The Conversation

UAW wins big at Volkswagen in Tennessee – its first victory at a foreign-owned factory in the American South

Written by Bob Bussel, Professor Emeritus of History and Labor Education, University of Oregon

Volkswagen workers celebrate in Chattanooga, Tenn., after their bid to join the UAW union prevailed.AP Photo/George Walker IV

A decisive majority of the Volkswagen workers employed at a factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee cast their ballots in favor of joining the United Auto Workers union, the German automaker announced on April 19, 2024.

Persuading...

TikTok fears point to larger problem: Poor media literacy in the social media age

Written by Nir Eisikovits, Professor of Philosophy and Director, Applied Ethics Center, UMass Boston

Tiktok is not the only social media app to pose the threats it's been accused of.picture alliance via Getty Images

The U.S. government moved closer to banning the video social media app TikTok on Apr. 24, 2024 after President Joe Biden signed into law a $95 billion foreign aid bill. The law includes a provision to force ByteDance, the Chinese...

From sumptuous engravings to stick-figure sketches, Passover Haggadahs − and their art − have been evolving for centuries

Written by Rebecca J.W. Jefferson, Head of the Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica, University of Florida

Haggadah shel Pesah, translated by Sonia Gronemann and illustrated by Otto Geismar. Made in Berlin, 1927.Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica , CC BY-ND

The Jewish festival of Passover recalls the biblical story of the Israelites enslaved by Egypt and their miraculous escape. During a ritual feast known as a Seder, families celebrate this ancient...

South Korean President Yoon faces foreign policy challenges after the National Assembly election

Written by Jong Eun Lee, Assistant Professor, North Greenville University

South Korea's pesident faces political woes.Kim Hong-Ji/AFP via Getty Images

South Korea’s parliamentary election of April 10, 2024, was widely seen as a referendum on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s first two years in office.

That being the case, the nation collectively expressed its strong disapproval.

With a relatively high turnout of 67%,...

How Trump is using courtroom machinations to his political advantage

Written by Tim Bakken, Professor of Law, United States Military Academy West Point

Former President Donald Trump sits in a New York courtroom as jury selection proceeds in one of his criminal cases.Jabin Botsford/Pool Photo via AP

The second week is wrapping up in former President Donald Trump’s first criminal trial on charges from the state of New York related to paying hush money to an adult film star. So far, the jury...

Are tomorrow’s engineers ready to face AI’s ethical challenges?

Written by Elana Goldenkoff, Doctoral Candidate in Movement Science, University of Michigan

Finding ethics' place in the engineering curriculum.PeopleImages/iStock via Getty Images Plus

A chatbot turns hostile. A test version of a Roomba vacuum collects images of users in private situations. A Black woman is falsely identified as a suspect on the basis of facial recognition software, which tends to be less accurate at identifying women...

Getting a good night’s rest is vital for neurodiverse children – pediatric sleep experts explain why

Written by Beth Ann Malow, Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University

A poor night's sleep has consequences on behavior, academic performance and overall health.skynesher/E+ via Getty Images

Most of us are all too familiar with the consequences of a poor night’s sleep – be it interrupted sleep or simply too little of it. If you’re a parent with kids at home, it often leaves you and your children on...

Caring for older Americans’ teeth and gums is essential, but Medicare generally doesn’t cover that cost

Written by Frank Scannapieco, Professor and Chair of Oral Biology, University at Buffalo

C. Everett Koop, the avuncular doctor with a fluffy white beard who served as the U.S. surgeon general during the Reagan administration, was famous for his work as an innovative pediatric surgeon and the attention he paid to the HIV-AIDS crisis.

As dentistry scholars, we believe Koop also deserves credit for something else. To help make the medical...

Wild turkey numbers are falling in some parts of the US – the main reason may be habitat loss

Written by Marcus Lashley, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology, University of Florida

Wild turkeys in a yard on Staten Island, N.Y.AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Birdsong is a welcome sign of spring, but robins and cardinals aren’t the only birds showing off for breeding season. In many parts of North America, you’re likely to encounter male wild turkeys, puffed up like beach balls and with their tails fanned out, aggressively...

The tragedy of sudden unexpected infant deaths – and how bedsharing, maternal smoking and stomach sleeping all contribute

Written by Fern R. Hauck, Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia

Roomsharing can be done following safe infant sleep guidelines. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Unsafe sleep practices underlie most sudden unexpected infant deaths in the U.S., with three-quarters of infants affected by multiple unsafe practices at the time of death, and almost 60% sharing a sleep surface with another...