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When gang violence goes viral

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageA suspected member of the Crips gang is cuffed in LA.Jonathan Alcorn/REUTERS

Recent gang shootings in Chicago, Los Angeles and other US cities involving high-profile uses of social media have stirred concerns in police and residents alike.

In Los Angeles last summer, gangs took to social media to threaten 100 days and 100 nights of gun violence...

Read more: When gang violence goes viral

The modern, molecular hunt for the world's biodiversity

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageNew forms of life are discovered in high-tech ways that leave yesterday's natural history collections in the dust.Detective image via www.shutterstock.com.

The news is full of announcements about newly discovered forms of life. This fall, we learned of a 30,000-year-old giant virus found in frozen Siberia. Until now, known viruses have contained so...

Read more: The modern, molecular hunt for the world's biodiversity

The humble (ad-free!) origins of the first World Series broadcasts

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageFailed singer Graham McNamee was baseball's first celebrity broadcaster.'Graham McNamee' via www.shutterstock.com

This year, FOX Sports paid Major League Baseball about half a billion dollars for the rights to broadcast the national pastime.

While the package includes some playoff games and regular season contests, the crown jewel is still the World...

Read more: The humble (ad-free!) origins of the first World Series broadcasts

Explainer: what's the debt ceiling and why it's an obsolete way to control spending

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageSometimes it's not a good thing to have a roof over our heads. Dollar ceiling via www.shutterstock.com

The US is once again on the precipice of default on its national debt – not because of a fundamental inability to generate and collect tax revenues (a la Greece), but because of political shenanigans over the country’s debt ceiling.

The...

Read more: Explainer: what's the debt ceiling and why it's an obsolete way to control spending

Jeb Bush needs a home run in Wednesday's GOP debate

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageJeb needs a win in Wednesday's debate.Brian Snyder/REUTERS

As Republicans prepare for Wednesday night’s presidential debate, Jeb Bush’s campaign is on life support.

Dismal poll numbers and dwindling fundraising have driven the Bush campaign to the verge of collapse. On Saturday Bush even hinted that he might drop out of the race, declarin...

Read more: Jeb Bush needs a home run in Wednesday's GOP debate

Sometimes less is better – so why don't doctors 'deintensify' medical treatment?

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageDo you still need to take that? Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Doctors know a lot about when to start medications to treat disease. But sometimes our focus on starting medicines means we can confuse providing more care with providing better care. And better care sometimes means fewer medicines, not more.

For instance, patients with high blood pressure who...

Read more: Sometimes less is better – so why don't doctors 'deintensify' medical treatment?

The problems with Big History and turning science into myth

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageLooking to the cosmos to find our place in the universe. Milky Way from www.shutterstock.com

In 2002, a conservative Christian pastor named Michael Dowd and his science writer wife, Connie Barlow, quit their jobs, sold their possessions, and purchased a van they decorated with symbols of a Jesus fish kissing a Darwin fish. Since that time, these...

Read more: The problems with Big History and turning science into myth

More Articles ...

  1. Are we sleep-deprived or just darkness-deprived?
  2. China's economic slowdown threatens African progress
  3. How Playboy skirted the anti-porn crusade of the 1950s
  4. Does 'Twitter Moments' herald the comeback of human beings?
  5. Is your doctor choosing the right IV?
  6. MIT rejects fossil fuel divestment but is still a leader on climate change
  7. Refugee passports could end border delays in the Balkans
  8. Why it's wrong for pediatricians to eliminate daily screen time recommendations
  9. Why we should pay attention to Poland's elections
  10. America's rental affordability crisis is about to go from bad to worse
  11. Benghazi committee grills Clinton for 11 hours, yields zero new facts
  12. Is lagging on climate change a political liability?
  13. Explainer: what it will take to make computer science education available in all schools
  14. The New York Times and Washington Post are ignoring civilians killed by US drone strikes
  15. Are we recycling too much of our trash?
  16. Why your father's Playboy can't compete in today's world of hard-core porn
  17. A gambling expert weighs in: what makes daily fantasy sports so alluring – and dangerous – for young men?
  18. Will 'sew-bots' stitch up a future for American Apparel?
  19. The dark side of free markets
  20. Women preferred for STEM professorships – as long as they’re equal to or better than male candidates
  21. Can it get more absurd? Now music teachers are being tested based on math and reading scores
  22. Canadian election: Scholars on what the rest of the world needs to know
  23. Can we expand solar power dramatically without damaging protected lands?
  24. Trump's wall and the cost-benefit analysis of immigration
  25. In 19 states, it's okay to hit kids with a wooden board
  26. Ruling shows Europe still vexed over NSA spying, leaving US companies in legal limbo
  27. New DNA analysis says your pooch's ancestors were Central Asian wolves
  28. We're hiring!
  29. Milwaukee case could encourage gun stores to reduce illegal sales
  30. Learning from others, Michigan considers best options for future fracking
  31. Does a shorter week help kids with their learning?
  32. Does China care that it was left out of the Trans-Pacific trade club?
  33. When it comes to baseball's ethnic tensions, the problems run deeper than bat flips
  34. Scientist at work: observing termite behaviors, personalities – and souls?
  35. Clinton's anti-drugmaker rhetoric may win votes, but does it threaten our long-term health?
  36. Why do some moms cut ties with their kids?
  37. On global campuses, academic freedom has its limits
  38. Russian cooperation with Iran and Iraq has broader consequences than saving Assad
  39. China's slowdown is a sign of middle-class gains, not a reason for panic
  40. We are entering a new era of migration – and not just for people
  41. How the GOP circus act compromises American Democracy
  42. A 'Royal Rumble' in Syria means yet more chaos for civilians
  43. Why disciplining kids can be so tricky for parents and teachers
  44. US losing its dominance in global higher education market
  45. Will the Supreme Court kill the smart grid?
  46. Swinging between extremes in giving scientific credit where credit is due
  47. Brains work via their genes just as much as their neurons
  48. Should movie studios be worried about Netflix's first feature film?
  49. Craft chocolate shakes up industry as its sweet season begins
  50. Scholars on the Democratic debate: Hillary wins, Bernie hits a nerve