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To help resolve the Flint water crisis, a university leans on its community

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor

The tragedy of the Flint water crisis has captured national and international attention, with people expressing shock and disbelief that residents of a U.S. city in the 21st century can be denied a basic human right: access to a safe water supply.

Along with the intense media attention to this issue, there has been boundless and conflicting...

Read more: To help resolve the Flint water crisis, a university leans on its community

The cheapest way to scale up wind and solar energy? High-tech power lines

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imagereupa/flickr, CC BY-NC

Wind power and solar power are ways to reduce carbon emissions, but these generation sources are dependent on the vagaries of the weather, which means neither wind nor solar can produce electricity on-demand at all hours of the day. This variability has led many to assume that greatly expanding wind and solar to reduce carbon...

Read more: The cheapest way to scale up wind and solar energy? High-tech power lines

Can citizen science empower disenfranchised communities?

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageFlint, Michigan residents couldn't get answers about their water – so they did their own research.Laura Nawrocik, CC BY-NC-ND

Early in 2015, a group calling itself the Nappy Science Gang hit the parenting scene in the U.K. It was made up of moms and dads who used cloth nappies – or diapers – with their kids, and wanted to know the...

Read more: Can citizen science empower disenfranchised communities?

Not all psychopaths are criminals – some psychopathic traits are actually linked to success

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageSome psychopathic traits can lead to success, at least in the short term.Man in suit via www.shutterstock.com.

Tom Skeyhill was an acclaimed Australian war hero, known as “the blind solider-poet.” During the monumental World War I battle of Gallipoli, he was a flag signaler, among the most dangerous of all positions. After being blinded...

Read more: Not all psychopaths are criminals – some psychopathic traits are actually linked to success

Face time: here's how infants learn from facial expressions

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageBabies show a preference for faces over other objects.Sal, CC BY-NC-ND

Faces and facial expressions have a special power over us as human beings. While friendly faces make us feel warm and fuzzy, those of our opponents evoke fear or even anger.

So, when do we as kids learn to recognize faces and facial expressions? And what lessons can be learned by...

Read more: Face time: here's how infants learn from facial expressions

Poor and homeless face discrimination under America's flawed housing voucher system

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageBoston has some of the highest rents – and lowest vacancy rates – in the country.'Boston' via www.shutterstock.com

From the time she left foster care at age 18 until her late 20’s, Carly was homeless, staying at shelters or couch-surfing with acquaintances in the Boston area.

In August 2014 she finally got an apartment with the...

Read more: Poor and homeless face discrimination under America's flawed housing voucher system

Preservationists race to capture cultural monuments with 3D images

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageEntrance to the gate of Nimrod, destroyed by the IS group and digitally reconstructed as part of Project Mosul.Model by ruimx from photos at projectmosul.org

In March 2001, the Taliban blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, two of the tallest Buddha sculptures in the world. This horrific attack on an important and beautiful example of the...

Read more: Preservationists race to capture cultural monuments with 3D images

Trump's rhetoric may topple adage that there's no such thing as bad publicity

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor

Is there such a thing as bad publicity?

Donald Trump’s campaign appears to be a test case in whether this old adage is true or not. His business interests are intricately linked to the Trump brand, which has been taking a hit as a result of his more extreme statements and proposals on the campaign trail.

At least in terms of political support,...

Read more: Trump's rhetoric may topple adage that there's no such thing as bad publicity

The heavy price we pay for 'free' Wi-Fi

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor

For many years, New York City has been developing a “free” public Wi-Fi project. Called LinkNYC, it is an ambitious effort to bring wireless Internet access to all of the city’s residents.

This is the latest in a longstanding trend in which companies offer ostensibly free Internet-related products and services, such as social...

Read more: The heavy price we pay for 'free' Wi-Fi

Direct democracy may be key to a happier American democracy

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor

Is American democracy still “by the people, for the people?”

According to recent research, it may not be. Martin Gilens at Princeton University confirms that the wishes of the American working and middle class play essentially no role in our nation’s policy making. A BBC story rightly summarized this with the headline: US Is an...

Read more: Direct democracy may be key to a happier American democracy

More Articles ...

  1. Introducing The Conversation US' Founding University Partners
  2. Piping as poison: the Flint water crisis and America's toxic infrastructure
  3. Has the economy lost its influence on Turkey's foreign policy?
  4. Is it OK to spank a misbehaving child once in a while?
  5. How studying the old drawings and writings of kids can change our view of history
  6. Building climate resilience in cities: lessons from New York
  7. Flint's water crisis is a blatant example of environmental injustice
  8. Take a chill pill if you want to avoid the flu this year
  9. The hidden harms of the US foster-care system
  10. When do children show evidence of self-esteem? Earlier than you might think
  11. How white are the Oscars and does it matter?
  12. Why do oil prices keep going down?
  13. Why are hurricanes forming in January?
  14. The Bundys think they are preserving democracy by occupying Oregon's Malheur refuge, but they are undermining it
  15. Veterans' health care: doctors outside the VA need to know more about the veterans they treat
  16. Woody Guthrie, 'Old Man Trump' and a real estate empire's racist foundations
  17. Confessions of a MOOC professor: three things I learned and two things I worry about
  18. The hottest year on record signals that global warming is alive and well
  19. Movies and myths about human trafficking
  20. Europe's failed response to refugee crisis risks fraying local labor markets
  21. Gossip is a social skill – not a character flaw
  22. How Chinese mix of frugality and risk-taking is driving global stock markets wild
  23. California's Aliso Canyon methane leak: climate disaster or opportunity?
  24. Picasso the...sculptor? Disputed purchase brings attention to lesser-known aspect of his art
  25. Mental health care for prisoners could prevent rearrest, but prisons aren't designed for rehabilitation
  26. New genetically engineered American chestnut will help restore the decimated, iconic tree
  27. U.S. laws protect police, while endangering civilians
  28. Fulfilling Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream: the role for higher education
  29. Cyberattack on Ukraine grid: here's how it worked and perhaps why it was done
  30. Great night for Sanders could be turning point in race
  31. Knowledge comes from death’s release: Blackstar recalls David Bowie’s influence on goth
  32. Is Bernie Sanders really a socialist? And how could he like Denmark?
  33. Basic income for all could lift millions out of poverty – and change how we think about inequality
  34. The fourth industrial revolution: what does WEF's Klaus Schwab leave out?
  35. If we want medicine to be evidence-based, what should we think when the evidence doesn't agree?
  36. How do you build a mirror for one of the world's biggest telescopes?
  37. Four quotes from the sixth GOP presidential debate, explained by experts
  38. Why presidential debates need real-time fact-checking
  39. To cut emissions faster, U.S. should ditch tax credit-based subsidies for renewable energy
  40. Under the spell of a generator's thrum, a Faulkner masterpiece was born
  41. Race and racism after Obama: where do we go from here?
  42. Are Powerball drawings and 'Quick Pick' numbers really random?
  43. Attack on unions shows why we need a new social contract governing work
  44. If being too clean makes us sick, why isn't getting dirty the solution?
  45. In a driverless future, what happens to today's drivers?
  46. Obama's final State of the Union: scholars react
  47. Odds are $1.5 billion Powerball winner will end up bankrupt
  48. What Marco Rubio's heels say about fashion – and height – in American politics
  49. Thinking innovatively about the risks of tech innovation
  50. Can businesses succeed in a world of corruption (without paying bribes)?