The Conversation

Opioid epidemic causing rise in hepatitis C infections and other serious illnesses

Written by Thomas J. Stopka, Assistant Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University

Discarded used hypodermic needles along the Merrimack River in Lowell, Massachusetts.Charles Krupa/AP Photos

Many Americans now know that, over the past decade, opioid addiction and deaths from opioid overdose in the U.S. have skyrocketed.

But we don’t hear as often about the other epidemics intertwined with this public health crisis. In rural...

Will outlawing 'instant divorce' advance justice for Muslim women in India?

Written by Z. Fareen Parvez, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Activists protesting against the recently banned triple divorce.AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

The Supreme Court of India recently struck down a specific divorce practice among its minority Muslims. The age-old practice known as “triple talaq” allowed a Muslim man to dissolve his marriage by uttering the term divorce three times, all at once.

As a...

As communities rebuild after hurricanes, study shows wetlands can significantly reduce property damage

Written by Siddharth Narayan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Coastal Flood Risk, University of California, Santa Cruz

Coastal wetlands are an effective first line of defense and act by slowing down storm surges and reducing floodingKelly Fike/USFWS, CC BY

A 12-year “hurricane drought” during which no major hurricanes formed in the Atlantic ended dramatically in 2017. The devastating impacts of Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria across the United States and...

Surviving crisis: UN campaign to fight corruption in Guatemala has global implications

Written by John Ciorciari, Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of Michigan

Massive protests recently broke out in Guatemala as the nation teetered on the edge of a major political crisis.

Guatemalans took to the streets to decry President Jimmy Morales, who in August attempted to expel the head of a U.N.-backed commission probing possible corruption in his campaign finances.

The U.N. commission investigating him, created...

Just in time for your tailgate: How getting a drink can be dirty business

Written by Paul Dawson, Professor of Food Science, Clemson University

Tailgating can be fun, but watch what goes into your drink. Monkey Business Images/www.shutterstock.com

Have you ever thought about what might tag along when you add ice or a lemon slice to your drink? When lemons and ice are served in beverages, they not only bring flavor or a flourish. They can also carry bacteria and viruses.

Ice can be a nice...

3 reasons why we are addicted to smartphones

Written by Jaco J. Hamman, Associate Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture, Vanderbilt University

What attaches us so deeply to our phones?Al Case, CC BY-NC-ND

Apple recently announced the launch of its iPhone 8 and iPhone X, which come with sleek, new features. Apple also hopes to start a new community around the iPhones. Ahead of the launch, Angela Ahrendts, head of retail at Apple, said their stores will be called “Town Squares,”...

Will North Korea sell its nuclear technology?

Written by Daniel Salisbury, Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Belfer Center, Harvard University

Earlier this month CIA Director Mike Pompeo suggested “the North Koreans have a long history of being proliferators and sharing their knowledge, their technology, their capacities around the world.”

My research has shown that North Korea is more than willing to breach sanctions to earn cash.

A checkered history

Over the years North...

Teens and parents in Japan and US agree – mobile devices are an ever-present distraction

Written by Willow Bay, Dean and Walter H. Annenberg Chair in Communication, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

How does technology affect family relationships?Syda Productions/Shutterstock.com

As a university professor and a mother of teen boys, I am immersed in a world of young faces buried in their phones. To be fair, adults, too, are enamored with the tiny, powerful computing devices in the palms of their hands. The patterns of daily life have been...

Let them eat caviar: When charity galas waste money

Written by Philip Hackney, James E. & Betty M. Phillips Professor of Law, Louisiana State University

Charities may treat the cost of their fundraising festivities differently than other expenses. Yulia Davidovich/Shutterstock

When the Arc of Palm Beach County rented Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate for its 2016 Cowboy Ball, the organization lured guests with promises of “a gourmet meal in a gilded ballroom, an exciting live auction,...

An ethical dilemma for doctors: When is it OK to prescribe opioids?

Written by Travis N. Rieder, Research Scholar at the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University

For patients with chronic pain, the answer isn't simple.Chris Post/AP Photo

America’s opioid crisis is getting worse. The role of prescription opioids has both the medical establishment and the government justifiably worried.

In response, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine released an official report on the crisis...