The Conversation

Before the digital age, how religious groups increased the numbers in their order

Written by Bruce T. Morrill, Edward A. Malloy Chair of Catholic Studies, Professor of Theological Studies, Vanderbilt University

Cloistered nuns in the Monastery of Saint Clare in the western Mediterranean Sardinian city of Oristano.Gabriele Calvisi, CC BY

A monastery of 10 nuns on the Italian island of Sardinia is using social media to share their community’s work and ensure its very survival. This might appear surprising considering these nuns chose a life of quiet...

The understated affection of fathers

Written by Kory Floyd, Professor of Communication, University of Arizona

dvdflm/flickr, CC BY-NC

Men may not be from Mars, but – compared to women – they do communicate in very different ways.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the relationships of fathers and sons. Outwardly, many father and son pairs may appear distant and disengaged. A guy who wouldn’t think twice about hugging and kissing...

When politicians cherry-pick data and disregard facts, what should we academics do?

Written by Andrew J. Hoffman, Holcim (US) Professor at the Ross School of Business and Education Director at the Graham Sustainability Institute, University of Michigan

Advocating for facts and evidence at the March for Science in California earlier this year.Matthew Roth/flickr, CC BY-NC

When politicians distort science, academics and scientists tend to watch in shock from the sidelines rather than speak out. But in an age of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” we need to step into the...

President Macron marches to parliamentary majority in France

Written by Mabel Berezin, Professor of Sociology, Cornell University

“Bien joué” – or “well played” – was sprawled across a picture of Emmanuel Macron on the cover of the newspaper Libération the day after he won the French presidential election.

And more congratulations are in order after the first round of the legislative elections. Today’s...

Designing antiviral proteins via computer could help halt the next pandemic

Written by Ian Haydon, Doctoral Student in Biochemistry, University of Washington

Computers may play an important role in preparing us for the next viral outbreak – whether flu or Ebola.UW Institute for Protein Design, CC BY-ND

As Bill Gates sees it, there are three main threats to our species: nuclear war, climate change and the next global pandemic.

Speaking on pandemic preparedness at the Munich Security Conference...

The opioid epidemic in 6 essential reads

Written by Jessie Schanzle, Desk Editor, Health and Medicine, The Conversation

Drug related deaths are on the rise, but federal funds to programs that mitigate drug abuse are being cut in 2018.Me/flickr, CC BY

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories related to opioids.

The opioid crisis appears to be getting worse, not better.

According to The New York Times, drug deaths are rising faster than ever,...

Is there structural racism on the internet?

Written by Charlton McIlwain, Associate Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University

Do people use the internet in ways that disadvantage nonwhites?magic pictures/shutterstock.com

The racial inequalities afflicting Americans and our society today are in many ways a result of the result of spatial segregation. White people and nonwhite people tend to live in different neighborhoods, go to different schools and have dramatically...

When is a leak ethical?

Written by Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University

News leak image via www.shutterstock.com

Twenty-five-year-old Reality Leigh Winner remains in jail after a federal judge denied her bail in a case where she is alleged to have sent classified information to the media. Winner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Winner’s prosecution comes at a time when the Trump administration has been...

George H.W. Bush: America's last foreign policy president

Written by James Goldgeier, Dean of the School of International Service, American University School of International Service

Unlike every president who followed him, George H.W. Bush had a background in foreign policy. In 1972, Bush was serving as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. AP Photo/Dave Pickoff

George H.W. Bush, who turns 93 today, was the last person elected president of the United States with any prior foreign policy experience.

He entered office with one of the...

Puerto Rico votes on statehood: Polls and protests

Written by Jossianna Arroyo-Martínez, Chair/Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Literatures and Cultures, Depts. Spanish and Portuguese, African and African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas at Austin

Will the vote matter?

Charles R. Venator-Santiago, University of Connecticut

The 2017 Plebiscite for the Immediate Decolonization of Puerto Rico was held on June 11. This is the fifth vote on the political status of Puerto Rico since the United States annexed the island in 1898.

Only 23 percent of the 2,260,804 registered Puerto Rican voters participa...