The Conversation

Why treason is a key topic in Trump’s 14th Amendment appeal to the Supreme Court

Written by Mark A. Graber, University System of Maryland Regents Professor of Law, University of Maryland

Donald Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021, are key to questions about his eligibility to hold office.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

As oral arguments approach in former President Donald Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court appeal of a Colorado Supreme Court decision, many friend-of-the-court briefs in the case bring up a subject not much found in public...

Supreme Court word-count limits for lawyers, explained in 1,026 words

Written by Derek H. Kiernan-Johnson, Teaching Professor of Law, University of Colorado Boulder

Lawyers write too much. That's why the Supreme Court and other U.S. courts impose word limits on them.siraanamwong/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

The dispute over former President Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the Colorado ballot will come to a head on Feb. 8, 2024, when the U.S. Supreme Court holds oral arguments in the case. Dozens...

Norman Jewison’s ‘Rollerball’ depicted a world in which corporations controlled all information – is this dystopian vision becoming reality?

Written by Matthew Jordan, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Penn State

Jonathan E., played by James Caan, competes as the owners watch from the stands.MGM

If the films of Norman Jewison, who died on Jan. 22, 2024, had a unifying theme, it was how his characters searched for meaning and questioned the rules of their worlds.

No matter the genre of the scores of films he directed – from “In the Heat of the...

Suicide has reached epidemic proportions in the US − yet medical students still don’t receive adequate training to treat suicidal patients

Written by Rodolfo Bonnin, Assistant Dean for Institutional Knowledge Management and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Florida International University

Every year, more than 12 million Americans have suicidal thoughts.Djavan Rodriguez/Moment via Getty Images

Suicide in the U.S. is a societal epidemic and a staggering public health crisis that demands attention from medical experts.

In 2021, someone in the U.S. died by suicide every 11 minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and...

With the economy looking bright enough, the Federal Reserve seems content to play the waiting game

Written by Christopher Decker, Professor of Economics, University of Nebraska Omaha

When will Fed Chair Jerome Powell lower the curtains on the inflation battle?AP Photo/Alex Brandon

If there’s one thing you can say about Fed policymakers, it’s that they don’t make decisions on a whim. When the Federal Open Market Committee met on Jan. 31, 2024, it held interest rates steady – as most observers expected....

Super Bowl ads: It’s getting harder for commercials to score with consumers

Written by Linda Ferrell, Professor of Marketing, Auburn University

With the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers set to face off in the 2024 Super Bowl, another conversation now begins in earnest about the TV commercials that will run during one of the most-watched television events of the year. And while some of the usual suspects will once again advertise on-air to the more than 110 million viewers wat...

More than a year after the death of an environmental activist, questions remain on the dangerousness of the Stop Cop City movement near Atlanta

Written by Michael K. Logan, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Kennesaw State University

A makeshift memorial in the South River Forest for environmental activist Manuel Terán. Cheney Orr/AFP via Getty Images

Manuel Terán was one of a few dozen environmentalist activists who joined a protest nearly three years ago against the clearing of about 300 acres of woodlands near Atlanta to construct a proposed police and...

‘Jaws’ portrayed sharks as monsters 50 years ago, but it also inspired a generation of shark scientists

Written by Gavin Naylor, Director of Florida Program for Shark Research, University of Florida

A paleontologist wears a T-shirt showing _Strophodus rebecae_, a shark species with flat teeth that lived millions of years ago.Juan Pablo Pino/AFP via Getty Images

Human fear of sharks has deep roots. Written works and art from the ancient world contain references to sharks preying on sailors as early as the eighth century B.C.E.

Relayed back to...

Sleep can give athletes an edge over competitors − but few recognize how fundamental sleep is to performance

Written by Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh

Sleep has been an underappreciated strategy for gaining an edge over an opponent at any level of athletic competition.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

In the adrenaline-packed world of professional sports, the power of sleep rarely gets adequate attention.

A healthy sleep pattern can be a stealthy game plan for athletes to gain an edge over their opponents....

Teens on social media need both protection and privacy – AI could help get the balance right

Written by Afsaneh Razi, Assistant Professor of Information Science, Drexel University

Social media can be both dangerous and a lifeline for teens.The Good Brigade/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Meta announced on Jan. 9, 2024, that it will protect teen users by blocking them from viewing content on Instagram and Facebook that the company deems to be harmful, including content related to suicide and eating disorders. The move comes as...