The Conversation

The Conversation

The Conversation

The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, funded by the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public. The Conversation launched in Australia in March 2011.
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Not Just Vitamin D - The Radiation In Sunshine May Be Healthy

Not Just Vitamin D - The Radiation In Sunshine May Be Healthy

Sunlight may have benefits not yet discovered. Joseph D'Mello CC BY-NCSummer sunshine makes most of us feel better, but there may be more to the benefits than just feeling good. A growing body of evidence suggests sunlight itself – with adequate protection, of course – may actually be good for health.

FCC Internet Regulation Plan Ignores History Of Past Failures

FCC Internet Regulation Plan Ignores History Of Past Failures

Will the FCC repeat past mistakes of regulating telecommunications as utilities? ShutterstockFederal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Tom Wheeler claims that his plan to regulate Internet Service Providers (ISPs) under Title II of the 1934 Telecommunications Act is “rooted in long-standing regulatory principles.”That’s not necessarily a good thing.

Going Vegetarian Is Not A Magic Bullet To Stop Climate Change

Going Vegetarian Is Not A Magic Bullet To Stop Climate Change

Can he be the global warming culprit? LinkCould our meat-loving Western diets push climate change over the edge? That was the message of a recent report from UK think tank Chatham House that, even if the world moves away from fossil fuels, growth in meat and dairy consumption could still take global warming beyond the safe threshold of 2C.

Bubonic Plague Linked To Climate Change In Asia

Bubonic Plague Linked To Climate Change In Asia

Credit: L. Sabetelli / Wellcome, CC BYThe Black Death struck Europe in 1347, killing 30-50% of the European population in six violent years. It wasn’t a one-off epidemic: it signaled the start of the second plague pandemic in Europe that lasted for hundreds of years and only slowly disappeared from the continent after the Great Plague of London in 1665-1666.

How Vaccines Changed Our Perceptions Of Disease

How Vaccines Changed Our Perceptions Of Disease

Health marketing materials used to promote measles vaccine during the 1960s. CDCThe news on the current measles outbreak contains plenty of reminders that measles causes brain damage, pneumonia, hearing loss and death. A few lone voices have spoken up to say measles isn’t that serious, including an Arizona doctor who said it’s “really just a fever and a rash” – and soon found himself under investigation by his state’s medical board.

Vikings Were Craftsmen Too

Vikings Were Craftsmen Too

The connections between technology, urban trading, and international economics which have come to define modern living are nothing new. Back in the first millennium AD, the Vikings were expert at exploring these very issues.