The Conversation

If a satellite falls on your house, space law protects you – but there are no legal penalties for leaving junk in orbit

Written by Timiebi Aganaba, Assistant Professor of Space and Society, Arizona State University

It's unlikely falling space junk will destroy property or kill a person. Petrovich9/iStock via Getty Images

On May 8, 2021, a piece of space junk from a Chinese rocket fell uncontrolled back to Earth and landed in the Indian Ocean near the Maldives. A year ago, in May 2020, another Chinese rocket met the same fate when it plummeted out of control...

As the Palestinian minority takes to the streets, Israel is having its own Black Lives Matter moment

Written by James L. Gelvin, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of California, Los Angeles

Palestinians gesture and wave Palestinian flags at Israelis in a Jewish community building, during renewed riots in the city of Lod on May 11. Oren Ziv/picture alliance via Getty Images

The images and reports coming from Israel, Jerusalem and Gaza in recent days are shocking. They are also surprising to those who thought the 2020 Abraham Accords a...

Halston: The glittering rise – and spectacular fall – of a fashion icon

Written by Jennifer Gordon, Lecturer of Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management, Iowa State University

Halston with the Halstonettes – a group of models who were part of his entourage – at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1980.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Walk into any department store, and you’ll get a sense of the powerful brands built by high-end American designers: Calvin Klein, Michael...

Why genocide survivors can offer a way to heal from the trauma of the pandemic year

Written by Donald E Miller, Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California and Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A gathering of women survivors at a Solace Ministries meeting, near Kigali, Rwanda, in 2010.Donald E. Miller, CC BY

The pandemic has been a period of acute trauma at many levels. More than 3 million people have died globally from COVID-19, including over 600,000 in the United States. Doctors and nurses have experienced a moral crisis, feeling that...

New teachers face complex cultural challenges – the stories of 3 Latina teachers in their toughest moments

Written by Teresa Sosa, Associate Professor of Education, IUPUI

Identity and race play significant factors in the first-year experiences of Latina teachers in the U.S.RichLegg/E+ via Getty Images

Gun control. Hallway decorations. Hairstyles.

Those aren’t the things I expected to be stumbling blocks for three Latina educators that I helped prepare to become schoolteachers in recent years. But each situation...

Using captured CO₂ in everyday products could help fight climate change, but will consumers want them?

Written by Lucca Henrion, Research Fellow at the Global CO2 Initiative, University of Michigan

Consumer decisions could play a critical role in dealing with climate change. A study gauging perceptions was published May 13, 2021. FotographiaBasica via Getty Images

Would you drink carbonated beverages made with carbon dioxide captured from the smokestack of a factory or power plant?

How would you feel if that captured carbon dioxide were in...

To navigate the dangers of the web, you need critical thinking – but also critical ignoring

Written by Sam Wineburg, Professor of Education and (by courtesy) History, Stanford University

Kids can be taught to read the web critically. Os Tartarouchos/Moment/Getty Images

The web is a treacherous place.

A website’s author may not be its author. References that confer legitimacy may have little to do with the claims they anchor. Signals of credibility like a dot-org domain can be the artful handiwork of a Washington, D.C., public...

Herd immunity appears unlikely for COVID-19, but CDC says vaccinated people can ditch masks in most settings

Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

A woman walks by a sign in New York City amid the coronavirus pandemic on March 30, 2021.Noam Galai/Getty Images

When COVID-19 first began spreading, public health and medical experts began talking about the need for the U.S. to reach herd immunity to stop the coronavirus from spreading. Experts have estimated that between 60% and 90% of people in...

Microfluidics: The tiny, beautiful tech hidden all around you

Written by Albert Folch, Professor of Bioengineering, University of Washington

Anything that moves or processes tiny amounts of fluid is a microfluidic device. Chris Neils/Albert Folch, CC BY-ND

When you think of micro- or nanotechnology, you likely think of small electronics like your phone, a tiny robot or a microchip. But COVID-19 tests – which have proven to be central to controlling the pandemic – are also a...

Should my child get the COVID-19 vaccine? 7 questions answered by a pediatric infectious disease expert

Written by Debbie-Ann Shirley, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Virginia

Vaccination is one way we can help get kids back to in-person activities.FG Trade/Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administration expanded emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents 12 to 15 years of age on May 10, 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed with recommendations...