The Conversation

Water was both essential and a barrier to early life on Earth – microdroplets are one potential solution to this paradox

Written by Nicolás M. Morato, PhD Candidate in Chemistry, Purdue University

Water microdroplets provide a unique interface that can significantly speed up chemical reactions.Marianna Armata/Moment via Getty Images

It’s a paradox: Life needs water to survive, but a world full of water can’t generate the biomolecules that would have been essential for early life. Or so researchers thought.

Water is everywhere. Most...

Cannabis holds promise for pain management, reducing the need for opioid painkillers – a neuropharmacology expert explains how

Written by Benjamin Land, Research Associate Professor of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Washington

The cannabis plant produces both THC – the psychoactive component in marijuana – and the compound commonly known as CBD, which does not lead to a 'high.'Jena Ardell/Moment via Getty Images

Drug overdose deaths from opioids continue to rise in the U.S. as a result of both the misuse of prescription opioids and the illicit drug market.

But...

Parents have very warm feelings toward other parents – here’s why that could be bad news for the child-free

Written by Zachary P. Neal, Associate Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University

Parents exhibit what psychologists call 'in-group favoritism.'SolStock/E+ via Getty Images

The aphorism “birds of a feather flock together” describes the fact that people tend to prefer associating with others who are similar to themselves. The phenomenon goes by different names: Sociologists call it homophily, psychologists call it in-g...

Music inspires powerful emotions on screen, just like in real life

Written by Gena R. Greher, Professor of Music, UMass Lowell

Without its iconic music, the shower scene of the movie 'Psycho' would likely create a very different experience for viewers.Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images

There are some classic films in which music is so integral to a scene, it would be hard to imagine the scene without it.

The shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s film...

Loss and damage: Who is responsible when climate change harms the world's poorest countries?

Written by Bethany Tietjen, Research fellow in climate policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

Extreme flooding in Pakistan in 2022 affected 33 million people. Akram Shahid/AFP via Getty Images

You may be hearing the phrase “loss and damage” in the coming weeks as government leaders meet in Egypt for the 2022 U.N. Climate Change Conference.

It refers to the costs, both economic and physical, that developing countries are facing...

Former math teacher explains why some students are 'good' at math and others lag behind

Written by Frances E. Anderson, Faculty Member in Teacher Education, University of Nebraska Omaha

Math proficiency scores fell during the pandemic. fstop123 via Getty Images

When Frances E. Anderson saw the latest math scores for America’s fourth- and eighth-graders, she was hardly surprised that they had dropped. Until recently – including the period of remote instruction during the pandemic – Anderson taught high school math...

Why schools' going back to 'normal' won't work for students of color

Written by Adriana Villavicencio, Assistant Professor of Education, University of California, Irvine

Students of color have long needed more from schools than is typically provided.THEPALMER/E+ via Getty Images

National test results released in September 2022 show unprecedented losses in math and reading scores since the pandemic disrupted schooling for millions of children.

In response, educational leaders and policymakers across the country are ea...

How a 2013 US Supreme Court ruling enabled states to enact election laws without federal approval

Written by Joshua F.J. Inwood, Professor of Geography and Senior Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute, Penn State

Terry Hubbard, a former felon, voted in the 2020 presidential election and was arrested two years later in Florida on voter fraud charges.Josh Ritchie for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Since 2019, legislators and election officials in Florida have revised, passed and enforced restrictive voting laws that make it harder for poor people,...

Conservative US Supreme Court reconsidering affirmative action, leaving the use of race in college admissions on the brink of extinction

Written by Travis Knoll, Adjunct Professor of History, University of North Carolina – Charlotte

The U.S. Supreme Court in its official portrait on Oct. 7, 2022.Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. military learned a valuable lesson about race during the Vietnam War: Diversity does not happen without affirmative action.

That helps explain why a distinguished group of 35 military officials wrote a brief to the Supreme Court supporting...

Abortion is not influencing most voters as the midterms approach – economic issues are predominating in new survey

Written by Matthew A Baum, Marvin Kalb Professor of Global Communications & Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Amy Cox, a Democratic candidate running to be an Ohio state representative, speaks with a potential voter on Oct. 23, 2022. Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images

Since the Supreme Court’s June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion, election observers have raised questions about whether and how the issue...