The Conversation

Mixed-ancestry genetic research shows a bit of Native American DNA could reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease

Written by Diane Xue, Public Health Genetics PhD student and Research Assistant in Medical Genetics, University of Washington

Alzheimer's, like many diseases, has a genetic component. Tek Images/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Since the human genome was first mapped, scientists have discovered hundreds of genes influencing illnesses like breast cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, Black people, Indigenous people and other people of...

California is planning floating wind farms offshore to boost its power supply – here's how they work

Written by Matthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Equinor's Hywind Scotland became the world's first floating wind farm in 2017.Øyvind Gravås/Woldcam via Equinor

Northern California has some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., with immense potential to produce clean energy. But it has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind...

What is child care insecurity? 2 social scientists explain

Written by Cassandra M. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Foods, Texas State University

Child care insecurity can increase stress and anxiety and decrease quality of life. Damir Cudic/E+ Collection via Getty Images

Child care insecurity is a term we’ve come up with to describe limited or uncertain access to adequate child care.

It factors into many Americans’ decisions whether to even have a child. Parents – mothers...

World hunger surged in 2020, with 1 in 10 people on Earth undernourished

Written by Jessica Eise, Assistant Professor of Social and Environmental Challenges, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Yemeni children, who live in a hunger hot spot, wait to get food in June 2021. Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images

CC BY-ND

Nearly 10% of everyone on Earth – an estimated 768 million of us – were undernourished in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economies, job markets and supply chains and inflated food prices. According to the latest...

Happy 50th birthday to Chez Panisse, the Berkeley restaurant that launched farm-to-fork eating

Written by Paul Freedman, Chester D. Tripp Professor of History, Yale University

The entrance to Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California.Calton/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

When a small restaurant called Chez Panisse opened its doors 50 years ago in Berkeley, California, it wasn’t obvious that it would change how Americans thought about eating. The first menu on Aug. 28, 1971, was pâté baked in pastry, duck with olives,...

Cuba protests: 4 essential reads on dissent in the post-Castro era

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

A rare unauthorized public gathering in Havana on July 11, 2021. Some demonstrators on the streets that day chanted 'Down with the dictatorship.' Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images

Street protests erupted across Cuba on July 11, 2021, with crowds of Cubans demonstrating against food scarcity, medicine shortages and economic misery in their island...

Biden targets noncompete agreements, which restrict the job opportunities of millions of low-wage workers

Written by Raymond Hogler, Professor of Management, Colorado State University

It's estimated that over one-third of all private companies require their employees to sign noncompete clauses. wera Rodsawang/Moment via Getty Images

Most American workers are hired “at will”: Employers owe their employees nothing in the relationship except earned wages, and employees are at liberty to quit at their option. As the...

US immigration judges considering asylum for unaccompanied minors are 'significantly influenced' by politics

Written by Daniel Braaten, Associate professor of Political Science, Texas Lutheran University

Unaccompanied immigrant minors wait on July 2, 2019 in Los Ebanos, Texas to be transported to a U.S. Border Patrol processing center after entering the U.S. to seek political asylum.John Moore/Getty Images

The news over the past months has been saturated with stories about another “surge” of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern...

Bans on critical race theory could have a chilling effect on how educators teach about racism

Written by Nicholas Ensley Mitchell, Assistant Professor of Curriculum Studies, University of Kansas

People rally against 'critical race theory' at the Loudoun County Government Center in Leesburg, Va. on June 12, 2021. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Perhaps no topic has dominated education news in 2021 like the debate over whether or not critical race theory should be taught – or whether it is even being taught – in...

What is biblical inerrancy? A New Testament scholar explains

Written by Geoffrey Smith, Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts

Many prominent Christians believe in inerrancy, or that the Bible is without error.Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

In his farewell address at the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention, outgoing president J.D. Greear acknowledged the internal disputes but assured attendees that the Baptist faith continues to affirm “those doctrines...