The Conversation

Can low doses of chemicals affect your health? A new report weighs the evidence

Written by Rachel Shaffer, PhD Student, Environmental Toxicology, University of Washington

Assessing the data.LightField Studios/shutterstock.com

Toxicology’s founding father, Paracelsus, is famous for proclaiming that “the dose makes the poison.” This phrase represents a pillar of traditional toxicology: Essentially, chemicals are harmful only at high enough doses.

But increasing evidence suggests that even low levels...

Colleges need affirmative action – but it can be expanded

Written by Eboni Nelson, Professor of Law, University of South Carolina

Race-neutral affirmative action can help identify first-generation students like Blanca Diaz and LaQuintah Garrett.AP Photo/Amy Anthony

In 2003, Justice Antonin Scalia predicted that the Supreme Court’s sanctioning of race-conscious affirmative action in higher education would spark future litigation for years to come. And right he was. From d...

Devil versus angel: When do they shift into action in the face of temptation?

Written by Paul Stillman, Post-doctoral Researcher in Cognitive and Brain Sciences, The Ohio State University

Who has the upper hand in this battle?John Rawsterne/Shutterstock.com

For breakfast this morning, I had to choose between a chocolate doughnut versus a bowl of oatmeal. (The doughnut was delicious.) Throughout the day I will have to fight off urges to check Twitter, skip the gym, and watch “Game of Thrones” late into the night. At every...

Google memo completely misses how implicit biases harm women

Written by E. Anne York, Professor of Economics, Meredith College

Bias at work?pixabay.com, CC BY

Workplace biases are back in the national conversation, thanks to the recent memo by a Google employee. The memo’s author challenges the company’s diversity policies, arguing that psychological differences between men and women explain why fewer women work in tech.

He also minimizes the effect that...

Why lowering nicotine in cigarettes could change the course of health

Written by Michael P. Eriksen, Professor and Dean, School of Public Health, Georgia State University

Studies have shown that most smokers wish they had never smoked and that they wish they could stop. Lowering the levels of nicotine, the addictive chemical in cigarettes, would be a big step. DenisProductions.com/Shutterstock.com

The new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently made a surprising and bold announcement that...

Warning signs of mass violence – in the US?

Written by Max Pensky, Co-Director, Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, Professor, Department of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Protesters with opposing views face off at a 'Free Speech' rally in Boston.AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

There are those who say that comparing President Donald Trump’s rhetoric to that of Adolf Hitler is alarmist, unfair and counterproductive.

And yet, there has been no dearth of such comparisons since the 2016 presidential election. Many...

Over the years, Americans have become increasingly exposed to extremism

Written by James E. Hawdon, Director, Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention, Virginia Tech

A man sporting a Nazi tattoo leaves Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Virginia on Aug. 12, 2017.Steve Helber/AP Photo

Extremism has always been with us, but the internet has allowed ideas that advocate hate and violence to reach more and more people. Whether it’s the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville or the...

Are Islamic State recruits more street gang members than zealots?

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

A makeshift memorial to the victims of the terrorist attack in Barcelona. Police killed five men August 18 believed to have been involved.AP Photo/Manu Fernandez

The recent terrorist attacks in Spain and Finland once again compel us to ask: Who joins the Islamic State, and why?

As a professor of modern Middle Eastern history, I have spent the...

How religion motivates people to give and serve

Written by David King, Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

What's the role of faith in service?European Commission DG ECHO, CC BY-NC-ND

Saturday, August 19 is World Humanitarian Day – a time to remember the tremendous humanitarian need around the world.

The stark reality is that the world is facing the greatest humanitarian crisis since 1945: Mass starvations are threatening millions of people in...

The Confederate statue debate: 3 essential reads

Written by Nick Lehr, Editor, Arts and Culture, The Conversation

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories related to the debate over what to do with Confederate statues.

The impetus for the “Unite the Right” rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12 was a proposal to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a city park.

In the wake of the violence...