The Conversation

5 claves para entender el conflicto en Afganistán

Written by Catesby Holmes, International Editor | Politics Editor, The Conversation US

Un helicóptero Chinook vuela cerca de la Embajada de Estados Unidos, Kabul, Afganistán, 15 de agosto de 2021. AP Photo/Rahmat Gul

El pánico y la agitación se apoderan de Afganistán después de que los insurgentes talibanes capturaron la ciudad capital de Kabul y al aparecer, el estado.

La caída de...

An Afghan American scholar describes his fear-filled journey from the chaos at Kabul airport to a plane bound for home in the US

Written by Hanif Sufizada, Education and Outreach Program Coordinator, University of Nebraska Omaha

The author was in this crowd, finally boarding a plane to leave Kabul.Photo: Hanif Sufizada

Editor’s note: Afghan scholar Hanif Sufizada, who works at the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha, got caught in Kabul during the chaos of the U.S. military pullout, when thousands of Afghans fled to the airport, seeking...

Warrior, servant, mother, unifier – the Virgin Mary has played many roles through the centuries

Written by Eric M. Vanden Eykel, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Ferrum College

Several celebrities have been seen wearing coats designed by Brenda Equihua, with an image of Mary displayed at the back.Screen grab from Shelley FKA DRAM - Exposure (Official Music Video)

In a recent article in the Jesuit magazine “America,” author Whitney Bauck pointed out that the Virgin Mary has become “an icon for pop stars...

How patients talk about cancer with family, friends and doctors

Written by Wayne A. Beach, Professor, School of Communication, Director, Center for Communication, Health, & the Public Good, San Diego State University

Communication about cancer works best when the patient is invited to express fears and concerns.FatCamera via Getty Images

Cancer is no longer spoken of only in a whisper. Today, the disease – although still dreaded, still terrifying – is routinely and openly discussed in all media.

Yet in more intimate settings – as when patients...

Correctional officers are driving the pandemic in prisons

Written by Danielle Wallace, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University

While prison may isolate people from the larger community, it does not isolate them from COVID-19.Scott Olson/Staff/Getty Images News

Prisons and jails have hosted some of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks in the U.S., with some facilities approaching 4,000 cases. In the U.S., which has some of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the world, 9 in...

Why did a military superpower fail in Afghanistan?

Written by Arie Perliger, Director of Security Studies and Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell

U.S. troops in Afghanistan had better equipment, training and funding than the Taliban.AP Photo/Rahmat Gul

The speed and efficiency with which Taliban forces were able to complete the occupation of most of Afghanistan, as well as the quick collapse of the Afghan government, has led to criticism of President Joe Biden’s decision to end U.S....

An elite Virginia high school overhauled admissions for gifted students – here's how to tell if the changes are working

Written by Joni Lakin, Associate Professor of Educational Studies, University of Alabama

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, Va., is the top-ranked public high school in the country.Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images

For decades, gifted education and talent development services in public schools have been accused of creating inequities for students of color, students from low-income...

Can health insurance companies charge the unvaccinated higher premiums? What about life insurers? 5 questions answered

Written by Kosali Simon, Professor of Health Economics, Indiana University

Laws restrict the ways insurers can use vaccination status to affect coverage or premiums.AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

The current COVID-19 wave in the U.S. is mostly affecting unvaccinated Americans, who represent more than 95% of current cases of hospitalization and death.

Given the average cost of a COVID-19 hospitalization in 2020 ran about...

Mexico, facing its third COVID-19 wave, shows the dangers of weak federal coordination

Written by Adolfo Martinez Valle, Head of Academic Unit, Health Public and Population Research Center, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

Mexico City on Aug. 8, 2021: lots of masks, not so much social distancing.Luis Barron / Eyepix Group/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Cases of COVID-19 are surging around the world, but the course of the pandemic varies widely country to country. To provide you with a global view as we approach a year and a half since the official declaration of the...

Fish fins are teaching us the secret to flexible robots and new shape-changing materials

Written by Francois Barthelat, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Flying fish use their fins both to swim and glide through the air. Smithsonian Institution/Flickr

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

The big idea

Segmented hinges in the long, thin bones of fish fins are critical to the incredible mechanical properties of fins, and this design could inspire improved underwater...