The Conversation

Efforts to ban critical race theory have been put forth in all but one state – and many threaten schools with a loss of funds

Written by Taifha Natalee Alexander, CRT Forward Project Director, University of California, Los Angeles

Bans on critical race theory target teachers and curriculums.Kobus Louw via Getty Images

Few topics in education have dominated the news over the past few years as much as efforts to ban critical race theory from the nation’s schools. The topic is so pervasive that researchers at the UCLA School of Law Critical Race Studies Program have...

Misuse of Adderall promotes stigma and mistrust for patients who need it – a neuroscientist explains the science behind the controversial ADHD drug

Written by Habibeh Khoshbouei, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Florida

Many people with ADHD are finding it difficult to get their Adderall prescriptions filled amid the shortage.AP Photo/Jenny Kane

The nationwide shortages of Adderall that began in fall 2022 have brought renewed attention to the beleaguered drug, which is used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy.

Adderall became a go-to...

The FDA's rule change requiring providers to inform women about breast density could lead to a flurry of questions

Written by Wendie A. Berg, Professor of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh

Breast density is one of the factors that can influence whether people should pursue supplemental screening. andresr/E+ via Getty Images

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a regulation in early March 2023 that updates mammography reporting requirements. The new regulation goes into effect on Sept. 10, 2024, and will require that all...

Don't bet with ChatGPT – study shows language AIs often make irrational decisions

Written by Mayank Kejriwal, Research Assistant Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Southern California

Language AI's have trouble weighing potential gains and losses.Andrea Pistolesi/Stone via Getty Images

The past few years have seen an explosion of progress in large language model artificial intelligence systems that can do things like write poetry, conduct humanlike conversations and pass medical school exams. This progress has yielded models...

MLB home run counts are rising – and global warming is playing a role

Written by Christopher W. Callahan, Ph.D. Student in Climate Science, Dartmouth College

Another homer off the bat of Aaron Judge.AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Home runs are exhilarating – those lofting moments when everyone looks skyward, baseball players and fans alike, anxiously awaiting the outcome: run or out, win or loss, elation or despair.

Over the past several Major League Baseball seasons, home run numbers have climbed...

Do glitzy awards like the Earthshot Prize actually help solve problems of climate change? – podcast

Written by Daniel Merino, Associate Science Editor & Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

Prince William presented the Earthshot Prize in 2022. Chris Jackson/Staff via Getty Images

Every year, tens of billions of dollars are spent by universities, research institutes and private companies to develop solutions for climate change. Yet when a government decides to fund research for a piece of technology or branch of science, it rarely...

Deadly fungus Candida auris is spreading across US hospitals - a physician answers 5 questions about rising fungal infections

Written by Arif R. Sarwari, Professor of Infectious Diseases, West Virginia University

Candida auris is a fungal yeast that can infect humans.Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

In late March 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted the threat posed by a rapidly spreading fungus called Candida auris that is causing infections and deaths among hospital patients across the country. The...

Macaque monkeys shrink their social networks as they age – new research suggests evolutionary roots of a pattern seen in elderly people, too

Written by Erin Siracusa, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter

Older monkeys still hang out, just with a smaller circle of intimates.Lauren Brent, CC BY-ND

There are many changes that can come with old age – hair turns gray, eyesight isn’t quite what it used to be, mobility often becomes limited. But beyond these physiological changes, people also experience changes to their social world. As we...

Student reporters fill crucial gap in state government coverage

Written by Richard Watts, Senior Lecturer of Geography and Founder of the Center of Community News, University of Vermont

Devon Sanders, a statehouse reporter and student at the Lousiana State University Manship School of Mass Communication, interviewed State Rep. Katrina Jackson in 2018.Richard Watts, CC BY-ND

The local news business is in crisis. The nation is currently losing two community newspapers a week, on average, and 70 million Americans live in news deserts,...

Finland, NATO and the evolving new world order – what small nations know

Written by Ronald Suny, Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan

Finnish military personnel raise their country's flag at NATO headquarters in Brussels.Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

In the world of geopolitics, great powers make, break and play by their own rules. Smaller states largely have to make do with adjusting to the world as determined by others.

Which is why the decision by Finland &ndash...