The Conversation

Acute flaccid myelitis: What is the polio-like illness paralyzing US children?

Written by Jay Desai, Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Southern California

Illustrative image of virus associated with acute flaccid myelitis.Lightspring/Shutterstock.com

I experienced déjà vu when I took care of a child with acute flaccid myelitis in 2014, one of the first cases of its kind at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in many years.

I had taken care of polio patients in India in 1990s and...

If Trump declares a national emergency, could Congress or the courts reverse it?

Written by Chris Edelson, Assistant Professor of Government, American University School of Public Affairs

If President Donald Trump declares a national emergency to fund some portion of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border without congressional authorization, what would happen next?

Would the courts step in? What is Congress’ role?

As I explain in my book “Emergency Presidential Power,” presidents generally claim emergency power two...

Science gets shut down right along with the federal government

Written by Angela K. Wilson, Professor of Physical, Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Michigan State University

Ongoing wildlife studies are one kind of federally funded research that's sidelined during a shutdown.USFWS, CC BY

When the U.S. government shuts down, much of the science that it supports is not spared. And there is no magic light switch that can be flipped to reverse the impact.

For instance, large-scale instruments like NASA’s Stratoscopher...

How Viktor Orban degraded Hungary's weak democracy

Written by John Shattuck, Professor of Practice in Diplomacy, Tufts University

The roots of democracy in Hungary are shallow.

That’s been especially clear in the last nine years, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban has created a repressive and increasingly authoritarian state, operating under a pretense of democracy.

In recent weeks the political situation has become volatile. By early 2019 the Hungarian government was the...

3 ways to be smart on social media

Written by A. Trevor Sutton, Ph.D. Student in Doctrinal Theology, Concordia Seminary

A smarter use of social media can improve your sense of well-being.Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com

This past year, many people deleted their social media accounts following revelations about privacy violations on social media platforms and other concerns related to hate speech.

As people adopt their resolutions for the year, it is likely that many...

The quiet threat inside 'internet of things' devices

Written by Charles T. Harry, Associate Research Professor of Public Policy; Director of Operations, Maryland Global Initiative in Cybersecurity; Senior Research Associate, Center for International and Security Studies, University of Maryland

They're small and well-connected, but how safe are 'internet of things' devices?BeeBright/Shutterstock.com

As Americans increasingly buy and install smart devices in their homes, all those cheap interconnected devices create new security problems for individuals and society as a whole. The problem is compounded by businesses radically expanding the...

Calling it a 'war on science' has consequences

Written by John C. Besley, Ellis N. Brandt Professor of Public Relations, Michigan State University

How does the concept of science in the crosshairs affect opinions?gan chaonan/Shutterstock.comWhat happens when a cover boils a measured article down to this provocative headline?National Geographic

National Geographic’s March 2015 cover story provided a thoughtful discussion around the question of “Why Do Many Reasonable People Doubt...

Federal workers begin to feel pain of shutdown as 800,000 lose their paychecks

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Adjunct associate professor, Boston University

Families are feeling the pinch of the government shutdown.AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

President Donald Trump wants US$5.7 billion to fund a border wall to keep out undocumented immigrants and “criminals.” Democrats in Congress say the wall is a waste of money that wouldn’t solve any of America’s actual immigration programs.

Caught...

Virginia's uranium mining battle flips traditional views of federal and state power

Written by Cale Jaffe, Assistant Professor of Law and Director, Environmental and Regulatory Law Clinic, University of Virginia

The Supreme Court is likely to rule on the case by June.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The Supreme Court will decide in 2019 whether a Virginia law that bans uranium mining is preempted by the Atomic Energy Act, the U.S. law governing the processing and enrichment of nuclear material.

The case, Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren, will require the court...

Mapping the world's 'blue carbon' hot spots in coastal mangrove forests

Written by Robert Twilley, Professor of Oceanography and Coastal Science and Executive Director, Louisiana Sea Grant, Louisiana State University

Mangrove forest in Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu, India.VasuVR/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

Human actions have boosted carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere to levels higher than any measured over the last 160,000 years. Rising concern over the risk of severe impacts from climate change is spurring research into ways in which ecosystems may mitigate...