The Conversation

Supreme Court heads into uncharted, dangerous territory as it considers Trump insurrection case

Written by Jessica A. Schoenherr, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of South Carolina

The U.S. Supreme Court.Larry Crain/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

Can Colorado disqualify former President Trump from the state’s primary ballot? That’s the momentous question the U.S. Supreme Court will consider in Trump v. Anderson, a case being argued before the justices on Feb. 8, 2024.

The case involves the justices wading into the unfa...

Dietary supplements and protein powders fall under a ‘wild west’ of unregulated products that necessitate caveats and caution

Written by Emily Hemendinger, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Dietary supplement labels can be misleading.Charday Penn/iStock via Getty Images

Dietary supplements are a big business. The industry made almost US$39 billion in revenue in 2022, and with very little regulation and oversight, it stands to keep growing.

The marketing of dietary supplements has been quite effective, with 77% of Americans reporting...

Dietary supplements and protein powders fall under a ‘wild west’ of products that necessitate caveats and caution

Written by Emily Hemendinger, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Dietary supplement labels can be misleading.Charday Penn/iStock via Getty Images

Dietary supplements are a big business. The industry made almost US$39 billion in revenue in 2022, and with very little regulation and oversight, it stands to keep growing.

The marketing of dietary supplements has been quite effective, with 77% of Americans reporting...

Black travelers want authentic engagement, not checkboxes

Written by Alana Dillette, Assistant Professor. L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Tourism RESET, San Diego State University

Black travelers want to see the travel industry embrace their full identities.AzmanL/ Getty

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, when travel brands – including Delta Air Lines, Hilton and Enterprise – pronounced their support for diversity and the Black Lives Matter movement, our research group was motivated to conduct a study that...

Driving the best possible bargain now isn’t the best long-term strategy, according to game theory

Written by Kate Vitasek, Professor of supply chain management, University of Tennessee

There is such a thing as a win-win deal.nortonrsx/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Conventional wisdom says that you should never leave money on the table when negotiating. But research in my field suggests this could be exactly the wrong approach.

There’s mounting evidence that a short-term win at the bargaining table can mean a loss in terms of...

Peer review isn’t perfect − I know because I teach others how to do it and I’ve seen firsthand how it comes up short

Written by JT Torres, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, Quinnipiac University

Quality in academic research can be compromised when diversity of experience is lacking among the reviewers.Ika84 via Getty Images

When I teach research methods, a major focus is peer review. As a process, peer review evaluates academic papers for their quality, integrity and impact on a field, largely shaping what scientists accept as...

A two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians might actually be closer than ever

Written by Benjamin Case, Postdoctoral research scholar at the Center for Work and Democracy, Arizona State University

A view of destroyed buildings and roads is shown in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Feb. 2, 2024. Abdulqader Sabbah/Anadolu via Getty Images

As the war in the Gaza Strip enters its fourth month, on the surface it might seem like possibilities for long-term, peaceful solutions are impossible. Even before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by...

AI helps students skip right to the good stuff in this intro programming course

Written by Leo Porter, Teaching Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego

Letting AI do the dirty work of programming frees students to work on problem-solving.Issarawat Tattong/Moment via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming”

What prompted the idea for the course?...

Perils of pet poop – so much more than just unsightly and smelly, it can spread disease

Written by Julia Wuerz, Clinical Assistant Professor of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida

Responsible pet owners are on diligent poop patrol.Hannah Sussman, CC BY-ND

Have you ever been out on a walk and as you take that next step, you feel the slippery squish of poop under your foot?

It’s not just gross. Beyond the mess and the smell, it’s potentially infectious. That’s why signs reminding pet owners to “curb your...

Self-extinguishing batteries could reduce the risk of deadly and costly battery fires

Written by Apparao Rao, Professor of Physics, Clemson University

Cutaway view of a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle showing part of its battery array (silver boxes).Tennen-gas/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

In a newly published study, we describe our design for a self-extinguishing rechargeable battery. It replaces the most commonly used electrolyte, which is highly combustible – a medium composed of a lithium salt and...