The Conversation

Parasitic flies, zombified ants, predator beetles – insect drama on Mexican coffee plantations

Written by Kate Mathis, Research Associate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona

Azteca ants, unsung heroes of coffee pest control.Kate Mathis, CC BY-ND

Ants are voracious predators and often very good at defending plants from herbivores. People have taken advantage of this quirk for centuries. In fact, using ants in orange groves is one of the first recorded pest control practices, dating back to A.D. 304 in China.

In southern...

Beyond borders: Why we need global action to protect migratory birds

Written by Amanda Rodewald, Professor and Director of Conservation Science, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University

Terns at sunset, Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Flickr, CC BY

One hundred years ago, amid the chaos of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson and King George V of Great Britain turned their attention to a surprising issue: protecting migratory birds. On August 16, 1916 they signed the Migratory Bird...

Why science and engineering need to remind students of forgotten lessons from history

Written by Muhammad H. Zaman, HHMI Professor of Biomedical Engineering and International Health, Boston University

Isaac Newton's portrait. What can students learn from his life?Alessandro Grussu, CC BY-NC-ND

Lately, there has been a lot of discussion highlighting the need for incorporating social sciences in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines in order to foster creativity, increase empathy and create a better understanding of...

So what if some female Olympians have high testosterone?

Written by Jaime Schultz, Associate Professor of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University

On August 12, Dutee Chand became just the second female sprinter to represent India at the Olympic Games. Her road to Rio has been anything but easy.

In 2014, the International Association of Athletic Federations banned her from competition on the grounds that her body naturally produced too much testosterone, a condition called hyperandrogenism....

Why get a liberal education? It is the life and breath of medicine

Written by Leslie Henderson, Professor of Physiology and Neurobiology, Dean of Faculty Affairs, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College

Hospital rankings were released Aug. 2 by U.S. News & World Report. Of the top 20, almost every single hospital is affiliated with a medical school. These big academic medical centers treat a large share of our nation’s sickest patients.

Yet academic medical centers across the nation are reeling from economic pressures and questioning...

Breaking the fourth wall in human-computer interaction: Really talking to each other

Written by Iván Gris, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Technology and Commercialization Partnership, University of Texas at El Paso

Hold a conversation with Harry Potter!Interactive Systems Group, The University of Texas at El Paso, CC BY-ND

Have you ever talked to your computer or smartphone? Maybe you’ve seen a coworker, friend or relative do it. It was likely in the form of a question, asking for some basic information, like the location of the best nearby pizza place...

Dusty plasma in the universe and in the laboratory

Written by Augusto Carballido, Assistant Research Professor, Baylor University

Specialized chamber to study dusty plasma in the lab.CASPER, CC BY-ND

In 1981, the Voyager 2 space probe took intriguing images of Saturn’s rings as it passed by the giant planet on its way to Uranus.

Mysterious spokes on Saturn’s rings.NASA/JPL, CC BY-ND

The images showed what looked like ghostly “spokes” moving on the rings,...

Is the US electoral system really 'rigged'?

Written by Timothy Frye, Professor of Political Science, Columbia University

Many have speculated how a Trump victory would affect the U.S., but few have thought about the consequences of a Trump loss. After falling behind Hillary Clinton in the polls, Donald Trump has already developed a narrative for his exit: The election was rigged.

So how likely is a rigged vote?

Full-throated claims

Last week Trump told Fox News:...

How the IOC effectively maintains a gag order on nonsponsors of the Olympics

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

If you’re one of the billions of people around the world following the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in any form, you’re probably aware of its most talked-about sports moments. Simone Biles of the United States (with dual Belizean citizenship) confirming her spot as the world’s best gymnast. The Fiji men’s rugby team’s emotio...

As Rio bay waters show, we badly need innovation in treating human wastes

Written by Daniele Lantagne, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University

In the months leading up to the Rio Olympics, there was growing awareness that Brazil had not met the water quality goals outlined in their bid, and that athletes might be swimming, sailing, rowing or canoeing in waters contaminated with untreated human sewage. News articles discussed the poor water quality in competition waters, health risks to...