many patients skip or ration them.Ravital/Shutterstock.com

My husband, Andy, has Parkinson’s disease. A year ago, his neurologist recommended a new pill that he was to take at bedtime. We quickly learned that the medication would cost US$1,300 for a one-month supply of 30 pills. In addition, Andy...

Pope ends a secrecy rule for Catholic sexual abuse cases, but for victims many barriers to justice remain

Written by Christine P. Bartholomew, Associate Professor of Law, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Pope Francis recently removed a secrecy rule to increase transparency for sexual abuse casesAP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Pope Francis recently removed one of the barriers facing sex abuse victims looking for justice – the “Rule of Pontifical Secrecy.”

The rule is an obligation under the church’s laws to keep sensitive...

Restricting trade in endangered species can backfire, triggering market booms

Written by Annah Lake Zhu, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Berkeley

Rosewood, the name for several endangered tree species that make beautiful furniture, being loaded in Madagascar. Pierre-Yves Babelon/Shutterstock

Every year humans buy and sell hundreds of millions of wild animals and plants around the world. Much of this commerce is legal, but illegal trade and over-harvesting have driven many species toward...

Why hip-hop belongs in today's classrooms

Written by Nolan Jones, Associate Adjunct Professor, Mills College

Hip-hop officially became the most popular music genre in 2018 and continued its reign in 2019, according to Nielsen Music. Lev Radin/Shutterstock.com

When Cassie Crim, a high school math teacher in Joliet, Illinois, introduced herself to her advanced algebra students in 2017, she did it through a rap video.

Using a rendition of Cardi B’s...

Brexit could spell the end of globalization, and the global prosperity that came with it

Written by William Hauk, Associate Professor of Economics, University of South Carolina

Many fear the U.K. will be worse off economically outside the EU.AP Photo/Matt Dunham

The U.K. House of Commons has finally voted for Brexit. If the plan passes the House of Lords without much delay, the U.K. will leave the European Union several years after a 2016 referendum set it down this path.

More than merely tossing aside the EU, this vote...

Cyberspace is the next front in Iran-US conflict – and private companies may bear the brunt

Written by Bryan Cunningham, Executive Director of the Cyber Security Policy & Research Institute, University of California, Irvine

In the wake of U.S. killings, Iran's supreme leader vowed 'harsh revenge' – which could come in the form of cyber attacks.Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP

Iran and other nations have waged a stealth cyberwar against the United States for at least the past decade, largely targeting not the government itself but, rather, critical...

Why are there seven days in a week?

Written by Kristin Heineman, Instructor in History, Colorado State University

Your calendar dates back to Babylonian times. Aleksandra Pikalova/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.

Why are there seven days in a week? – Henry E., age 8, Somerville, Massachusetts

Waiting for the weekend...

Weinstein jurors must differentiate between consent and compliance – which research shows isn't easy

Written by Vanessa K. Bohns, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Cornell University

The jury at the Weinstein trial will have to check their biases about consent.Aleutie/Shutterstock.com

Did the women accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault consent to his sexual advances of their own free will, or were they coerced?

Jurors’ answers to this question will be critical in determining the outcome of Weinstein’s trial,...

Large turnouts for Soleimani’s funeral in Iran carry powerful collective emotions – just as Americans saw during the colonial era

Written by G. Patrick O'Brien, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, Ave Maria University

Coffins of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and others are carried on a truck surrounded by mourners.Majid Saeedi via Getty Images

Massive crowds took to the streets of Iranian cities to mourn the death of Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone in Iraq on Jan. 3.

State television reported “millions” of Iranians attended...

Killing of Soleimani evokes dark history of political assassinations in the formative days of Shiite Islam

Written by Deina Abdelkader, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Iranians publicly mourn the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani four days after he was killed in a US drone strike, Jan 7., 2020. Babek Jeddi/SOPA Images via Getty

Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who promoted the religious and political influence of the Iranian regime across the Middle East with covert military operations, was an important figure in the Iranian...