The Conversation

Michigan Gov. Whitmer proposes a caregiver tax credit − an idea many Americans support

Written by Sarah E. Patterson, Research Investigator at the Survey Research Center at the Institute of Social Research, University of Michigan

As the population of older adults in the U.S. grows, more people need care.seb_ra/via Getty Images

People caring for elderly or disabled relatives need a break – and, in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a proposal to give them one.

Whitmer’s recently proposed US$5,000 tax credit, the Caring for MI Family Tax Credit, is part of a...

Hispanic health disparities in the US trace back to the Spanish Inquisition

Written by Margaret Boyle, Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, Director of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies Program, Bowdoin College

Class, gender and religion influenced health care in early modern Spain and Latin America.Diego Velázquez/The National Gallery, CC BY-NC

Many of the significant health disparities and inequities Hispanic communities in the United States face are tied to a long history of health injustice in the Hispanic world.

The health landscape of early...

Lithium-ion batteries don’t work well in the cold − a battery researcher explains the chemistry at low temperatures

Written by Wesley Chang, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Drexel University

Why do batteries lose charge more quickly when it's cold? Halfpoint Images/Moment

Rechargeable batteries are great for storing energy and powering electronics from smartphones to electric vehicles. In cold environments, however, they can be more difficult to charge and may even catch on fire.

I’m a mechanical engineering professor who’s...

How age-friendly universities can improve the second half of life

Written by David R. Buys, Associate Professor of Health, Mississippi State University

Opportunities to learn alongside people of different ages can benefit the entire community.monkeybusinessimages via Getty Images

By 2030, more than 1.4 billion people across the globe will be at least 60 years old. This number will shoot up to 2.1 billion by 2050. At this point, there will be more people age 60 or older than people between 10 and 24...

Can witches fly? A historian unpacks the medieval invention − and skepticism − of the witch on a broomstick

Written by Michael D. Bailey, Professor of History, Iowa State University

One of the earliest depictions of flying witches is in a 15th-century text entitled "Le champion des dames," or "The Defender of Ladies."Martin Le Franc/W. Schild. Die Maleficia der Hexenleut' via Wikimedia Commons

The image of a witch flying on a broomstick is iconic, but it is not nearly as old as the idea of witchcraft itself, which dates to the...

Scorsese’s gods of the streets: From ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ to ‘Silence,’ faith is rarely far off in his films

Written by Anthony Smith, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton

Even in films where religion isn't front and center, Martin Scorsese's attention to ritual and devotion comes through. Apple TV+

A widely circulated still from the set of Martin Scorsese’s latest film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” shows the director sitting in a church pew. Next to him is Lily Gladstone, who plays the role of...

Robber flies track their beetle prey using tiny microbursts of movement

Written by Siddhant Pusdekar, Graduate Researcher in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota

Robber flies visually track their prey before spearing it with their proboscis.Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido, CC BY-ND

April in the Florida Panhandle. It was hot, humid, and a thunderstorm was lurking. But as a fresh graduate student, I was relieved for the escape from my first brutal Minnesota winter. I was accompanying my adviser, Paloma...

Bradley Cooper, Cillian Murphy and the myths of Method acting

Written by Scott Malia, Associate Professor of Theatre, College of the Holy Cross

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein and Carey Mulligan as Bernstein's wife, Felicia Montealegre, in 'Maestro.'Jason McDonald/Netflix

Should actors and actresses who go to extremes to prepare for their roles get more love from Oscars voters?

This year, best actor nominees Cillian Murphy, who played nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in “Op...

The Constitution sets some limits on the people’s choices for president - but the Supreme Court rules it’s unconstitutional for state governments to decide on Trump’s qualifications

Written by Robert A. Strong, Emeritus Professor of Politics, Washington and Lee University; Senior Fellow, Miller Center, University of Virginia

A 1935 painting depicts the 1787 meeting that adopted the U.S. Constitution.John H. Froehlich via Wikimedia Commons

When the Supreme Court ruled on March 4, 2024, that former President Donald Trump could appear on state presidential ballots for the 2024 election, it did not address an idea that seemed simple and compelling when Justice Brett...

¿Arrepentimiento transgénero? una investigación pone en duda los relatos sobre las cirugías de reasignación de sexo

Written by Harry Barbee, Assistant Professor of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins University

Las cirugías de reafirmación del género dan a las personas transexuales la oportunidad de alinear su cuerpo con su identidad de género.Luke Dray/Getty Images

A menudo escucharás a legisladores, activistas y críticos argumentar que muchas personas transgénero se arrepienten de su decisión de...