The Conversation

Learning new tricks from sea sponges, nature's most unlikely civil engineers

Written by Michael A. Monn, PhD Student in Solid Mechanics, Brown University

The glass fibers that make up the _Euplectella aspergillum_ sponge are surprisingly strong and flexible.Michael A Monn, CC BY-ND

Imagine a future in which buildings tower miles over the streets below, tourists take day trips to the edge of our atmosphere, and multiple space stations can be spotted drifting across the night sky. To make this sci-fi...

How Greece could escape debtors' prison – if Europe opens the door

Written by C. Randall Henning, Professor of International Economic Relations, American University School of International Service

European Council President Donald Tusk and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras address the press. AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

Greece has acted out a European tragedy for more than seven years. But some signs suggest Greece may finally, in the words of its economy minister, be on the way to becoming a “normal country” again.

Greece&rsquo...

Imagining Russia post-Putin

Written by Peter Rutland, Professor of Government, Wesleyan University

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the students on July 21, 2017. Alexei Nikolsky/via AP

On July 21, Vladimir Putin was asked at an audience with schoolchildren what he will do when he retires. He replied, “I haven’t decided yet if I will leave the presidency.”

While everyone is obsessed with following the twists and turns...

One way to promote green infrastructure in your city

Written by Thomas Fisher, Professor of Architecture, Director of the Metropolitan Design Center, and Dayton Hudson Chair in Urban Design, University of Minnesota

A public worker clears a storm drain in Carson City, Nevada.Cathleen Allison/AP Photo

Natural assets – “green infrastructure” – can provide communities with invaluable ecosystem services that clean our air, filter our water, mitigate natural disasters and improve our quality of life.

The Trump administration has called for a...

Why shifting regulatory power to the states won't improve the environment

Written by Michael A. Livermore, Associate Professor of Law, University of Virginia

To comply with air pollution laws, midwest energy companies built tall smokestacks to displace pollutants. This one at Indiana's Rockport Generating Station is 1,038 feet high, just 25 feet shorter than the Eiffel Tower.Don Sniegowski, CC BY-NC-SA

President Trump and his appointees, particularly Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott...

How welfare's work requirements can deepen and prolong poverty: Rose's story

Written by Kristin Seefeldt, Assistant Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan

Losing welfare benefits when they're between jobs can plunge nursing home aides into extreme economic hardship.GagliardiImages/Shutterstock.com

After “Rose” lost her low-wage job in a southeast Michigan nursing home, the single mother of four sought Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits.

People who are eligible for this...

Why the creators of '13 Reasons Why' should pay attention to the spike in suicide-related Google searches

Written by Jon-Patrick Allem, Research Scientist, University of Southern California

As the show's popularity surged, interest in suicide also grew.Nick Lehr/The Conversation via www.shutterstock.com, CC BY-NC-SA

Does it matter that people seem to have become more interested in suicide – expressing more suicidal thoughts, while becoming more likely to research ways to commit or prevent suicide – in the wake of the...

Soundscapes in the past: Adding a new dimension to our archaeological picture of ancient cultures

Written by Kristy E. Primeau, Registered Professional Archaeologist, PhD Candidate, University at Albany, State University of New York

What sounds did the people of Chaco Canyon hear during daily life?David E. Witt, CC BY-NC-ND

Picture an archaeological site, what comes to mind? Sandstone walls, standing in the desert heat? Stonehenge, watching over a grassy field?

When thinking about archaeological sites, we tend to conceive of them as dead silent – empty ruins left by past...

How hot weather – and climate change – affect airline flights

Written by Ethan Coffel, Ph.D. Student in Earth & Environmental Sciences, Columbia University

When is it too hot to fly?Dmitri Fedorov/Shutterstock.com

Hot weather has forced dozens of commercial flights to be canceled at airports in the Southwest this summer. This flight-disrupting heat is a warning sign. Climate change is projected to have far-reaching repercussions – including sea level rise inundating cities and shifting weather...

Inside the fight against malware attacks

Written by Christoph Csallner, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Texas Arlington

Taking a much closer look at what's going on inside malware.MuchMania/Shutterstock.com

When malicious software attacks, computer scientists and security researchers want to know how the attackers got into what was supposed to be a secure system, and what they’re actually doing that’s causing problems for users. It’s a growing...