The Conversation

How much for an amputation or checkup? It takes a complex formula and a committee of doctors to set the price for every possible health care procedure

Written by Simon F. Haeder, Associate Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M University

The price physicians charge for every surgery, checkup or other procedure has a precise formula behind it. Morsa Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Modern medicine is remarkable.

Conditions like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C were once virtual death sentences. Both can now be treated easily and effectively.

But for Americans, the wonders of modern...

Abortion decision cherry-picks history – when the US Constitution was ratified, women had much more autonomy over abortion decisions than during 19th century

Written by Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino

Ben Franklin, center, inserted an abortion recipe in a popular textbook he republished in 1748.GraphicaArtis/Getty Images

Justice Samuel Alito appears spellbound by the 19th century.

In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the decision Alito wrote overruling 50 years of constitutional protection for women’s right to get an...

What's behind the enduring popularity of crystals?

Written by Joseph P. Laycock, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Texas State University

Proponents claim the stones can promote health and well-being. janiecbros/Getty Images

As New York City mayor Eric Adams attends ribbon cuttings, marches in parades and bulldozes dirt bikes, he wears an energy stone bracelet that his supporters gave him. In a recent interview, Adams discussed his belief that New York City has a “special...

Brain stimulation can rewire and heal damaged neural connections, but it isn't clear how – research suggests personalization may be key to more effective therapies

Written by Azadeh Yazdan-Shahmorad, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington

Advances in artificial intelligence and technology have allowed researchers to better explore the mechanisms behind neurostimulation.Iryna Spodarenko/iStock via Getty Images

The connections between the neurons in your brain enable you to do amazing things, from brushing your teeth to solving calculus equations. When these connections become...

Medical aid in dying is still called 'assisted suicide'; an anthropologist explains the problem with that

Written by Anita Hannig, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Brandeis University

More than 20% Americans live in a state with access to a medically assisted death.nathamag11/iStock / Getty Images Plus

Several states around the U.S. are currently considering whether to legalize medical aid in dying for terminally ill patients. More than 20% of Americans already live in a state with access to a medically assisted death. Despite...

Alaska on fire: Thousands of lightning strikes and a warming climate put Alaska on pace for another historic fire season

Written by Rick Thoman, Alaska Climate Specialist, University of Alaska Fairbanks

A large tundra fire burned near St. Mary's, Alaska, on June 13, 2022.BLM Alaska Fire Service/Incident Management Team/John Kern

Alaska is on pace for another historic wildfire year, with its fastest start to the fire season on record. By mid-June 2022, over 1 million acres had burned. By early July, that number was well over 2 million acres, more...

White children are especially likely to be overdiagnosed and overtreated for ADHD, according to a new study

Written by Paul L. Morgan, Eberly Fellow, Professor of Education and Demography, and Director of the Center for Educational Disparities Research, Penn State

Children with ADHD typically exhibit a combination of hyperactivity, inattentiveness and/or impulsive behavior. Klaus Vedfelt/Digital Vision via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

White children are especially likely to be overdiagnosed and overtreated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity...

Fred Gray, the 'chief counsel for the protest movement,' to get Medal of Freedom for his civil rights work

Written by Jonathan Entin, Professor Emeritus of Law and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Case Western Reserve University

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., left, and attorney Fred Gray, whom King called 'the brilliant young Negro who later became the chief counsel for the protest movement,' at a political rally in Tuskegee, Alabama, April 29, 1966.AP Photo/Jack Thornell

Over the past seven decades, longtime Alabama civil rights lawyer Fred Gray represented...

How the tampon shortage is exacerbating period poverty in the US

Written by Marni Sommer, Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University

Tampons are the latest product to be in scarce supply at U.S. stores.Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Tampons have become the latest household product to fall foul of supply chain issues.

Reports of a scarcity of the menstrual product, used by millions of women in the U.S., have combined with general inflationary pressure on the price of goods...

Democrats aim to design a presidential nomination process that gives everyone a voice – and produces a winning candidate

Written by Barbara A. Trish, Professor of Political Science, Grinnell College

Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg prepare to caucus for him in a high school gym, Feb. 3, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

For the past few election cycles, the quartet of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina has had a lock on the early spots in the Democratic Party’s...