The Conversation

The enduring power of Mosul's rich and diverse past

Written by Stephennie Mulder, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin

A 1932 photograph showing the minaret of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, Mosul.Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, built nearly a millennium ago and one of Iraq’s most revered religious sites, was destroyed when the Islamic State detonated explosives inside it in June of this year....

How the Pentagon tried to cure America of its 'Vietnam syndrome'

Written by Paul Joseph, Professor of Sociology, Tufts University

A couple watch film footage of the Vietnam war on a television in their living room.Library of Congress

In August 1965, Morley Safer, a reporter for “CBS News,” accompanied a unit of U.S. marines on a search-and-destroy mission to the Vietnamese village of Cam Ne. Using cigarette lighters and a flamethrower, the troops proceeded to burn...

Can taking down websites really stop terrorists and hate groups?

Written by Thomas Holt, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University

It's very hard to cut extremists off from the internet.ADragan/Shutterstock.com

In the wake of an explosion in London on September 15, President Trump called for cutting off extremists’ access to the internet.

Racists and terrorists, and many other extremists, have used the internet for decades and adapted as technology evolved, shifting from...

Using truly secure passwords: 6 essential reads

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

Scholars have ideas about how to help solve our password problems.vladwei/Shutterstock.com

Editor’s note: the following is roundup of previously published articles.

Passwords are everywhere – and they present an impossible puzzle. Social media profiles, financial records, personal correspondence and vital work documents are all protected...

Rebuilding after disasters: 5 essential reads

Written by Jennifer Weeks, Editor, Environment and Energy, The Conversation

Crews work to restore power and traffic lights knocked out by Hurricane Matthew, Oct. 8, 2016, in Flagler Beach, Florida. AP Photo/Eric Gay

The following is a roundup of previously published articles.

Storm-battered communities in Texas and Florida are moving into the long process of rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. With...

Harvey and Irma present nearly perfect conditions for Zika-spreading mosquitoes

Written by Christine Crudo Blackburn, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University

_Aedes Aegypti_ mosquitoes viewed through a microscope in Broward County, Florida, in June 2016. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Even as the floodwaters from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma begin to recede, significant but less obvious health threats remain. The standing water the storms have left behind will almost certainly cause an explosion of the mosquito...

How affirmative action could cure cancer and heart disease

Written by Andrew Marks, Professor of Physiology, Columbia University Medical Center

Kaylee Wedderburn-Pugh, a SPURS student, working to help find answers to Huntington's disease.Author provided. , CC BY-SA

Affirmative action programs are designed to provide access to high-quality higher education for underrepresented minorities, but the Trump administration is targeting these essential programs by directing resources toward...

How 'dreamers' and green card lottery winners strengthen the US economy

Written by Ethan Lewis, Associate Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College

The DACA program's inherent diversity is what makes it a boon for the U.S. economy.AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

While President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans have long decried illegal immigration and proposed remedies like the wall and mass deportations, they have traditionally favored the legal kind, partly because their business...

Roots of racism: 6 essential reads

Written by Emily Costello, Senior Editor, Politics + Society, The Conversation

www.shutterstock.com

On Friday, Sept. 15, “Third Rail with OZY” will discuss racism in the United States.

These stories from The Conversation archive explore where racism came from and why it persists.

1. Going back to Europe

American University historian Ibram Kendi has traced the history of racist ideas in the U.S. back to the European...

Seeds in space – how well can they survive harsh, non-Earth conditions?

Written by Gina Riggio, Ph.D. Student in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas

Spend many months attached to the ISS and see how well you grow.NASA, CC BY

Will we someday colonize space? Will our children visit other planets? To achieve goals like these, we’ll need to crack one crucial challenge: how to feed ourselves for long periods away from Earth.

A trip to Mars would take months, and exploring the depths of the...