The Conversation

Bilingual people with language loss due to stroke can pose a treatment challenge – computational modeling may help clinicians treat them

Written by Claudia Peñaloza, Researcher, Aphasia Research Laboratory, Boston University

Researchers can program neural networks composed of artificial neurons to simulate language processing.Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images

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

The big idea

New research shows that computational modeling can predict how bilingual stroke patients will respond to language treatment – and...

Lessons about 9/11 often provoke harassment of Muslim students

Written by Amaarah DeCuir, Professorial Lecturer of Education, American University

Muslim students report being teased and harassed when schools focus on 9/11.Jasmin Merdan

Near the start of each school year, many U.S. schools wrestle with how to teach about 9/11 – the deadliest foreign attack ever on American soil.

In interviews I conducted recently in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area – one of three places where...

New gene therapies may soon treat dozens of rare diseases, but million-dollar price tags will put them out of reach for many

Written by Kevin Doxzen, Hoffmann Postdoctoral Fellow, Arizona State University

Gene therapy uses our genomic makeup to treat or prevent disease. ktsimape/iStock via Getty Images

Zolgensma – which treats spinal muscular atrophy, a rare genetic disease that damages nerve cells, leading to muscle decay – is currently the most expensive drug in the world. A one-time treatment of the life-saving drug for a young child c...

Autonomous drones could speed up search and rescue after flash floods, hurricanes and other disasters

Written by Vijayan Asari, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Dayton

At least 22 people were listed as missing in the days after flash flooding swept through communities in Tennessee in August 2021.AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

During hurricanes, flash flooding and other disasters, it can be extremely dangerous to send in first responders, even though people may badly need help.

Rescuers already use drones in some cases,...

What do Muslims believe and do? Understanding the 5 pillars of Islam

Written by Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor

Sally Baraka in Philadelphia on Dec. 9, 2015. As a Muslim and Arab-American, Baraka calls herself "a devout Philadelphian" who is an ambassador to her city, her country and her faithMatt Rourke/AP Photo

For people who would like to learn more about Islam, The Conversation is publishing a series of articles, available on our website or as six emails...

Understanding Islam - a brief introduction to its past and present in the United States

Written by Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor

Historians believe Muslims first arrived in the U.S. in the 17th centuryJulie Jacobson/AP Photo

For people who would like to learn more about Islam, The Conversation is publishing a series of articles, available on our website or as six emails delivered every other day, written by Senior Religion and Ethics Editor Kalpana Jain. Over the past few...

Why some Muslim women feel empowered wearing hijab, a headscarf

Written by Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor

World Hijab Day started in the U.S. and is one way women have asserted pride in wearing a headscarf.Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Islam's deep traditions of art and science have had a global influence

Written by Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor

Mosul, a major city in northern Iraq, in the 19th century The Print Collector via Getty Images

America's Muslims come from many traditions and cultures

Written by Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor

According to Islamic studies professor Abbas Barzegar, there are many ways Muslims practice their faith, with some young American Muslims even developing new interpretations of Islamic law.Joana Toro/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images

For people who would like to learn more about Islam, The Conversation is publishing a series of articles, available...

How much do you know about Islam?

Written by Martin La Monica, Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters, The Conversation U.S.

Congratulations on finishing this series on Understanding Islam! See how much you’ve learned with this quiz based on the material in this series. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

You can read all six articles in this Understanding Islam series on TheConversation.com, or we can deliver them straight to your inbox if you sign up for our...