The Conversation Archives | Carleton Newsroom

March 1, 2021

How Arctic sea ducks develop herd immunity from avian cholera

Herd immunity, when a threshold proportion of a population becomes immune to a disease-causing organism, reducing or stopping further transmission, is very much in the news. Avian cholera much less so. But there is an... More

February 25, 2021

8 ways business managers can use fiction to prepare for the uncertain reality of coronavirus

Reading fiction has always been, for many, a source of pleasure and a means to be transported to other worlds. But that’s not all. Businesses can use novels to consider possible future scenarios, study sensitive... More

February 19, 2021

Cryptic sex: How female and unisexual animals reproduce ‘asexually’ — without males

Not all species need sperm to fertilize an egg for sexual reproduction. Some species need sperm in order to induce completion of egg nucleus development, but then never use the sperm’s DNA. I describe how... More

February 2, 2021

What is sustainability accounting? What does ESG mean? We have answers

Sustainability is a hot topic today due to increasing awareness of climate change and inequality, among other pressing issues. The Earth just recorded a seven-year hot streak and we’re approaching the COVID-19 pandemic’s first anniversary.... More

January 29, 2021

When is ‘dead’ really dead? What happens after a person ‘flatlines’

How long should doctors wait after a “flatline” appears before they can declare a person dead? How can they be sure that heartbeat and circulation will not return? The most common way that people die... More

January 20, 2021

Post-inauguration, restoring the soul of Biden’s America must be truly inclusive

Over the past few months, I’ve been editing a book about soulful beliefs, practices and feelings that overflow from their religious and spiritual origins into secular and profane spaces. I’ve also been wondering what Joe... More

January 13, 2021

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris could transform American childhood

Inauguration Day approaches in the United States after a bitterly divisive election and the unprecedented events surrounding the confirmation of Joe Biden’s electoral college victory. The world is waiting to see what changes a Joe... More

January 7, 2021

Emoji power: How a 🤯 or a 👏🏽 fuel social media engagement, especially amid COVID-19

The restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic drove life online in 2020, where it will probably remain for much of 2021. The way we communicate quickly pivoted to Zoom meetings, remote learning and messaging on... More

December 23, 2020

Improving building ventilation can help us control the spread of COVID-19 during the winter months

As predicted, we are in the middle of second wave of COVID-19. As of Dec. 23, the world has seen over 78 million confirmed cases and 1.7 million deaths. One of the few successes to... More

December 23, 2020

From biblical times to Trump, false messiahs have doomed societies

The prophet Jeremiah records in excruciating detail the catastrophic events leading to the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BCE. Jeremiah describes the devastating famine, escalating sense of fear and ominous foreboding that permeated... More

December 21, 2020

Why eco-labelling is so difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic

We’ve all, at some point, bought an eco-labelled product. The eco-labels we come to trust are often ones backed by credible audits that involve in-person inspections of production facilities to check that environmental and ethical... More

December 15, 2020

Shopping for the holidays? Keep your distance from retail workers

Maintaining social distancing inside retail stores during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a daily source of contention between retail workers and customers. Yet this distance is more than a safety regulation to front-line retail workers.... More