provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.French philosopher : “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” Something similar can be said of modern monetary theory, also known as MMT, because it may be the economy’s only hope to get through the pandemic.Coined by and by to fund programs such as the Green New Deal, MMT holds that a country with its own currency . While government spending is normally financed by either taxes or borrowing, .I’m currently working on a book chapter that examines various economic theories about government debt, including MMT. I believe...…provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.French philosopher : “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” Something similar can be said of modern monetary theory, also known as MMT, because it may be the economy’s only hope to get through the pandemic.Coined by and by to fund programs such as the Green New Deal, MMT holds that a country with its own currency . While government spending is normally financed by either taxes or borrowing, .I’m currently working on a book chapter that examines various economic theories about government debt, including MMT. I believe...WW…

provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU., , and provide funding as members of The Conversation AU.In this pandemic it’s tempting to look for someone, or something, to blame. Bats are a common scapegoat and the community is misled to believe getting rid of them could be a quick fix. But are bats really the problem?Australian bats have been in the news recently for two main reasons: the misplaced fear they might carry COVID-19, and overblown reports they carry a koala-killing virus.This recent bad press has seen increased against Australia’s bats, as well as or “move on”...…provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU., , and provide funding as members of The Conversation AU.In this pandemic it’s tempting to look for someone, or something, to blame. Bats are a common scapegoat and the community is misled to believe getting rid of them could be a quick fix. But are bats really the problem?Australian bats have been in the news recently for two main reasons: the misplaced fear they might carry COVID-19, and overblown reports they carry a koala-killing virus.This recent bad press has seen increased against Australia’s bats, as well as or “move on”...WW…

By Imagine two towns on two opposite sides of a mountain. People from these towns would probably have to travel all the way around the mountain to visit one another. But, if they wanted to get there faster, they could dig a tunnel straight through the mountain to create a shortcut. That’s the idea behind a wormhole.A wormhole is like  in our universe that cuts the travel time from one point to the other. Instead of traveling for many millions of years from one galaxy to another, under the right conditions one could theoretically use a wormhole to  down to hours or...…By Imagine two towns on two opposite sides of a mountain. People from these towns would probably have to travel all the way around the mountain to visit one another. But, if they wanted to get there faster, they could dig a tunnel straight through the mountain to create a shortcut. That’s the idea behind a wormhole.A wormhole is like  in our universe that cuts the travel time from one point to the other. Instead of traveling for many millions of years from one galaxy to another, under the right conditions one could theoretically use a wormhole to  down to hours or...WW…

provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.Ten years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration the Supreme Court to overturn it. Yet it’s now clear that the ACA has brought to the lives of millions of Americans. Today, they enjoy more health care coverage, with greater access, better outcomes and less cost.One segment in particular gained the most: pre-Medicare adults from ages 50 to 64. Before the ACA, the number of uninsured in that group reached . Insurance companies than one in five of their applications. Those who remained uninsured received fewer...…provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.Ten years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration the Supreme Court to overturn it. Yet it’s now clear that the ACA has brought to the lives of millions of Americans. Today, they enjoy more health care coverage, with greater access, better outcomes and less cost.One segment in particular gained the most: pre-Medicare adults from ages 50 to 64. Before the ACA, the number of uninsured in that group reached . Insurance companies than one in five of their applications. Those who remained uninsured received fewer...WW…

provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA-FR. provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA.Next to water, sand is our most consumed natural resource. The global demand for sand and gravel stands between , according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and its is an emerging global crisis.The world may if we do not start paying attention to sand as a resource that needs research, management and governance.The demand for sand is only expected to rise. Sand is also needed to manufacture , which are used to hold vaccines. The industry already faced...…provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA-FR. provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA.Next to water, sand is our most consumed natural resource. The global demand for sand and gravel stands between , according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and its is an emerging global crisis.The world may if we do not start paying attention to sand as a resource that needs research, management and governance.The demand for sand is only expected to rise. Sand is also needed to manufacture , which are used to hold vaccines. The industry already faced...WW…

provides funding as a strategic partner of The Conversation AU.Taiwan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been among the world’s best. With a population almost the size of Australia’s, the island nation has only 496 confirmed cases of the disease and no locally acquired infections for months.The unlikely heroes of Taiwan’s success are “civic tech hacktivists”: coders and activists who the country’s digital minister describes as the “nobodies” who “hack democracy”.What began with the hackers of the “open source, open government” movement and student protesters has grown into an...…provides funding as a strategic partner of The Conversation AU.Taiwan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been among the world’s best. With a population almost the size of Australia’s, the island nation has only 496 confirmed cases of the disease and no locally acquired infections for months.The unlikely heroes of Taiwan’s success are “civic tech hacktivists”: coders and activists who the country’s digital minister describes as the “nobodies” who “hack democracy”.What began with the hackers of the “open source, open government” movement and student protesters has grown into an...WW…

provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.Pundits have been discussing the merits (or not) of Fidel Castro’s legacy as his body lies in state. The Cuban healthcare system is often stated as one of El Commandante’s greatest achievements. But how great is the system really? As someone who trained as a doctor in Cuba, I’d like to give you an insider’s view.The Cuban healthcare system, borne out of its revolutionary socialist ideology, regards accessibility to healthcare as a fundamental right of its citizens. It focuses heavily on a preventative approach to medicine and offering the...…provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.Pundits have been discussing the merits (or not) of Fidel Castro’s legacy as his body lies in state. The Cuban healthcare system is often stated as one of El Commandante’s greatest achievements. But how great is the system really? As someone who trained as a doctor in Cuba, I’d like to give you an insider’s view.The Cuban healthcare system, borne out of its revolutionary socialist ideology, regards accessibility to healthcare as a fundamental right of its citizens. It focuses heavily on a preventative approach to medicine and offering the...WW…

provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU., , , and provide funding as members of The Conversation AU.When people first arrived in what is now Queensland, they would have found the land inhabited by massive animals including goannas six metres long and kangaroos twice as tall as a human.We have studied fossil bones of these animals for the past decade. Our findings, , shed new light on the mystery of what drove these ancient megafauna to extinction.Read more:The first bones were found by the Barada Barna people during cultural heritage surveys on their traditional lands...…provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU., , , and provide funding as members of The Conversation AU.When people first arrived in what is now Queensland, they would have found the land inhabited by massive animals including goannas six metres long and kangaroos twice as tall as a human.We have studied fossil bones of these animals for the past decade. Our findings, , shed new light on the mystery of what drove these ancient megafauna to extinction.Read more:The first bones were found by the Barada Barna people during cultural heritage surveys on their traditional lands...WW…

Protesters and community organizers are increasingly calling for as a way to end police violence.argue that moderate reforms like enhanced training and greater community oversight have failed to curb police violence and misconduct.But there’s a major, and usually insurmountable, obstacle to reform: police unions. suggests that these unions play a critical role in thwarting the transformation of police departments.Union officials like John McNesby in Philadelphia, where I live and work as , do not deny this. Over the course of his as president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of...…Protesters and community organizers are increasingly calling for as a way to end police violence.argue that moderate reforms like enhanced training and greater community oversight have failed to curb police violence and misconduct.But there’s a major, and usually insurmountable, obstacle to reform: police unions. suggests that these unions play a critical role in thwarting the transformation of police departments.Union officials like John McNesby in Philadelphia, where I live and work as , do not deny this. Over the course of his as president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of...WW…

provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.Wind power in the UK of all electricity production. Land-based wind turbines now produce the cheapest type of energy – and there is no doubt wind farms can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing the fossil fuels that have traditionally been used to generate electricity.But what of wind turbines built on top of sensitive, natural environments – does low-carbon energy still help reduce emissions if it involves disturbing the kinds of habitats that are effective at trapping carbon and keeping it out of the atmosphere? This is an...…provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.Wind power in the UK of all electricity production. Land-based wind turbines now produce the cheapest type of energy – and there is no doubt wind farms can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing the fossil fuels that have traditionally been used to generate electricity.But what of wind turbines built on top of sensitive, natural environments – does low-carbon energy still help reduce emissions if it involves disturbing the kinds of habitats that are effective at trapping carbon and keeping it out of the atmosphere? This is an...WW…