The Conversation

Therapy on the go: Mildly depressed or simply stressed, people are tapping apps for mental health care

Written by Lauri Goldkind, Associate Professor of Social Work, Fordham University

More and more people are experimenting with mental health apps and discovering their benefits and limits.d3sign/Moment via Getty Images

It might be surprising to think about browsing for therapists and ordering up mental health care the way you can peruse a menu on Grubhub or summon a car on Lyft.

But over the last decade, digital access to therapy...

The US is importing baby formula to help end supply shortage – what parents need to know

Written by Steven A. Abrams, Professorof Pediatrics, University of Texas at Austin

Hopefully not staying empty for much longer.Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images)

Industry and federal efforts to alleviate a baby formula shortage in the U.S. are ramping up, with the import of foreign brands supplementing increased domestic production.

It follows a crisis in which mothers, fathers and caregivers across the U.S. have had to scramble...

Why are so many big tech whistleblowers women? Here is what the research shows

Written by Francine Berman, Director of Public Interest Technology and Stuart Rice Research Professor, UMass Amherst

The vast majority of high-profile big tech whistleblowers in recent years have been women.Elke Meitzel/Image Source via Getty Images

A number of high-profile whistleblowers in the technology industry have stepped into the spotlight in the past few years. For the most part, they have been revealing corporate practices that thwart the public...

There are historical and psychological reasons why the legal age for purchasing assault weapons does not make sense

Written by Ashwini Tambe, Professor and Director, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Editorial Director, Feminist Studies, George Washington University

A boy examines a gun at the National Rifle Association annual convention on May 28, 2022, in Houston. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The Uvalde and Buffalo mass shootings in May 2022 had at least two things in common: The shooters were 18 years old, and they had both legally purchased their own assault rifles.

The shooters’ young age was not an...

How Indian American spelling bee dominance may fuel educational inequities

Written by Pawan Dhingra, Professor of Sociology and American Studies; Faculty Equity and Inclusion Officer, Amherst College

Harini Logan is embraced by her parents after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Harini Logan, a cheerful 14-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, made history on June 2, 2022. She became the first Scripps National Spelling Bee champion to win after being eliminated and later reinstated. She was also the first to...

Genetic paparazzi are right around the corner, and courts aren't ready to confront the legal quagmire of DNA theft

Written by Liza Vertinsky, Professor of Law, University of Maryland

DNA is a trove of personal information that can be hard to keep track of and protect. Boris Zhitkov/Moment via Getty Images

Every so often stories of genetic theft, or extreme precautions taken to avoid it, make headline news. So it was with a picture of French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin sitting at opposite ends...

Change won't appear overnight in many states if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

Written by Katherine Drabiak, Associate professor of health law, public health law and medical ethics, University of South Florida

Workers at a family planning clinic watch an abortion rights march in Chicago on May 14, 2022. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Individual states and some cities are taking legal steps to either limit or allow abortions, gearing up for what will likely be a fierce national battle if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the constitutional right to abortion.

The...

What makes smoky, charred barbecue taste so good? The chemistry of cooking over an open flame

Written by Kristine Nolin, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond

Cooking food over an open flame produces unique flavors thanks to some interesting chemistry. Lars Szatmari / EyeEm via Getty Images

The mere thought of barbecue’s smokey scents and intoxicating flavors is enough to get most mouths watering. Summer is here, and that means it is barbecue season for many people in the U.S.

I am a chemist who...

Bed bugs' biggest impact may be on mental health after an infestation of these bloodsucking parasites

Written by Jerome Goddard, Extension Professor of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University

Dozens of bed bugs and their eggs and fecal material on a metal bed frame.Jerome Goddard

Bed bugs are back with a vengeance. After an absence of around 70 years, thanks to effective pesticides such as DDT, they’ve been popping up in fancy hotels, spas, department stores, subway trains, movie theaters – and, of course, people’s...

Can Bionic Reading make you a speed reader? Not so fast

Written by Lauren M. Singer Trakhman, Assistant Clinical Professor of Human Development, University of Maryland

In an age of distraction, the desire to read faster and more efficiently is understandable. eclipse_images/Getty Images

What if something as simple as bolding parts of a word could make reading a breeze, improving your focus, speed and comprehension?

That’s the claim made by the creators of Bionic Reading, an app that revises texts so that the...