The Conversation

Imane Khelif’s gold medal run shows how sex testing in women’s sports puts regulators in an impossible bind

Written by Jaime Schultz, Professor of Kinesiology, Penn State

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif celebrates her victory in the women's boxing 66-kilogram quarterfinal match at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, 2024.Richard Pelham/Getty Images

With the judges unanimously declaring her the victor over China’s Yang Liu, Algeria’s Imane Khelif secured the gold medal in the women’s boxing 66-kilogram...

Shortage of Black doctors is rooted in racist history − a $600M gift will help historically Black medical schools address the gap

Written by Benjamin Chrisinger, Assistant Professor of Community Health, Tufts University

A view of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga. Marcus Ingram/Getty Images

Fueled by the Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling that bans affirmative action in higher education, conservative lawmakers across the country have advanced their own state bans on diversity initiatives, especially those that might make students feel shame or guilt...

For Black Americans, higher police pay doesn’t always mean fewer violent confrontations as it does for other racial groups

Written by Thaddeus L. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia State University

California police officers on their way to patrol a pro-Palestinian demonstration.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

Police unions have come under fire following recent police killings of Black Americans. For the most part, the unions work to improve pay and job conditions for police. But some critics say these police union contracts cost cities...

Ancient grains of dust from space can be found on Earth − and provide clues about the life cycle of stars

Written by Sachiko Amari, Research Professor of Physics, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

The dark areas in this image of the Carina Nebula are molecular clouds.NASA, ESA, N. Smith (U. California, Berkeley) et al., and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

In space, there are clouds that contain gas and dust ejected from stars. Our solar system was formed 4.6 billion years ago from such a molecular cloud. Most of these dust grains were...

Heat risk isn’t just about the highs: Large daily temperature swings can harm human health – maps show who is affected most

Written by Shengjie Liu, Ph.D. Candidate in Spatial Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Low-income neighborhoods with lots of concrete and few trees can heat up faster than surrounding areas.AP Photo/Richard Vogel

This summer has shown how quickly high temperatures can pose serious health risks, with record-breaking heat waves claiming thousands of lives around the world.

However, it’s not just high and low temperatures that...

Tropical Storm Debby stalls along the Carolinas, bringing days of heavy rain and flooding – a climate scientist explains why

Written by Mathew Barlow, Professor of Climate Science, UMass Lowell

Firefighters in Savannah, Ga., carry food to residents in a neighborhood cut off by Tropical Storm Debby's floodwater on Aug. 6, 2024.AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton

Tropical Storm Debby was moving so slowly, Olympians could have outrun it as it moved across the Southeast in early August 2024. That gave its rainfall time to deluge cities and farms over...

Tropical Storm Debby’s stalling brought days of heavy rain and flooding – a climate scientist explains what happened

Written by Mathew Barlow, Professor of Climate Science, UMass Lowell

Firefighters in Savannah, Ga., carry food to residents in a neighborhood cut off by Tropical Storm Debby's floodwater on Aug. 6, 2024.AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton

Tropical Storm Debby was moving so slowly, Olympians could have outrun it as it moved across the Southeast in early August 2024. That gave its rainfall time to deluge cities and farms over...

Multiple goals, multiple solutions, plenty of second-guessing and revising − here’s how science really works

Written by Soazig Le Bihan, Professor of Philosophy, University of Montana

If your mental image of a scientist looks like this, you're due for an update.aluxum/E+ via Getty Images

A man in a lab coat bends under a dim light, his strained eyes riveted onto a microscope. He’s powered only by caffeine and anticipation.

This solitary scientist will stay on task until he unveils the truth about the cause of the dangerous...

AI helps lighten the load on the electric grid – without skimping on people’s energy use

Written by Zoltan Nagy, Assistant Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

Smart thermostats, batteries and AI could give people the best of both worlds: comfort and efficiency.RgStudio/E+ via Getty Images

My colleagues and I have developed an artificial intelligence system that helps buildings shift their energy use to times when the electric grid is cleaner.

I’m an engineer who studies and develops smart buildings....

A common parasite could one day deliver drugs to the brain − how scientists are turning ‘Toxoplasma gondii’ from foe into friend

Written by Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University

_Toxoplasma_ is often transmitted to people from contaminated food or cat feces. Dr_Microbe/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Parasites take an enormous toll on human and veterinary health. But researchers may have found a way for patients with brain disorders and a common brain parasite to become frenemies.

A new study published in Nature Microbiology ha...