The Conversation

Neuroscientists identify a surprising low-tech fix to the problem of sleep-deprived teens

Written by Adriana Galván, Professor of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

A good night's sleep comes down to a comfy place to rest your head.Marisa Harris/Unsplash, CC BY

Healthy sleep leads to healthy brains. Neuroscientists have gotten that message out. But parents, doctors and educators alike have struggled to identify what to do to improve sleep. Some have called for delaying school start times or limiting screentime...

Why space debris cleanup might be a national security threat

Written by Saadia Pekkanen, Professor of International Studies; Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Washington

Space debris in Earth orbit creates a dangerous obstacle course for satellites and astronauts. Dotted Yeti / Shutterstock.com

As an international relations scholar who studies space law and policy, I have come to realize what most people do not fully appreciate: Dealing with space debris is as much a national security issue as it is a technical one....

The world's plastic problem is bigger than the ocean

Written by Christopher J. Preston, Professor of Philosophy, The University of Montana

Plastic floats on and near the surface of the ocean.NOAA

As you read this, a strange object that looks like a 2,000-foot floating pool noodle is drifting slowly through the central north Pacific Ocean. This object is designed to solve an enormous environmental problem. But in so doing, it brings attention to a number of others.

There are an...

Why the history of messianic Judaism is so fraught and complicated

Written by Ingrid Anderson, Associate Director of Jewish Studies, Lecturer, Arts & Sciences Writing Program, Boston University

shutterstock

When Loren Jacobs, member of the Shma Yisrael Congregation, offered a prayer for the victims of the Tree of Life congregation at a campaign rally attended by Mike Pence, it left many Jews feeling very upset. The vice president’s office later denied inviting Jacobs to the event.

Jacobs is a messianic Jew and part of a group called...

Volcanic eruptions once caused mass extinctions in the oceans – could climate change do the same?

Written by Jeremy D. Owens, Assistant Professor of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University

Surgeonfish on a reef in the Maldives. Uxbona/Wikimedia, CC BY

All animals, whether they live on land or in the water, require oxygen to breathe. But today the world’s oceans are losing oxygen, due to a combination of rising temperatures and changing ocean currents. Both factors are driven by human-induced climate change.

This process has the...

More American students are studying abroad, new data show

Written by Chad M. Gasta, Professor of Spanish and Chair, Iowa State University

Students who study abroad gain a competitive edge in the job market, research shows.Dan Korsmayer/www.shutterstock.com

Kelsey Hrubes knew she had a challenge on her hands when she visited Germany as a study abroad student back in 2015.

“I was forced to adapt to cultural norms I had never considered before and try to comprehend everything in a...

Measuring racial profiling: Why it's hard to tell where police are treating minorities unfairly

Written by Liberty Vittert, Visiting Assistant Professor in Statistics, Washington University in St Louis

Stop and frisk has often been criticized as a way to target minorities.Dmitry Kalinovsky/shutterstock.com

Donald Trump has waved the words “stop and frisk” around like a banner call to cure violent crime in American cities.

That means it’s time to take a look back at one of the primary criticisms of this police practice: racial...

Commemorating the 'Great War,' America's forgotten conflict

Written by G. Kurt Piehler, Associate Professor of History, Florida State University

Doughboys fighting in France, 1917.Associated Press

World War I was still a living memory for most Americans when I was growing up in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Aging doughboys who had fought on the Western Front in 1917 and 1918 still marched on Veterans Day. These World War I enlisted men often referred to this holiday by its original name, Arm...

Cómo entender las cifras en las noticias: Tres trucos estadísticos

Written by Liberty Vittert, Visiting Assistant Professor in Statistics, Washington University in St Louis

Si parece demasiado bueno para ser verdad, quizás lo sea._szefei/Shutterstock.com

Buena noticia: datos recientes del Bureau of Labor Statistics de Estados Unidos (Oficina de Estadísticas Laborales) indican que el desempleo nacional bajó del 3,9% en agosto 2018 al 3,7% en octubre.

Para recabar estos datos, lógicamente, la...

5 things to know about Fabiano Caruana and his quest to become world chess champion

Written by Daaim Shabazz, Associate Professor of International Business, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, shown here at the 2017 Tradewise Gibraltar Masters tournament, could become the first American-born world chess champion since Bobby Fischer.David Llada/American Chess Magazine

When Bobby Fischer became the first American-born world chess champion in 1972, it spurred a dramatic increase in interest in chess....