Convincing people to see and appreciate the threats posed by climate change is one of the great challenges of our day. Insurers may be able to succeed where scientists and educators have failed.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Climate change special report
Some popular high school textbooks have used hesitant language to describe human contributions to climate change, our study shows.
Rising temperatures will not only hurt people in the future. Many are feeling the effects now. Those who work outdoors, those who have certain chronic conditions and the elderly are vulnerable.
Analysis and Comment
For everyone from traditional hunters to the military, the National Park Service to the oil industry, climate change is the new reality in Alaska. Government, residents and businesses are all trying to adapt.
Conservative skeptics of climate change may support projects focused on 'resilience' – for example, preparing a community for future major weather events.
There are some good explanations for the mismatch between regional support for climate action and the areas where renewable energy is making the biggest inroads.
After declining for nearly a decade, the number of hungry people in the world is growing again. Climate change, which is disrupting weather patterns that farmers rely on, is a major cause.
One natural disaster can exacerbate the effects of others – think landslides after wildfires. This means engineers and planners need to rethink how they assess and prepare for risk.
Infrastructure systems – roads, water treatment systems, power grid – can't be built the same ways as in the past. What's a better roadmap for the future?
In the 'World Climate' simulation, people play delegates to UN climate negotiations and work to strike an agreement that meets global climate goals. Playing it has made thousands want to take action.
Lotteries purportedly generate money to support public education. Jackpots are getting bigger and bigger – but states don't seem to be spending any more on education.
Trump claimed that 'we would be punishing ourselves' by using US arms sales to Saudi Arabia as a bargaining chip over the disappearance of Khashoggi. A look at the arms trade shows why he's wrong.
The Trump administration’s abandonment of support for democracy and civil rights abroad may be behind the sort of attacks on individual freedom that likely claimed journalist Jamal Khashoggi's life.
Artificial intelligence poses opportunities as well as dangers; understanding them – and regulating carefully – will help avoid harm to individuals and society as a whole.
According to most physicists, there is no safe dose of radiation. So why would the EPA consider saying otherwise? Who stands to gain if the EPA declares low-dose radiation harmless?
Explaining how carbon taxes and cap-and-trade systems work is simpler than figuring out how high those taxes and caps should be.
How should the US spend limited funds for conserving endangered species? A new data tool lets managers compare different strategies so they can allocate money to protect the most species.
When artists destroy their works, it's usually to express their disdain for critics, dealers and curators. But does this get lost in the attention, hype and money that follows?
As health care grows more digital, an array of health apps promise to track steps, count heartbeats and look at moles. But without more FDA oversight, could we be shooting ourselves in the foot?
The disappearance and alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is worsening relations between US allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia. An expert on the region believes there may be a way out.
The stability and integrity of democratic society are too important to be relegated to inherently flawed computer systems that are vulnerable to malfunctions and malicious attacks.
Trump has called Venezuela a 'human tragedy' and threatened invasion while quietly deporting and denying asylum to Venezuelan refugees. His anti-socialist rhetoric may make for good midterm politics.
Americans are overwhelmingly committed to a free press and hostile to government restrictions, a new poll finds. But the country is divided on the meaning of President Trump's attacks on the press.
The public is increasingly pessimistic about the way Brexit negotiations are going.
Parents can help protect their kids from cannabis abuse by openly discussing the health risks, the pleasures and the responsible ways to use the drug.
Individuals who carry the breast cancer genes _BRCA1_ or _BRCA2_ are often unaware of the fact. That suggests that physicians need a new way to apply DNA-based screens to identify those at risk.
Research and News
Why is Elizabeth Warren's DNA test so controversial with Native American groups? Two Indigenous geneticists explain the history and science behind the debate.
Polio can be circulating through a community long before anyone is paralyzed. Monitoring sewage for the virus lets public health officials short-circuit this 'silent transmission.'
A survey shows the newest generation on the voting block is extremely cynical, and that's actually driving high levels of political engagement.
Government agencies spend millions of dollars yearly to buy and demolish homes sited in floodplains. But the program is slow, cumbersome and doesn't always help those who need it most.
Only a small fraction of the data from archaeological fieldwork is made accessible to the public or preserved for future research.
Midterm elections
There are different ballots, voting machines, registration and eligibility requirements and procedures for counting votes across the country. That's a recipe for occasional confusion and miscounts.
A survey shows the newest generation on the voting block is extremely cynical, and that's actually driving high levels of political engagement.
Climate change
Is our changing climate making regions of the US more suitable for ticks and mosquitoes that spread diseases? Or is the climate changing human physiology making us more vulnerable?
Coastal real estate prices appear to be taking a hit, but mostly in neighborhoods with more climate change believers.
Breast cancer
There is usually no one factor that causes breast cancer. It's likely a combination of the effects of a person's risks combined with an element of bad luck.
Research has resulted in advances in treating breast cancer in recent decades, but a wide gap exists in mortality rates between African-American women and white women. Here's a look into why.
Hurricane Michael
After the storm is over, it's time to rebuild – and natural disasters can affect survivors' health for years to come.
Convincing people to see and appreciate the threats posed by climate change is one of the great challenges of our day. Insurers may be able to succeed where scientists and educators have failed.
Our new podcast
Research and Expert Database
Analysis from academics around the world
Editors’ Picks
The lottery’s jackpot has swelled to that eye-watering sum, but research suggests hopeful ticket holders should be careful what they wish for.
Later this month, Christie's will be auctioning its first piece of AI art – a portrait created via machine learning.
Trump may rhetorically attack the media, but the US still ranks 45th of 180 countries in terms of press freedom. North Korea ranks last. And Mexico is the world's most dangerous place for reporters.
American spending on pets is more than the combined GDP of the 39 poorest countries in the world. What if even a small percentage of this spending was allocated to reducing suffering, asks a philosopher.
The National Park Service is moving wolves to Isle Royale in Lake Superior to replenish a small pack on the island. Wolves prey on moose, which are overgrazing the island. It doesn't hurt that they are charismatic.
The United States already has a space agency: NASA. So why do we need a Space Force, and what would it do? Could a Space Force strain diplomatic relationships, reigniting the race to militarize space?
Visiting a haunted house or watching a horror movie can be terrifying and enjoyable at the same time. A sociologist explains the psychological benefits of being safely scared.
What's really the most dangerous American city? The way crimes are currently counted in the US can easily confuse and mislead.
Yes, giant mosquitoes are a thing. They're specialized to wait out the dry times only to emerge from their eggs when high water provides the perfect larval environment.
A person in the US can expect to live an average of 78.8 years. But that number can change by decades depending on the community they come from.
One of the largest concentrations of poverty in the US exists in communities at the US-Mexico border called 'colonias.' These informal settlements lack access to basic infrastructure.
Many states are also eroding a woman's right to access abortions.
The rise of superstar companies that dominate their industries may be partly to blame for the lack of wage growth in the US in recent years. It could also suggest a solution.
Progress has been made toward gender parity in science fields. But explicit and implicit barriers still hold women back from advancing in the same numbers as men to the upper reaches of STEM academia.
To survive in 19th-century newsrooms, reporters would have to hustle to get by, even if it meant producing fakes, staging events and sharing work with reporters from competing newspapers.
Most Read past week
- How winning $1.6 billion in Mega Millions could still lead to bankruptcy
- Amazonian psychedelic may ease severe depression, new study shows
- Is apple cider vinegar good for you? A doctor weighs in
- Why bullshit hurts democracy more than lies
- Why losing a dog can be harder than losing a relative or friend
Pitch an idea
Got a news tip or article idea for The Conversation?
Our Audience
The Conversation has a monthly audience of 10.7 million users, and reach of 38.2 million through Creative Commons republication.
Want to Write?
Write an article and join a growing community of more than 74,300 academics and researchers from 2,570 institutions.
Make a Donation
The Conversation relies on university, foundation and reader support. If you would like to help us have even better conversations, then you may like to make a one-off or on-going donation.