The Conversation

Neurotoxins in the environment are damaging human brain health – and more frequent fires and floods may make the problem worse

Written by Arnold R. Eiser, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Drexel University

Wildfire smoke contains a mixture of toxic pollutants that can be harmful to both the lungs and the brain. Bloomberg Creative/ Bloomberg Creative Photos via Getty Images

In the summer of 2021, a toxic, smoky haze stemming from Western wildfires wafted across large parts of the United States, while hurricanes wrought extensive flooding in the...

The FDA's lax oversight of research in developing countries can do harm to vulnerable participants

Written by C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

Nearly 80% of participants in FDA-reviewed research trials live in foreign countries.Bet_Noire/iStock via Getty Images

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

The Big Idea

The Food and Drug Administration provides less stringent oversight of overseas research trials used in deciding whether to approve a drug than those...

Transgender and gender diverse teens: How to talk to and support them

Written by Thalia Plata, Editorial Intern

The webinar speakers, Jules Gill-Peterson (left) and Kacie Kidd.courtesy of the scholars

Transgender youth have been around long before the word transgender has. Yet today, transgender teens are increasingly visible in society. For parents and caregivers, knowing how to talk to their children about gender can present a steep learning curve.

The...

Hip-hop's love-hate relationship with education

Written by Nolan Jones, Adjunct Professor of Education, Mills College

Hip-hop has always criticized America's education system. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The richest men in hip-hop never finished college.

Jay-Z – who is regarded as hip-hop’s first billionaire – never graduated from high school.

Kanye West – who is considered hip-hop’s second billionaire &n...

Chief Keef changed the music industry – and it's time he gets the credit he deserves

Written by Jabari Evans, Assistant Professor of Race and Media, University of South Carolina

It’s been 10 years since Chief Keef became an internet famous rapper with the song 'Bang.'Johnny Nunez/WireImage via Getty Images

Before he was arrested in December 2011, Chief Keef was a 16-year-old budding rap star. He’d released a song, “Bang,” which had more than 400,000 views on YouTube, along with a mixtape that...

How 2 Jewish soldiers' court-martials put a spotlight on antisemitism and racism

Written by Jeannette Gabriel, Director, Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, University of Nebraska Omaha

French officer Alfred Dreyfus spent five years as a prisoner on Devil's Island, off the coast of South America.Roger Viollet Collection via Getty Images

In October 2021, a new museum opened in Paris, dedicated to the famous “Dreyfus affair.”

Alfred Dreyfus was a Jewish captain in the French army who was court-martialed and convicted of...

Nurses don't want to be hailed as 'heroes' during a pandemic – they want more resources and support

Written by Jessica Rainbow, Assistant Professor of Nursing, University of Arizona

The COVID-19 pandemic has left many nurses feeling burned out, and its long-term effects on the profession are unknown.JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images

Nurses stepped up to the challenge of caring for patients during the pandemic, and over 1,150 of us have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. As cases and deaths surge, nurses continue working in a...

Why building more homes won't solve the affordable housing problem for the millions of people who need it most

Written by Alex Schwartz, Professor of Urban Policy, The New School

The pandemic has made the affordable housing crisis a lot worse, in part by increasing the rate of evictions. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Even before 2020, the U.S. faced an acute housing affordability crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic made it a whole lot worse after millions of people who lost their jobs fell behind on rent. While eviction bans forestalled...

The Hatch Act, the law Trump deputies are said to have broken, requires government employees to work for the public interest, not partisan campaigns

Written by Matthew May, Senior Research Associate, Boise State University

At least 13 former Trump administration officials, including Jared Kushner and Kayleigh McEnany, pictured here, violated the Hatch Act, according to a new federal investigation released Nov. 9, 2021.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Thirteen top officials of the Trump administration violated the federal law known as the Hatch Act, which prohibits political...

¿Qué es el metaverso, futuro de la convivencia humana?

Written by Rabindra Ratan, Associate Professor of Media and Information, Michigan State University

¿Están estas personas interactuando en algún mundo virtual?Lucrezia Carnelos/Unsplash

El metaverso es una red de entornos virtuales siempre activos en los que muchas personas pueden interactuar entre sí y con objetos digitales mientras operan representaciones virtuales, o avatares, de sí mismos. Piense en una...