The Conversation

Dangerous urban heat exposure has tripled since the 1980s, with the poor most at risk

Written by Cascade Tuholske, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia Climate School, Columbia University

Rising global temperatures are increasing heat risks for outdoor workers and the urban poor.Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images

Extreme urban heat exposure has dramatically increased since the early 1980s, with the total exposure tripling over the past 35 years. Today, about 1.7 billion people, nearly one-quarter of the global population, live in...

In cities, dangerous heat exposure has tripled since the 1980s, with the poor most at risk

Written by Cascade Tuholske, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia Climate School, Columbia University

Rising global temperatures are increasing heat risks for outdoor workers and the urban poor.Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images

Puerto Rico has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build a clean energy grid – but FEMA plans to spend $9.4 billion on fossil fuel infrastructure instead

Written by Patrick Parenteau, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School

A banner reads "Fuera Luma" (Luma out), opposing the company managing Puerto Rico's electric grid, at a May Day protest in San Juan on May 1, 2021.Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden Administration has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help Puerto Rico transition to a greener and more resilient energy future, but it’s on the...

Cherry-picking the Bible and using verses out of context isn't a practice confined to those opposed to vaccines – it has been done for centuries

Written by John Fea, Professor of American History, Messiah College

Many people are using Bible verses to justify their stance against vaccine.David McNew/AFP via Getty Images

A devout evangelical Christian friend of mine recently texted to explain why he was not getting the COVID-19 vaccine. “Jesus went around healing lepers and touched them without fear of getting leprosy,” he said.

This story that St....

How did white students respond to school integration after Brown v. Board of Education?

Written by Charise Cheney, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, University of Oregon

The collective memory of school desegregation is of anger and division, like in this photo of 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford walking away from a crowd outside a high school in Little Rock, Ark.Bettmann via Getty Images

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 curiouskid...

How education reforms can support teachers around the world instead of undermining them

Written by Gerald K. LeTendre, Professor of Educational Administration, Penn State

Access to qualified teachers is a major source of educational inequality around the world.Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

World Teachers’ Day, held on October 5 each year since 1994, is an annual event to reflect on the progress teachers have made.

But in many countries, including the United States, the p...

Five years after largest marine heatwave on record hit northern California coast, many warm–water species have stuck around

Written by Erica Nielsen, Postdoctoral Researcher in Marine Biology, University of California, Davis

Southerly species like the giant owl limpet, seen here, started appearing on northern California shores. Jerry Kirkhart/Flickr, CC BY

Land–based heatwaves have a less obvious though equally important sibling: marine heatwaves. In 2013, the largest marine heatwave on record began when an unusually warm mass of water formed in the Gulf of...

Why some college sports are often out of reach for students from low-income families

Written by Kirsten Hextrum, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Oklahoma

High school athletes from wealthy backgrounds are more likely to play sports in college.Rich Barnes/Getty Images

When it comes to landing a spot on a college sports team, a student’s chances are profoundly affected by their parents’ wealth and education. Even college sports recruitment favors white suburban athletes.

Those two findings...

Tylenol could be risky for pregnant women – a new review of 25 years of research finds acetaminophen may contribute to ADHD and other developmental disorders in children

Written by Ann Z. Bauer, Postdoctoral Fellow in Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Nearly 100 scholars and health care professionals are urging women to limit their use of acetaminophen during pregnancy. Oscar Wong/Moment via Getty Images

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

The big idea

A mounting body of evidence shows that the use of acetaminophen - widely known by its brand name Tylenol - during...

Britney’s conservatorship is one example of how the legacy of eugenics in the US continues to affect the lives of disabled women

Written by Michaela Kathleen Curran, Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Health, University of Iowa

Britney Spears was forced to continue wearing an IUD under her conservatorship.FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

Britney Spears has been locked in a court battle 13 years in the making. While her father was suspended as conservator of her estate on Sep. 29, 2021, her conservatorship might not be terminated until the next hearing on Nov. 12.

Duri...