Author: TheConversation

By Anand Kumar, Professor and Department Head of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago; and Jalees Rehman, Department Chair and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois Chicago Over the past two centuries, vaccines have been critical for preventing infectious diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that vaccination prevents between 3 million and 5 million deaths annually from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, influenza, measles, and, more recently, COVID-19. While there has long been broad scientific consensus that vaccines prevent or mitigate the spread of infections, there is new research suggesting that the therapeutic impact might go beyond the...

By Matthew Blanton, PhD Candidate, Sociology and Demography, The University of Texas at Austin In a region known for its tumultuous change, one idea remained remarkably consistent for centuries: Latin America is Catholic. The region’s 500-year transformation into a Catholic stronghold seemed capped in 2013, when Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected as the first Latin American pope. Once a missionary outpost, Latin America is now the heart of the Catholic Church. It is home to over 575 million adherents – over 40% of all Catholics worldwide. The next-largest regions are Europe and Africa, each home to 20%...

By Claire Wilcox, Adjunct Faculty in Psychiatry, University of New Mexico People often joke that their favorite snack is “like crack” or call themselves “chocoholics” in jest. But can someone really be addicted to food in the same way they could be hooked on substances such as alcohol or nicotine? As an addiction psychiatrist and researcher with experience in treating eating disorders and obesity, I have been following the research in this field for the past few decades. I have written a textbook on food addiction, obesity and overeating disorders, and, more recently, a self-help book for people who...

By Stephen Mattingly, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington High-speed rail systems are found all over the globe. For example, Japan’s bullet train began operating in 1964. China will have 31,000 miles of high-speed track by the end of 2025. The fastest train in Europe goes almost 200 mph. Yet high-speed rail remains absent from most of the United States. HOW IS HIGH-SPEED RAIL DIFFERENT FROM CONVENTIONAL TRAINS? STEPHEN MATTINGLY: With conventional rail, we’re usually looking at speeds of less than 80 mph. Higher-speed rail is somewhere between 90, maybe up to 125 mph. And high-speed...

By Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo, Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Government, Hamilton College Pete Hegseth, the current defense secretary, has stressed what he calls the “warrior ethos,” while other Americans seem to have embraced a renewed interest in “warrior culture.” Debate about these concepts actually traces back for thousands of years. Thinkers have long wrestled with what it means to be a true “warrior,” and the proper place of honor and virtue on the road to becoming one. I study the history of political thought, where these debates sometimes play out, but have engaged them in my...

By Anna Storti, Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies and Asian American Studies, Duke University The Department of Homeland Security in September 2025 said that 2 million undocumented immigrants had been forced out of the United States since the start of Donald Trump’s second presidency. Through its use of the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law from 1798, the Trump administration has bypassed immigration courts and the right to due process to more easily detain and deport immigrants. The Trump administration has, in part, reached these numbers by arresting immigrants in courthouses and at their workplaces. It...