The Conversation

Israel could strike first as tensions with Iran flare

Written by Doreen Horschig, PhD Candidate in Security Studies, University of Central Florida

Israel has a powerful air force — and it's not afraid to strike neighbors it perceives as a national security threat.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

Iran shot down a U.S. drone on June 19, further escalating tensions between Iran and its adversaries.

Relations with Iran have been worsening for months. In early May, one year after the United States...

Maryland 'Peace Cross' ruling: The Supreme Court rules that a cross stands for more than Christianity

Written by Corey D. B. Walker, Visiting Professor, University of Richmond

The 40-foot Peace Cross in Maryland dedicated to World War I soldiers.Maryland GovPics/Flickr, CC BY

The Supreme Court ruled on June 20 that a war memorial in Maryland in the shape of a Christian cross can stay on public land. The Bladensburg Peace Cross is a 40-foot cross erected as a memorial for those who died in service during World War I.

In a...

Why Federal Reserve independence matters

Written by Michael Klein, Professor of International Economic Affairs, Fletcher School, Tufts University

Should you care if the Federal Reserve loses its independence?

It’s become a growing risk in recent years as President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the U.S. central bank over interest rate policy and tried to appoint his political allies to its board. Most recently, he reportedly has explored removing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whom...

Is burning trash a good way to handle it? Waste incineration in 5 charts

Written by Ana Baptista, Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management, The New School

The Wheelabrator Waste to Energy Plant in Saugus, Massachusetts, has been burning trash to generate electricity since 1975.Fletcher6/Wikimedia, CC BY

Burning trash has a long history in the United States, and municipal solid waste incinerators have sparked resistance in many places. As an environmental justice scholar who works directly with...

Supplements for brain health show no benefit – a neurologist explains a new study

Written by Steven DeKosky, Professor of Neurology, University of Florida

Older people often take many supplements, including ones purported to help with brain health. A recent study says the supplements do not work. Mladen Zivkovic/Shutterstock.com

Americans and others around the world have turned increasingly to dietary supplements in order to maintain or preserve their brain health.

A recent study found that a quarter...

Math explains why the Democrats may have trouble picking a candidate

Written by Alexander Strang, Ph.D Candidate in Mathematics, Case Western Reserve University

With 24 declared candidates for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination (and counting), many Americans are likely wondering how the party will ultimately make up its mind and settle on the best candidate.

As mathematicians, we wondered whether there might not even be a best candidate. In fact, this is an established mathematical...

Why do people faint?

Written by Anne R. Crecelius, Associate Professor of Health and Sport Science, University of Dayton

Here's what's happening in your body if you're feeling faint.William Moss/Shutterstock.com

Maybe it’s a bride standing in a hot chapel, or an exhausted runner after a race. It could be someone watching a medical procedure on television or a donor at a blood drive.

Maybe you’ve even experienced it yourself. You start to feel lightheaded,...

So, what really is jihad?

Written by Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Muslim Studies Program, Michigan State University

This term ‘jihad’ can include various forms of nonviolent struggles: for instance, the struggle to become a better person.AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Often, many people conflate the terms jihad and terrorism. This is in part because many writers use the term “jihadist” when describing violent Muslim radicals.

To be sure, such...

How the New York media covered the Stonewall riots

Written by Chad Painter, Assistant Professor of Communications, University of Dayton

Staffers at The Village Voice were able to see the riots unfold from the news room.Osugi/Shutterstock.com

The Stonewall riots were a six-night series of protests that began in the early morning of June 28, 1969, and centered around the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City.

Four days earlier, on June 24, 1969, the police, led by Deputy Inspector...

Women are rising in the conservation movement, but still face #MeToo challenges

Written by Megan Jones, Ph.D. Candidate in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University

All together now?Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

The #MeToo movement has caused profound shake-ups at organizations across the U.S. in the last two years. So far, however, it has left many unresolved questions about how workplaces can be more inclusive and equitable for women and other diverse groups.

In its latest twist, over the last month a series of t...