The Conversation

Racial and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to wildfires

Written by Phil Levin, Professor of Practice in Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington

An Oregon wildfire in August 2018.U.S. Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region

Over the last decade, the U.S. has seen an average of 70,512 wildland fires every year, annually burning about 6.8 million acres. With climate change, scientists expect fires to become more frequent and more severe.

However, some people are more affected by these events...

Colonizing Mars means contaminating Mars – and never knowing for sure if it had its own native life

Written by David Weintraub, Professor of Astronomy, Vanderbilt University

Once people get there, Mars will be contaminated with Earth life.NASA/Pat Rawlings, SAIC, CC BY

The closest place in the universe where extraterrestrial life might exist is Mars, and human beings are poised to attempt to colonize this planetary neighbor within the next decade. Before that happens, we need to recognize that a very real possibility...

New findings add twist to screen time limit debate

Written by Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University

If screens are kept at an arm's length, measures of well-being tend to improve.SawBear/Shutterstock.com

Many parents want to know how much time their kids should be spending in front of screens, whether it’s their smartphones, tablets or TV.

For years, the American Academy of Pediatrics had suggested a limit of two hours a day of TV for...

How Christian missionary media shaped the world

Written by Jason Bruner, Director of Undergraduate Studies & Assistant Professor, Religious Studies, Arizona State University

Missionary media has played an important role in shaping world news.Pamla J. Eisenberg/Flickr.com, CC BY-SA

The Christian Broadcasting Network, founded over 50 years ago by evangelist Pat Robertson, has now launched the first 24-hour Christian television news channel.

Robertson said that the channel would help viewers understand how current events...

There's more to health care access than pre-existing conditions

Written by J.B. Silvers, Professor of Health Finance, Weatherhead School of Management & School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University

Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum speaks with health care professionals on Sept. 21, 2018 in Miami. Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo

Health care has been a universal topic of discussion this political season. Candidates from both parties say they are in favor of it, although definitions of “it” vary widely. But what all agree is that...

Independent voters will decide Arizona's historic female Senate race

Written by Gina Woodall, Senior Lecturer at the School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University

Democrat Kyrsten Sinema (left) and Republican Martha McSally are competing to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Jeff Flake. AP Photo/Matt York

Throughout most of U.S. history, races for the Senate have featured two men.

This year is different. Twenty-two women are running for the U.S. senate. Six senatorial contests feature two women competing...

En Estados Unidos, la religión y los refugiados están profundamente conectados

Written by Stephanie J. Nawyn, Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Center for Gender in Global Context, Michigan State University

Concentración organizada por HIAS, un grupo judío que apoya a los refugiados, en el exterior de la Casa Blanca.Ted Eytan/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

Antes de asesinar presuntamente a 11 personas en una sinagoga en Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Robert Bowers atacó verbalmente a lo que creía que era un complot judío para traer...

Felons barred from jury duty: An unjustified punishment

Written by James Binnall, Assistant Professor of Law, Criminology, and Criminal Justice, California State University, Long Beach

Jury duty.Shutterstock

Florida residents will vote on Nov. 6 on an amendment that would restore voting rights to 1 million people in Florida who are currently barred from voting because of a felony conviction.

What many people do not know is that in Florida, those same people are also excluded from ever serving as jurors.

While that’s not on...

College students with disabilities are too often excluded

Written by Christa Bialka, Assistant Professor of Special Education, Villanova University

Colleges and universities have been challenged to create more inclusive environments for disabled students.Monkey Business Images/www.shutterstock.com

AnnCatherine Heigl, a sophomore at George Mason University, recently attempted to join all eight sororities at her school. All eight turned her down.

If you ask her sister, who Tweeted about how the...

How to make meaning in aftermath of Pittsburgh and other violent acts

Written by Joan M. Cook, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University

A makeshift memorial outside the Tree of Life synagogue, Nov. 1, 2018. Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

As the last of the funerals were held for the 11 people gunned down at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, many of the survivors, their loved ones and the world are left with terribly heavy hearts. How do we emotionally digest such hatred and...