The Conversation

A water strategy for the parched West: Have cities pay farmers to install more efficient irrigation systems

Written by Robert Glennon, Regents Professor Emeritus and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy Emeritus, University of Arizona

Low-tech irrigation on a cattle ranch near Whitewater, Colo., June 30, 2021.Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

“Are you going to run out of water?” is the first question people ask when they find out I’m from Arizona. The answer is that some people already have, others soon may and it’s going to get much worse without...

People vary a lot in how well they recognize, match or categorize the things they see – researchers attribute this skill to an ability they call 'o'

Written by Isabel Gauthier, David K. Wilson Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University

Some people are inherently better at tasks like reading X-rays.SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

Like snowflakes, no two people are exactly the same. You’re probably used to the idea that people differ substantially in personality and in cognitive abilities – skills like problem-solving or remembering information.

In contrast,...

Racial wealth gaps are yet another thing the US and UK have in common

Written by Calvin Schermerhorn, Professor of History, Arizona State University

Britain's Prince William speaks during the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument on June 22, 2022.John SibleyPOOL/AFP via Getty Images

It’s an old saying that Britain and America are two countries separated by a common language.

But they are united by racial wealth gaps that formed at a similar time for related reasons. Black Britons of...

The Supreme Court has overturned precedent dozens of times, including striking down legal segregation and reversing Roe

Written by David Schultz, Professor of Law, University of Minnesota; Professor of Political Science, Hamline University

A demonstrator outside the Supreme Court building expresses fear that other precedents will fall, too.AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

It is a central principle of law: Courts, including the Supreme Court, are supposed to follow earlier decisions – precedent – to resolve current disputes. But on rare occasions, Supreme Court justices conclude...

More states will now limit abortion, but they have long used laws to govern – and sometimes jail – pregnant women

Written by Wendy Bach, Professor of Law, University of Tennessee

Activists protest for the end of shackling pregnant women during birth in prison in New York in 2015.Yanina Manolova/Associated Press

It’s clear that the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will make it harder for women to get an abortion across much of the United States. But there are other...

Jan. 6 hearings highlight problems with certification of presidential elections and potential ways to fix them

Written by Derek T. Muller, Professor of Law, University of Iowa

Former Vice President Mike Pence is seen presiding over the counting of the votes on Jan. 6, 2021, during a hearing of the House January 6 committee in Washington, D.C., on June 16, 2022.Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Lack of clarity in how Congress counts presidential electoral votes was highlighted in recent public hearings held by the Select...

Let's spare a few words for 'Silent Cal' Coolidge on July 4, his 150th birthday

Written by Chris Lamb, Professor of Journalism, IUPUI

President Calvin Coolidge stands with members of a nonprofit group called the Daughters of 1812. Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

A woman sitting next to President Calvin Coolidge at a dinner party once told him she had made a bet that she could get him to say more than two words.

“You lose,” replied Coolidge, who served...

WNBA star Brittney Griner's release still uncertain as her trial begins in a Russian court

Written by Rokeshia Renné Ashley, Assistant Professor of Communication, Florida International University

Brittney Griner appears at a hearing at the Khimki Court outside Moscow on June 27, 2022.Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

Although a Russian court ruled that WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention may be extended for six more months, her trial on alleged drug charges begins on July 1, 2022, and gives her supporters a glimmer of hope...

Climate change is putting food safety at risk more often, and not just at picnics and parties

Written by Elena N. Naumova, Professor of Epidemiology and Data Science, Tufts University

Dairy, meats and eggs can get risky when left in warm conditions.Westend61 via Getty Images

Every year, almost 1 in 6 Americans gets a foodborne illness, and about 3,000 people die from it, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. Picnics and parties where food sits out for hours are a common source, but heat waves and...

Putin’s propaganda is rooted in Russian history – and that's why it works

Written by Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Associate Professor of Critical Cultural & International Studies, Colorado State University

Russia’s war against Ukraine is pressing into its fifth month – despite several rounds of failed peace talks, and Western countries’ issuing severe economic sanctions against Russia.

The war isn’t happening just on Ukrainian soil. President Vladimir Putin’s propaganda is propelling the Ukraine war through Russia media,...