GM crops: to ban or not to ban? That’s not the question
The South Australian government recently announced its intention to lift the long-standing statewide moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops, following a statutory six-week consultation period. A government-commissioned independent review had estimated the cost of the moratorium at A$33 million since...
Trump’s Odds of Reelection Keep Getting Worse
Could Trump win again? Of course. But let’s be honest: His first victory was a miracle. A second might take an act of God. Read More
Travel the world without destroying it – Imagine newsletter #5
Sergey Tinyakov/ShutterstockLook with your eyes, not your hands. You were probably told that at some point growing up, as your eagerness to see and experience something new was checked by a wary adult. Humans now handle the Earth in a...
Why Canada should lead global climate action
Emissions are seen from an oil refinery in Alberta. (Shutterstock)Canada prides itself as a champion of multilateralism, peace, security and sustainable development. However, its commitment to global climate action, the world’s most emblematic indicator of these issues, is at best...
The Museum of Ice Cream Is Opening a Supersized Permanent New York Flagship, With a Three-Story Slide and a ‘Hall of Giant Scoops’
New York is about to get a whole lot sweeter. The juggernaut that is the Museum of Ice Cream, which helped kick the pop-up museum trend into high gear with the launch of its first New York edition in 2016, has announced...
Curious Kids: how was maths discovered? Who made up the numbers and rules?
There are so many number systems! The ones you know now were developed over centuries but we are still making up more now. Shutterstock If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au. How...
Market Update: Prices Drop as Crypto Sentiment Enters the Fear Zone
Cryptocurrency markets fell hard on August 21 following the $700 price drop bitcoin core (BTC) saw during the early morning trading sessions. Most digital assets have lost 2-8% in value as the overall market valuation of all 2,000+ coins has...
Yes, Libertarians Can Win Races | Guest: Jeff Hewitt | Ep 27
Elected Libertarian Jeff Hewitt teaches Matt Kibbe how people like him can succeed in local politics through a combination of hard work and smart messaging. Instead of always shooting for the presidency, libertarians should be populating state and local governments....
French solar roadway declared “a complete flop”
Sometimes we should just let a bad idea die. Read More
Over 500 Lawsuits Already Filed Days After Child Victims Act in New York Goes into Effect
This is Part 2 of our conversation with two New York state legislators, Senator Alessandra Biaggi and Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, who helped pass the Child Victims Act in New York. The state law, which went into effect last week, extends...
Radio Silence: German-U.S. Ties Are Breaking Down
Never since the founding of postwar Germany have relations between Berlin and the United States been as fragile as they are today. There is virtual radio silence between Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Donald Trump and U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell...
Trump Caves to the NRA on Background Checks
The president's “Rose Garden fantasy” of passing universal background checks died after a call with Wayne LaPierre. Read More
Is Cross-Laminated Timber the New Concrete?
One designer thinks that it can take the place of concrete in buildings, inside and out. Read More
Climate explained: why we need to cut emissions as well as prepare for impacts
Research shows the cost of damage through climate change will be much greater than the costs of reducing emissions. from www.shutterstock.com, CC BY-ND CC BY-ND Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media...
See Why One Feminist Artist’s Protest of Old Master Depictions of Women at the Prado Museum Went Instantly Viral
A feminist writer and cartoonist in Spain has caused a social-media sensation by sharing photos of Old Master paintings from the Museo del Prado’s collection alongside her own hand-painted signs that declare the depicted women “not whores” and “not saints” as a...
High-Powered Mining Rigs Drive Bitcoin’s Accelerating Hashrate
On August 19, the combined SHA-256 hashrate between the BCH and BTC networks touched a massive high of over 91 exahash per second (EH/s). One notable contribution to today’s network hashrates is the manufacturing of next-generation mining rigs that produce...
Deadly Bombings Devastate Afghanistan as U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks Continue Without Afghan Government
In Afghanistan, a series of bomb attacks devastated restaurants and other public spaces Monday in the eastern city of Jalalabad, injuring at least 66 people. The explosions took place on Afghanistan’s 100th Independence Day, following Saturday’s bloody suicide bombing at...
How to Bequeath Your Digital Assets to Your Descendants
Depending on your belief system, death is either the endgame or the next level. Whatever lies on the other side, your bitcoins are no good there. Just as we entered this world with nothing, we are destined to leave it...
‘I Wanted to Leave Something in Return’: Artist Claudia Comte on Why She Installed Permanent Underwater Sculptures Off Jamaica’s Coast
Snorkelers exploring the shores of Jamaica’s East Portland Fish Sanctuary may encounter something unexpected amid the colorful tropical fish: concrete sculptures by a sought-after emerging artist. Claudia Comte spent six weeks creating the sculptures of saguaro cacti, which she installed underwater...
We built a network of greenhouses and rain shelters to simulate what climate change will do to soils
Mimicking the future. Joe Fontaine, Author providedAs most of the science community knows, the climate emergency is here now. Weather extremes such as droughts and heatwaves are increasing in frequency and intensity and are measurably exacerbated by climate change. The...