The Conversation

US is already fighting a conflict with Iran – an economic war that is hurting the wrong people

Written by David Cortright, Director of Policy Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame

Many are worried about the risk of war with Iran after the Trump administration leaked discussions of a troop deployment in response to claimed threats to U.S. warships in the region.

And in recent days, the rhetoric has only gotten more heated, with President Donald Trump saying a war would be “the official end of Iran.” Iranian...

Could a lack of humility be at the root of what ails America?

Written by Frank T. McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, Knox College

What happens when everyone thinks they're smarter than everyone else?Ljupco Smokovski/Shutterstock.com

There are a lot of reasons behind the political polarization of the country and the deterioration of civic discourse.

I wonder if a lack of humility is one of them.

In his recent book, “The Death of Expertise,” national security expert...

The Constitution dictates that impeachment must not be partisan

Written by Peter Brandon Bayer, Associate Professor of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

President Donald Trump arriving at the Rose Garden, May 22, 2019, in Washington. AP/Evan Vucci

Barely two decades since the impeachment of Bill Clinton, the people of the United States again are confronting the possibility that their president, now Donald Trump, could be impeached, meaning charged by the House of Representatives with offenses that,...

The American GI in WWII, uncensored

Written by Edward Gitre, Assistant Professor of History, Virginia Tech

Pfc Elias Friedensohn in June 1945 at the Special Services Distributing Point, Seine Section, Paris, France. National Archives

I can still recall the exhilaration I felt in the reading room of the National Archives in College Park, Maryland.

It was mid-April 2009. I was scrolling through roll after microfilm roll of the War Department’s...

I'm an evolutionary biologist – here's why this ancient fungal fossil discovery is so revealing

Written by Antonis Rokas, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biological Sciences and Professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University

Do fungi like this _Penicillium_ mold, which produces the the antibiotic penicillin, trace their origins to an ancestor that lived a billion years ago?Rattiya Thongdumhyu/Shutterstock.com

Biologists don’t call them “the hidden kingdom” for nothing. With an estimated 5 million species, only a mere 100,000 fungi are known to...

Genetic trigger discovered for common heart problem, mitral valve prolapse

Written by Russell Norris, Associate Professor of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, The Medical University of South Carolina

Mitral valve prolapse is one of the most common heart disorders worldwide.Hriana/Shutterstock.com

Ever been to a large sporting event, such as a football or baseball game with 60,000 screaming fans? What you don’t hear through the screams is a clicking sound in the chests of about 1,500 of these fans who have a heart valve disease. And...

The Catholic Church is tightening rules on reporting sexual abuse – but not swearing off its legal privilege to keep secrets

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

Pope Francis recently made it mandatory for clergy to report sexual abuse to church superiors. AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Pope Francis recently changed the Catholic Church law, making it mandatory for clergy to report sexual abuse to church superiors. In the past, such reporting was left to the discretion of a priest or nun.

Pope Francis’...

What’s wrong with those anti-vaxxers? They're just like the rest of us

Written by Jennifer Reich, Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado Denver

Terry Roark holds a photo of her son, Thomas, at the state Capitol in Sacramento, California, April 24, 2019, to voice opposition to a bill that would allow state health officials more say in vaccine exemptions.Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

Whenever I talk about my research on how parents come to decide to reject vaccines for their children, my...

How rural areas like Florida's Panhandle can become more hurricane-ready

Written by Eren Erman Ozguven, Assistant Professor of FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, affiliate of Institute for Successful Longevity, Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy and Center for Advanced Power Systems, Florida State University

Rescue personnel search through debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida, on Oct. 11, 2018. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

When Hurricane Michael roared onto northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast in October 2018, its 160 mile-per-hour winds made it the strongest storm ever to hit the region. It was only the fourth Category 5...

The SAT's new 'adversity score' is a poor fix for a problematic test

Written by Leigh Patel, Associate Dean for Equity and Justice, University of Pittsburgh

Students' home and family backgrounds will be factored into their SAT scores.Monkey Business Images/www.shutterstock.com

The College Board recently revealed a new “adversity score” that it plans to use as part of the SAT in order to reflect students’ social and economic background.

The mere fact that the College Board sees a need...