Selenium is a nutrient that plays a Crucial role in human healthIn the case of contribution to thyroid and immune function, the DNA repair in addition to cardiovascular and cognitive health.

It acts as An antioxidant – Substances that protect cells from unstable molecules that may damage DNA, proteins and cell membranes. It may even protect against cancer.

Selen is significant Trace element Found in living organisms, soil and plants, and your body only needs a small amount of it to work. The really useful dietary allowance for selenium is in adults 55 micrograms per dayWith an upper limit of 400 micrograms. In comparison, adults need between 900 and 10,000 micrograms on daily basis Copper, one other trace elementAnd in between 8,000 to 40,000 micrograms of the trace element zinc.

A surplus or an absence of selenium can have significant health consequences. In my work as Pharmaceutical science researcherMy colleagues and I examine the potential use of selenium to extend the effectiveness of chemotherapy in cancer treatment.

A dose of selenium

Selen first discovered in 1817 Chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius analyzed an impurity in a number of sulfuric acid that was produced in a factory in Sweden. Berzelius initially believed the fabric the element, but he finally realized that it was actually an unknown substance at the moment. He called the mineral afterwards SeleneThe Greek goddess of the moon, due to its similarity Tellurwhich had been named after the Roman goddess of the earth.

Selenium exists in each organic and inorganic forms. Organic compounds Contain carbon atoms and are typically derived from living organisms Inorganic compounds Do not have carbon atoms and usually come from non -living sources. Your cells chemically Convert between these forms perform different physiological functions.

Selenium deficiency is a significant health problemEspecially in regions with selenium floors corresponding to parts of China, Africa and Europe. Low selenium mirrors are connected Keshan diseasea fatal heart disease, and Kashin Beck diseasewhich affects joints and bones. The defect also weakens immune function and increases susceptibility to infections.

Consuming an excessive amount of selenium can also be an issue. Extension or excess environmental pollution can result in this Selenosis, a disease In symptoms corresponding to brittle hair and nails, digestive problems, rashes and neurological symptoms corresponding to irritability and tiredness. In severe cases, selentoxicity can result in organ failure and death.

Selenium has a narrow one Therapeutic windowThis is the dosage area that gives secure and effective treatment with minimal harmful uncomfortable side effects. For example, selenium can either increase or reduce the body Immune functionDepending on the dose. Adequate selenium values Strengthen your immune cells' Ability to combat infections and tumors, while excessive selenium intake can Suppress immune responses by damage to immunogeways.

Selen and cancer prevention

Selenium can have the potential to treat and stop cancer.

Scientists have examined an extended selenium role in cancer prevention. Initially suspected that a carcinogen was, later studies were determined Protective effects against liver damage. In the Nineteen Sixties. Researchers proposed This selenium could possibly be Is used to stop cancerAn idea that received further traction within the nineties.

Mixed results were achieved in large -scale clinical studies. The Selen- and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Prevention Study Was a study with over 35,500 men who were carried out from 2001 to 2004. They found that the each day intake of selenium didn’t reduce the chance of prostate cancer and may even Increase the chance of prostate cancer For men with already high selenium mirrors.

Results of a study from 1983 to 1996, the one Nutrition of cancer studiesproposed selenium may Protection against prostate and other sorts of cancer. But researchers also observed a Increased incidence of non -melanoma -skin cancer Among the participants.

These contradictory results could be attributed to the several types of the selens in every test tested and to differences within the selenium mirrors of the essential lines among the many participants. Other studies have shown that selenium-contaminated water was in a community of Italy associated with an increased risk of melanoma.

Selen and cancer treatment

Selenium may have the potential to stop cancer from spreading the spread of cancer.

My research focuses on the potential of using selenium to complement chemotherapy for cancer treatment. Selen compounds corresponding to methylselenic acid or MSA and Seleno-L-Methionine or SLM are promising in terms of aiming proteins that promote the progression and treatment resistance of the tumor. Studies from my team and I even have found that MSA can Modulate crucial biochemical ways in reference to kidney cancer by reducing proteins that influence tumor growth and immune instructions. We have also observed that SLM Mai May May Slow growth of the kidney tumor for mice without toxic uncomfortable side effects.

In a clinical phase -1 study we found that much more essential Combining SLM with the chemotherapy drug Axitinib Was effective within the treatment of metastatic kidney cancer in patients with minimal uncomfortable side effects. Of the 27 patients we treated, greater than half shrank their tumors with a median overall survival of just about 20 months. These results suggest that selenium can have a synergistic influence on chemotherapy by making it more practical.

Further studies on how selenium can overcome the treatment resistance and which doses are optimal will illustrate its potential as a practical addition to cancer treatment.

Meet the best balance

Whether as an immune amplifier or potential treatment for diseases, the importance of selenium for human health is undeniable.

Eat Selenium -rich foods – How Brazil nuts, seafood, whole grains and eggs can assist to keep up an optimal nutrient content. In regions with selenium deficiency floors, an addition to medical supervision could also be obligatory.

The fantastic line between advantages and damage underlines the importance of balanced intake and personalized approaches to selenium complement. In the course of research, I imagine that Selens becomes a various role in health.

There is numerous talk concerning the election of the Vice President and the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' election by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is not any different.

Known for Attack on Donald Trump and JD Vance as “strange”, Walz, 60, defeated a powerful field of Democratic candidates, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

A moderate democratWalz served as a U.S. Representative from 2007 to 2019 and is taken into account a sexy option for potential independent voters.

Harris' decision comes at an important time within the 2024 US presidential election. Less than three months before the election National polls suggest the race could be very close – and Harris believes her selection of vp will translate into votes within the crucial swing states on Election Day.

The Conversation US has published quite a few articles about vice presidents and whether their election helped or hurt presidential campaigns. Here are a few of them.

1. What do vice presidents actually do?

As a political scientist Joshua Holzer However, there are few references to the office of Vice President within the U.S. Constitution.

These references state that “the Vice President becomes President” when the President becomes incapable of motionand certainly one of its foremost duties is that of President of the US Senate, who may only vote along within the event of a tie.

But as Holzer points out, tied votes within the Senate are rare. Since 1789 only 301 votes for the tie were forged, and 12 vice presidents, including then-Vice President Joe Biden, didn’t forged a single vote. Harris holds the record with 33 decisive votes.

“Aside from staying out of trouble to avoid impeachment and waiting to become or replace the president, vice presidents are really only required to cast an occasional tie-breaking vote in the Senate,” Holzer wrote. “This means that most of the time, vice presidents have no real job.”

John Adams, the first US Vice Presidentwas of an identical opinion. He once complained to his wife that the office of Vice President is “the most insignificant office that man has ever conceived or imagined.”

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Read more: Kamala Harris sets record for many tie-breaking votes in Senate history – a fast have a look at vp duties

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2. Do no harm

As a scholar who studies American politics, Philip Klinkner has examined how political considerations within the collection of a vp have modified over time.

Although there may be little evidence that vice presidential candidates help their electoral results, a foul selection can hurt the election. “Whether Harris played it safe or was bold with her choice, the most important consideration was to do no harm,” Klinkner wrote.

In the case of a foul election, Klinkner explained, the issue shouldn’t be whether the list of candidates is sufficiently balanced or diverse, but moderately whether the candidate has been sufficiently vetted.

“The worst decisions – Tom Eagleton in 1972, Quayle in 1988 and Palin in 2008 – were the result of hasty and ill-conceived selection processes,” Klinkner wrote.

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Read more: The vice presidential election is not any longer nearly where you reside, but in addition about who you’re. What path will Harris take to balance the vote?

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3. Trump’s election

Karin Amira is a political scientist whose research focuses on the connection between Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and conservatism.

Since Trump chosen U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate, it has been widely reported that Vance once referred to Trump as “morally reprehensible” And “Cultural heroine,” and he
privately compared him to Hitler.

But the day after Vance won his own Senate election in 2022, he reportedly announced that he would support Trump for president in 2024 and now says that he not readily certified would have won the 2020 election if he had been in Vice President Mike Pence’s shoes.

As Amira identified, Vance doesn’t represent a swing state, nor does he have much appeal to MAGA-skeptical independent voters.

But people near Trump call the 39-year-old Vance the brand new heir to Trump's MAGA movement.

What conclusions could be drawn from Trump’s decision to decide on Vance?

Since 2015, Amira explained, Trump has tightened his grip on the Republican Party, pushing it further away from its stated conservative ideology. “The selection of Vance as Trump's vice presidential running mate – and the contest that preceded it – are the latest steps in that process,” Amira wrote.

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Read more: The collection of JD Vance as Trump's vice presidential candidate marks the top of Republican conservatism

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Editor's note: This story is a summary of articles from The Conversation archives.

Nigeria, Africa's largest democracy, has been under enormous pressure recently.

Attacked by rising inflation, Food insecurity and that rising fuel costs and energy that Nigerians needed to endure reduced purchasing power, hunger And Youth unrest.

These aspects have led to unrest in various parts of society, including requirements for higher wages for civil servants.

At The Conversation Africa, we’ve collaborated with academic experts to achieve insights into the problems troubling Nigeria and Nigerians. Here are eight key articles we’ve published on developments in Nigeria.

Fuel subsidies abolished

In considered one of his first acts as Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu announced the whole abolition of fuel subsidies. This mustn’t have been a surprise, as all of the leading candidates within the presidential election had promised to finish this subsidy, which is seen as a serious drain on the country's resources. But as Stephen Onyeiwu explains, the devil could also be within the mouth.

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Employees demand more

With fuel subsidies removed and inflation high, Nigeria's trade union naturally demanded higher wages. This led to tensions and strikes. The Nigerian government eventually increased the national minimum wage to 70,000 naira (US$42.14) per 30 days. Stephen Onyeiwu argues that this will not be an answer for Nigerian employees.

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Inflation contradicts global logic

The Nigerian government continues to try to unravel the issue of rising inflation and its impact on the purchasing power of residents using various approaches. Interestingly, some strategies that worked in other parts of the world appear to have failed in Nigeria. Stephen Onyeiwu explains that inflation in Nigeria is the results of several aspects.

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Government declares state of emergency

As food prices continued to rise – and are estimated 25 million People suffered from hunger – President Bola Tinubu explained a state of emergency on account of food insecurity. Stephen Onyeiwu expressed doubts in regards to the effectiveness of this approach, arguing that food inflation in Nigeria requires a daring and well-thought-out strategy to rework agriculture and rural life.

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Hunger affects children

With rising fuel prices, food inflation and food shortages, Nigerian children are affected by severe food poverty. According to Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund, 11 million Nigerian children are affected. Blessing Akombi-Inyang warns that affected children are vulnerable to stunted growth and development, becoming more vulnerable to disease and experiencing higher mortality rates.

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Distraction of attention

Given the economic challenges, the Nigerian government had time to alter the country's national anthem. The government decided to interchange an anthem adopted in 1978 with an old one which was originally officially introduced in 1960. The bill was rushed through the National Assembly inside days. Samuel Oyewole believes this was nothing greater than an try and divert attention from the actual problems.

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Corruption is the actual wrongdoer

Nigeria often is the largest democracy in Africa, but that is just on account of population size. When it involves the true values ​​of democracy, including good governance, Nigeria appears to be lagging behind. Fidelis Allen attributes this to corruption and an absence of social policies.

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Nigeria’s young population offers potential

The population of Nigeria was estimated at approx. 206 million in 2020. The country is by far probably the most populous in Africa. And it has considered one of the biggest Youth population on the planet. With a mean age of 18.1 years 70% of Nigerians are under 30 and 42% are under 15. Akanni Ibukun Akinyemi and Jacob Wale Mobolaji write that the scale and youthfulness of the population – if well managed – offers great potential to expand Nigeria's role as a regional economic center of Africa. However, a big population of young individuals with limited opportunities represents additional social pressures.

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The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has been within the news these days – mostly for the flawed reasons.

The bloc is facing its biggest crisis since its founding in 1975. Three of the 15 countries – Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali – have split from the alliance of Sahel states and formed another alliance.

While the Ecowas hold a gathering On 7 July, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali met with the heads of state and government of their members in Abuja. Parallel meetings in Niamey, the capital of Niger.

The three countries have praised to not return to the fold of Ecowas.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have some things in common: they’re former French colonies and are currently ruled by military juntas.

At The Conversation Africa, we have now been working with academic experts to realize insights into the impact of the breakaway group and the longer term of Ecowas. Here are five key articles we have now published on developments in West Africa.

Niger because the last straw

On July 26, 2023, the Presidential Guard in Niger arrested President Mohamed Bazoum and the commander of the Presidential Guard, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, declared himself its leader.

In response, Ecowas imposed sanctions on Niger. It also threatened military motion against the junta. Olumba Ezenwa and Olayinka Ajala explain how the specter of military motion prompted Burkina Faso and Mali – each under military rule and Ecowas sanctions – to form an alliance and mutual defense pact with Niger.

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A not so common currency

Before the political crisis at the guts of Ecowas, members of the regional bloc had discussed the creation of a standard currency.

But this plan suffered a setback when the pinnacle of the Nigerian military junta, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, spoke on February 11, 2024 of the possible creation of a standard currency for the breakaway countries. Thierno Thioune analyses the possible impact and feasibility of this step.

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Impact on trade

The reduction of Ecowas’s membership from 15 to 12 has significant implications for the free movement of products and services throughout the region.

A foretaste of what this might mean for the region was the closure of borders as a part of the sanctions against the military coup in Niger.

Olivier Walther explains the devastating consequences of the border closures between the Sahel states and the coastal countries of West Africa for the regional economy.

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Migration barriers

The decision to go away the regional bloc also raises questions on what impact it might have on the flexibility of residents of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to maneuver freely inside the region. The agreement inside Ecowas provides for residents to give you the option to maneuver between countries within the region with no visa and to have future residency rights and the proper to establish a business.

Franzisca Zanker, Amanda Bisong and Leonie Jegen argue that the three countries have quite a bit to lose if their withdrawal from ECOWAS limits their mobility.

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There might still be an answer

To find an answer, Ecowas has appointed Senegal's President Bassirou Faye to act as a special mediator with the breakaway states. This was certainly one of the choices taken on the recent Ecowas summit of heads of state and government.

Ahead of the summit, Olayinka Ajala identified six steps that the Ecowas leadership could take to heal the rift and restore confidence within the regional bloc.

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The US Supreme Court has ruled that a president, including former President Donald Trump“shall not be prosecuted for the exercise of his core constitutional powers and shall be entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts.”

The Decision is “super nuanced”, as one legal scholar told The Conversation shortly after the choice was announced on July 1, 2024.

While a president enjoys total immunity within the exercise of his “central constitutional powers,” a sitting or former president also has “presumptive immunity” for all official acts. This immunity, wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the bulk opinion, “extends to the outer scope of the President's official responsibilities and includes acts so long as they are not obviously or palpably outside his authority.”

“There is no immunity for unofficial acts,” the court ruled.

The results of the vote was 6-3, because the court’s three liberal justices – Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson – Majority opinion within the event of a dissenting opinion.

“Today's decision to grant criminal immunity to former presidents transforms the institution of the presidency. It mocks the fundamental principle of our Constitution and our system of government that no one is above the law,” Sotomayor wrote in her dissenting opinion.

The federal charges against Trump for his actions to overturn the 2020 presidential election will now be sent back to lower courts to come to a decision which of the federal charges against Trump could be pursued. But one end result is obvious – this decision could have significant implications for presidential power and the separation of powers in government.

Until all of the nuances of the choice are analyzed by constitutional lawyers, listed below are 4 stories to assist readers higher understand the arguments upfront of the choice and what was at stake on this case.

1. Laying the foundations

Trump claimed he was immune from federal prosecution for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election because he was already president on the time.

“Trump’s argument focused on the claim … that a president cannot be legally prosecuted for his official conduct or actions taken in the exercise of his office,” wrote Claire B. Wofforda political scientist on the College of Charleston.

Since 1982, in a case dating back to Richard Nixon's presidency, presidents have been immune from civil suits due to their official actions, Wofford explained, and Trump sought to expand that immunity protection. But that was a tall order, Wofford wrote:

“Protecting the President from the inconveniences of civil litigation is one thing. Allowing the President, who is responsible under Article 2 of the Constitution for faithfully executing the laws, to break those laws with impunity is quite another.”

In fact, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote in December 2023 that Trump didn’t have the “divine right of kings” to flee criminal responsibility. And a federal appeals court agreed with that call in February 2024. Trump appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court.

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Read more: Trump was not a king and could be prosecuted for crimes committed during his presidency: Appeals court sets limits on immunity

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2. An inconsistent claim

Trump's claim was an uphill battle. Stephanie Lindquista constitutional lawyer at Arizona State University, stated:

“In several lawsuits he filed throughout the 2020 election difficult the outcomes, Trump himself said he was acting 'in his personal capability as a candidate' and never in his official capability as president.

“Now, however, Trump is claiming that his comments on 'matters of public interest' were within the scope of his presidential duties, whether or not he was a candidate on January 6.”

This inconsistency, in addition to the final principle of the Constitution that nobody is above the law, made it difficult to argue Trump's position.

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Read more: Trump claims the Constitution grants him immunity – here's why judges and Supreme Court may disagree

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3. A choice that takes a protracted time to return

Wofforda constitutional law scholar on the College of Charleston, noted before the Supreme Court's decision in July that there was public concern in regards to the time it took the court to make a choice. But she said that this delay was within the service of democracy reasonably than a partisan maneuver:

“When the Supreme Court makes a decision, it is inevitably answering a very difficult legal question. If the answers were clear, the case would never have been the subject of litigation before the Supreme Court.”

And the judges’ role in deciding the case is crucial for the nation, she wrote:

“Given the potentially unconstitutional actions Trump has threatened to take if re-elected, the country will need a strong and respected Supreme Court in the near future. Those angry at the court should actually be very happy that it is business as usual. If it were not, their fears that Trump will get away with anything may actually come true.”

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Read more: Supreme Court's slow decision on Trump's immunity is the alternative of politics

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4. What this implies for the longer term

Earlier this spring Wofford noted some worrying signs throughout the oral hearing before the Supreme Court on April 25, 2024:

“Several justices from all ideological camps expressed deep concern about the practical implications of granting or denying a president some degree of immunity.”

For example, Wofford noted:

“Justice Samuel Alito seemed genuinely concerned that the president might face political persecution if he were not protected by immunity. … On the other hand, … (Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson) said a president could take office 'knowing that he could not expect punishment for committing crimes.'”

Wofford expected the justices would seek to grant either full immunity or no immunity in any respect – and subsequently allow Trump's federal case for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election to proceed, since lots of his actions were private and unofficial. Although that too posed a risk, Wofford wrote:

“I wish there were some other means by which the court could resolve this issue, and that so many people did not feel that the fate of our government and the stability of our system were at stake. … If the court does not make it clear and unambiguous that the president is not above the law, then I think we have a serious problem.”

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Read more: Trump's Supreme Court immunity arguments highlight dangers — as prosecutors stress greater risk of waiving legal accountability

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This story is a summary of articles from The Conversation archives.

On June 2, 2024, Mexicans will go to the polls to elect a president after an electoral campaign marked by violence And divisive political rhetoric.

Survey suggest that the candidate of the ruling party Claudia Sheinbaum will win, defeating her rival Xóchitl Gálvez, who leads a left-right coalition.

The level of voter turnout should be unpredictable, but unless there are major surprises, Mexico may have its first female president once all votes are counted.

Scholars writing for The Conversation US have discussed, amongst other things, what this gender milestone will mean for Mexico. Here are three stories that explore the importance of the 2024 Mexican elections.

1. Towards gender equality?

There has been plenty of discuss Mexico soon electing a lady president, but does this really reflect gender equality within the country's politics? Xavier Medina Vidal And Christopher Chambers-JuScholars of Mexican politics and gender issues on the University of Texas at Arlington are investigating this query.

They indicate that although women already make up half of the Mexican Congress and hold top positions in politics and the judiciary, this only tells a part of the story.

“Electing women to high office does not necessarily result in a meaningful shift in power. Experts on women in politics call this 'descriptive representation' – when political leaders resemble a group of voters but fail to take measures that protect them,” they write. A serious concern is the extent of violence and harassment against women in Mexico, each by women in the general public eye and by unusual residents. The femicide rate in Mexico stays shockingly high: 10 women and girls are killed daily.

“Although women are gaining political power in Mexico, the question now is whether they will use it to fight for the women they represent,” conclude Medina Vidal and Chambers-Ju.

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Read more: Mexico will soon elect its first female president – ​​but this milestone masks uneven progress on women's rights

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2. A deadly election cycle

The 2024 elections can even be a milestone for Mexico in one other respect: the violence throughout the election campaign. Amalendu MisraProfessor of international politics at Lancaster University, points out that the election season – during which voters also choose hundreds of positions on the local, state and congressional levels – is on target to be the deadliest ever.

“Violence against Mexican politicians is commonplace,” he writes. “But the country's powerful organized gangs are increasing their political violence during election campaigns to gain the approval of candidates and secure business opportunities.”

Making matters worse, the country's gangs have been fragmenting in recent times, with cartels splitting into different branches. “Put simply, the ongoing violence against politicians and political candidates in Mexico reflects the struggle of various organized crime gangs for territorial consolidation and lucrative business opportunities,” Misra notes.

At least 36 candidates were killed throughout the current electoral cycle.

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Read more: Mexico's criminal gangs fuel political violence ahead of elections

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3. The state of democracy

Of course, Mexico just isn’t the one country in Latin America where gang violence disrupts the political process.

What impact does this have on people’s attitudes towards democracy within the region? Lukas Plutowski, Elizabeth J. Zechmeister And Noam Lupu on the LAPOP Lab at Vanderbilt University have some answers.

Their latest AmericasBarometer, which surveys public attitudes across the Western Hemisphere every two years, finds that widespread pessimism about poverty and violence influences people's attitudes toward democracy in Latin America.

“Our results show that disappointment with the democratic status quo in the region is strikingly high: only 40 percent believe that democracy works,” they note.

But despite this gloomy assessment, support for the concept of ​​democracy stays high. Across the region, 58 percent of individuals consider democracy is the most effective form of presidency. In Mexico, this figure is even higher, at 62 percent.

“For now at least, a sustained belief in democracy could facilitate the efforts of political leaders inside and outside the region to advocate for and strengthen democratic governance,” conclude Plutowski, Zechmeister and Lupu.

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Read more: Faced with serious challenges, democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean is under pressure – but support continues

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With the July 4 election looming, it could possibly feel just like the final result is already a done deal. Labour has had a decisive lead within the polls for over a 12 months, and nothing Rishi Sunak does seems to vary that.

But beneath the surface, there continues to be rather a lot at stake on this six-week election campaign.

First of all, there isn’t a final result possible from this election campaign that may not be described as monumental. If Keir Starmer wins, he could have pulled off essentially the most astonishing electoral turnaround of all time, bringing Labour back to power for the primary time in 14 years. If Rishi Sunak wins, he’ll practically defy gravity.

In Scotland, the SNP's dominance could turn into total annihilation. In Wales, border changes have dramatically altered the electoral map. In Northern Ireland, the DUP is heading into its first real post-Brexit election amid crisis following the arrest of its former leader – while Sinn Féin is regaining popularity.

So Labour’s huge lead within the polls is definitely only a part of the story.

Here at The Conversation, a charity, we’re committed to providing our readers with trustworthy, evidence-based journalism. Over the approaching weeks, we are going to bring you in-depth evaluation of the campaign's developments and fact-check the claims being made.

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We will look closely on the manifestos to discover the guarantees that matter. All parties have big inquiries to answer concerning the way forward for the NHS and the longer term of our planet. All have promised change and renewal after a period of great stress. We imagine that university academics with deep knowledge of their fields are well placed to assist the remainder of us assess the worth of their proposals on all these issues.

If you value high-quality political coverage, support us on this campaign by subscribing to our weekly election newsletter, which provides a summary of crucial information every Friday afternoon.

American leaders will participate from May 15 to 17, 2024 California Governor Gavin Newsom And Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy will participate in a worldwide conference on environmental issues. The host? The Vatican.

The summit, “From the climate crisis to climate resilience“will focus on human adaptation and not just trying to mitigate climate change. “We must start building climate resilience so that people can reverse the emissions curve and return from the climate crisis to a sustainable world safer, healthier and wealthier,” the Pontifical Academy of Sciences said in a press release announcing the workshop.

The Catholic Church appears to be a surprising institution to convene an event on climate change. But many saints, activists and non secular leaders have called on their faith to encourage look after the earth. Pope Francis specifically was vocal in regards to the risks of climate changeparticularly its impact on the world's poorest and most vulnerable people.

Here are five elements of Francis' views — and Catholicism's broader relationship with the environment — that students have written about for The Conversation.

1. God's creation

Care for the Earth has an extended Catholic tradition that goes back centuries.

“One of the core beliefs of Christianity is that the material world was created directly by God and is therefore fundamentally linked to the goodness of God,” he explains Joanne M. Piercea non secular studies scholar on the College of the Holy Cross.

One saint who took this teaching to heart was Hildegard of Bingen, who died within the twelfth century. A German expert in herbal medicine and botany, she was also a author and “represented a type of 'green' theology called viriditas.”

Another Catholic saint known for his love of nature is Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology: an Italian monk who treats animals “with the same dignity as humans.”

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Read more: Concern for the environment has an extended Catholic tradition – tons of of years before Pope Francis

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2. Faith – and reason

When Pope Francis published an encyclical on the environment in 2015, he actually took the title from a poem by his saint of the identical name: “Laudato Si.”

The encyclical links concern about climate change with Catholic teachings. But it's not only for Catholics; Francis also makes science-based arguments that folks with or without religious faith can appreciate, noted Lawrence Torcello. a philosopher on the Rochester Institute of Technology.

“Laudato Si” is a remarkable “example of how reason should be included in public discourse,” Torcello wrote. In a time as polarized as our own, arguments have to be framed in a way that everybody can understand, even in the event that they disagree, “regardless of private religious or ecclesiastical commitments.”

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Read more: The Pope as Philosopher: Faith, Climate Change and Public Reason

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3. An influential messenger

Likewise economists from the University of Michigan Andrew Hoffman And Jenna White emphasized the pope's ability to talk to people across all borders: Catholics and non-Catholics, Republicans and Democrats, individuals who care deeply about climate change and others who’re skeptical of it.

They identified that debates about climate change within the United States are sometimes more about worldviews than scientific evidence. “Calling people to protect the global climate because it is sacred … will generate far more personal commitment than a government call to action on economic grounds or an activist call on environmental grounds,” the pair wrote.

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Read more: The Pope as a Messenger: Making climate change an ethical issue

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4. Environmental Front Line

Francis has often highlighted the unequal impact of climate change on people around the globe. This was evident in 2019 when the Vatican hosted an “Amazon Synod” – a region particularly vulnerable to environmental destruction.

“As a theologian who studies religious responses to the environmental crisis, I find the Pope’s efforts to learn from the indigenous people of the Amazon remarkable,” wrote a University of Dayton professor Vincent Miller.

“Some might dismiss this synod as just a meeting,” he acknowledged. But “the Synod of the Amazon marks a significant shift from high-minded papal exhortations on climate action to a global religious community that gives a voice to those living on the front lines of ecological destruction.”

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Read more: Pope reiterates Catholic Church's duty to indigenous Amazonians affected by climate change

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5. Warnings and wonders

In 2023, Francis published an addendum to “Laudato Si.” Like the unique document, it linked environmental, social and technological challenges – reminiscent of rebuking wealthy countries and individualistic attitudes for ignoring the results of climate change.

In the pope’s eyes, “all life exists in relationships,” wrote Lisa Sideris. an environmental ethicist at UC Santa Barbara: Nature, Man and the Divine. “I believe Francis's social criticism flows from his vision of life – a vision of awe at the depth of meaning and mystery found in an interconnected world.”

Part of the issue, as Francis presents it, is that folks have forgotten how deeply connected we’re to 1 one other – a problem more likely to be a spotlight at this week's summit.

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Read more: The Pope's recent letter shouldn’t be only a “reminder” in regards to the environment – for Francis, the whole lot is connected, which is cause for astonishment

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This story is a summary of articles from The Conversation's archives.

Because movies are so subjective, and views on the identical performances and direction vary greatly from one critic to the subsequent, it may be difficult to find out one of the best of all the pieces – whether acting, direction or sound design.

But this controversy also makes for good drama and tension – fitting for a ceremony that celebrates the way in which actors, directors and cinematographers captivate, move and delight audiences.

So before you tune in to Hollywood's biggest night of the yr, listed below are five recent stories – and a betting tip – in regards to the movies, fashion and actors that may appear at this yr's show.

1. Is it possible to want an Oscar an excessive amount of?

As Michael Schulman, writer of “Oscar warsHe wrote that the Oscars are not exactly a “barometer of artistic merit or values.”

That's why there's lots of behind-the-scenes political debate within the months leading as much as the Oscars, as studios and producers lay out why their writers, directors, cinematographers, costume designers and actors should win the highest prize.

Sometimes the actors make their very own case. In recent years, increasingly emphasis has been placed on the undeniable fact that they’ve prepared for his or her roles.

You can have heard that Cillian Murphy lost 20 kilos and began smoking (fake) cigarettes to play nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, or that Bradley Cooper spent six years training within the art of conducting for a key scene as Leonard Bernstein to show in “maestro.”

The anecdotes are intended to shine up their Oscar qualities.

Should you?

“Yes, the media loves stories like this and they can show a certain kind of engagement,” writes Scott Malia, a theater professor at Holy Cross. “But they can also portray actors as spoiled and pretentious 'artists' whose process is self-indulgent. For example, a working actor who is struggling to pay his bills doesn't have the luxury of insisting that everyone call him by his character's name.”

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2. The anti-Oppenheimer crowd

Christopher Nolan's “Oppenheimer“is the absolute favorite for the award for best picture, according to Vegas Insider.

But if The Conversation's coverage of the film is any indication, it didn't deserve the win.

Charles Thorpe – a sociologist on the University of California, San Diego – examines why J. Robert Oppenheimer specifically has turn into the main focus of a lot writing in regards to the bomb.

On the one hand, it is way easier to grasp the complexities of science, politics, and human suffering through a single person—”a human way of talking about an otherwise overwhelming topic,” as Thorpe puts it.

On the opposite hand, nonetheless, Thorpe argues that American culture's “fascination with the man behind the bomb often seems to overshadow the horrific reality of nuclear weapons themselves.”

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3. Few recent findings

Michigan State University historian Naoko Wake also questions the “inward-looking” nature of “Oppenheimer.”

Like so many other movies in regards to the bomb, Nolan employs a distinctly Western perspective, which Wake believes has turn into tarnished and cracked by overuse.

Ultimately, the film's suspense hinges on decisions made by Americans for Americans and offers “few, if any, new insights into the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and their impact.”

“Even if this film is viewed purely from an entertainment perspective,” Wake adds, “Nolan could have chosen to acknowledge why the bombs are such a rousing subject to start with: They did much, rather more, than simply white, middle-class Americans feel anxious or guilty.”

“Their explosions reverberated around the world,” she continues, “and tore apart not only America’s war enemies, but also colonized peoples and racial minorities.”

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4. Foreign movies take center stage

But for all of the concerns about American perspectives dominating interpretations of history, there was a notable shift within the film industry that has taken a decidedly international turn within the last decade.

This yr, three non-English language movies — “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Past Lives” and “The Zone of Interest” — were nominated for best picture.

Kerry Hegarty, a movie scholar at Miami University, tells the story of how non-English cinema was regularly folded up within the ceremonies – first sorted out, then separated into its own category, and eventually 2020's “Parasite” won best film.

Hegarty explains that this didn’t occur naturally; it took work. Government-sponsored programs to support filmmakers abroad played a big role, as did changes within the demographic makeup of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“Streaming distribution has also democratized access to non-English-language cinema,” she adds, “which was previously reserved only for niche audiences in arthouse cinemas in major cities.”

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5. The Guardians of Glamour

In the early years of the Academy Awards, little attention was paid to what people wore to the event. In fact, film fans couldn't watch the Oscars on television, even after televisions landed in tens of millions of living rooms across the United States: the film industry refused to broadcast the event on the medium it saw as its biggest competition.

That modified when Hollywood bumped into financial difficulties within the late Forties and needed television networks to finance the annual event. Suddenly, how movie stars performed on the event mattered—and the studios decided that this eccentric clique needed some adjustment.

Enter Edith Head, keeper of glamour.

University of Southern California fashion scholar Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén tells the story of how Head – and later Fred Hayman – upheld the boundaries of decency while encouraging stars to showcase the newest luxury trends and clothing, making the event a blinding fashion spectacle might.

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6. 92 years old, 54 nominations

When 92-year-old composer John Williams strolls to the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, he desires to secure his sixth gold statuette.

It's been some time since Williams' last win – exactly 30 years, when he won best original music in 1994 for “Schindler's List.” Nonetheless, Williams holds the record for essentially the most nominations for a living person, with 54.

Arthur Gottschalk, a music professor at Rice University, looks back on Williams' illustrious profession and explains how the composer's suite for “ET” boosted his status.

Not only was it Williams' first rating to be accepted by concert orchestras, nevertheless it also modified the way in which director Steven Spielberg edited the film, “reversing the normal relationship between director and composer,” writes Gottschalk.

“The scoring of the finale,” he continues, “in which protagonist Elliott and his friends help the alien escape from captivity, is so effective that Spielberg recut the film's ending to match Williams' music .”

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In Donald Trump's long list legal problemsThe Müller report – which was published in redacted form on April 18, 2019 – seems all but forgotten.

But the nearly two-year-long investigation into Russia's alleged interference within the 2016 U.S. presidential election dominated the headlines – and exposed what has change into Trump's trademark: denial of any wrongdoing. For Trump, the Russia investigation was the primary “ridiculous fraud” And “Witch hunt.”

Mueller didn't help matters. “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” the report said Special prosecutor explains.

With such ambiguous language, it's easy to see how Democrats and Republicans – and the American public – reacted completely otherwise to the report. While progressive Democrats called for Trump's impeachment, some GOP leaders called for an investigation into the origins of the investigation itself.

Over the past five years, Conversation US has published the work of several scholars who followed the Mueller investigation and what it revealed about Trump. Here we present 4 examples of the work of those scientists.

1. Obstruction of justice

As a law professor and former elected official David Orentlicher identified that Trump did many things that influenced the federal investigation against him and his associates. That includes firing FBI Director James Comey, publicly attacking the special counsel's work and pressuring then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to not recuse himself from overseeing Mueller's investigation.

Some accused Trump of obstructing justice with these actions. However, Orentlicher wrote that obstruction of justice is “a complicated matter.”

Under federal law, obstruction occurs when an individual attempts to impede or influence a trial, investigation, or other official proceeding through threats or corrupt intent. The law also requires a “corrupt” intent to obstruct justice.

But in a letter dated March 24, 2019 As he summarized Mueller's findings, then-Attorney General William Barr told Congress he didn't see enough evidence that Trump had obstructed justice.

So it was as much as Congress to maneuver forward with an obstruction case against Trump, but against then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejectedargue that it can be too divisive for the nation and Trump “just wasn’t worth it.”

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Read more: Trump and Obstruction of Justice: An Explanation

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2. Why was the total report not published?

Charles Tiefer, a law professor on the University of Baltimore, expected that Trump and Barr would “do everything in their power to keep the full report and, just as importantly, the materials underlying the report, secret.”

Deeper was right. To keep Mueller's report secret, Barr invoked grand jury secrecy — the rule that attorneys, jurors and others “may not disclose a matter pending before the grand jury.”

Trump and Barr also claimed executive privilege to further block the report's release. While it may well't be used to shield evidence of a criminal offense, Tiefer explained, “This is where Barr's exoneration of Trump really helped the White House.”

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Read more: How Trump and Barr could expand their claims to executive privileges and grand jury secrecy

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3. Alternative facts

political scientist David C Barker And Morgan Marietta asked a very important query: Why didn't the report help the nation reach consensus on what happened within the 2016 presidential election after nearly two years of waiting?

In her bookEntitled “One Nation, Two Realities,” they found that voters see the world in a way that reinforces their values ​​and identities, no matter whether or not they have ever watched Fox News or MSNBC.

“The contradictory factual claims that have emerged since the report's release demonstrate how easy it is for citizens to believe whatever they want, regardless of what Robert Mueller, William Barr, or anyone else has to say about it,” they wrote .

Perhaps essentially the most disappointing finding, they argued, is that there aren’t any known solutions to this problem. They found that fact-checking has little impact on changing individual beliefs and that more education only exacerbates divisions.

And with that, they wrote, “the United States is moving ever closer to a public square where consensus perceptions are impossible and facts are irrelevant.”

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Read more: From “Total exoneration!” to “Impeach now!” – the Mueller report and dueling factual perceptions

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4. Trump's demand for loyalty

Yu Ouyang, a professor of political science, studies loyalty and politics at Purdue University Northwest. He explained that it’s normal for presidents to favor loyalists.

What sets Trump apart, Ouyang wrote, is his “extraordinary emphasis on loyalty.”

Trump expects personal loyalty from his employees – especially his attorney general.

When his first attorney general, Sessions, withdrew from overseeing the FBI's Russia interference investigation, Trump considered it an act of treason and fired him in November 2017. Sessions' removal allowed Trump to rent Barr.

“Trump values ​​loyalty over other crucial qualities like competence and honesty. … And he appoints his staff accordingly,” Ouyang wrote.

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Read more: Why does a president demand loyalty from his employees?

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