The Conversation

Did He Jiankui 'Make People Better'? Documentary spurs a new look at the case of the first gene-edited babies

Written by G. Owen Schaefer, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Ethics, National University of Singapore

He Jiankui seemed unprepared for the furor set off by his bombshell announcement.The He Lab/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

In the four years since an experiment by disgraced scientist He Jiankui resulted in the birth of the first babies with edited genes, numerous articles, books and international commissions have reflected on whether and how heritable...

Americans’ personal savings rate is near an all-time low – an economist explains what it means as a potential recession looms

Written by Arabinda Basistha, Associate Professor of Economics, West Virginia University

Is Americans' low savings rate a problem?Maneerat/EyeEm via Getty Images

The rate at which Americans are saving money has dipped close to an all-time low, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The personal savings rate was 2.3% as of October, down from 7.3% a year earlier. It’s the lowest since July 2005, when the rate hit a record...

This course teaches students how to connect with older adults to forge intergenerational bonds and help alleviate loneliness and isolation

Written by Jeremy Holloway, Assistant Professor of Geriatric Education, University of North Dakota

When bonds are forged between generations, both the young and the old benefit. Maskot/DigitalVision via Getty Images

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

Title of course

“Legacy Building with Older Adults – Students Re-Humanizing Health Care”

What...

Why winter solstice matters around the world: 4 essential reads

Written by Molly Jackson, Religion and Ethics Editor

Stonehenge has long been the site of some of the most famous solstice celebrations. Chris Gorman/Getty Images News

If you’ve already spend hours shoveling snow this year, you may be dismayed to realize that technically, it’s not yet winter. According to the astronomical definition, the season will officially begin in the Northern...

How an American magazine helped launch one of Britain’s favorite Christmas carols

Written by Maura Ives, Professor of English, Texas A&M University

'In the Bleak Midwinter' didn't begin life as a song, but being set to music helped it find fame.starryvoyage/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In 1906, a new carol appeared in “The English Hymnal,” an influential collection of British church music. With words by British poet Christina Rossetti, set to a tune by composer Gustav Holst, it...

Disney's Black mermaid is no breakthrough – just look at the literary subgenre of Black mermaid fiction

Written by Jessica Pressman, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, San Diego State University

A coffin made to resemble a mermaid at a Ga funeral. The Ga people live along the southeast coast of Ghana.Eye Ubiquitous/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Mermaids have become a cultural phenomenon, and clashes about mermaids and race have spilled out into the open. This is most pointedly apparent in the backlash over Disney’s...

Chickenpox and shingles virus lying dormant in your neurons can reactivate and increase your risk of stroke – new research identified a potential culprit

Written by Andrew Bubak, Assistant Research Professor of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Cells secrete exosomes carrying molecules that play a critical role in both health and disease.Meletios Verras/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Over 90% of the world population has the virus that causes chickenpox lying dormant in their nervous system. Most people contract the varicella zoster virus, or VZV, when they get chickenpox as children. For...

The Jan. 6 committee makes its case against Trump, his allies and their conspiracy to commit an insurrection: Five essential reads

Written by Howard Manly, Race + Equity Editor, The Conversation US

Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, is chairman of the House select committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

From its first public hearing on June 9, 2022, the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capital has offered hours of riveting testimony...

2022's US climate disasters, from storms and floods to heat waves and droughts

Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton

Rain and fast snowmelt sent the Yellowstone River and nearby streams raging beyond their banks in June 2022.AP Photo/David Goldman

The year 2022 will be remembered across the U.S. for its devastating flooding and storms – and also for its extreme heat waves and droughts.

By October, the U.S. had already seen 15 disasters causing more than US$1...

China's lucrative orchid industry is a test for the nation's commitment to conservation

Written by Hong Liu, Professor of Earth and Environment, Florida International University

Sorting collected _Dendrobium_ flowers in Guizhou province, China, June 28, 2020.Photo Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images

China is well known for its medicinal use of wild plants, a tradition that dates back thousands of years. These traditional Chinese medicines include many wild orchids, some quite showy.

Typically, orchids are consumed...