The Conversation

How fair is it for just three people to receive the Nobel Prize in physics?

Written by Caroline Wagner, Milton & Roslyn Wolf Chair in International Affairs, The Ohio State University

Alfred Nobel didn't foresee the current era of mega scientific collaboration.© Nobel Media AB Pi Frisk

The Nobel Foundation statutes decree that “in no case” can a Nobel Prize be divided between more than three people. So it may not raise many eyebrows that the 2017 award in physics went to just three scientists on the LIGO team for...

After a disaster, contaminated floodwater can pose a threat for months to come

Written by Timothy B. Erickson, Faculty in Medical Toxicology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard University

What's in the water?AP Photo/David J. Phillip

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, reporters warned of a “stew of toxic chemicals, sewage, debris and waste” in Houston’s floodwaters.

It isn’t just Harvey. Hurricanes Irma and Maria and other floods and storms heighten the risks for contamination, environmental hazards and dis...

Scientists join forces to save Puerto Rico's 'Monkey Island'

Written by Alexandra Rosati, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan

Rhesus monkeys on Cayo Santiago.Alyssa Arre, CC BY-ND

“00O made it!” There was some news to celebrate on Sept. 28 in the email chain of scientists who work at the Cayo Santiago Field Station. Cayo Santiago is a 38-acre tropical island off the coast of Puerto Rico and home to approximately 1,500 rhesus monkeys, earning it the local...

Governments, car companies must resolve their competing goals for self-driving cars

Written by Lily Elefteriadou, Professor of Civil Engineering; Director of University of Florida Transportation Institute, University of Florida

When will cars be able to talk to their surroundings?posteriori/Shutterstock.com

What self-driving cars want, and what people want from them, varies widely. And often these desires are at odds with each other. For instance, carmakers – and the designers of the software that will run autonomous vehicles – know that it’s safest if...

How dangerous people get their weapons in America

Written by Philip Cook, Professor of Public Policy Studies, Duke University

The recent mass shooting in Las Vegas that left dozens of people dead and hundreds injured raises two important questions: How do dangerous people get their guns? And what should the police and courts be doing to make those transactions more difficult?

The fact is that, even leaving aside the assault in Las Vegas and terrorist attacks like the...

Nobel winners identified molecular ‘cogs’ in the biological clocks that control our circadian rhythms

Written by Carrie L. Partch, Associate Professor of Physical & Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz

'The key fourth awardee here is ... the little fly,' Hall said.Lynn Ketchum, CC BY-SA

Circadian rhythms control when we’re at our peak performance physically and mentally each day, keeping our lives ticking in time with Earth’s day/night cycle. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three American...

When gun control makes a difference: 4 essential reads

Written by Emily Schwartz Greco, Philanthropy and Nonprofits Editor, The Conversation

Editor’s note: This is a roundup of gun control articles published by scholars from the U.S. and two other countries where deadly mass shootings are far less common.

An underresearched epidemic

Guns are a leading cause of death of Americans of all ages, including children. Yet “while gun violence is a public health problem, it is not...

How to talk to your kids about opioids

Written by Margie Skeer, Associate Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine; Interim Director of the Health Communication Program, Tufts University

Talk it out.Iakov Filimonov/shutterstock.com

By now, most people are aware of the enormity of the opioid epidemic. In 2015, over 33,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose – more from opioid pain relievers than heroin.

Just because someone experiments with opioids doesn’t mean that he or he will become addicted. However,...

Don't take opioids off the market - make it harder to abuse them

Written by Zaina Qureshi, Assistant Professor Department of Health Services Policy and Management; Adjunct Professor Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences; Principal Investigator William Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University

Schedule 2 narcotics: Morphine Sulfate, OxyContin and Opana.Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

How can we combat the opioid epidemic?

One of the government’s most recent suggestions is to take Opana ER, an opioid indicated for very severe pain, off the market. The request, filed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June, was linked to concerns...

Dear Elon Musk: Your dazzling Mars plan overlooks some big nontechnical hurdles

Written by Andrew Maynard, Director, Risk Innovation Lab, Arizona State University

Will it be only a few decades before Mars tourism is a reality?SpaceX, CC BY

Elon Musk has a plan, and it’s about as audacious as they come. Not content with living on our pale blue dot, Musk and his company SpaceX want to colonize Mars, fast. They say they’ll send a duo of supply ships to the red planet within five years. By 2024,...