The Conversation

Why predicting suicide is a difficult and complex challenge

Written by Joseph Franklin, Assistant professor of Psychology, Florida State University

Anthony Bourdain, left, and Kate Spade, right. The Conversation with images from PeabodyAwards/flickr, CC BY-SA

Who is going to die by suicide? This terrible mystery of human behavior takes on particular poignance in the wake of suicides by high-profile and much-beloved celebrities Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. It is only natural that people...

G7 summit: Trump could be using advanced game theory negotiating techniques – or he's hopelessly adrift

Written by Charles Hankla, Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University

The latest G7 summit, held June 8 to 9 in Quebec, is one of the most contentious in years.

Donald Trump and his counterparts from six other industrialized countries have been at loggerheads over the president’s aggressive but unstable trade policy. Trump’s renunciation of the Iran nuclear deal, his efforts to renegotiate NAFTA and his...

Trump could be using advanced game theory negotiating techniques – or he's hopelessly adrift

Written by Charles Hankla, Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University

The latest G-7 summit, held June 8 to 9 in Quebec, was one of the most contentious in years.

That’s because Donald Trump and his counterparts from six other industrialized countries have been at loggerheads over the president’s aggressive but unstable trade policy. Trump’s renunciation of the Iran nuclear deal, his efforts to rene...

To conserve ocean life, marine reserves need to protect species that move around

Written by Heather Welch, Researcher in Ecosystem Dynamics, University of California, Santa Cruz

Bottlenose dolphins off the coast of New Jersey.Artie Kopelman, CC BY

This summer, many Americans will visit national parks and wildlife refuges in hope of seeing wild animals, such as bison on the Plains or alligators in the Everglades. Creating protected areas that forbid or manage activities like hunting is an important tool for protecting...

Students need IT skills to compete in the new economy

Written by Christos A. Makridis, Economist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jobs that are 'IT intensive' have shown dramatic growth, new research shows.Mark Agnor/www.shutterstock.com

By 2026, employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 13 percent over what it was in 2016. Jobs in these fields will require skills in cloud computing, big data collection and storage, information...

Neurons made from blood cells – a new tool for understanding brain diseases

Written by Marius Wernig, Associate Professor of Pathology at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University

Marius Wernig, Thomas C. Südhof and their colleagues created these “Induced neuronal (iN) cells” from adult human blood cells. Marius Wernig, CC BY-ND

Our team at Stanford University has just figured out the recipe for converting blood cells from adults directly into nerve cells, or neurons.

You may be wondering why anyone would...

'Jurassic Park' made a dinosaur-sized leap forward in computer-generated animation on screen, 25 years ago

Written by Adam Bargteil, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Computer-generated dinosaurs walk the Earth.Universal Pictures Studios

With 25 years of hindsight, “Jurassic Park” marks a pivotal point in the history of visual effects in film. It came 11 years after 1982’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” debuted computer-generated imagery for a visual effect with a particle system...

Trump scorns US media, but just try being a journalist in North Korea or Mexico

Written by Kris Kodrich, Associate Professor of Journalism & Media Communication, Colorado State University

President Donald Trump has strongly criticized journalists and their work, saying the “mainstream media” spreads “fake news” and distorts information about his administration.

Despite concerns that these presidential attacks could undermine press freedom in the United States, however, journalists continue to scrutinize...

The nuclear industry is making a big bet on small power plants

Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

NuScale Power aims to build the nation's first advanced small modular reactor.U.S. Department of Energy

Until now, generating nuclear power has required massive facilities surrounded by acres of buildings, electrical infrastructure, roads, parking lots and more. The nuclear industry is trying to change that picture – by going small.

Efforts to...

How the Ford F-150 became king of cars

Written by M. Berk Talay, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Ford has doubled down on its best-selling pickup trucks.AP Photo/Paul Sancya

In April, Ford announced that it will be phasing out nearly all of its passenger cars in the United States.

If all goes according to plan, 90 percent of Ford’s portfolio in North America will be trucks, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Its F-150 – the most popular...