The Conversation

When did the first fish live on Earth – and how do scientists figure out the timing?

Written by Isaac Skromne, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Richmond

Reconstruction of _Haikouichthys ercaicunensis_ based on fossil evidence.Talifero/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

How do you figure out how long ago fish were created? Hundreds of millions of years...

Political crowdfunding does more than raise money – it can also rile up opponents

Written by Sanorita Dey, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Crowdfunding can be a great way to raise money for political candidates and causes, but it can also have unintended consequences.Joos Mind/The Image Bank via Getty Images

The success of politicians in the U.S. largely depends on the amount of funding they receive from various sources. Although political action committees contribute considerably...

Children are bombarded with violence in the news – here's how to help them cope

Written by Nicole Martins, Associate Professor of Communication Science, Indiana University

With the ever-increasing media coverage of mass shootings in the U.S., even the youngest children are now repeatedly exposed to violent images on TV and online.Blend Images/Inti St Clair/Tetra Images via Getty Images

Over 100 mass shootings have taken place in the U.S. since the rampage in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. Not a single week in 2022 ha...

Lost touch with someone? Reach out – your friend will likely appreciate it more than you think

Written by Peggy Liu, Ben L. Fryrear Chair in Marketing and Associate Professor of Business Administration, University of Pittsburgh

People tend to underestimate how much a friend they've lost contact with would enjoy a simple note saying 'hi.'JGI/Tom Grill/Tetra Images via Getty Images

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

The big idea

The next time you wonder whether to reach out to a friend, family member, classmate or other person who’s...

Abortion funds may not be able to keep up with rising demands, as more people travel out of state for the procedure

Written by Gretchen E. Ely, Professor of Social Work, University of Tennessee

A sign reads 'I'm on your side' outside the Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, La., in April 2022. Francois Picard/AFP via Getty Images

Abortion providers in places like Pennsylvania and California are seeing an uptick in abortion patients traveling from other states, where the procedure is now banned or restricted.

The cost of getting an...

To reduce harmful algal blooms and dead zones, the US needs a national strategy for regulating farm pollution

Written by Donald Boesch, Professor of Marine Science, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Satellite photo of an algal bloom in western Lake Erie, July 28, 2015.NASA Earth Observatory

Midsummer is the time for forecasts of the size of this year’s “dead zones” and algal blooms in major lakes and bays. Will the Gulf of Mexico dead zone be the size of New Jersey, or only as big as Connecticut? Will Lake Erie’s...

Shinto religion has long been entangled with Japan's politics – and Shinzo Abe was associated with many of its groups

Written by Kaitlyn Ugoretz, PhD Candidate, East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California Santa Barbara

People line up to pay their respects before the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on July 12, 2022, at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo.AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s alleged shooter, Tetsuya Yamagami, told the police that he was motivated by Abe’s connections to the messianic new religious movement...

The Supreme Court's ideological rulings are roiling US politics – just as when Lincoln and his Republicans remade the court to fit their agenda

Written by Calvin Schermerhorn, Professor of History, Arizona State University

"Impeach and remove partisan zealots from the court," reads one protester's sign in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on July 9, 2022.Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Political conflict over the Supreme Court’s direction is raging in the aftermath of two sweeping rulings in the court’s most recent term, one which expanded...

Is monkeypox a pandemic? An epidemiologist explains why it isn’t likely to become as widespread as COVID-19, but is worth watching

Written by Kathryn H. Jacobsen, William E. Cooper Distinguished University Chair, Professor of Health Studies, University of Richmond

Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, which are the ovals and circles seen in this electron microscope image of the skin of a person infected with monkeypox.Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regnery/CDC

Monkeypox is the latest global public health threat to make headlines. Most people who contract the monkeypox virus experience flu-like symptoms...

How sustainable manufacturing could help reduce the environmental impact of industry

Written by Nabil Nasr, Associate Provost Academic Affairs and Director of GIS, Rochester Institute of Technology

Sustainable manufacturing offers ways to reduce environmental impact.Fertnig/E+ via Getty Images

Nabil Nasr is the associate provost and director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also the CEO of the Remade Institute, which was established by the U.S. government to conduct early-stage R&D...