The Conversation

An itching paradox – a molecule that triggers the urge to scratch also turns down inflammation in the skin

Written by Marlys Fassett, Associate Professor of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco

Itching, and the subsequent urge to scratch, can make eczema worse.Kinga Krzeminska/Moment via Getty Images

Itching can be uncomfortable, but it’s a normal part of your skin’s immune response to external threats. When you’re itching from an encounter with poison ivy or mosquitoes, consider that your urge to scratch may have...

Wildfire smoke leaves harmful gases in floors and walls − air purifiers aren’t enough, new study shows, but you can clean it up

Written by Delphine Farmer, Professor of Chemistry, Colorado State University

When wildfire smoke turns the air brown and hazy, you might think about heading indoors with the windows closed, running an air purifier or even wearing a mask. These are all good strategies to reduce exposure to the particles in wildfire smoke, but smoky air is also filled with potentially harmful gases. Those gases can get into buildings and...

Empire building has always come at an economic cost for Russia – from the days of the czars to Putin's Ukraine invasion

Written by Christopher A. Hartwell, Professor of International Business Policy, ZHAW School of Management and Law

The Russian economy: A Potemkin village?Getty Images

President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has come at huge economic costs. By conservative estimates, the Russian economy has taken a US$67 billion annual hit as a result of war expenses and the effects of economic sanctions. In the early stages of the invasion, some analysts put the...

Steep physical decline with age is not inevitable – here's how strength training can change the trajectory

Written by Zachary Gillen, Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology, Mississippi State University

Resistance training can take many forms and can be individualized to suit a person's needs as they age. Jamie Grill/Tetra Images via Getty Images

Raise your hand if you regularly find yourself walking up a flight of stairs. What about carrying heavy bags of groceries? How about picking up your child or grandchild? Most of us would raise our hands...

From ancient Jewish texts to androids to AI, a just-right sequence of numbers or letters turns matter into meaning

Written by Rhona Trauvitch, Associate Teaching Professor of English, Florida International University

The power of putting basic elements in just the right order is key to both Jewish mysticism and computer coding.WhataWin/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Isaac Asimov’s iconic science fiction collection “I, Robot” tells the story of androids created at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. The androids range from “Robbie,”...

Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system works well – here's how Hamas got around it

Written by Iain Boyd, Director, Center for National Security Initiatives, and Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system launches interceptor missiles to shoot down incoming missiles and rockets.Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images

Because of its unique national security challenges, Israel has a long history of developing highly effective, state-of-the-art defense technologies and capabilities. A prime example of Israeli military...

This engineering course has students use their brainwaves to create performing art

Written by Francesco Fedele, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“Arts and Geometry”

What prompted the idea for the course?

After a serious injury in 2016, I started drawing and painting during my recovery as a form of self-taught art therapy. I found the experience...

Gaza depends on UN and other global aid groups for food, medicine and basic services – Israel-Hamas war means nothing is getting in

Written by Topher L. McDougal, Professor of Economic Development & Peacebuilding, University of San Diego

Palestinian children play outside an UNRWA school following Israeli airstrikes on Oct. 12, 2023. Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images

International aid groups are warning that they cannot deliver food and other basic services to people in the Gaza Strip and that a “dire” humanitarian crisis is set to worsen.

International aid groups...

Intelligence failure or not, the Israeli military was unprepared to respond to Hamas' surprise attack

Written by Liam Collins, Founding Director, Modern War Institute, United States Military Academy West Point

Israeli soldiers ride on a transport vehicle near Re'im, Israel, on Oct. 10, 2023. Marcus Yam/ Los Angeles Times

As the Israeli army has stepped up its counteroffensive into the Gaza Strip, questions remain on how the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas was able to use bulldozers, hang gliders and motorbikes to conduct the largest attack in 50 years...

Philadelphia bans supervised injection sites – evidence suggests keeping drug users on the street could do more harm than good

Written by Jordan Hyatt, Associate Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, Drexel University

A registered nurse treats Dominic Rodriguez for a skin injury related to xylazine use in Philadelphia in May 2023. Treatment vans are allowed in the city, but not supervised injection sites. Matt Rourke/AP Photo

The United States remains tightly in the grasp of an ongoing, and escalating, crisis of deaths caused by opioid overdoses.

With a...