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Combating 'neglected' diseases using nature's apothecary

  • Written by The Conversation
imageIndonesian schoolchildren show off the mark they've just taken anti-filariasis medication, a drug that prevents just one of the world's 'neglected' diseases.CDC Global, CC BY

The 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology recognized three researchers who made pioneering contributions to the treatment of parasitic diseases, which affect tens of...

Read more: Combating 'neglected' diseases using nature's apothecary

Is the 2015 Nobel Prize a turning point for traditional Chinese medicine?

  • Written by The Conversation
imageNever before has a Nobel gone to an expert in traditional Chinese medicine. bomb_bao/flickr, CC BY-SA

I’m sure I’m not the only one surprised by the announcement that half of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has gone to a researcher who spent her entire career researching traditional Chinese medicine. Based at the Chinese...

Read more: Is the 2015 Nobel Prize a turning point for traditional Chinese medicine?

Who you gonna trust: how power affects our faith in others

  • Written by The Conversation
imageWhy do we trust people with power (other than politicians)?Reuters

One of the ongoing themes of the current presidential campaign is that Americans are becoming increasingly distrustful of those who walk the corridors of power – Exhibit A being the Republican presidential primary, in which three of the top four candidates are outsiders of...

Read more: Who you gonna trust: how power affects our faith in others

A somber message on World Teachers' Day 2015: our teachers are at risk

  • Written by The Conversation
imageThe work of teachers is not valued as much as other professions.BES Photos, CC BY-NC-SA

What is among the first actions that brutal totalitarian regimes take upon assuming power? They imprison, exile or “disappear” teachers.

Dictators employ such harsh tactics because of the role teachers play in society. Teachers provide not only a...

Read more: A somber message on World Teachers' Day 2015: our teachers are at risk

Permafrost-eating bacteria: a new twist on thawing Arctic and global warming

  • Written by The Conversation
imageCarbon in some types of ancient permafrost is digested by greenhouse gas-producing microbes.US Bureau of Land Management, CC BY-SA

Global warming is accelerating the thawing of permafrost – soil that has been at or below the freezing point of water for approximately two or more years. This releases the potent greenhouse gas methane to the...

Read more: Permafrost-eating bacteria: a new twist on thawing Arctic and global warming

From Sophocles to Sherlock: economics, literature and the detective story

  • Written by The Conversation
imageWhat does economics have to do with a revolver? Book revolver via www.shutterstock.com

If you read or watch detective stories, you probably don’t think about them as an expression of economic principles.

But at their heart, that’s exactly what they are. And it’s not just detective stories, but works of fictions of all genres are...

Read more: From Sophocles to Sherlock: economics, literature and the detective story

The Umpqua, Oregon shootings: portrait of the killer as a young man

  • Written by The Conversation
imageHungry for information: the media, here covering the shooting in Oregon, falls into now-familiar patterns in covering mass shootings.Steve Dipaola/Reuters

All killers are Norman Bates – anti-social mama’s boys.

Or so the news media tell us in their instant profiles of the gunmen who shoot up schools, churches, military bases and other...

Read more: The Umpqua, Oregon shootings: portrait of the killer as a young man

What public health researchers want you to know about gun control

  • Written by The Conversation
imageObama calls for changes to gun laws after the shootings in Oregon, Oct. 1, 2015. Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS

Editor’s note: In the wake of the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, we asked two public health researchers on gun violence to help us understand this latest violent act. Sandro Galea is the Dean of Boston...

Read more: What public health researchers want you to know about gun control

More Articles ...

  1. The University of Texas faculty are watching Oregon uneasily
  2. How do libraries get away with banning books?
  3. Jobs market is stuck in neutral – it's time candidates talk about how to fix it
  4. Plain cigarette packaging: healthier citizens, sicker state finances?
  5. The Martian: a space epic that explores ordinary human decency
  6. Is 'The Slants' racist? Court ruling on band name could upend trademark law
  7. Could Iran continue its nuclear program in Syria?
  8. Corporate climate scientists: advocates for science or protectors of status quo?
  9. I'm a librarian who banned a book. Here's why.
  10. The problem with rating people on the new app Peeple
  11. Do brain interventions to treat disease change the essence of who we are?
  12. A genetic test could predict future troubles for kidney donors – why not use it?
  13. Children who understand emotions become more attentive over time
  14. Does nature have value beyond what it provides humans?
  15. Forget the antioxidant pills; just stick with veggies
  16. Homeschooled children do not grow up to be more religious
  17. Chip-enabled cards may curb fraud, but consumers will be picking up the tab
  18. How close are we to actually becoming Martians?
  19. Free speech is no excuse for Muslim-baiting
  20. Mining for metals in society's waste
  21. Shell's abandoned well and the myth of the Arctic oil land grab
  22. What happens when you try to read Moby Dick on your smartphone?
  23. Pakistani drone strikes should worry Obama
  24. The not-so-invisible damage from VW diesel cheat: $100 million in health costs
  25. Is cyberbullying all that goes 'over the line' when kids are online?
  26. Banks will help ensure Iran keeps promises on nukes
  27. Why do female comedians disappear after dark?
  28. Safer chemicals would benefit both consumers and workers
  29. Should older Americans live in places segregated from the young?
  30. Beer behemoths struggle to fend off craft brew craze
  31. The pope, the premier, the president – and the retreat of globalization
  32. Despite Shell's about-face, interest in Arctic oil grows
  33. Antibiotic overuse might be why so many people have allergies
  34. For the Islamic State, music is the 'alcohol of the soul'
  35. Graduate education is a mess. Shouldn't universities fix it?
  36. Jesuits as science missionaries for the Catholic Church
  37. How could VW be so dumb? Blame the unethical culture endemic in business
  38. Volkswagen scandal will send costly ripples through auto industry
  39. VW needs massive marketing campaign to regain consumer trust – and survive
  40. Boehner resigns: scholars see trouble ahead for GOP
  41. Testing ancient human hearing via fossilized ear bones
  42. Pope Francis goes to Washington – but speaks past the politicians
  43. In too many ways, America's poorest communities are just like prison
  44. The risk of UN's Sustainable Development Goals: too many goals, too little focus
  45. To cut costs, college students are buying less food and even going hungry
  46. Hungry? Food choices are often influenced by forces out of your control
  47. Rise of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin begs question: what is money?
  48. Clinton stance on XL Pipeline reflects muscle of climate activists
  49. Vaping as a 'gateway' to smoking is still more hype than hazard
  50. Drake, Meek Mill and beef's prime place in rap culture