The Conversation

What exactly is the point of the border?

Written by Michael Blake, Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy, and Governance, University of Washington

A 'no border wall' sign is held during a rally to oppose the wall the US government wants to build.AP Photo/Eric Gay

The past few weeks have seen widespread outrage over the Trump administration’s now-defunct policy of separating migrant families at the border. Four members of the president’s Homeland Security advisory council have...

New Mexico case should serve as wake-up call on school funding

Written by Derek W. Black, Professor of Law, University of South Carolina

A court has ruled that New Mexico isn't ensuring that its students get an adequate education.Lisa F. Young /shutterstock.com

A New Mexico trial court recently found that the state has been failing in its constitutional duty to ensure that all students receive an adequate education. The court ordered the state to come up with a fix by next April. In...

Artificial intelligence outperforms the repetitive animal tests in identifying toxic chemicals

Written by Thomas Hartung, Professor of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

These rats are in special cages for urine collection. Every year, millions of animals are used for testing chemicals that are used in industrial products.By unoL/shutterstock.com

Most consumers would be dismayed with how little we know about the majority of chemicals. Only 3 percent of industrial chemicals – mostly drugs and pesticides...

Why are there so many suckers? A neuropsychologist explains

Written by Stacey Wood, Professor of Psychology, Scripps College

Is it a scam?Tero Vesalainen/shutterstock.com

If you have a mailbox, you probably get junk mail. If you have an email account, you probably get spam. If you have a phone, you probably get robocalls.

Unwanted messages and solicitations bombard us on a regular basis. Most of us hit ignore or delete or toss junk mail in the trash knowing that these...

AI more accurate than animal testing for spotting toxic chemicals

Written by Thomas Hartung, Professor of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

These rats are in special cages for urine collection. Every year, millions of animals are used for testing chemicals that are used in industrial products.By unoL/shutterstock.com

Most consumers would be dismayed with how little we know about the majority of chemicals. Only 3 percent of industrial chemicals – mostly drugs and pesticides...

40 years after the birth of IVF, researchers push boundaries to preserve fertility in women, men and children

Written by Marie Menke, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh

New procedures are enabling men and women to preserve their fertility until they are ready or able to have children.By kristiillustra/shutterstock.com

Tears are a regular occurrence in a fertility clinic. Tears of joy, tears of frustration, tears of loss happen almost daily. For some, those tears are the tears of “what if.” What if I...

Why it's hard to hold contractors accountable for the suffering of immigrant children

Written by Susan M. Sterett, Professor of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Students and community activists at Northeastern University called on the school to nix an ICE contract.AP Photo/Sarah Betancourt

Public outrage over the Trump administration’s detention of children, including babies, brought across the border when their families arrived seeking asylum is still simmering, as the number of lawsuits over this...

Russians hacked into US electric utilities: 6 essential reads

Written by Jeff Inglis, Science + Technology Editor, The Conversation US

Who's in control of what's flowing in these wires?D Sharon Pruitt, CC BY

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has revealed that Russian government hackers have gained deep access to hundreds of U.S. electrical utility companies, gaining far more access to the operations of many more companies than previously disclosed by federal officials.

Securi...

Money, politics and Justice Anthony Kennedy: Revisiting Citizens United

Written by Michael T. Morley, Assistant Professor of Law, Florida State University

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is one of retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s most maligned rulings. Many condemn the opinion for treating corporations as people, money as speech, and elections as commodities to be sold to the highest bidder.

President Barack Obama lambasted Citizens United in a State of the...

FBI brought down foreign agents in the past

Written by Douglas M. Charles, Associate Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University

The public has recently gained an opportunity for deeper insight into special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and the FBI’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

On July 21, the Trump administration released the FBI’s application for a warrant to begin electronic surveillance of former Donald Trump campaign...