The Conversation

Signaling more independence from the US, the World Bank phases out its support for fossil fuels

Written by Jason Kirk, Associate Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies, Elon University

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron. AP Photo/Francois Mori

The World Bank, which provides developing countries about US$60 billion a year in financial assistance, is officially phasing out its support for the oil and gas industries.

This move brings its actions more in sync with its overarching commitment...

How rejuvenation of stem cells could lead to healthier aging

Written by Elisa Lazzari, Postdoctoral Associate in Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University

Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com

“Rampant” and “elderly” are words rarely used in the same sentence, unless we are talking of the percentage of people over 65 years old worldwide. Life expectancy has considerably increased, but it is still unknown how many of those years are going to be lived in good health.

As a researcher of...

What makes some art so bad that it's good?

Written by John Dyck, PhD Student in Philosophy, CUNY Graduate Center

Tommy Wiseau clutches a football in 'The Room,' the 2003 film he wrote, produced and starred in.Wiseau Films

“The Disaster Artist” – which just earned James Franco a Golden Globe for his portrayal of director Tommy Wiseau – tells the story of the making of “The Room,” a film that’s been dubbed “the...

Reaching rural America with broadband internet service

Written by Sharon Strover, Director, Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute; Professor of Communication, University of Texas at Austin

Telecommunications wires stretch along a rural Kansas road.Technology & Information Policy Institute, University of Texas, CC BY-ND

All across the U.S., rural communities’ residents are being left out of modern society and the 21st century economy. I’ve traveled to Kansas, Maine, Texas and other states studying internet access and...

Is language key to resolving the Israeli-Arab conflict?

Written by Stanley Dubinsky, Professor of Linguistics, University of South Carolina

A teacher from the Arab town of Kabul gives an Arabic class to Israeli schoolchildren.AP Photo/Oded Balilty

According to a 2017 Pew Research Center poll, many people believe language is “the core of national identity.”

More than 70 percent of the population of the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan agree on this. And yet, as...

US life expectancy just dropped for the second year in a row. Let's stop the trend now

Written by David Bishai, Professor of Health Economics, Johns Hopkins University

Deaths from opioid, suicide and other public health threats could have been avoided.Syda Productions/shutterstock.com

U.S. gross domestic product is at an all-time high. U.S. life expectancy is not.

Life expectancy has fallen for the second time in two years – from a high of 78.9 years in 2014 to 78.6 years in 2016. It fell for men and...

Shades of green: What gig economy workers can learn from the success of romance writers

Written by Chris Larson, Assistant Professor of Journalism, University of Colorado

When “Fifty Shades Freed” opens in theaters on Feb. 9, fans will no doubt flock to see bad boy Christian Grey (played by Jamie Dornan) bested by naughty-but-nice heroine Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson).

A less racy but equally thrilling story, my research shows, is how romance writers are getting ahead in the digital era.

While...

How robot math and smartphones led researchers to a drug discovery breakthrough

Written by Ian Haydon, Doctoral Student in Biochemistry, University of Washington

Moving a robot is like manipulating a molecule.Willyam Bradberry/Shutterstock.com

Robotic movement can be awkward.

For us humans, a healthy brain handles all the minute details of bodily motion without demanding conscious attention. Not so for brainless robots – in fact, calculating robotic movement is its own scientific subfield.

My colleagues...

Deadly California mudslides show the need for maps and zoning that better reflect landslide risk

Written by David R. Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington

Search and rescue personnel scan a home in the aftermath of a mudslide, Jan. 13, 2018, in Montecito, California.AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Scenic hill slopes can be inspiring – or deadly, as we are seeing after the disastrous debris flows that have ravaged the community of Montecito, California in the wake of heavy rains on Tuesday, Jan. 9,...

New study reveals why some people are more creative than others

Written by Roger Beaty, Postdoctoral Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, Harvard University

The answer has long eluded scientists.agsandrew/Shutterstock.com

Creativity is often defined as the ability to come up with new and useful ideas. Like intelligence, it can be considered a trait that everyone – not just creative “geniuses” like Picasso and Steve Jobs – possesses in some capacity.

It’s not just your...