Mar 01 WATCH: SpaceX tests Dragon capsule for launching humans into space By Wendy Whitman Cobb, The Conversation The launch window opens on Saturday at 2:49 a.m. EST, and is the first time the privately owned capsule, which is designed to carry humans into space, is testing its ability. Continue reading
Feb 27 Why robocalls are unstoppable By Raymond Huahong Tu, The Conversation It doesn’t matter if you’ve signed up with the federal Do Not Call Registry, though companies that call numbers on the list are supposed to be subject to large fines. Continue reading
Feb 23 How smallpox devastated the Aztecs – and helped Spain conquer an American civilization 500 years ago By Richard Gunderman, The Conversation Epidemics are nothing new, and some widespread infectious diseases have profoundly changed the course of human history. Continue reading
Feb 05 Why so many Americans now support legalizing marijuana, in 4 charts By Amy Adamczyk, Christopher Thomas, Jacob Felson, The Conversation And it’s not about older, more conservative Americans being replaced by younger generations who are more familiar with marijuana. Continue reading
Feb 04 Column: Facebook is not all bad at 15, but now it must be good By Bhaskar Chakravorti, The Conversation As Facebook turns 15, the company faces a critical set of challenges. Regulating Facebook itself will not be easy, and will generate endless debate. Continue reading
Jan 27 Digital technology offers new ways to teach lessons from the Holocaust By Jennifer Rich, The Conversation When it comes to understanding the horrors of the Holocaust – one of the key aims of International Holocaust Remembrance Day – younger generations often lack knowledge. Continue reading
Jan 25 Not so long ago, cities were starved for trees. That inspired a fight against urban warming By Sonja Dümpelmann, The Conversation Sixty years ago, urban tree planters stood on the front lines of fighting climate change. Continue reading
Jan 20 The global race for groundwater speeds up to feed agriculture's growing needs By Grant Ferguson, Jennifer C. McIntosh, The Conversation Water is becoming a scarce resource in many parts of the world. Water tables have been falling in many regions for decades, particularly in areas with intensive agriculture. Wells are going dry and there are few long-term solutions available —… Continue reading
Jan 06 The new Congress and the history of governing by a house divided By Brooks D. Simpson, The Conversation The new Congress is divided into a GOP Senate and Democratic House. History provides a glimpse of what this could mean: Democrats hold the power to investigate, if not to legislate. Continue reading
Jan 05 Reclaiming lost calories: Tweaking photosynthesis boosts crop yields By Amanda Cavanagh, The Conversation Many of the crop plants that feed us waste 20 percent of their energy, especially in hot weather. Plant geneticists prove that capturing this energy could boost crop yields by up to 40 percent. Continue reading