The Conversation

Biden urges countries to slash methane emissions 30% – here's why it's crucial for protecting climate and health, and how it can pay for itself

Written by Drew Shindell, Professor of Climate Sciences, Duke University

Methane is the world’s second most abundant greenhouse gas, and it’s many times more potent than carbon dioxide.Vanderlei Almeida/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. and European Union are working on a pledge to cut methane emissions by at least 30% this decade, President Joe Biden announced on Sept. 17, 2021, and he urged countries around...

Directed energy weapons shoot painful but non-lethal beams – are similar weapons behind the Havana syndrome?

Written by Iain Boyd, Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

A television reporter reacts to being hit by a heat ray during a demonstration of the U.S. military's Active Denial System.Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

The latest episodes of so-called Havana syndrome, a series of unexplained ailments afflicting U.S. and Canadian diplomats and spies, span the globe. They include two diplomats in Hanoi,...

A direct recommendation from a doctor may be the final push someone needs to get vaccinated

Written by Kathleen Mazor, Professor of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School

Sometimes facts and statistics aren't enough to convince someone to get the COVID-19 vaccine.PeopleImages/E+ via Getty Images

Have you found yourself feeling frustrated when trying to convince a friend or family member to get vaccinated for COVID-19? Or maybe you are that friend or family member, and you’re fed up with people pushing you to...

Nurses are leaving the profession, and replacing them won’t be easy

Written by Rayna M Letourneau, Assistant Professor of Nursing, University of South Florida

Many nurses are physically and emotionally exhausted from the toll of COVID-19.lightspeedshutter/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The fourth wave of COVID-19 is exacerbating the ongoing crisis for the nursing workforce and has led to burnout for many nurses. As a result, many are quitting their jobs in substantial numbers all across the country, with...

Scientists at work: We use environmental DNA to monitor how human activities affect life in rivers and streams

Written by Marie Simonin, Research Scientist, Inrae

Environmental DNA is a promising tool for tracking species in freshwater ecosystems like Oregon's Elkhorn Creek.Greg Shine, BLM/Flickr, CC BY

Rivers, lakes and wetlands cover just 1% of the Earth’s surface but are home to nearly 10% of all species, including fish, mammals, birds, insects and crustaceans. But these rich, diverse ecosystems...

How to make comparing prices of an MRI or colonoscopy as easy as shopping for a new laptop

Written by Morgan Henderson, Senior Data Scientist, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

A new rule is intended to let patients comparison shop for hospital services.Black Lollipop/iStock via Getty Images

Health researchers have long argued that the key to reining in surging health care costs is to tackle the high prices of services, and one potential way to do this is to provide patients with price transparency.

That is, if people...

The fall armyworm invasion is fierce this year – and scientists are researching how to stop its destruction of lawns, football fields and crops

Written by Scott D. Stewart, Professor of Entomology and Director of the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center, University of Tennessee

Fall armyworm devouring a soybean leaf.Scott D. Stewart, Author provided

Across the Northeast, Midwest, South and Southwest United States, homeowners are watching with horror as their lawns turn from green to brown, sometimes in less than 48 hours, and wondering, “What happened this year – and how did it happen so fast?”

The...

Andrew Cuomo’s initial refusal to resign echoes executive harassment dilemmas for employers

Written by Michael Z. Green, Professor of Law and Director, Workplace Law Program, Texas A&M University

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stubbornly fought sexual harassment charges, as many executives do in business.Scott Heins/Getty Images

President Joe Biden and many other public leaders called for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign after an official report in August concluded that Cuomo had “engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment...

How many satellites are orbiting Earth?

Written by Supriya Chakrabarti, Professor of Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Thousands of the satellites orbiting Earth are small – like this cubical satellite seen here being released from the International Space Station.NASA, CC BY-NC

CC BY-ND

It seems like every week, another rocket is launched into space carrying rovers to Mars, tourists or, most commonly, satellites. The idea that “space is getting crowded&rd...

Facebook has known for a year and a half that Instagram is bad for teens despite claiming otherwise – here are the harms researchers have been documenting for years

Written by Christia Spears Brown, Professor of Psychology, University of Kentucky

Instagram's emphasis on filtered photos of bodies harms girls' self-image.Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Facebook officials had internal research in March 2020 showing that Instagram – the social media platform most used by adolescents – is harmful to teen girls’ body image and well-being but swept those findings...