Author: TheConversation

Beyond a bunk and a meal: How shelters help provide homeless people with a quiet refuge of privacy

By Natalie Florence, PhD Candidate in Humanitarian Design and Infrastructure Studies, Arizona State University; Heather Ross, Clinical Associate Professor in Nursing and Clinical Associate Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University Many cities set heat records in summer 2023, with high temperatures for consecutive days. Providing basic services like including cool spaces for people experiencing homelessness was lifesaving under such conditions. In 2022, about 1,670 people across America died from heat-related causes, many of them unsheltered. Estimates are not yet available for summer 2023, but given this year’s extreme conditions, the toll is expected...

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Political will: How trust and mistrust will determine if a cease-fire in Gaza is possible

By Laurie Nathan, Professor of the Practice of Mediation, University of Notre Dame Calls for a cease-fire and other limits on military operations and violence were made by governments, advocacy groups, and political leaders around the world almost immediately after the October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 Israeli civilians by Hamas. Israel immediately declared war on Hamas and began shelling and then invaded Gaza, leading to more than 11,000 civilian deaths and massive destruction. Global calls for cease-fires have continued to be made by hundreds of disparate organizations and tens of thousands of demonstrators. The United Nations General Assembly...

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Why the Green Revolution is not a blueprint for feeding a hungry planet but a dire warning

By Glenn Davis Stone, Research Professor of Environmental Science, Sweet Briar College Feeding a growing world population has been a serious concern for decades, but today there are new causes for alarm. Floods, heat waves and other weather extremes are making agriculture increasingly precarious, especially in the Global South. The war in Ukraine is also a factor. Russia is blockading Ukrainian grain exports, and fertilizer prices have surged because of trade sanctions on Russia, the world’s leading fertilizer exporter. Amid these challenges, some organizations are renewing calls for a second Green Revolution, echoing the introduction in the 1960s and...

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Toxic Contamination: Legacy of the nuclear arms race leaves staggering cleanup costs at home

By William J. Kinsella, Professor Emeritus of Communication, North Carolina State University Christopher Nolan’s film “Oppenheimer” has focused new attention on the legacies of the Manhattan Project – the World War II program to develop nuclear weapons. As the anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9, 1945, approach, it is a timely moment to look further at dilemmas wrought by the creation of the atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project spawned a trinity of interconnected legacies. It initiated a global arms race that threatens the survival of humanity and the planet as we...

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Slow violence of contamination: The importance of shining a light on hidden toxic histories in America

By Elizabeth Kryder-Reid, Chancellor’s Professor of Anthropology and Museum Studies, Indiana University Indianapolis proudly claims Elvis’ last concert, Robert Kennedy’s speech in response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and the Indianapolis 500. There’s a 9/11 memorial, a Medal of Honor Memorial and a statue of former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. What few locals know, let alone tourists, is that the city also houses one of the largest dry cleaning Superfund sites in the United States. From 1952 to 2008, Tuchman Cleaners laundered clothes using perchloroethylene, or PERC, a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen. Tuchman operated a chain of cleaners...

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Why sci-fi books can help kids better understand science yet remain scarce resources in schools

By Emily Midkiff, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Leadership, and Professional Practice, University of North Dakota Science fiction can lead people to be more cautious about the potential consequences of innovations. It can help people think critically about the ethics of science. Researchers have also found that sci-fi serves as a positive influence on how people view science. Science fiction scholar Istvan Csicsery-Ronay calls this “science-fictional habits of mind.” Scientists and engineers have reported that their childhood encounters with science fiction framed their thinking about the sciences. Thinking critically about science and technology is an important part of education in...

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