The Conversation

How the 19th-century rebuilding of Britain's Houses of Parliament made air pollution visible

Written by Timothy Hyde, Associate Professor of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Palace of Westminster at dusk in 2007Diliff/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Impressionist painter Claude Monet was able to see beauty in the swirl of fog encompassing Britain’s Houses of Parliament at the end of the 19th century. Most people regarded it as a very unpleasant inconvenience. Today, Londoners recognize the sources of the city’s current...

Donald Trump's tweets are now presidential records

Written by Shontavia Johnson, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Drake University

By many accounts, Donald Trump’s bold use of Twitter helped him get the attention and votes necessary to win a presidential race few initially thought he could. Given Trump’s affinity for the social media platform, it was unsurprising that tweets began streaming from his @realDonaldTrump account before noon on Inauguration Day.

Trump&rs...

Mary Tyler Moore's death a reminder of the toll of diabetes

Written by Desmond Schatz, Professor and Medical Director of UF Diabetes Institute, University of Florida

Mary Tyler Moore testified before Senate in 2009 about juvenile diabetes.Susan Walsh/AP

Mary Tyler Moore debuted on television in the 1950s, appearing in commercials that aired during a popular show. Her star continued to rise until Moore landed the eponymous sitcom that became a staple of 1970s pop culture.

But it was another event that cast her...

The frog tongue is a high-speed adhesive

Written by Alexis Noel, PhD Student in Biomechanics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Gotcha, five times faster than the blink of an eye. Candler Hobbs/Georgia Tech, CC BY-ND

How does one get stuck studying frog tongues? Our study into the sticky, slimy world of frogs all began with a humorous video of a real African bullfrog lunging at fake insects in a mobile game. This frog was clearly an expert at gaming; the speed and accuracy...

The best legal arguments against Trump's immigration ban

Written by Steven Mulroy, Law Professor in Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Election Law, University of Memphis

Is President Trump’s recent executive order on immigrants and refugees legal?

It’s a surprisingly tricky question.

The order arguably violates both a federal statute and one or more sections of the Constitution – depending on whether the immigrant is already in the U.S. In the end, opponents’ best hope for undoing the order...

Trump's immigration ban: Will it undercut American soft power?

Written by Jason Lane, Chair and Professor of Educational Policy and Leadership & Co-Director of the Cross-Border Education Research Team, University at Albany, State University of New York

The Trump administration moved over the weekend to ban all immigration from seven Muslim nations, including stopping the entry of students and scholars with valid study and work visas from those countries.

A large number of students come to study in the United States from these nations: Iran ranks 11th on the list of countries that send students to...

Here's a better way to regulate carbon – and change the tired environment-versus-economy debate

Written by Nives Dolsak, Professor of Environmental Policy, University of Washington

If carbon regulations restrict how much a company can pollute where it's located, it could move operations (and jobs) to another country – with no reduction in emissions. billy_wilson/flickr, CC BY-NC

Is it possible to reduce carbon emissions without hurting economic growth and destroying jobs?

The recent spate of executive orders, including...

I'm a US doctor just back from Sudan, where hospitality from Muslims greeted me everywhere

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

Many Americans have never visited a predominantly Muslim country and may know relatively little about the faith of Islam. This is relevant in light of the Trump administration’s recent executive order attempting to reduce terrorist threats to the U.S. by halting the issuance of visas to travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

Hav...

Three ways you can just say no to antibiotic drug abuse

Written by Debra A. Goff, Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University

Woman resisting pills. Via Shutterstock.From www.shutterstock.com,

Nevada officials in January reported the death of a woman from an infection resistant to every antibiotic available in the U.S, the type of news we will likely hear more about in the future unless health care providers and consumers change their ways.

A high-level report in 2014...

For endangered species, the road to recovery can be winding and bumpy

Written by Peter Alagona, Associate Professor of History, Geography and Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

Bald eagles are the best-known example of a successful recovery under the Endangered Species Act.Jerry McFarland/Flickr, CC BY-NC

Anyone who has ever undergone a medical procedure knows that it’s tough to say when you’re fully recovered. The doctor claims you’ll be up and around in three hours, but three days later you feel worse...