The Conversation

Why we can't reverse climate change with 'negative emissions' technologies

Written by Howard J. Herzog, Senior Research Engineer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Without rapid and dramatic changes, the world will face a higher risk of extreme weather and other effects of climate change.AP Photo/Mike Groll

In a much-anticipated report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the world will need to take dramatic and drastic steps to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change.

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Justice Kavanaugh is a threat to Roe v. Wade – but not the only one

Written by B. Jessie Hill, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Judge Ben C. Green Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University

President Donald Trump with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his swearing in. AP Photo/Susan Walsh

With the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, some are wondering: Will Roe v. Wade, the landmark case recognizing a woman’s right to choose to terminate a pregnancy, continue to be the law of the land?

Kavanaugh...

Meet the trillions of viruses that make up your virome

Written by David Pride, Associate Director of Microbiology, University of California San Diego

Every surface of our body -- inside and out -- is covered in microorganisms: bacteria, viruses, fungi and many other microscopic life forms.vrx/Shutterstock.com

If you think you don’t have viruses, think again.

It may be hard to fathom, but the human body is occupied by large collections of microorganisms, commonly referred to as our...

Breast cancer survivors, who lose muscle mass, can benefit from strength training, studies suggest

Written by Lynn Panton, Professor, Exercise Sciences, Florida State University

Breast cancer is more survivable than ever. Strength training is a key to helping women survive well. wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com

Breast cancer research has resulted in treatment that has greatly improved survival rates. As a result, there are 3.1 million breast cancer survivors alive in the United States today. The five-year survival rate is...

The Catholic Church's grim history of ignoring priestly pedophilia – and silencing would-be whistleblowers

Written by Brian Clites, Instructor and Associate Director, Case Western Reserve University

Widespread public shock followed the recent release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report that identified more than 1,000 child victims of clergy sexual abuse. In fact, as I know through my research, the Vatican and its American bishops have known about the problem of priestly pedophilia since at least the 1950s. And the Church has consistently...

Statistics and data science degrees: Overhyped or the real deal?

Written by P. Richard Hahn, Associate Professor of Statistics, Arizona State University

Charting a path to success.everything possible/shutterstock.com

“Data science” is hot right now. The number of undergraduate degrees in statistics has tripled in the past decade, and as a statistics professor, I can tell you that it isn’t because freshmen love statistics.

Way back in 2009, economist Hal Varian of Google dubbed...

'Disillusioned' Brazilians choose Bolsonaro, Haddad after a tense and violent campaign

Written by Helder Ferreira do Vale, Associate Professor, Graduate School of International and Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

After a tense, violent and polarized campaign, Brazilians have voted to advance two candidates from opposite sides of the ideological spectrum to a presidential runoff on Oct. 28.

Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right congressman who enjoys strong evangelical backing for his law-and-order stance on policing, support for gun rights and opposition to abortion,...

Could villains clone themselves to take over the world?

Written by Hua Lu, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

When many people hear the word cloning, they imagine armies of human clones created for nefarious purposes. andriano.cz/Shutterstock.com

If asked about clones, most people think of evil sci-fi characters. However, in real life, the word “clone” often has broader, far more positive applications. Just as office workers replicate documents...

Amazon and other 'superstar' companies could give all American workers a raise

Written by Carolin Schellhorn, Assistant Professor of Finance, St. Joseph's University

An Amazon employee applies tape to a package before shipment.AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

The latest employment data, released on Oct. 5, point to a persistent economic puzzle: The unemployment rate is the lowest in nearly half a century yet wages have been very slow to react.

In the past, such low unemployment levels have driven up wages. Yet, apart...

Why more women don't win science Nobels

Written by Mary K. Feeney, Associate Professor and Lincoln Professor of Ethics in Public Affairs and Associate Director of the Center for Science, Technology and Environmental Policy Studies, Arizona State University

One of the 2018 Nobel Prizes in physics went to Donna Strickland, a major accomplishment for any scientist. Yet much of the news coverage has focused on the fact that she’s only the third female physicist to receive the award, after Marie Curie in 1903 and Maria Goeppert-Mayer 60 years later.

Though biochemical engineer Frances Arnold also...